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MGTgrl

Registered Users (C)
Hello,

I am new to this side of the forum, but I hope somebody can help me. I am writing on behalf of friends who won the DV lottery and arrived in the US last week. They are staying with me, and I want to help them complete the process, but I am not sure where to start. All the info I could find only deals with the process prior to arriving in the US and/or for people who live in the US already.

My friends told me that they had brought a packet that they needed to give USCIS at the port of entry. They have a DV1 or DV2 (I forgot which one) stamped on their passport. But now what do we need to do to get their GC? Also, we need to change their address since they ended up not going to their initial destination.

Do we need to apply for GC? Or did the packet they brought included all that and they will just be mailed their GC? How about ID and SS#, can they get it by just showing the stamp on their passport? Please help and give me as much info as possible as I am clue less and my friends too.

Thanks
 
Your friends already have their status as permanent residents. The visa that they have in their passport is now a "temporary greencard" until they receive the plastic card. If they marked on the forms that they want to be sent a SScard, then officially there's nothing left that they have to do. However, as this process doesn't work all the time, they might consider going to the nearest SS office and apply for a number there.

The only problem is the change of address. They really should have mentioned that at the Port of Entry (first stop in the US). In the welcome letter that arrives before the green card, it says that if you move before you receive the card, you should call the USCIS customer service at 1-800-375-5283. You should call there. Your friends will be asked for their "A" number (Alien Registration Number). This is the "registration number" on your friends immigrant visa.
 
Thanks Igmu. I appreciate it. We just came back from the SS office and they told us that they have filed their SS application at the embassy and that they will receive it in the mail with the other stuff. They would not let us apply for another one or get info on the one that was applied in the country of origin.

About the change of address, yes, we will have to do that as soon as possible. They didn't know they will be staying with me when they entered the port of entry. There was a sudden change of plan. I will see if we can do the change of address right away.

Thanks again!

Igmu said:
Your friends already have their status as permanent residents. The visa that they have in their passport is now a "temporary greencard" until they receive the plastic card. If they marked on the forms that they want to be sent a SScard, then officially there's nothing left that they have to do. However, as this process doesn't work all the time, they might consider going to the nearest SS office and apply for a number there.

The only problem is the change of address. They really should have mentioned that at the Port of Entry (first stop in the US). In the welcome letter that arrives before the green card, it says that if you move before you receive the card, you should call the USCIS customer service at 1-800-375-5283. You should call there. Your friends will be asked for their "A" number (Alien Registration Number). This is the "registration number" on your friends immigrant visa.
Click to expand...
 
A question to MGT girl,
Could you ask your friends if they were given a new visa at the Port of Entry, or just a stamp saying "admitted" was stamped in their passport.
Thank you for your help
ps: I am asking because when I entered at the Port of Entry, they only stamped mine with "admitted", however somewhere in the forum I think I had read that at the POE, they will give you a new visa valid for a year.
 
@ sagamihara_boy: That's how it's done, so don't worry.... It says on the immigrant visa that once you have entered the US, the immigrant visa serves as a temporary I-551 (=green card) for one year.
 
MGTgrl said:
About the change of address, yes, we will have to do that as soon as possible. They didn't know they will be staying with me when they entered the port of entry. There was a sudden change of plan. I will see if we can do the change of address right away.
Click to expand...
Could the people with whom they first planned to stay forward the green card? That might actually be easier than changing the address. But it might be best to call the customer service.
About SS: Seems like different SS offices have different policies. But don't worry, it will get there. Btw: you don't get the SS card together with the green card (they don't come from the same place).
 
Igmu said:
Could the people with whom they first planned to stay forward the green card? That might actually be easier than changing the address. But it might be best to call the customer service.
About SS: Seems like different SS offices have different policies. But don't worry, it will get there. Btw: you don't get the SS card together with the green card (they don't come from the same place).
Click to expand...

Yes you are right Igmu, it will be better if the GC are recieved from the first planned address, because if they change their address, there case will be handled by the order that they are recieved with at the USCIS, and that might lead to further delay of their GC. The USCIS, recieves alot of cases in a day, their case will be processed in that order.
 
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