We got our USCIS appointment in the mail on Thursday! We will be going to the Birmingham on the day after Thanksgiving to get our prints done. I was surprised they were open that day, and we will have family in town. Oh well, guess they will be taking a field trip to the FBI office in Birmingham. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what USCIS approval means, the USCIS has to give you an appointment to come get your fingerprints taken. USCIS=United States Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services. We have already had fingerprints done with the state of Alabama. Those were easy...go downtown to the police department, get printed, take them to the homestudy agency and they send them to the state. That is a part of the homestudy process. USCIS approval means we get another set of fingerprints done (biometric prints) and a background check is done with the FBI. This can take some time and is a big step in getting our dossier completed. We hope that since we got an appointment so quickly, our background checks will be returned quickly too.
so happy for you, one step closer!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you too! This is great news! Here is praying for a speedy process! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteKelli
I remember our USCIS appointment like it was yesterday. It felt a lot like orientation at a penitentiary. They won't let you bring anything into the building including a diaper bag. They don't allow talking in the waiting area. You have to sit in the first available seat with no spaces in between people. When one person gets up everyone else has to slide down a seat. They make you sit facing a wall and they get really upset if you turn to see what is happening in the room. I guess it sounds more like a comedy when described that way. Anyway, it helps to remember that the public servants at USCIS are doing their part to help bring your adorable son home. Also, your experience may go a lot better than ours if you recognize that they are serious and don't laugh on the way in the door.
ReplyDeleteKeith is not exaggerating at all. It was an horrible experience. We had Eliana, 2 or 3 years old at the time, with us and they wouldn't let us bring in snacks, toys, diapers or anything for her. They also wouldn't let me hold her. They said she had to sit in HER seat and face the wall like the rest of us> I'm not trying to scare you I just want you to be warned in case you are thinking of taking anyone with you.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! We had our prints done in Birmingham too. We were in and out in less than 5 minutes. :)
ReplyDeleteAmanda - Adopting "Little One"
joneseeadoption.blogspot.com
That is wonderful! You are moving along!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to leave your cellphone in the car! (That's the main thing I remember, how sad is that!) Great news, congrats on moving to the next step!
ReplyDeleteEach USCIS Service Center location accepts and processes certain USCIS forms and immigration cases. For example, the Nebraska Service Center generally processes the N-400 form application for people who are applying for U.S. citizenship. If you are you applying for a Green Card the service center will vary depending on the circumstances of how you are filing to obtain your Green Card.
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