Hello,
I got my passport stamped today at SFO.
Here is my experience:
Last night I went through the CSC 485 board for passport stamping experience in san jose and SFO. Some of them were very informative.
I decided to go to San Jose INS (SJC) first to check out the crowd and if the line was too long, go to San Francisco. I reached SJC at 6:00 AM. Found that there was a long queue (approx. 80 people) for general query. This was the only queue. The appointment queue was empty. Some of the folks didn't know of the "appointment only" queue. They started letting in people at 7:05 AM. A guard was checking each document before letting anyone inside the office. He ran through my documents and refused to let me in, because I had an approval notice from the VSC, which looks different from the one that CSC gives.
Immediately, I decided to take the Caltrain to San Francisco from the Capitol station which is just 3 miles from the San Jose INS.
I stepped in at the INS office at 9:30 AM, went through the security checks, took the elevator to the second floor and dropped my notice inside room 200B. My name was called in 10 minutes by a nice gentleman. He asked me to take the pictures again because they were not taken against the right background. I ran down to the photo shop across the road, got my pictures taken and rushed back. The person at the INS office took my pictures and the documents and my fingerprint and asked me to wait for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, he called my name and gave me my stamped passport. I got my passport stamped within half an hour.
A friend of mine went to the San Jose INS at 7:30 AM and had to wait for 5 hours to get her passports stamped. I got my passport stamped before her.
Other recommendations:
You can drive to San Francisco and park your car at any of the public parking lots for $8 a day near the Caltrain station....if you go early.
I prefer SFO INS to SJSC because people at SFO are polite, gentle and courteous compared to SJSC.
All the Best to guys who are waiting. You will get your turn soon.
I got my passport stamped today at SFO.
Here is my experience:
Last night I went through the CSC 485 board for passport stamping experience in san jose and SFO. Some of them were very informative.
I decided to go to San Jose INS (SJC) first to check out the crowd and if the line was too long, go to San Francisco. I reached SJC at 6:00 AM. Found that there was a long queue (approx. 80 people) for general query. This was the only queue. The appointment queue was empty. Some of the folks didn't know of the "appointment only" queue. They started letting in people at 7:05 AM. A guard was checking each document before letting anyone inside the office. He ran through my documents and refused to let me in, because I had an approval notice from the VSC, which looks different from the one that CSC gives.
Immediately, I decided to take the Caltrain to San Francisco from the Capitol station which is just 3 miles from the San Jose INS.
I stepped in at the INS office at 9:30 AM, went through the security checks, took the elevator to the second floor and dropped my notice inside room 200B. My name was called in 10 minutes by a nice gentleman. He asked me to take the pictures again because they were not taken against the right background. I ran down to the photo shop across the road, got my pictures taken and rushed back. The person at the INS office took my pictures and the documents and my fingerprint and asked me to wait for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, he called my name and gave me my stamped passport. I got my passport stamped within half an hour.
A friend of mine went to the San Jose INS at 7:30 AM and had to wait for 5 hours to get her passports stamped. I got my passport stamped before her.
Other recommendations:
You can drive to San Francisco and park your car at any of the public parking lots for $8 a day near the Caltrain station....if you go early.
I prefer SFO INS to SJSC because people at SFO are polite, gentle and courteous compared to SJSC.
All the Best to guys who are waiting. You will get your turn soon.