I moved from Canada to Colorado almost three years ago. When I first arrived in the USA, I was admitted into the country as a "Conditional Permanent Resident". That means that I married an American and we hadn't been married long enough for the US Government to believe that I didn't just marry him for the green card. The "conditional" status of my permanent residency could be lifted after two years once I provided proof on paper that we were still married, living together and sharing assets.
Time was approaching for me to start submitting the paperwork to have the "conditional" status removed. I gathered every single piece of paper I could think of. When I finally had it all together, there was probably a good 50 pages worth of "proof" my marriage was legitimate. The only thing that I was worried about was the fact that the application required a copy of my green card. I never received that first green card...
See, when I first entered the USA, I gave them all my address information on my declaration papers. It was the correct address. I have copies of those pages to prove it. However, the person that entered my address in the USCIS system mixed up two numbers in my zip code. I received a letter from USCIS shortly after arriving in Colorado, which is when I discovered the error, and I called to correct it immediately. Two months passed, and I still hadn't received the card. I called to let them know and they said they would flag it as a "non-delivery" and to expect the card soon. As each month passed and I still hadn't received the card, I would call and the same thing would happen. After six months I started pushing harder on the phone. Only then was I told that there was a tracking number. That was when I figured out that when I received that first letter shortly after arriving in Colorado, the card had already been produced and was sent in the mail. I didn't even have a chance to correct the zip code error before it was too late. The incorrect zip code had the card being sent to a completely different city. Why I got the letters with the wrong zip code and not the card with the wrong zip code, is beyond me. USCIS said that it wasn't returned to sender, so I spent the next year trying to get the card replaced. In the end, it was just a bunch of wasted time. It didn't matter what I sent to them, or who I talked to. I just had to submit the $450 application to replace my lost card, which I was never willing to do considering I didn't receive the card due to an error I did not make. At that point, I was six months away from having to renew my card anyway, so when I asked about that, I was told that I might as well just wait the six months until my card needed renewal.
So there I was, papers all in order to submit for the removal of my "conditional" status. I was freaking out so bad about not having a green card to copy that I went to an immigration lawyer to see if it would be a problem. The lawyer helped me a lot. She told me that it's not an issue, and to just submit an explanation for why I don't have a copy of the card to submit because it obviously wasn't my fault. Done.
The wait time for that paperwork was about four months. Finally, on February 26/14, I received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The subject was "Notice of Removal of Conditional Basis of Lawful Permanent Residence". What a huge relief! They accepted all my paperwork, they believe that I actually married my husband because I love him and the letter said my new green card will be coming in the mail within 60 days. They had the correct address this time, I had been getting all the mail they were sending me, so there was no way I wouldn't be getting this green card this time.
Well I was wrong.
Three weeks after receiving that letter, I thought I should check on the status of this card. I went to the USCIS website, put in my case number, and there was a tracking number... but it said it had already been delivered on March 3. I checked the tracking number on the USPS website and again, it was apparently delivered on March 3, 2014 at 12:29 PM. Well that didn't make any sense because it was way past March 3 now and my husband and I check the mail regularly. Our mail box is even locked. Only my husband and I have the key. So how could the green card have been delivered? It was never in our mailbox! Our neighbors didn't receive it accidentally either. We live in a building with four apartments and our mailboxes are inside in the foyer of our building. If our neighbors didn't get it. there's not really any other place that it could have gone.
I called USPS, and they "investigated". That resulted in getting a letter five days later saying that according to the tracking number, it was delivered, but if I say I didn't receive it then it must have been lost in the mail and they can't find it.
Thanks...
I learned from my first experience with my lost green card, that once you have a tracking number, USCIS doesn't help you. They tell you that this is the tracking number, USCIS sent it out so they did their job, now take it up with the Post Office if you didn't get it.
Now I'm backed into a corner. I'm not getting anywhere with USPS or USCIS. My only option left is to submit the $450 application to have the card replaced. I already paid $600 to renew my card! I'm not rich. I can't just pay my way out of problems. Replacing the card means that I would also have to get my fingerprints redone, pictures retaken (in another city where the official office is) and waiting another six months, with no guarantee that it will actually make it to my mailbox again.
I did a quick google search:
"Green card lost in the mail" 149,000,000 results.
"Green card lost by USPS" 291,000,000 results.
This is obviously a huge problem. So if it's such a common problem, then why is the Government sending such an important card through the regular mail? More importantly, why are these cards being sent without requiring a signature for delivery?! Especially, if not receiving it means forking up $450 to replace it. Not everyone has that much money at their disposal at all times. I want to know what happened to my card. How can USPS enter in their system that something has been delivered, when it never actually was? Who is in charge of that?
Awareness is the first step to change. My purpose in sharing my story about Immigration is to find others who have had this happen to them. There is so much focus on what illegal immigrants can or cannot do. What about those of us who took the time and spent the money to do things the right and legal way? We are here too, and we are simply being bullied into a corner, forced to keep paying more and more money to fix a problem that we didn't cause. Somewhere out there is a card with my picture and my fingerprint on it and nobody seems to know where it is. That's a major security issue! We need to be protected from that possibility! Send the card and don't deliver it unless you have that person physically present to sign for it and accept it.
Please share my story. Comment below. Let those who this has happened to come forward. Send me your contact information so I can keep track of my supporters. Together we can at least try to make a difference. If I can gain enough support and have enough people to back me, I plan on taking this to the Senators of Colorado and other States if necessary. I'm serious when I say I want to try to make a change happen.
