vaishali81
Registered Users (C)
Okay, I got back from my biometrics appointment on Friday and felt compelled to share my experience with others. I went to the Van Nuys centre in California for mine.
We arrived 45 minutes early for my appointment. I had my appointment letter with me, my passport and I brought along for good measure all other letters sent to me by USCIS. I didn't, however, need any of these. It was the appointment letter that mattered.
Okay, so I arrive there, and find about 70 people waiting to have their fingerprints and photos taken for various reasons. I wait in line and fill out a form that states my name, birthdate, height, weight blah blah blah. After filling that out, the guard checks my hand for clean fingerprints and gives me a number. The number they were currently serving was 836. Mine was 868. After an hour and a half of waiting, it was finally my turn.
During the time I was waiting, my husband commented to the guard that there were a lot of people there, and asked if it was always this busy. The guard said "Oh no, this is half the amount of people who are usually here. Usually there is a 4 hour wait. Must be a computer down somewhere". Hmmm, charming
So I was lucky then!
Anyway, I was very glad that I dressed up, did my hair and did my makeup, as they had to obviously take pictures. It took a while to get my fingerprints as I have a rare condition that makes my fingers have lots of lines and therefore is always hard to get good fingerprints. They were very helpful and very kind and didn't make me feel bad about that. It took 20 minutes to get my fingerprints accurately. But, that was alright. Finally they got it.
Now, my tips:
*Always be prepared to sit down for a long time, and that your butt will fall asleep.
*Make sure you look presentable and that you are sure that is how you want to look on your GC
*Do not take too many people with you to the appointment, at most your spouse or someone like that, as they make people who are not there for a biometrics appointment leave the building to make room for those who are meant to be there.
*Make sure you have your passport or appropriate identification with your married name (if you are a woman).
*Be nice to all the people who work there, because they would have had a really really long day and would have seen about 300 of us foreigners during the morning.
*Get there early and make sure you have enough quarters for the meter. I think they were 25 cents for one hour.
*If you are going to the Van Nuys center, dont' be fooled, there is no line outside. Just go on in. The people waiting outside are family members who were kicked out of the waiting room because they were taking up too much space.
*If your fingerprints do not look clear when you look at them, don't go. Make another appointment. If they will not show up readily, you will be asked to leave and make a new appointment.
Well that's it
Good luck to all who are going for their biometrics appointments. It's not so bad
We arrived 45 minutes early for my appointment. I had my appointment letter with me, my passport and I brought along for good measure all other letters sent to me by USCIS. I didn't, however, need any of these. It was the appointment letter that mattered.
Okay, so I arrive there, and find about 70 people waiting to have their fingerprints and photos taken for various reasons. I wait in line and fill out a form that states my name, birthdate, height, weight blah blah blah. After filling that out, the guard checks my hand for clean fingerprints and gives me a number. The number they were currently serving was 836. Mine was 868. After an hour and a half of waiting, it was finally my turn.
During the time I was waiting, my husband commented to the guard that there were a lot of people there, and asked if it was always this busy. The guard said "Oh no, this is half the amount of people who are usually here. Usually there is a 4 hour wait. Must be a computer down somewhere". Hmmm, charming
So I was lucky then!Anyway, I was very glad that I dressed up, did my hair and did my makeup, as they had to obviously take pictures. It took a while to get my fingerprints as I have a rare condition that makes my fingers have lots of lines and therefore is always hard to get good fingerprints. They were very helpful and very kind and didn't make me feel bad about that. It took 20 minutes to get my fingerprints accurately. But, that was alright. Finally they got it.
Now, my tips:
*Always be prepared to sit down for a long time, and that your butt will fall asleep.
*Make sure you look presentable and that you are sure that is how you want to look on your GC
*Do not take too many people with you to the appointment, at most your spouse or someone like that, as they make people who are not there for a biometrics appointment leave the building to make room for those who are meant to be there.
*Make sure you have your passport or appropriate identification with your married name (if you are a woman).
*Be nice to all the people who work there, because they would have had a really really long day and would have seen about 300 of us foreigners during the morning.
*Get there early and make sure you have enough quarters for the meter. I think they were 25 cents for one hour.
*If you are going to the Van Nuys center, dont' be fooled, there is no line outside. Just go on in. The people waiting outside are family members who were kicked out of the waiting room because they were taking up too much space.
*If your fingerprints do not look clear when you look at them, don't go. Make another appointment. If they will not show up readily, you will be asked to leave and make a new appointment.
Well that's it
Good luck to all who are going for their biometrics appointments. It's not so bad