Liosliath

Just putting this out there as a warning, and perhaps someone will have
some advice:

I filed for my husband's re-entry permit the evening of the 23rd, since
he had to leave unexpectedly on the 24th. When I got to payment options,
I chose credit card, put in my details, then hit submit. A message came
up that stated "Application Payment Status - There was a problem
processing your payment information. You may resubmit payment
information by selecting the Continue Payment button below."

When I clicked on that, it took me right back to the initial payment
screen. This time, I chose to pay by check, and provided my routing #
etc... - it processed fine, and I then got a confirmation receipt
stating that it was paid via "Electronic Bank Account Debit" (ie.,
via check)

Imagine my horror when I went to my online banking account and spotted
an authorization for $170 in my CARD ACTIVITY. I just confirmed with the
bank that there ARE two charges that will be posting - one via my debit
card, one by electronic funds transfer.

Contacting USCIS this morning, I went from the main number to an
"escalated" CR, who told me that (of course) he couldn't discuss
anything about the case. I said that was fine, and not the issue, and
explained the payment problem. He said that they "don't handle that" and
gave me a number for the "Debt Management" office. I called and spoke to
a women who patiently listened to my problem, and then apologized and
said that SHE couldn't do anything, either - I was only given that
number because the CR didn't know what to do with me. She directed me to
"http://efiling.support.dhs.gov" - which doesn't work.

I decided to try my local BCIS office, which happens to be right in my
building. The officer took it back to discuss it with someone - since I
didn't have an Infopass appointment - and came back to say that they
"don't have access to the financial side of things."

Argh. Even my bank tells me I have little to no options - even if I
closed the account today, the EFT would open it right back up.

I should mention that I've worked in IT for over ten years, and web
navigation is NOT a problem for me. Nor can they blame my PC (I see
they've tried that before), as it has all the latest patches/upgrades.

In the end, my advice is :

- don't use e-file
- if you must, make sure you file at least a week in advance, and
don't believe the system when it says that there was a "problem with
the payment!"

Capt. Tuttle

Liosliath wrote:

> Just putting this out there as a warning, and perhaps someone will have
> some advice:
>
> I filed for my husband's re-entry permit the evening of the 23rd, since
> he had to leave unexpectedly on the 24th. When I got to payment options,
> I chose credit card, put in my details, then hit submit. A message came
> up that stated "Application Payment Status - There was a problem
> processing your payment information. You may resubmit payment
> information by selecting the Continue Payment button below."
>
> When I clicked on that, it took me right back to the initial payment
> screen. This time, I chose to pay by check, and provided my routing #
> etc... - it processed fine, and I then got a confirmation receipt
> stating that it was paid via "Electronic Bank Account Debit" (ie.,
> via check)
>
> Imagine my horror when I went to my online banking account and spotted
> an authorization for $170 in my CARD ACTIVITY. I just confirmed with the
> bank that there ARE two charges that will be posting - one via my debit
> card, one by electronic funds transfer.
>
> Contacting USCIS this morning, I went from the main number to an
> "escalated" CR, who told me that (of course) he couldn't discuss
> anything about the case. I said that was fine, and not the issue, and
> explained the payment problem. He said that they "don't handle that" and
> gave me a number for the "Debt Management" office. I called and spoke to
> a women who patiently listened to my problem, and then apologized and
> said that SHE couldn't do anything, either - I was only given that
> number because the CR didn't know what to do with me. She directed me to
> "http://efiling.support.dhs.gov" - which doesn't work.
>
> I decided to try my local BCIS office, which happens to be right in my
> building. The officer took it back to discuss it with someone - since I
> didn't have an Infopass appointment - and came back to say that they
> "don't have access to the financial side of things."
>
> Argh. Even my bank tells me I have little to no options - even if I
> closed the account today, the EFT would open it right back up.
>
> I should mention that I've worked in IT for over ten years, and web
> navigation is NOT a problem for me. Nor can they blame my PC (I see
> they've tried that before), as it has all the latest patches/upgrades.
>
> In the end, my advice is :
>
> - don't use e-file
> - if you must, make sure you file at least a week in advance, and
> don't believe the system when it says that there was a "problem with
> the payment!"
>

Did you contact the credit card company?
The bank may or may not be able to help there. Most banks now oursource
their credit cards. I've had problems like this and the credit card
company fixed them for me.

Rete

> Just putting this out there as a warning, and perhaps someone will
> have some advice:
>
> I filed for my husband's re-entry permit the evening of the 23rd,
> since he had to leave unexpectedly on the 24th. When I got to payment
> options, I chose credit card, put in my details, then hit submit. A
> message came up that stated "Application Payment Status - There was a
> problem processing your payment information. You may resubmit payment
> information by selecting the Continue Payment button below."
>
> When I clicked on that, it took me right back to the initial payment
> screen. This time, I chose to pay by check, and provided my routing #
> etc... - it processed fine, and I then got a confirmation receipt
> stating that it was paid via "Electronic Bank Account Debit" (ie.,
> via check)
>
> Imagine my horror when I went to my online banking account and spotted
> an authorization for $170 in my CARD ACTIVITY. I just confirmed with
> the bank that there ARE two charges that will be posting - one via my
> debit card, one by electronic funds transfer.
>
> Contacting USCIS this morning, I went from the main number to an
> "escalated" CR, who told me that (of course) he couldn't discuss
> anything about the case. I said that was fine, and not the issue, and
> explained the payment problem. He said that they "don't handle that"
> and gave me a number for the "Debt Management" office. I called and
> spoke to a women who patiently listened to my problem, and then
> apologized and said that SHE couldn't do anything, either - I was only
> given that number because the CR didn't know what to do with me. She
> directed me to "http://efiling.support.dhs.gov" - which doesn't work.
>
> I decided to try my local BCIS office, which happens to be right in my
> building. The officer took it back to discuss it with someone - since
> I didn't have an Infopass appointment - and came back to say that they
> "don't have access to the financial side of things."
>
> Argh. Even my bank tells me I have little to no options - even if I
> closed the account today, the EFT would open it right back up.
>
> I should mention that I've worked in IT for over ten years, and web
> navigation is NOT a problem for me. Nor can they blame my PC (I see
> they've tried that before), as it has all the latest patches/upgrades.
>
> In the end, my advice is :
>
> - don't use e-file
> - if you must, make sure you file at least a week in advance, and
> don't believe the system when it says that there was a "problem with
> the payment!"

Sorry that you had a payment issue/problem. Stop payment on the credit
card and see what happens.

As for your warning to file for an I-131 at least 1 week in advance, if
you are talking about advance parole, you are suggesting a procedure
that will have the potential recipient of Advance Parole who leaves the
country without the A/P just because it was filed for before leaving in
a situation where they can be denied entry as well has abandoning their
AOS paperwork.

If you are speaking about a re-entry permit, than that is fine but
please be specific before someone misconstrues your message. BTW your
husband filed for which benefit?

Liosliath

> Sorry that you had a payment issue/problem. Stop payment on the
> credit card and see what happens.
>
> As for your warning to file for an I-131 at least 1 week in advance,
> if you are talking about advance parole, you are suggesting a
> procedure that will have the potential recipient of Advance Parole who
> leaves the country without the A/P just because it was filed for
> before leaving in a situation where they can be denied entry as well
> has abandoning their AOS paperwork.
>
> If you are speaking about a re-entry permit, than that is fine but
> please be specific before someone misconstrues your message. BTW your
> husband filed for which benefit?

Sorry about the confusion - like I mentioned in the 1st paragraph, I
filed for a re-entry permit. Of course, the filing procedure/deadlines
would be different for a person applying for advance parole.

-Folinskyinla

> Just putting this out there as a warning, and perhaps someone will
> have some advice:
>
> I filed for my husband's re-entry permit the evening of the 23rd,
> since he had to leave unexpectedly on the 24th. When I got to payment
> options, I chose credit card, put in my details, then hit submit. A
> message came up that stated "Application Payment Status - There was a
> problem processing your payment information. You may resubmit payment
> information by selecting the Continue Payment button below."
>
> When I clicked on that, it took me right back to the initial payment
> screen. This time, I chose to pay by check, and provided my routing #
> etc... - it processed fine, and I then got a confirmation receipt
> stating that it was paid via "Electronic Bank Account Debit" (ie.,
> via check)
>
> Imagine my horror when I went to my online banking account and spotted
> an authorization for $170 in my CARD ACTIVITY. I just confirmed with
> the bank that there ARE two charges that will be posting - one via my
> debit card, one by electronic funds transfer.
>
> Contacting USCIS this morning, I went from the main number to an
> "escalated" CR, who told me that (of course) he couldn't discuss
> anything about the case. I said that was fine, and not the issue, and
> explained the payment problem. He said that they "don't handle that"
> and gave me a number for the "Debt Management" office. I called and
> spoke to a women who patiently listened to my problem, and then
> apologized and said that SHE couldn't do anything, either - I was only
> given that number because the CR didn't know what to do with me. She
> directed me to "http://efiling.support.dhs.gov" - which doesn't work.
>
> I decided to try my local BCIS office, which happens to be right in my
> building. The officer took it back to discuss it with someone - since
> I didn't have an Infopass appointment - and came back to say that they
> "don't have access to the financial side of things."
>
> Argh. Even my bank tells me I have little to no options - even if I
> closed the account today, the EFT would open it right back up.
>
> I should mention that I've worked in IT for over ten years, and web
> navigation is NOT a problem for me. Nor can they blame my PC (I see
> they've tried that before), as it has all the latest patches/upgrades.
>
> In the end, my advice is :
>
> - don't use e-file
> - if you must, make sure you file at least a week in advance, and
> don't believe the system when it says that there was a "problem with
> the payment!"

Hi:

It strikes me that your bank is at fault. You say you made an attempt
to pay by CREDIT card and it didnt' go through and then you paid from
your checking account and that went through. You then state that your
bank then debited the payment TWICE against you checking account in two
different ways.

Now, if it were me, I would be uspset if the payment showed up a third
time on the credit card account.

BTW, I've noted in the past that the CIS site does not allow payment by
debit cards.

Liosliath

> Hi:
>
> It strikes me that your bank is at fault. You say you made an attempt
> to pay by CREDIT card and it didnt' go through and then you paid from
> your checking account and that went through. You then state that your
> bank then debited the payment TWICE against you checking account in
> two different ways.
>
> Now, if it were me, I would be uspset if the payment showed up a third
> time on the credit card account.
>
> BTW, I've noted in the past that the CIS site does not allow payment
> by debit cards.

You have a good point - I suppose I thought the USCIS was more likely at
fault, based on their prior history. (plus, their website is absolutely
a travesty of broken links and poor design) I certainly hope it doesn't
show up a third time, though nothing would surprise me. I spoke to the
fraud dept. at my bank, and they mentioned that just because something
shows in "card activity" doesn't mean that it will actually post. (I
seem to remember that from other incidents with gas stations/restaurants
etc... when paying by debit card.) They did confirm that they saw the
EFT, and that would be posting tonight. If the CC charge posts, they'll
do a dispute for me.

As for not paying by debit card, I missed your post(s) on that - and I
filed for his prior I-131 re-entry permit using my debit card - was I
just lucky?

-Folinskyinla

> You have a good point - I suppose I thought the USCIS was more likely
> at fault, based on their prior history. (plus, their website is
> absolutely a travesty of broken links and poor design) I certainly
> hope it doesn't show up a third time, though nothing would surprise
> me. I spoke to the fraud dept. at my bank, and they mentioned that
> just because something shows in "card activity" doesn't mean that it
> will actually post. (I seem to remember that from other incidents with
> gas stations/restaurants etc... when paying by debit card.) They did
> confirm that they saw the EFT, and that would be posting tonight. If
> the CC charge posts, they'll do a dispute for me.
>
> As for not paying by debit card, I missed your post(s) on that - and I
> filed for his prior I-131 re-entry permit using my debit card - was I
> just lucky?

Hi:

Do I now read you correctly that you did not use your "credit card" but
used your "debit card" instead? If so, my experience has been that
debit cards do not seem to work on the web-site -- you have to use the
actual checking account information.

It is a common point of confusion -- "debit cards" are NOT "credit
cards" although they look alike.

Liosliath

> Hi:
>
> Do I now read you correctly that you did not use your "credit card"
> but used your "debit card" instead? If so, my experience has been
> that debit cards do not seem to work on the web-site -- you have to
> use the actual checking account information.
>
> It is a common point of confusion -- "debit cards" are NOT "credit
> cards" although they look alike.

I used my debit card with the Mastercard symbol - I know that there's
a difference, and some businesses won't accept them as credit cards -
most car rental places, for example - but I didn't see anything in the
e-filing process that mentioned such restrictions. I don't know why it
worked last time (Sept. 2005) when I e-filed for a re-entry permit for
him, but I don't plan on using it again! Thanks for the info - live
and learn.

JEff

Liosliath,

I can add one more bit of advice based on what you've told us. Don't
change your payment method in the middle of a transaction. Cancel the
transaction and start a completely new one if you want to change the
method of payment.

Regards, JEff

Liosliath wrote:
> Just putting this out there as a warning, and perhaps someone will have
> some advice:
>
> I filed for my husband's re-entry permit the evening of the 23rd, since
> he had to leave unexpectedly on the 24th. When I got to payment options,
> I chose credit card, put in my details, then hit submit. A message came
> up that stated "Application Payment Status - There was a problem
> processing your payment information. You may resubmit payment
> information by selecting the Continue Payment button below."
>
> When I clicked on that, it took me right back to the initial payment
> screen. This time, I chose to pay by check, and provided my routing #
> etc... - it processed fine, and I then got a confirmation receipt
> stating that it was paid via "Electronic Bank Account Debit" (ie.,
> via check)
>
> Imagine my horror when I went to my online banking account and spotted
> an authorization for $170 in my CARD ACTIVITY. I just confirmed with the
> bank that there ARE two charges that will be posting - one via my debit
> card, one by electronic funds transfer.
>
> In the end, my advice is :
>
> - don't use e-file
> - if you must, make sure you file at least a week in advance, and
> don't believe the system when it says that there was a "problem with
> the payment!"

Liosliath

> Liosliath,
>
> I can add one more bit of advice based on what you've told us. Don't
> change your payment method in the middle of a transaction. Cancel the
> transaction and start a completely new one if you want to change the
> method of payment.
>
> Regards, JEff
>
> Liosliath wrote:
> > Just putting this out there as a warning, and perhaps someone will
> > have
> > some advice:
> > I filed for my husband's re-entry permit the evening of the 23rd,
> > since
> > he had to leave unexpectedly on the 24th. When I got to payment
> > options,
> > I chose credit card, put in my details, then hit submit. A message
> > came
> > up that stated "Application Payment Status - There was a problem
> > processing your payment information. You may resubmit payment
> > information by selecting the Continue Payment button below."
> > When I clicked on that, it took me right back to the initial payment
> > screen. This time, I chose to pay by check, and provided my routing
> > #
> > etc... - it processed fine, and I then got a confirmation receipt
> > stating that it was paid via "Electronic Bank Account Debit" (ie.,
> > via check)
> > Imagine my horror when I went to my online banking account and
> > spotted
> > an authorization for $170 in my CARD ACTIVITY. I just confirmed with
> > the
> > bank that there ARE two charges that will be posting - one via my
> > debit
> > card, one by electronic funds transfer.
> > In the end, my advice is :
> > - don't use e-file
> > - if you must, make sure you file at least a week in advance, and
> > don't believe the system when it says that there was a "problem
> > with
> > the payment!"

Thanks, Jeff - point taken! However, based on this email I received from
e-filing technical support, it appears that the bank may be at fault
after all (per what Mr. F suggested above):

"A search of our payment records indicates that only one payment was
collected on 11/22/2006 for an I-131 application. The credit card
payment, submitted first, was unsuccessful and thus no funds were
collected. The ACH payment, submitted moments later, was successfully
collected. This payment is associated with LINXXXXXXXXXX. There are no
other current ACH payments on record and the only other credit card
payment on record submitted by [my name here] was submitted in 2005. If
you have additional information to support your claim, please provide
it. At this time, however, we are not able to provide a refund. We
suggest that you contact your financial institution concerning any
additional charges.

Thank you,
E-Filing Support Team"

I contacted my bank this morning, and they said that the ACH(electronic
check) payment posted, but the debit card payment still hadn't - they
said it's just a "hold" and should "fall off" tonight. Of course, they
couldn't promise that it wouldn't post, but I'm hopeful, based on what
the e-filing people said.

So... even if I HAD started a new transaction, the result would have
been the same.