Must be Building Postal Business
I know enough to be very careful when sending in government forms. I read the instructions more than once, and then read them again. I also make sure I have the most recent form and instructions. Sometimes that extra effort doesn't mean much.
This morning I picked up a certified mail envelope at the post office. The local USCIS office had returned by certified mail the certified mail package that I had sent containing the application for Certificate of Citizenship for Cici. A preprinted form was inside the package. We only accept cashier's checks or money orders, it said. What?
So when I got back to our home I pulled up the instructions again. All it says about payment of fees is that if you send a check, it will be converted to electronic funds and the check itself will not be returned to you. No where on the form or the instructions does it say that you must pay using a cashier's check or money order. It doesn't even mention them as a possible form of payment.
I have difficulty even understanding the reason for this new unadvertised requirement. It takes them about six months to process the paperwork. There is a required interview before the certificate is issued. There is therefore zero risk that the government will be stiffed on the required fee.
So the only theory I can come up with on the spur of the moment is that this is a way of generating more fees for the postal service.
Cici is sleeping away, blissfully unaware of this development in our quest to obtain her Certificate of Citizenship. When she awakens I plan to take her to see the new Pixar animated movie UP. It was recommended by a thoughtful friend, and I think Cici will enjoy watching it.
Ping and I talked earlier this morning on MSN using the new headset microphone that Cici and I bought yesterday. It is easier to talk than to write everything, though sometimes writing can help clarify things. Like what is the distinction among the words Indian, India, and Indiana, which is a topic that came up this morning because of my grandmother being a half blood American Indian.
With my son being half blood Cuban and my daughter being Chinese, we will have quite the mix starting next week at the office when both of them will be working there with me.
While the sun is still not hot in the sky, it seems like the right time to water the plants and flowers. Ping will be proud of me on this day that is 1/9 th of the way through her absence from our home. Oh yes, I am indeed counting the days. Cici and I can't wait for her to return.
This morning I picked up a certified mail envelope at the post office. The local USCIS office had returned by certified mail the certified mail package that I had sent containing the application for Certificate of Citizenship for Cici. A preprinted form was inside the package. We only accept cashier's checks or money orders, it said. What?
So when I got back to our home I pulled up the instructions again. All it says about payment of fees is that if you send a check, it will be converted to electronic funds and the check itself will not be returned to you. No where on the form or the instructions does it say that you must pay using a cashier's check or money order. It doesn't even mention them as a possible form of payment.
I have difficulty even understanding the reason for this new unadvertised requirement. It takes them about six months to process the paperwork. There is a required interview before the certificate is issued. There is therefore zero risk that the government will be stiffed on the required fee.
So the only theory I can come up with on the spur of the moment is that this is a way of generating more fees for the postal service.
Cici is sleeping away, blissfully unaware of this development in our quest to obtain her Certificate of Citizenship. When she awakens I plan to take her to see the new Pixar animated movie UP. It was recommended by a thoughtful friend, and I think Cici will enjoy watching it.
Ping and I talked earlier this morning on MSN using the new headset microphone that Cici and I bought yesterday. It is easier to talk than to write everything, though sometimes writing can help clarify things. Like what is the distinction among the words Indian, India, and Indiana, which is a topic that came up this morning because of my grandmother being a half blood American Indian.
With my son being half blood Cuban and my daughter being Chinese, we will have quite the mix starting next week at the office when both of them will be working there with me.
While the sun is still not hot in the sky, it seems like the right time to water the plants and flowers. Ping will be proud of me on this day that is 1/9 th of the way through her absence from our home. Oh yes, I am indeed counting the days. Cici and I can't wait for her to return.
What kind of payment did you send?? A bank check?
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Just a regular check for our checking account. A personal check is routinely used when filing documents with the USCIS, and they are routinely accepted. The only cautionary part of the instructions is to not abbreviate the name of the payee on your check, though the example given is itself an abbreviated name: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Regardless, our bank was open this morning, as was the post office, so I got a cashier's check and sent it back certified mail for Monday delivery.
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Thanks! that's useful info.
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My postal theory is probably wrong, but it sure seems wasteful to me. Yesterday an envelope arrived from the local USCIS office that received the application for the Certificate of Citizenship. All that was inside was a receipt. The kind of receipt that you are handed at a grocery store. Why, I wonder, is there all this drama surrounding a simple payment transaction?
The other interesting thing has been that both the returned package and the receipt were mailed to my daughter, who is a minor and the beneficiary of the application. Nothing has been addressed to me, despite the fact that I am the applicant, and the person who made the payment.
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