Ciba - please add to personal experiences.
Passport stamping experience at SF.
To sum it up - it was a 1.15hr wait.
BART is a good way to reach 630 Sansome. Hassel free.
Got photos for me and my wife just opposite the INS building. I got them
from the guy diagonally opposite the INS office. (Inflation has set it.. now
it cost me $13 per person for the photos)
I reached the INS office around 1.15 pm on friday. Had to go through the
detector and place my bag in the Xray machines. No questions were asked and
there were no lines here.
Got out on the 2nd floor - and loitered to room 200 and then to room 200B. Saw a
door with 200B written on it. A note on the door indicates that the approval
notice should be dropped in the slot for letters on the door.
Hush... minutes later .. our names were called out. Called us to a counter
and made us sign a form, took our fingerprints and took AP letter,EAD card and
passport. The lady was nice and to the point. She gave back the original 485 approvals
and took the courtesy copies from us. She wanted the courtesy copies as it had
our correct mailing address.
Then the wait began. There were very few people (15 - 20) and I was wondering why it was taking
so long. It was very boring. There was no activity out there. No talk - no kids crying - nothing.
Finally after an hour, our names were called - and we were given our passport back with the
551 stamped on it.
I heard the lady at the counter say that Monday is the busiest day normally.
Going in the afternoon was good as there were no lines anywhere.
Took my passport and was out as fast as I could. Free!
-SujitC
Passport stamping experience at SF.
To sum it up - it was a 1.15hr wait.
BART is a good way to reach 630 Sansome. Hassel free.
Got photos for me and my wife just opposite the INS building. I got them
from the guy diagonally opposite the INS office. (Inflation has set it.. now
it cost me $13 per person for the photos)
I reached the INS office around 1.15 pm on friday. Had to go through the
detector and place my bag in the Xray machines. No questions were asked and
there were no lines here.
Got out on the 2nd floor - and loitered to room 200 and then to room 200B. Saw a
door with 200B written on it. A note on the door indicates that the approval
notice should be dropped in the slot for letters on the door.
Hush... minutes later .. our names were called out. Called us to a counter
and made us sign a form, took our fingerprints and took AP letter,EAD card and
passport. The lady was nice and to the point. She gave back the original 485 approvals
and took the courtesy copies from us. She wanted the courtesy copies as it had
our correct mailing address.
Then the wait began. There were very few people (15 - 20) and I was wondering why it was taking
so long. It was very boring. There was no activity out there. No talk - no kids crying - nothing.
Finally after an hour, our names were called - and we were given our passport back with the
551 stamped on it.
I heard the lady at the counter say that Monday is the busiest day normally.
Going in the afternoon was good as there were no lines anywhere.
Took my passport and was out as fast as I could. Free!
-SujitC