Location: Chicago
Date: Jan, 13th, 2003.

I visited the INS regional office in Chicago today for the special registration for Pakistani male citizens. Based on my experience, I'd like to describe some useful do's and don'ts: a.. Do budget the entire day for this. I showed up and filled out the form at 7:45 am, but my name wasn't called until 10:30 am. And there were people who came before me who were still waiting when I went in. b.. Do bring your passport, current I-94, I-94 approval notice (the paper document from which you separated the I-94 form); driver's license; and one credit card (or library card or some other means of identification). I was required to present all these. c.. Do not bring additional credit cards! The INS officer took my credit card number, expiration date, and 3-digit code. It is reasonable to assume that this information will be used for surveillance under the PATRIOT act. (I only hope they're not ordering venti lattes from Starbucks at my expense right now.) d.. Do bring employment verification documents (pay stubs and a letter from your employer) or proof that you're in school (I-20 and transcripts). e.. Do remember or bring along on paper the following pieces of information: a.. Your mother and father's full names; dates and places of birth. b.. Current address(es) and phone number(s) for both your mother and father. c.. Your last 4 addresses in the US with phone numbers (if you can't remember the phone numbers, it shouldn't matter much). d.. One person's name, address and phone # as a contact. If you're married, this person cannot be your wife! You can use other family members or close friends or employers, though. f.. Be prepared to give out an email. Again, it's safe to assume that this may be monitored as well. Therefore, give out an email you seldom use (get one from hotmail; g.. Do not give out any information not solicited. Remember: you will be sworn in before the interview and any incorrect or ambiguous information you give under oath can be considered perjury. The atmosphere, as I saw, was more relaxed than I had anticipated (after what happened in the last few weeks in California). The interview consists of primarily going over all the information that you'll enter in the form. Prints are taken of the left and right index fingers only. A digital photograph is also taken. The interview is more like the INS official doing data-entry from your paper form while you sit and wait. The official will ask you to verify the information in the form, ask for your relevant documents, and take your fingerprints and photograph. At the end, the official will give you a date next year on which you must re-register (unless you leave the US for good or get a green card in the meantime). The whole interview took me about 20 minutes.