Does a stamp in your passport mean that you are approved?

S

speedee

Registered Users (C)
Hello,

I have a question: If you get a stamp in your passort after your AOS interview (well, 4 months later and after getting a congressman involved) - does that mean that you are approved and you will get your green card?
I got the stamp, but every time I call them to ask what is going on (it's been 8 months since the interview) they tell me - they are sill working on it. I never received a welcome letter and my online status haven't changed...
Thanks.
 
Maybe yes maybe no.

speedee said:
Hello,

I have a question: If you get a stamp in your passort after your AOS interview (well, 4 months later and after getting a congressman involved) - does that mean that you are approved and you will get your green card?
I got the stamp, but every time I call them to ask what is going on (it's been 8 months since the interview) they tell me - they are sill working on it. I never received a welcome letter and my online status haven't changed...
Thanks.
Click to expand...


What that stamp in your passport says? Word by word please.
And another question: did they invite you for the stamping, with another letter perhaps, or you took an Infopass to see an officer and that’s when you got that stamp??
 
Hello Jane,

I don't have the passport on me right now to look at it, but I'll do that tonight and let you know what exactly the message says.
All I know - it expires in August next year.

In regards to how I got the stamp - After I contacted a local congressman, I got a letter from her which included a letter sent to her by INS saying that they are working on my case and will have an update within the next 30 days.
A couple of weeks later, I got a letter from INS with a day/time and location to go for stamping. When I went there - I got the stamp and I was told I will get the card in 3 months. It's been 4 and I haven't gotten it. I also asked the person that stamped my passport if they have all the info they need, do I need to provide them with anything else. She told me that they have everything and at that point all I need to do is to wait.
I called them two weeks ago and the immigration person on the phone acted surprised I didn't get my card yet and told me he's ordering my card as we speak. But then last week - I got a letter saying that they are still reviewing my case and it will take up to 6 months for final decision.
So I am totally confused now.
Thanks
 
Why did you get a Congressman involved and how did you do it? Looks like it helped you. Plase advise.
 
Hello e17345,

I got the congressman involved because i didn't get my card 3 weeks after the interview as the person who interviewed me and my husband promissed. And I also didn't get anything else - no welcome letter, no status update, no information when i called them and went to the DO (3 times in 4 months). So I didn't know what else to do...and I wrote a letter to the congressman for my distict. I found out who is congressman for my distict from Internet.

I hope this helps.
 
Your case has already been approved, otherwise INS doesn't stamp the passport no matter what. Why you never received any letter from them like Welcome letter or green card, it is a mystery. You might like to verify your address with them.

As far as involvement of Congressman is concerned, then you should know that congresspeople are not above the law. They can only check the status. That is. They cannot dictate INS to expedite or approve anyone's case. A lot of times INS forgets people's cases after approving them or sometimes files remain under the dust of their desk. Getting involved a congressman during that time might help an alien because this way INS would touch the file to respond the congressperson about the status on the pending case.

Receiving a actual plastic card after approval of a case takes a while. Before it used to take up to a year, but now it is taking quickly. Also, it depends where do you live in the country. Just keep a patience with this most buruacratic agency of US govt. Besides, you have a stamp, so you don't need to worry about actual green card. That stamp works as same as actual green card without any difference.

Good Luck.
 
speedee, yes you’ve been approved for GC and that stamp is your temporary evidence.


JohnnyCash said:
otherwise INS doesn't stamp the passport no matter what.
Click to expand...

Johnny, somebody on this forum said her passport was stamped with “pending I-485” after the interview.
Plus there are some other times and circumstances when INS does stamp people’s passports prior to an adjustment.
For an example - with their current immigration status.
 
I'm not saying that people are lying about INS having stamped them other than approval of AOS, but I've NEVER heard of this even though I've practiced immigration laws in a very aggressive ways and I also have family members who are adjudication officers in INS.

Secondly, why would INS stamp about "pending I-485"? No brainer here. Because proof of filing fees and receipt notice are itself a proof of pending I-485.

As far as other stamps are concerned, then those stamps won't be for a person who has pending application for adjustment of status. The person in the case in hand has a pending AOS, so obviously s/he did not file for extension of nonimmigrant visa like visitor visa or student visa in order to get stamped. My statement of INS not stamping a passport was referred in case of pending AOS. Filing the paperwork with INS doesn't mean an alien has a status. So obviously, INS cannot stamp to those who have no status in this situation.

Besides, OP was able to travel with that stamp. If his/her case is not approved, s/he would be asked to obtain Advance Parole; otherwise his/her case is automatically considered abandoned because of leaving the country without INS permission while AOS is pending.

If someone on this forum has said that s/he was stamped "pending I-485" then her/his situation was very unique. Plus, the officer who stamped this person's passport with such a notation took unconventional and discretionary moves to stamp this person with that notation. Besides, always remember that sometimes very unsual thing happens.
 
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Well just to clarify the issue of this "stamp" with pending status, the case that Jane Green is talking about I remember that I posted in that one too, this person went to his interview and the officer "WROTE" the words "pending 245" in his passport. So is not that it was a stamp, it was just a writing of pending AOS for this individual. So case solve it was a writing not a stamp.

For further info the link to that threat is: http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=195970&page=1
 
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guru5678, You need to take a chill pill dude. I know you are under stress. You should also know that Jane is not a lawyer and she is only trying to help. If you dont like her advice, just dont take it. After all you dint pay her for getting advice. Most of us come here online to share experiences, seek help and help others and 99% of us are not lawyers. So before you badmouth someone, take a deep breath, call up a lawyer, pay some money, get the right answers, and if you care, you can correct the people here or share your knowledge. You have to remember that this is a public forum, you cant stop anyone from coming here.

Post Edit: Though the moderator deleted your original offensive post, i'd still like to keep mine here.
 
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Guru

I don't appreciate your calling to Jane to be a dumbass. This is not nice at all, especially when she did not mean to deliberately give a wrong information to anyone. I've a great respect for her as she has been spending her time and energy in helping people as to the best of her ability. She did not mean to give you any wrong advice deliberately, nor she could have benefited anything in return. She said to you what she knew about that particular information.

Also, I don't see she having offended me either, rather she only pointed out that there was a case on this forum wherein INS stamped something to somebody. Besides, we are all human beings, so obviously we could be wrong at times as everyone makes mistake.

That said, I think there is no reason to be rude with her. People should appreciate her for having helping nature than criticizing her.
 
No insults please

First of all, this forum is not to insult anybody and as far I remember is the first time that somebody insult in such offensive way and out of line that is just disgusting. And second I already even made the link to the situation to clarify the issue there was no need for something like this.

If you got your GC already and nothing wrong happen for an advice that you took here (or not) I don't know what is the point to insult. ALL OF US should understand that "discretion advice" most of us are not lawyers and if you really want "legal" information then people should take the steps to take it.

She remember very clearly about a similar case, it wasn't a stamp but it was something that the officer wrote over the passport. Simple confusion and as many of us she post to help out even sometimes we don't remember quite frankly all the facts.

You can take many different answers from here and at the end you should make the steps not taking against somebody that post something that you don't like instead get a legal advice if you have so many doubts. In the internet, what we wrote doesn't have sometimes a feeling, we are not really talking so you don't know the "feeling" of the answer, can be straight, angry, sad, happy or concern. She was based in the fact that many of the people who posted here and went to the interview their I-94's were taken, at the end as Johnny said every case sometimes is unique. But that doesn't mean that she was mean to you.
 
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Hello again,

Here is what the stamp says:
Processed for I-551. Temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence. Valid untill xx/xx/06.Employment authorized.

Please advice.
Thanks.
 
It is DONE.
I got I551 stamp stating the exact same thing when my EB GC was approved.
It is your proof of permanent residency til you get plastic card.
 
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