My experience with the attempt to fix I-94

K

karina

Registered Users (C)
Yesterday I took a day off from work to try and fix the error on my I-94 which has expiration date of May, 2002.
I made an appointment using InfoPass at Newark, NJ.
1) I had to stand in a long line despite the fact that there is an appointment system now in place, although it was not as bad as it used to be, just a couple of hours to get your ticket.

2) When I at last got to speak to an officer, she first told me that I'm too late to fix this probem, as it has expired in 2002 (I do not know why she had to tell me that but she did), then she told me that noone will do it for me anyway, because I should file for Employment Authorization. I tried to explain to her that we do not have to do it anymoew, but she would not listen to me, just gave me a ticket to sit and wait and talk to somebody else, when I asked to speak to a supervisor she literally yelled at me SUPERVISORS ARE ALL IN THE MEETING. SIT AND WAIT!
I waited for my turn for another 1,5 hours and when I explained my situation again to another officer, she, after consulting with her supervisor, told me. Listen to this guys : "Asylum does not have anything to do with immigration, you have to go to the asylum office" Imagine this? You guys are not immigrants, but asylees... Ha!
Anyway, they gave me an address of an asylum office where I went after all this nightmare.
They were extremely polite at the asylum office, starting with the security guard, who told me that they do not usually see people without an appointment but he will personally go and talk to them so they could hear me out today. And they did, only they did not give me a new I-94, because they explained that if it was given by the IJ in NY at that time, I had to go to the deportation office in New-Jersey (where I now reside) and explain the situation and they would make a request about my case decision from NY and will probably issue me a new I-94. I desided not to take my chances and go to deportation office as the name itself does not seem to attractive to me anyway..
I think I will either go to Canada and get a new I-94 at the airport, or apply for a new employment authorization...
 
I am very sorry to hear this. This is typical INS baloney. Not too long ago I helped a friend obtain a new I-94 stamp in Miami and ran into similar problems. At that time Gilbert gave me a direct phone number of an INS person in DC. I called her and she arranged for us to get a new I94. I lost that number so you might want to get it from Gilbert.



karina said:
Yesterday I took a day off from work to try and fix the error on my I-94 which has expiration date of May, 2002.
I made an appointment using InfoPass at Newark, NJ.
1) I had to stand in a long line despite the fact that there is an appointment system now in place, although it was not as bad as it used to be, just a couple of hours to get your ticket.

2) When I at last got to speak to an officer, she first told me that I'm too late to fix this probem, as it has expired in 2002 (I do not know why she had to tell me that but she did), then she told me that noone will do it for me anyway, because I should file for Employment Authorization. I tried to explain to her that we do not have to do it anymoew, but she would not listen to me, just gave me a ticket to sit and wait and talk to somebody else, when I asked to speak to a supervisor she literally yelled at me SUPERVISORS ARE ALL IN THE MEETING. SIT AND WAIT!
I waited for my turn for another 1,5 hours and when I explained my situation again to another officer, she, after consulting with her supervisor, told me. Listen to this guys : "Asylum does not have anything to do with immigration, you have to go to the asylum office" Imagine this? You guys are not immigrants, but asylees... Ha!
Anyway, they gave me an address of an asylum office where I went after all this nightmare.
They were extremely polite at the asylum office, starting with the security guard, who told me that they do not usually see people without an appointment but he will personally go and talk to them so they could hear me out today. And they did, only they did not give me a new I-94, because they explained that if it was given by the IJ in NY at that time, I had to go to the deportation office in New-Jersey (where I now reside) and explain the situation and they would make a request about my case decision from NY and will probably issue me a new I-94. I desided not to take my chances and go to deportation office as the name itself does not seem to attractive to me anyway..
I think I will either go to Canada and get a new I-94 at the airport, or apply for a new employment authorization...
Click to expand...
 
karina said:
Yesterday I took a day off from work to try and fix the error on my I-94 which has expiration date of May, 2002.
I made an appointment using InfoPass at Newark, NJ.
1) I had to stand in a long line despite the fact that there is an appointment system now in place, although it was not as bad as it used to be, just a couple of hours to get your ticket.

2) When I at last got to speak to an officer, she first told me that I'm too late to fix this probem, as it has expired in 2002 (I do not know why she had to tell me that but she did), then she told me that noone will do it for me anyway, because I should file for Employment Authorization. I tried to explain to her that we do not have to do it anymoew, but she would not listen to me, just gave me a ticket to sit and wait and talk to somebody else, when I asked to speak to a supervisor she literally yelled at me SUPERVISORS ARE ALL IN THE MEETING. SIT AND WAIT!
I waited for my turn for another 1,5 hours and when I explained my situation again to another officer, she, after consulting with her supervisor, told me. Listen to this guys : "Asylum does not have anything to do with immigration, you have to go to the asylum office" Imagine this? You guys are not immigrants, but asylees... Ha!
Anyway, they gave me an address of an asylum office where I went after all this nightmare.
They were extremely polite at the asylum office, starting with the security guard, who told me that they do not usually see people without an appointment but he will personally go and talk to them so they could hear me out today. And they did, only they did not give me a new I-94, because they explained that if it was given by the IJ in NY at that time, I had to go to the deportation office in New-Jersey (where I now reside) and explain the situation and they would make a request about my case decision from NY and will probably issue me a new I-94. I desided not to take my chances and go to deportation office as the name itself does not seem to attractive to me anyway..
I think I will either go to Canada and get a new I-94 at the airport, or apply for a new employment authorization...
Click to expand...
Karina, I am so sorry you have to deal with these incompetent idiots. Do you have a lawyer? Or did you go through the whole process alone? At the time when I was an asylee and needed the card, my lawyer called the immigration judge, who immediately ordered an I-94 card for me.
 
Another way

Karina sorry to hear your story. One way could be contacting your Senator. My Senator really helped me a lot.
Good luck
 
I thought u can get a new i-94 in the mail..? I have done that in the past..have they stopped doing that???
 
How I got my I-94 card

Karina,

I never got my I-94 card when my asylum status got approved back in 1999.
The principal applicant got one in a mail, me – only the approval letter (of I-730 petition).
The letter said I could obtain my I-94 from my local INS office.
At that time I was a college student. I applied for financial aid providing the asylum approval letter. My application was rejected and the letter from the finance department specifically asked that in order to process my application I would have to provide them with my I-94 or a stamped passport.
So, just like my approved asylee relative petition says – I contacted my local INS office.
Got the same response like you, Karina – to go to the asylum office.
I didn’t want to drive for three hours and then back, so I wrote them a letter.
They replied I have to contact Nebraska Service Center.
I wrote another letter to Nebraska, explained the situation and attached my approval letter.
They wrote me back:
“In order to obtain a new I-94 card you will need to submit form I-102 with the appropriate fees and evidence.”
I did that. I got my new I-94 with the stamp “Asylum granted Indefinitely, employment authorized” in a mail in 3 ½ month.
You can try the same...

Best wishes.
 
Karina -

What a way to spend your day...dealing with incompetent folks. The INS gave me an incorrect I-94 back in 2001 when I came back from a trip to Canada. They took away my perfectly good asylee 1-94 that had indefinite validity and work authorization and gave me a refugee i-94 with a validity of 1 year. Their explanation was I would get my greencard within the year. And they said asylee is refugee - yea right?! Of course having my RTD with asylee on it didn't make a difference.

Any way - to make matters short - I visited my local DO to get the I-94 fixed and was told to submit a form I-102 to Vermont (because that is where my state is serviced). Vermont approved the petiton and sent the file back to the local DO where it got processed and I got my I-94 in the mail - corrected. Just like the first time! What a mess.

I will echo Peach and say you might want to look into filing a Form I-102. The only problem is that they will ask you to include the original expired I-94.

Good luck. I hope this works out for you.
 
I swear to you that there are people that have no clue, where they are, and literally can't speak english, and forget about writing and reading, and plus there behavor. :eek: that's why Dikies(attorneys) :p charge so much $$
Immagine if we all non citizens live country at once, what would happen :rolleyes:
Spring is coming maybe something new , and good for us.
 
Hi Karina:

The Newark Immigration Office on Broad Street does not modify or issue new I-94s. The Deportation Office, located near the Newark Airport, is the place that you need to go. But you may want to make an appointment with them ahead of time. Unless your file is in the office, which is highly dubious, the DO would not issue you a new I-94. The officer would need to have requested for your document from the National Achieve Center, which would take about 2 weeks.

When you make your appointment, you may want to opt for a morning appointment, such as at 8 am, and it may take a month in advance to make such an appointment. DO officers go on vacations, have emergency meetings, etc. It is a good idea to bring a lawyer with you, which may cost between $750 to a grand.

Also, just because you have an appointment with a DO officer and have a lawyer present with you, it does not mean that you'll get your new I-94 card on that day. The DO officer may bail out from and cancel your appointment the last minute, for example after you have waited for hours. So bring a magazine or a catalogue. One other advice I like to offer is to be persistent and understandable about things. But, most important, stay cool and don't freak out.

Dan
 
i-94 nightmare

Hi all,

This issue is all too familiar. Like Peach, I've never got my I-94 when my asylum was approved back in 99, but I've never had a need for it up till now. My driver's license expired in November, and to my surprise, I realized I didn't have enough documents to fulfill the NJ 6-point ID system. I got the same run-around at the INS office on broad st. and finally ended up in DO. However, they couldn't get my file because it's locked due to the case status being adjusted. Three months later, I'm still waiting for the adjustment to come in, or DO to get my file so that I can get my license renewed. To add insult to injury, I just got a speeding ticket and the cop made me call a friend to drive me home in my own car. I've got a court date at the end of the month where I'll attempt to explain my predicament.

Oh, well.

-gene
 
Call your congressional office(s). They can make things happen for you.


pibkac said:
Hi all,

This issue is all too familiar. Like Peach, I've never got my I-94 when my asylum was approved back in 99, but I've never had a need for it up till now. My driver's license expired in November, and to my surprise, I realized I didn't have enough documents to fulfill the NJ 6-point ID system. I got the same run-around at the INS office on broad st. and finally ended up in DO. However, they couldn't get my file because it's locked due to the case status being adjusted. Three months later, I'm still waiting for the adjustment to come in, or DO to get my file so that I can get my license renewed. To add insult to injury, I just got a speeding ticket and the cop made me call a friend to drive me home in my own car. I've got a court date at the end of the month where I'll attempt to explain my predicament.

Oh, well.

-gene
Click to expand...
 
LolaLi said:
Karina -

What a way to spend your day...dealing with incompetent folks. The INS gave me an incorrect I-94 back in 2001 when I came back from a trip to Canada. They took away my perfectly good asylee 1-94 that had indefinite validity and work authorization and gave me a refugee i-94 with a validity of 1 year. Their explanation was I would get my greencard within the year. And they said asylee is refugee - yea right?! Of course having my RTD with asylee on it didn't make a difference.

Any way - to make matters short - I visited my local DO to get the I-94 fixed and was told to submit a form I-102 to Vermont (because that is where my state is serviced). Vermont approved the petiton and sent the file back to the local DO where it got processed and I got my I-94 in the mail - corrected. Just like the first time! What a mess.

I will echo Peach and say you might want to look into filing a Form I-102. The only problem is that they will ask you to include the original expired I-94.

Good luck. I hope this works out for you.
Click to expand...

Do u happen to remember what sign your one-year I-94 had on it? Mine say "Asylum status granted indefinitely" but it also contains the date "Sep.10 2004 POM 4" I still can't understand what that means. First I thought it was the date of issue, because I recieved it September, 14 2004, but in SS office they told me it's an expiration date. I am confused. How could they give me expired I-94? Oh, and plus they issued it in local INS office for free.I filled I-102 and they didn't send it to INS district center in Vermont, but issued by themselves.
 
karina said:
Yesterday I took a day off from work to try and fix the error on my I-94 which has expiration date of May, 2002.
I made an appointment using InfoPass at Newark, NJ.
1) I had to stand in a long line despite the fact that there is an appointment system now in place, although it was not as bad as it used to be, just a couple of hours to get your ticket.

2) When I at last got to speak to an officer, she first told me that I'm too late to fix this probem, as it has expired in 2002 (I do not know why she had to tell me that but she did), then she told me that noone will do it for me anyway, because I should file for Employment Authorization. I tried to explain to her that we do not have to do it anymoew, but she would not listen to me, just gave me a ticket to sit and wait and talk to somebody else, when I asked to speak to a supervisor she literally yelled at me SUPERVISORS ARE ALL IN THE MEETING. SIT AND WAIT!
I waited for my turn for another 1,5 hours and when I explained my situation again to another officer, she, after consulting with her supervisor, told me. Listen to this guys : "Asylum does not have anything to do with immigration, you have to go to the asylum office" Imagine this? You guys are not immigrants, but asylees... Ha!
Anyway, they gave me an address of an asylum office where I went after all this nightmare.
They were extremely polite at the asylum office, starting with the security guard, who told me that they do not usually see people without an appointment but he will personally go and talk to them so they could hear me out today. And they did, only they did not give me a new I-94, because they explained that if it was given by the IJ in NY at that time, I had to go to the deportation office in New-Jersey (where I now reside) and explain the situation and they would make a request about my case decision from NY and will probably issue me a new I-94. I desided not to take my chances and go to deportation office as the name itself does not seem to attractive to me anyway..
I think I will either go to Canada and get a new I-94 at the airport, or apply for a new employment authorization...
Click to expand...

Karina, what is the exact sign on your I-94? Is it "May 2002 POM 4" ?
 
Peach said:
Karina,

I never got my I-94 card when my asylum status got approved back in 1999.
The principal applicant got one in a mail, me – only the approval letter (of I-730 petition).
The letter said I could obtain my I-94 from my local INS office.
At that time I was a college student. I applied for financial aid providing the asylum approval letter. My application was rejected and the letter from the finance department specifically asked that in order to process my application I would have to provide them with my I-94 or a stamped passport.
So, just like my approved asylee relative petition says – I contacted my local INS office.
Got the same response like you, Karina – to go to the asylum office.
I didn’t want to drive for three hours and then back, so I wrote them a letter.
They replied I have to contact Nebraska Service Center.
I wrote another letter to Nebraska, explained the situation and attached my approval letter.
They wrote me back:
“In order to obtain a new I-94 card you will need to submit form I-102 with the appropriate fees and evidence.”
I did that. I got my new I-94 with the stamp “Asylum granted Indefinitely, employment authorized” in a mail in 3 ½ month.
You can try the same...

Best wishes.
Click to expand...

Hm...That is strange. By the time I was applying for admission to the university I hadn't had my I-94 yet. I provided them with IJ approval letter and that was enough for them. Then I filled FAFSA web form and all they needed was my A# and I've got financial aid. So in 4 months after I had been granted asylum, I was able to start my classes.
 
Minsk said:
Hm...That is strange. By the time I was applying for admission to the university I hadn't had my I-94 yet. I provided them with IJ approval letter and that was enough for them. Then I filled FAFSA web form and all they needed was my A# and I've got financial aid. So in 4 months after I had been granted asylum, I was able to start my classes.
Click to expand...


When you apply for FAFSA you provide them your A file number. The FAFSA processor tries to confirm your status with the INS computers. If the SAR says that your match is succesful then it is the end of the matter. If the match is not successful then you have to supply documents to your financial aid counselor. The FAFSA booklet says the I-94 card as proof of asylum but not an IJ order.
 
thankful said:
When you apply for FAFSA you provide them your A file number. The FAFSA processor tries to confirm your status with the INS computers. If the SAR says that your match is succesful then it is the end of the matter. If the match is not successful then you have to supply documents to your financial aid counselor. The FAFSA booklet says the I-94 card as proof of asylum but not an IJ order.
Click to expand...

Oh, ok. I didn't know about that. That means I was lucky to get approved for financial aid. :)
 
Minsk said:
Oh, ok. I didn't know about that. That means I was lucky to get approved for financial aid. :)
Click to expand...


It seems like when you are an asylee, it is less likely for you get a match result (probably some systemic quirks). When I was an asylee they were never able to confirm my eligibility directly. This gave financial aid staff at Yale a hard time.

Now that I am PR they did match my records.
 
I got confused guys. I have an I 94 with no expiration date on it. They gave it to me when I got my approval for asylum. Then every time I travelled they issued me a new I 94 with one year expiration date. But I still have my old one which I'm using as neccessary. Now tell me why do they put one year exp date on new I 94 for asylees when our status has no expiration date?
 
Hi,

Once I returned from a trip abroad through JFK, the IO was very mean and angry and was harassing everyone. I got into an argument with him, as he was askign me ridiculous questions and was trying to putting me down. Well, he finally stamped my RTD and did not give me the I-94 because he said I did not need it! I called the CIS office a few times and they told me not worry about it, as I had a stamp in my RTD. So, I forgot about it and got a new I-94 when came back from another trip abroad! So, I don't think it really matters, as long as you have stamp in your RTD. If you are scared of deportation, just go to Canada and get a new I-94 on the way back. Hope this helps.

Gino
 
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