Jimothy

Hi all

I have been wondering about this one for a while and I know you all know
the answer. When my attorney filed my original AOS paperwork in 2004 he
did not forward me a receipt for my I485 and I never got one from USCIS.
Because of that I never had a receipt number for it.

When I moved this year I called to change the address on the case and
the agent gave me a receipt number which is for an I181. What is the
difference between this and the I485? By tracking the I181 receipt
number will I know if my I485 has been approved?

Thanks for your help

Jim

Lpdiver

> Hi all
>
> I have been wondering about this one for a while and I know you all
> know the answer. When my attorney filed my original AOS paperwork in
> 2004 he did not forward me a receipt for my I485 and I never got one
> from USCIS. Because of that I never had a receipt number for it.
>
> When I moved this year I called to change the address on the case and
> the agent gave me a receipt number which is for an I181. What is the
> difference between this and the I485? By tracking the I181 receipt
> number will I know if my I485 has been approved?
>
> Thanks for your help
>
> Jim

There is no I-181 listed under the forms section of the USCIS page.
There is however I-131 and an I-191. Did you apply for either of these?
A 3 or a 9 might be mistaken for and 8 under a lot circumstances.

t

-Folinskyinla

> Hi all
>
> I have been wondering about this one for a while and I know you all
> know the answer. When my attorney filed my original AOS paperwork in
> 2004 he did not forward me a receipt for my I485 and I never got one
> from USCIS. Because of that I never had a receipt number for it.
>
> When I moved this year I called to change the address on the case and
> the agent gave me a receipt number which is for an I181. What is the
> difference between this and the I485? By tracking the I181 receipt
> number will I know if my I485 has been approved?
>
> Thanks for your help
>
> Jim

Hi:

Back in 2004, I-485's on marriage cases were filed locally and did not
generate a service center receipt number. In LA, we would get a grocery
store style fee receipt, in other districts you would get a yellow
carbon copy of a cash receipt. It varied.

The I-181 is the form on which the actual admission to permanent
residence is recorded. It used to be a multi-carbon piece of paper for
which the various sheet set forth the progress.

Quite a few years back, the former INS computerized the thing -- with a
lot of general information -- the interview notice would be from the I-
181 information. And when you went into the interview, there would be a
printed out I-181 for the approval to be noted. If one moved, the
address change would be noted thereon. If you got approved, the
approval stamp would put on the form. When a case was approved after
the interview, a photocopy of the stamped I-181 would be mailed to the
applicant.

I understand that pending cases filed before the Chicago Lock-box came
into existence have had the I-181 information transferred into the
system now used for regular filings.

In other words, you now have a Service Center number to track. This is
also the system that the InfoPass people access.

Jimothy

> Hi:
>
> Back in 2004, I-485's on marriage cases were filed locally and did not
> generate a service center receipt number. In LA, we would get a
> grocery store style fee receipt, in other districts you would get a
> yellow carbon copy of a cash receipt. It varied.
>
> The I-181 is the form on which the actual admission to permanent
> residence is recorded. It used to be a multi-carbon piece of paper
> for which the various sheet set forth the progress.
>
> Quite a few years back, the former INS computerized the thing -- with
> a lot of general information -- the interview notice would be from the
> I-181 information. And when you went into the interview, there would
> be a printed out I-181 for the approval to be noted. If one moved,
> the address change would be noted thereon. If you got approved, the
> approval stamp would put on the form. When a case was approved after
> the interview, a photocopy of the stamped I-181 would be mailed to the
> applicant.
>
> I understand that pending cases filed before the Chicago Lock-box came
> into existence have had the I-181 information transferred into the
> system now used for regular filings.
>
> In other words, you now have a Service Center number to track. This
> is also the system that the InfoPass people access.

Thanks for clearing that up. I did get a biometrics appt letter and the
attached griocery store receipt with my A# written on it from the filing
attorney which would match what you said because my paperwork was filed
in LA. Whenever I show it or mention it to anyone at CIS they tell me
that my attorney should have given me an actual receipt. Its nice to
know that he gave me the correct paperwork after all.

I shall go back to watching the status of my I181 with bated breath,
only 8 months till my third anniversary of filing

Lpdiver

> There is no I-181 listed under the forms section of the USCIS page.
> There is however I-131 and an I-191. Did you apply for either of
> these? A 3 or a 9 might be mistaken for and 8 under a lot
> circumstances.
>
> t

Another wonderful theory that is completely false.

tp

-Folinskyinla

> Thanks for clearing that up. I did get a biometrics appt letter and
> the attached griocery store receipt with my A# written on it from the
> filing attorney which would match what you said because my paperwork
> was filed in LA. Whenever I show it or mention it to anyone at CIS
> they tell me that my attorney should have given me an actual receipt.
> Its nice to know that he gave me the correct paperwork after all.
>
> I shall go back to watching the status of my I181 with bated breath,
> only 8 months till my third anniversary of filing

Hi:

If you filed in Los Angeles, then you were given the fee receipt and the
"crate letter" -- was the appointment actually for the EAD? The
biometrics came later and I forget when the procedure changed from
submission of a finger print card to getting the ACS appointment.

BTW, I don't think that you will really be able to track it on line all
that well. I would like to think that I am wrong. I know that LOS is
trying to improve its inquiry system.

Ian-Mstm

> Another wonderful theory that is completely false.
>
> tp

Great comeback though... karma worthy!

Ian

Jimothy

> Great comeback though... karma worthy!
>
> Ian

I don't have it in front of me but I'm pretty sure the letter was for a
fingerprinting appt. I'll check tonight when I get home.

I do know my file has now moved to Houston, about 10 months after I
did. I made a status request last month and the letter just came back
from the Houston office explaining how the background check is very
important and that I should wait another 6 months before complaining
again. Disappointingly the letter showed application date as unknown
so I'm hoping I haven't moved to the back of some line somewhere
during the move.

Jim