Money Orders

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patty579

Registered Users (C)
Does anyone have any experience with money orders for paying the application fees? I know you guys recommend checks, but I don't have a bank account yet and I don't want my husband to pay for all this.

Can I use my credit card (Master Card) for this?
Do I just walk into a bank an order one?
Do I just write "payable to Department of Homeland Security" or do I have to add an address or a name?

Did anyone have a bad experience with money orders in the past?

Thanks for sharing!! :)
 
I paid for the AOS application using my personal checks but have used money orders in the past for H1B renewals. You can get M.O in any 7-11 store. You have to pay cash as they dont accept credit cards. Yes, fees should be made payable to Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
 
Thanks a lot Ari. :)
The only disadvantage with M.O.s is that I won't be able to see when they cash it, right?
Oh well, it should be fine. Thanks again!
 
You can go to the post office and buy a money order for only 0.90. The post office will take cash or debit card. I paid my fees by check because I wanted to see when the checks cleared...
 
lakelady said:
You can go to the post office and buy a money order for only 0.90. The post office will take cash or debit card. I paid my fees by check because I wanted to see when the checks cleared...
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Thanks for the info! I think I will buy it from the post office.
It will suck because I won't know when they cash it, but I just feel better paying for the application myself.
Anyway, thanks again lakelady! :)
 
I know at Bank of America, if you get a certified check, you can call them and they can tell you when it was cashed.
 
I just mail my application on satuday and I use money order that I purchase from Kroger store.
 
patty579 said:
Does anyone have any experience with money orders for paying the application fees? I know you guys recommend checks, but I don't have a bank account yet and I don't want my husband to pay for all this.
Thanks for sharing!! :)
Click to expand...

1. You don't want your husband to pay for all of these?
OR:
2. You don't want your husbnad to know about all of these?

I'm asking because if it is #1, then you can pay your husband and he can write you the checks you need.
You can ask anybody, if you have some friends you trust, to write you checks and you pay them back.
Is good to have a method of tracking after you mail your papers ;)
 
Even though with checks, one can follow up on when the checks were cashed, but doesn't it take more time to cash checks and get them deposited and what not?

I don't think they would send a receipt before the checks cash, and that takes more time. I used money orders... my ND was just 4 days after my RD, and I sent my package on a holiday, so it could have been even faster. I read that some people with checks wait for weeks or sometimes months for their receipts, I believe MO's are faster, and the faster the better when dealing with USCIS.
 
Pinturicchio said:
Even though with checks, one can follow up on when the checks were cashed, but doesn't it take more time to cash checks and get them deposited and what not?

I don't think they would send a receipt before the checks cash, and that takes more time. I used money orders... my ND was just 4 days after my RD, and I sent my package on a holiday, so it could have been even faster. I read that some people with checks wait for weeks or sometimes months for their receipts, I believe MO's are faster, and the faster the better when dealing with USCIS.
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I sent checks and my RD and ND were exactly one week apart. My ND was July 11 and as per my bank statement, my checks were encashed July 15th (which was the same day i received my NOA).
 
Pinturicchio said:
Even though with checks, one can follow up on when the checks were cashed, but doesn't it take more time to cash checks and get them deposited and what not?

I don't think they would send a receipt before the checks cash, and that takes more time. I used money orders... my ND was just 4 days after my RD, and I sent my package on a holiday, so it could have been even faster. I read that some people with checks wait for weeks or sometimes months for their receipts, I believe MO's are faster, and the faster the better when dealing with USCIS.
Click to expand...

You're probably right about Money Orders resulting into an earlier ND, however weighing the couple of days of advantage (an early ND) against the pain if something goes wrong (God forbid), I would rather use checks to have that peace of mind.

I mailed the AOS package on 03/01/2006 using Priority mail... it was received on 03/02/2006 (I tracked it thru USPS), later the check was cleared on 03/09/2006 and I used the scanned copy of check available at bank's website to get the Receipt No. of the I-485, even before I received the NoA - which was on 03/11/2006. The PD for I-485 pkg is 03/07/2006. None of this really added any value, but imagining the agony I would've gone through, had I not used the check and the NoA was delayed... woooo...
 
a_usc said:
I mailed the AOS package on 03/01/2006 using Priority mail... it was received on 03/02/2006 (I tracked it thru USPS), later the check was cleared on 03/09/2006 and I used the scanned copy of check available at bank's website to get the Receipt No. of the I-485, even before I received the NoA - which was on 03/11/2006. The PD for I-485 pkg is 03/07/2006. None of this really added any value, but imagining the agony I would've gone through, had I not used the check and the NoA was delayed... woooo...
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Exactly what I was thinking when I've decided that always I'll use checks not Money Orders.
If, God forbidden, the Money Order gets lost, it's harder to track it down, have it replaced, etc.
Besides, I'm almost positive that CIS doesn't wait for the check to clear to send the Receipt note, I remenber for sure, that my Priority Date for my Naturalization application was more than one week before the date my check was operated by the bank.
 
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Suzy977 said:
1. You don't want your husband to pay for all of these?
OR:
2. You don't want your husbnad to know about all of these?
I'm asking because if it is #1, then you can pay your husband and he can write you the checks you need.
You can ask anybody, if you have some friends you trust, to write you checks and you pay them back.
Is good to have a method of tracking after you mail your papers
Click to expand...
Haha! No, it's not like that. We just moved from PA to CO and my husband's bank doesn't have a single branch out here. If I gave him the cash for it, we won't be able to get it in his account, but that is where we really need it right now!! :rolleyes:
We just got married and will open a new bank account at a bank out here soon. It's just pretty impossible right now with his working hours and all.
Believe me, I would prefer checks too. But with MOs, I heard that as long as I keep my receipt, it's pretty safe. I can even have it refunded if it gets lost.
So we'll pray that everything goes fine and send my MOs.

sometime2006 said:
I know at Bank of America, if you get a certified check, you can call them and they can tell you when it was cashed.
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Certified checks or MOs? Do you have to have an account with them? I think I saw a Bank of America out here somewhere... Anyway, thanks for the tip.
:)
 
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You can do everything over the phone. Right after I got married I called the bank to see what we need to do to open a joint account. He basically took all my info and my husbands then he told me to tell my husband to call him so that he can confirm his info. Basically 2 phone calls did the job. We didn't even have to go to the bank once. We got our debit cards and check after a week or so.
 
Hm, that sounds good. If it actually takes just a week then we'll wait for that.
It's just that my Visa is running out 31st March and we wanted to mail the application on Monday, just to be on the safe side, you know.
I'll think about it. Thanks Payala! :)
 
payala said:
You can do everything over the phone. Right after I got married I called the bank to see what we need to do to open a joint account. He basically took all my info and my husbands then he told me to tell my husband to call him so that he can confirm his info. Basically 2 phone calls did the job. We didn't even have to go to the bank once. We got our debit cards and check after a week or so.
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We went to the bank yesterday and they guy said that he can't open a joint account for us, because I don't have a social yet. :(
We ended up opening a new account for my husband and the guy said that as soon as I got a work permit he can add me on to it.
But at least we got an account around here now, so I can deposit money on my husband's account and he can write checks for my application fees.
 
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