Expect Production Delays of Permanent Resident Card
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Contributed by: Nicholas Nevarez, Jr.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that applicants may experience up to eight week delays in the delivery of their permanent resident card. This delay is due in large part to the recent upgrade of USCIS card production equipment. Consequently, USCIS field offices will be issuing temporary evidence of permanent residence in the form of an I-551 stamp to applicants approved for permanent residence at the time of their interview. According to USCIS, applicants are encouraged to bring their passports to their appointment. If an applicant does not have a passport, he or she must bring a passport style photo and government issued photo identification to receive temporary evidence of permanent residence.
Also, if the application is approved subsequent to the applicant interview, or by a Service Center, or the National Benefit Center, the applicant should bring the above documents to an INFOPASS appointment to be issued temporary evidence of permanent residence in the form of an I-551 stamp.
Bottom line: Applicants should remember to ask for their I-551 stamp at the end of their interview.
For more information, visit www.uscis.gov.
This column is published for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to create an attorney client relationship. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author's law firm or its individual partners.
