Just wanted to update the forum about our passport stamping experience at 26 Federal Plaza NYC. For details about my case please refer to the link below.
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=65385
Anyway we went for our stamping this past Friday (6th December 2002). We took the 6 Downtown to Brooklyn Bridge (you could take the 4,5 express to the same stop); Federal plaza is about a 3-minute walk from the station (every one around there seems to know Federal Plaza so you can ask directions for it by name). The approval letter indicated that we had to go to room 1-102 and use the Worth Street Entrance. The Worth street entrance part turned out to be correct. That entrance has a big sign saying the entrance is to be used only by people who have appointments. There was a big queue about 30 folks ahead of me (we reached there by around 7:20 and the doors opened at 7:30). My heart sank and I was prepared to spend the better part of the day there. However, not all the folks that come to that entrance come for passport stamping it seems. Anyway a security person at the head of the queue looked at our notices and asked us to go to room 3-300 and NOT 1-102, I had been expecting this as I had seen the posts by Jason Noorani and Anita Gupta on this forum (thanks guys)
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=50697
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=67303
We were allowed inside the doors of the building and stood in line for security check. This was the nasty part of the whole experience, a security guard with a real attitude informed that he would give instructions only once in English and once in Spanish and anyone who did not follow them will be back outside. He asked people to remove their put all the stuff in their pant and shirt pockets into their bags or the coat and remove their coats immediately. Not more than 2 minutes passed before he started to send people outside. It was very clear he derived some vicious pleasure in throwing out people, old folks who probably did not hear the instructions clearly or did not understand them. We entered the building and took the elevator to the 3rd floor. We were the first in the (informal) queue outside room 300. There were just 2 or 3 people behind us. The doors opened at around 7:50 and a lady collected our approval letters and asked us to take our seats and wait to be called. At around 8:30 an IIO called out my wife’s name and she informed him that she was the derivative and that I was the primary applicant. The IIO asked me to join my wife we were asked to sign a form in 2 places and affix our index fingerprints above the signatures. The IIO did my wife’s prints about 4 times before he was satisfied. We were asked to give him our EADs , passports and I94s. The I94s and EADs were put in a cover and taken away. We were asked to wait till the IBIS check was done. We were called in about 20 minutes and our passports had the stamps and we were sent our merry way with the assurance that the cards will be sent in 6 to 12 months.
We went upstairs to the 31st floor to the Social Security Office to get the restrictions on our SS cards removed. Funnily enough my wife’s change of status showed up on their screens but mine did not. So they gave her a receipt and took copies of my passport and told me I’ll get mine in about 2 months.
I will write about my experiences through out the process some time soon. Nothing much else as of now. I will let you all know once we get our plastic cards. Thanks to you all.
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=65385
Anyway we went for our stamping this past Friday (6th December 2002). We took the 6 Downtown to Brooklyn Bridge (you could take the 4,5 express to the same stop); Federal plaza is about a 3-minute walk from the station (every one around there seems to know Federal Plaza so you can ask directions for it by name). The approval letter indicated that we had to go to room 1-102 and use the Worth Street Entrance. The Worth street entrance part turned out to be correct. That entrance has a big sign saying the entrance is to be used only by people who have appointments. There was a big queue about 30 folks ahead of me (we reached there by around 7:20 and the doors opened at 7:30). My heart sank and I was prepared to spend the better part of the day there. However, not all the folks that come to that entrance come for passport stamping it seems. Anyway a security person at the head of the queue looked at our notices and asked us to go to room 3-300 and NOT 1-102, I had been expecting this as I had seen the posts by Jason Noorani and Anita Gupta on this forum (thanks guys)
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=50697
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=67303
We were allowed inside the doors of the building and stood in line for security check. This was the nasty part of the whole experience, a security guard with a real attitude informed that he would give instructions only once in English and once in Spanish and anyone who did not follow them will be back outside. He asked people to remove their put all the stuff in their pant and shirt pockets into their bags or the coat and remove their coats immediately. Not more than 2 minutes passed before he started to send people outside. It was very clear he derived some vicious pleasure in throwing out people, old folks who probably did not hear the instructions clearly or did not understand them. We entered the building and took the elevator to the 3rd floor. We were the first in the (informal) queue outside room 300. There were just 2 or 3 people behind us. The doors opened at around 7:50 and a lady collected our approval letters and asked us to take our seats and wait to be called. At around 8:30 an IIO called out my wife’s name and she informed him that she was the derivative and that I was the primary applicant. The IIO asked me to join my wife we were asked to sign a form in 2 places and affix our index fingerprints above the signatures. The IIO did my wife’s prints about 4 times before he was satisfied. We were asked to give him our EADs , passports and I94s. The I94s and EADs were put in a cover and taken away. We were asked to wait till the IBIS check was done. We were called in about 20 minutes and our passports had the stamps and we were sent our merry way with the assurance that the cards will be sent in 6 to 12 months.
We went upstairs to the 31st floor to the Social Security Office to get the restrictions on our SS cards removed. Funnily enough my wife’s change of status showed up on their screens but mine did not. So they gave her a receipt and took copies of my passport and told me I’ll get mine in about 2 months.
I will write about my experiences through out the process some time soon. Nothing much else as of now. I will let you all know once we get our plastic cards. Thanks to you all.