Help! - Duplicate A file

A

Atlanta_desi

Registered Users (C)
My wife had the interview in Atlanta on June 5th and was told that she has passed the Civics test but since they do not have the 'other' file (which I assume is the duplicate A file) they are not able to make a decision. She was told that she will get an oath letter in the mail once this file is received & reviewed.

From this forum, I am aware it has taken people even upto 4 years in case people get caught in this duplicate file scenario. Are there anybody from Atlanta DO or any other DO who were in the same situation but got their oath letter within 30-60 days after the interview?

I am interested in getting a realistic timeframe to get the oath letter.

Thank you very much.
 
Atlanta_desi said:
My wife had the interview in Atlanta on June 5th and was told that she has passed the Civics test but since they do not have the 'other' file (which I assume is the duplicate A file) they are not able to make a decision. She was told that she will get an oath letter in the mail once this file is received & reviewed.

From this forum, I am aware it has taken people even upto 4 years in case people get caught in this duplicate file scenario. Are there anybody from Atlanta DO or any other DO who were in the same situation but got their oath letter within 30-60 days after the interview?

I am interested in getting a realistic timeframe to get the oath letter.

Thank you very much.
Click to expand...

4 years you are referring to is more related to cases where people are waiting for name check to be completed.

Typical timeframe for dual "A" file issue is 2-4 months (at least that's what I have seen from others experiences). I am stuck with dual "A" file too and it has been more than 3.5 months and haven't heard anything yet.
 
I am positive that I had seen a guy from Australia (forget his handle) for whom it took him nearly 4 years and he had to take a couple of interviews all because of duplicate file issue (not name check). He recently became citizen during Jan. of this year.

Anyway let us hope ours does not take that long.

Deer, Are you seeking the help of a Senator/Congressman to expedite things?

Thanks.
 
How do you find whether you have dual A files?

Folks,

Other than being told at interview, is there a way to find whether you hav two A numbers?

Thank you
JP
 
You will only know about the dual file issue at the interview. In our case in all the InfoPass etc. we were told everything is set and all the name checks are cleared.
 
Atlanta_desi said:
Deer, Are you seeking the help of a Senator/Congressman to expedite things?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

My experience has been not so good with these guys yet. I have called both senators offices and did not get much of help. Also called congressman's office for my distric but the person who handles immigration matters is out for past couple of weeks or so.
 
Atlanta_desi said:
You will only know about the dual file issue at the interview. In our case in all the InfoPass etc. we were told everything is set and all the name checks are cleared.
Click to expand...

There are some obvious clues you can look for.
First, if you had applied for Consular Processing for your green card and also happened to persue 485 route, you will definitely have 2 A#.
Just check your green card A# and AOS receipt A#.
Also if you have old EAD cards, receipts, check A# on these and see if its the same as your green card.
If you do find out that you have 2 or more A#, enclose a letter with your N400 stating all A# s, and ask them to consolidate files before interview.

Search for old threads about this topic and you will find some more information.
 
Has anybody encountered Dual A files issue because of F1 EAD's?

Based on the postings on this forum, it looks like most of the people who are having the dual A file issue is related to filing 485 and also proceeding with CP. Has anyone encountered the dual A files because of the A number being different on the EAD cards obtained during F1 Practice Training and the A number on the Green Card? If so, please post your experience. Thanks.

Dallas N400 Guy.
 
dallasn400guy said:
Based on the postings on this forum, it looks like most of the people who are having the dual A file issue is related to filing 485 and also proceeding with CP. Has anyone encountered the dual A files because of the A number being different on the EAD cards obtained during F1 Practice Training and the A number on the Green Card? If so, please post your experience. Thanks.

Dallas N400 Guy.
Click to expand...

Yes. This is also one of the common scenarios where you can end up with multiple A files. My case also falls into this same scenario. The EAD I got during my F-1 days has different A# than the green card. I went the CP route and did not even file I-485.
 
Deer-

I remember in some thread that you are a resident in Middlesex - NJ? Who is the concerened person in the congressman's office you were referring to. Kindly revert back.

Also are you planning any action since you have almost completed 120 days since your interview?

Thanks in advance.
 
I know I have at least 2 A# (two 485 applications). One through my marriage application and another through my work application for greencard. I got my 485 approved (April 2001) through work and cancelled the other 485 through marriage. Of course INS said that they never got my cancellation of second 485 and told me to contact them to resolve this (Aug 2002). My lawyer sent a letter asking them to merge the two A#s. To make sure everything was sorted out, I went to INS office (Sep 2002) in person and ask them to check my record and they confirmed that the two A# are merged.

I don't know if you can make appointment to see an INS officer, but that's one way to know if your A# are merged. I knew my A#s, so that helped.

I have since moved to a different state. I had a new law firm take care of my n-400 application (yes, it's very easy, but I just like to have a backup in case I run into any unforseen issues). When I told him about the two A# problem, he called a number (automated system) to see if the A# is in limbo or not. Well, at least it wasn't an open case and INS had no bad record against it. But it could still cause problem or delays he told me.

I'll update you guys in a about 6 months I guess (I'm hopeful to have interview by then).

--Username
 
futcitizen said:
Deer-

I remember in some thread that you are a resident in Middlesex - NJ? Who is the concerened person in the congressman's office you were referring to. Kindly revert back.

Also are you planning any action since you have almost completed 120 days since your interview?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I tried contacting Congressman Rush Holt's office (He is the congressman for the the district my township falls in) but the staff who works on immigration issue was out of office.

I also contacted Senator Menendez's office but haven't heard anything yet.

And, I am not getting enough time from my work to follow up on it.

I will probably wait for another month or so before deciding to take any legal action, 'coz even with legal action once you send the leagl notice they have 60 days to respond and I am hoping that I will get the oath letter in a month or so.
 
In our case, I am seeking the help of our local congressman's office who have been quite helpful thus far. But the fact of the matter is thy talk to a liaison at the USCIS who does not seem to have much decision making capacity except relay the status etc.

In Atlanta DO, the N-400 cases are taking about 4 months start-to-finish these days and our case has dragged on for more than 15 months with no end in sight! :mad:
 
sd12 said:
There are some obvious clues you can look for.
First, if you had applied for Consular Processing for your green card and also happened to persue 485 route, you will definitely have 2 A#.
Just check your green card A# and AOS receipt A#.
Also if you have old EAD cards, receipts, check A# on these and see if its the same as your green card.
If you do find out that you have 2 or more A#, enclose a letter with your N400 stating all A# s, and ask them to consolidate files before interview.

Search for old threads about this topic and you will find some more information.
Click to expand...
I have differnt A# associated with my F1-EAD than the one on my greencard. I have already sent out my N400 to CIS (and have had my FPs dome).

Would you recommend sending a letter out to CIS asking them to consolidate the A files now? Or would it just delay the process at this time?
 
Does two I140 petitions can cause dual A# file ?

Few years ago I worked in a company which started my immigration process.
Sonn after they filed I140 petition I left the company and was sure they withdrawn it, but they didn't and it's got approved few month later when I worked in another company where I got my GC.

So that I have two I140 petitions.

A month ago I filed N400, and now I am waitiing for interview letter.

Can those 2 I140 petitions can cause dual A# file

Thanks
 
N4000, It may have been a good idea to send a letter along with the N-400 application. But if you try to send out a letter now, at best it may not have any effect and worst it may delay the process, in my opinion.

If you are lucky, USCIS may actually do its job right and merge your two files by the time of the interview.
 
Atlanta_desi said:
In our case, I am seeking the help of our local congressman's office who have been quite helpful thus far. But the fact of the matter is thy talk to a liaison at the USCIS who does not seem to have much decision making capacity except relay the status etc.

In Atlanta DO, the N-400 cases are taking about 4 months start-to-finish these days and our case has dragged on for more than 15 months with no end in sight! :mad:
Click to expand...


everything is in your hands...now if u wish to wait,trust me they will have u wait for the next 2 years...sue them and be a citize in the next 2 monts...
choice is yours...
 
Duplicate A files and my interview experience

I and my wife reached the N. Stemmons Freeway location at 7.30 AM to attend our interviews scheduled for 8 AM. I was promptly called by a lady officer at 8 AM for the interview and my wife a few minutes after that by a male officer. I was put under oath and then I presented my Driver's license, SS Card, Passport and I also presented the changes to my application form (trips outside US after filing N-400). The officer questioned on why I have 5 traffic tickets over the past five years and told me that it looks like that there is a pattern in my driving history (I became nervous immediately after hearing that). She then asked me questions related to the information on my N-400 form (like my address, phone number, current employer, height etc.) and then she gave me the civics test. I was asked the following questions:

(1) Who is Martin Luther King Jr.
(2) Who makes the laws in the United States
(3) What is the name of the ship that brough the pilgrims to the US
(4) What do the stripes on the national flag mean
(5) Name atleast one right provided by the first amendment
(6) Where is the White House located?
I answered all of these questions correctly and then she asked me to read and write a sentence. I was anxious to know the result of the interview since I have five different A files (three during F1 EAD OPT's, one on my H1-B and one on my I-485) and was not sure whether the duplicate A file issue is going to come up. The Officer told me that 'Congratulations, I'm recommending you for Citizenship'. I was so happy to hear this and she gave me the Oath Letter for the Oath Ceremony in Dallas (I live in Irving, Dallas County) for Sep. 18th. I asked the Officer on whether I can attend the ceremony in Plano on 6/29 and she told me that since it is a judicial ceremony, I can't attend it. I thanked her and left the office with my son. In the mean time, my wife's interview had gone well and she got appointment for the Oath Ceremony for 7/11 in Arlington. Once my wife came out of the interview, we checked out Oath Ceremony dates and I wanted to check whether I can move my date to 7/11. The officer who interviewed my wife came out to call somebody else for interview and I talked to him to see whether he can move my oath ceremony to 7/11. He asked me to wait for a few minutes and he came back in two minutes with a new oath letter for the 7/11 ceremony. I thanked him and we left the building at 8.20 AM. It was a very pleasant experience and it also looks like if you haven't gone through the CP process and have got different A numbers, it looks like you may not run into problems. Thanks for everyone's advice and guidance over the past few months. Overall, here is my timeline.

N-400 Applied: 1/14
N-400 Receipt Date: 1/17
Finger Print Date: 2/17
Interview Date: 6/14
Oath: 7/11

Overall, it has taken 6 months for me and my wife to wrap up this process. Thanks everyone.

Dallas N400 Guy.
 
DallaN400guy, Congrats! I have a feeling that Dallas DO does a good job in merging all files (may be since the TSC is close by!). I have known two other cases where they have had mulitple A#s and have not faced any delays due to this. The problem seems to be in other DOs who may not co-ordinate as well to get all the files before the interview. I still do not understand why the officer had to make a comment on your traffic tickets. 1 ticket a year is what people average anyway. My understanding was as along as there are no arrests/DUIs on your driving record, speeding tickets does not have any bearing on your application.

querry11, Your point is noted. I am giving them 60 days time to see if this will take care of itself without any hassles.
 
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