ciba - please put this experience on your "GC stamping experiences site". Thanks.
INS office in Nationali City has a v v short line at any point of time - so I wanted to get GC stamping from there (would have taken about 45 minutes or so). (but) Found out from my lawyer that the National City INS has stopped accepting applicants for San Diego INS (they are short on staff - someone left and they can\'t find the replacement).
So we went to INS san diego downtown in the morning around 7:30 AM (about 200+ people in front of us); it was pretty cold; kids were about to get warmed up for running up and down the street side; so we decided to try some other time (and may bo in the afternoon when atleast its not as cold)
So we went again on 2/9/01 to INS in SD downtown - this time we immediately got into the building (inside there were about a hundred folks in line); took us 2 hours to get to the counter; (by now they had opened 5 counters - earlier there were only 2 opened); the lady officer looked at my coutesy notice for 485 approval and told me that she would stamp my passport; after having said that she went inside to get I-89 forms; she returned after about 5 minutes (it seemed to me almost half an hour - can\'t they keep all the forms ready - I could see the rack of forms just behind the officer - but she had gone quite so far away that I could no longer see her); anyway when she returned she asked me for PP, photographs AND MY DRIVERS LICENSE - nowhere in the approval notice it talks about drivers license. I had it on me (luckily) - so I showed it to her - but in my mind I am thinking about my wife who did not have her drivers license with her because she did not drive that morning - I drove. I thought of informing the officer that my wife\'s license is at home - but then figured the less you talk the better for you - so i let the officer do the talking. (my toddler son is getting restless and crying; his was the loudest voice in the hall and grabbing everybody\'s attention).
The officer guided me for index finger print and my signatures. I do that. She gave me a pice of paper to wipe off ink. She then cancels 2 of my H1 visas from my old passport(she just writes diagonally over my H1 visas with black ink - somehow she conveniently forget about the other 2 H1 visa stamps). She comes across my I-94s and she abruptly said " We dont need them - just keep it with you or thats for you or something like that" (I didn\'t argue - I thought that they are supposed to take all I-94 with them - and I quiet obediently took all my I-94s out and removed all I-94s from my wifes passport while she is stamping Green Card I-551 on my new Passport)
My son is really getting restless; officer notices that; she hands me my PP and says that we should finish with your wife soon - so that we could get our son in more comfortable outside. I grab my passport just glance over I-551 stamp; grab my son ; asked my wife not to mention anything about driver license until asked; and then I let my son play with US flag in the room and now he is very comfortable. I am just praying to GOD that the officer should not ask for my wife\'s dmv license; it was taking time; my son was now playing with the various signs affixed on the wall. Finally my wife\'s GC stamping was also done and now the officer got a chance to Congratulate my wife and told for the first time that it will take 6-9 months for plastic cards. We were really happy that the officer did not ask for more than what was stated in the approval notice for my wife.
So all in all - everything went fine except
(1) the need for driver license for me (it was not mentioned anywhere to carry it - what if I did not have it on me)
(2) I-94 not even looked at and all the more the officer was quite \'surprised\' to find them in my passport (even though the notice said to bring them)
Questions :
(1) What should I do with I-94s? I am planning to give it at the counters when I leave US
INS office in Nationali City has a v v short line at any point of time - so I wanted to get GC stamping from there (would have taken about 45 minutes or so). (but) Found out from my lawyer that the National City INS has stopped accepting applicants for San Diego INS (they are short on staff - someone left and they can\'t find the replacement).
So we went to INS san diego downtown in the morning around 7:30 AM (about 200+ people in front of us); it was pretty cold; kids were about to get warmed up for running up and down the street side; so we decided to try some other time (and may bo in the afternoon when atleast its not as cold)
So we went again on 2/9/01 to INS in SD downtown - this time we immediately got into the building (inside there were about a hundred folks in line); took us 2 hours to get to the counter; (by now they had opened 5 counters - earlier there were only 2 opened); the lady officer looked at my coutesy notice for 485 approval and told me that she would stamp my passport; after having said that she went inside to get I-89 forms; she returned after about 5 minutes (it seemed to me almost half an hour - can\'t they keep all the forms ready - I could see the rack of forms just behind the officer - but she had gone quite so far away that I could no longer see her); anyway when she returned she asked me for PP, photographs AND MY DRIVERS LICENSE - nowhere in the approval notice it talks about drivers license. I had it on me (luckily) - so I showed it to her - but in my mind I am thinking about my wife who did not have her drivers license with her because she did not drive that morning - I drove. I thought of informing the officer that my wife\'s license is at home - but then figured the less you talk the better for you - so i let the officer do the talking. (my toddler son is getting restless and crying; his was the loudest voice in the hall and grabbing everybody\'s attention).
The officer guided me for index finger print and my signatures. I do that. She gave me a pice of paper to wipe off ink. She then cancels 2 of my H1 visas from my old passport(she just writes diagonally over my H1 visas with black ink - somehow she conveniently forget about the other 2 H1 visa stamps). She comes across my I-94s and she abruptly said " We dont need them - just keep it with you or thats for you or something like that" (I didn\'t argue - I thought that they are supposed to take all I-94 with them - and I quiet obediently took all my I-94s out and removed all I-94s from my wifes passport while she is stamping Green Card I-551 on my new Passport)
My son is really getting restless; officer notices that; she hands me my PP and says that we should finish with your wife soon - so that we could get our son in more comfortable outside. I grab my passport just glance over I-551 stamp; grab my son ; asked my wife not to mention anything about driver license until asked; and then I let my son play with US flag in the room and now he is very comfortable. I am just praying to GOD that the officer should not ask for my wife\'s dmv license; it was taking time; my son was now playing with the various signs affixed on the wall. Finally my wife\'s GC stamping was also done and now the officer got a chance to Congratulate my wife and told for the first time that it will take 6-9 months for plastic cards. We were really happy that the officer did not ask for more than what was stated in the approval notice for my wife.
So all in all - everything went fine except
(1) the need for driver license for me (it was not mentioned anywhere to carry it - what if I did not have it on me)
(2) I-94 not even looked at and all the more the officer was quite \'surprised\' to find them in my passport (even though the notice said to bring them)
Questions :
(1) What should I do with I-94s? I am planning to give it at the counters when I leave US