Charlotte is in the western part of the state, about a 2.5-hour drive from Durham. DHS-CIS-CLT is located at 6130 Tyvola Center Drive. The nearest major intersection is Tyvola Road and Tryon Road. Tyvola Center Drive is a semicircle street that intersects Tyvola Road at one end and Tryon Road at the other.

As of 19 August 2004, you must schedule an appointment to speak with an officer. You cannot just "walk in." DHS provides on-line appointment scheduling through its web site. Please pay close attention to the following notes before you schedule your appointment:

Read the appointment options on the web site carefully and select the kind of appointment that relates closest to your situation. Certain kinds of appointments are only scheduled on certain days. For example, if the office only does I-765 Employment Authorization Document (EAD) cases on Wednesday, and you make an appointment to "talk with an immigration officer" on Thursday, but you really want to get the EAD, then you have wasted a trip.
Be sure to put your personal and contact data in correctly and double check for accuracy. And be sure your contact information can really make "contact." Is it easy to get through to that contact point, and do you check it often?
When your appointment confirmation page displays, print it out immediately. You must have this copy with you when you appear for your appointment. Also, if you need to change or cancel your appointment, you will need the code and pin number on the form.
If you are nearing day 90 of the wait for your EAD, then see our separate document, "Information Sheet: I-765 Request for Employment before you schedule the appointment.
Schedule an appointment to visit the DHS-Charlotte office http://infopass.uscis.gov/

At this web site you will find extensive information including the address, location, driving directions, map links, office hours, and so on.

DHS-CIS at the headquarters level (DHS-CIS-HQ), in Washington, DC, determines which kinds of filings go to which offices. By directive from headquarters, the Service Centers handle almost all of the study and employment-based immigration work that normally occurs for an academic community. Local offices, such as Charlotte, usually handle family based actions, special procedures, or any action requiring an interview. These may include adoptions and orphan work, family-based green card filings, and Special Registration. DHS-CIS-HQ does not permit field offices to handle filings that are normally work related or that are student status mail-in procedures. One exception is reinstatement for students. If a student violates status or falls out of status and must ask DHS-CIS for reinstatement, the DHS-CIS-CLT offices handles that, but will not adjudicate the case on a walk-in basis – it must be mailed in.

On the other hand, DHS-CIS-CLT may accept appointment filings in very limited circumstances for items that the Service Centers usually handle. Consider this common scenario: An F-1 student files an I-765 OPT request or a J-2 dependent files an I-765 work permission request. They mail these applications to DHS-CIS-TSC, as the filing rules require. Ninety days pass and DHS-CIS-TSC has not taken action on the application. By regulation the F-1 or the J-2 may take his/her filing receipt from DHS-CIS-TSC and present it in person to a DHS-CIS officer at DHS-CIS-CLT. Because more than 90 days have passed since the filing, the DHS-CIS-CLT field office has jurisdiction to grant interim work permission. For more information on I-765 filings and the "90-day rule," see our separate document, "Information Sheet: I-765 Request for Employment Authorization"

DHS-CIS-CLT is a public office. You have a right to go there whenever you want, but they have the right to require that you make an appointment and to refuse you entry if you do not have one.

Take all the relevant documents with you – passports, visa documents, I-20 or DS-2019, and copies of the forms or applications you have filed or your want to discuss. Have them organized in a folder or some other way so that they are easy to see and retrieve. Take your checkbook in case you need to pay a filing fee. Sometimes you might be able to do a filing on site, and you wouldn’t want to miss that chance. Do not assume that you can use a credit or debit card. DHS is converting to their use, but not all offices can accept them.

The office has limited seating space. Security procedures and safety laws require DHS-CIS to control the number of people who may enter at any given time in the same way that a nightclub or restaurant must control occupancy. Show your appointment letter to the officer at the door, and follow that officer’s instructions.

Of course, we do.

SURVIVAL TIPS FOR VISITING THE DHS-CIS OFFICE IN CHARLOTTE, NC

The DHS-CIS in Charlotte, NC, has hundreds of visitors every day. International Office staff members know from personal visits that the waiting area may be filled with people, and there may be a line at the door – although new appointment requirements may reduce the line. We have created this list of survival tips to help you minimize stress.

If you don't want to drive or don't have access to a reliable car, you may take the train. Round trip is usually less than $50.00. You will need to take a taxi from the train station to your hotel and to the DHS-CIS. See the schedule on the AMTRAK site at http://www.amtrak.com/trains/carolinianandpiedmont.html

Note that the combined cost of the train and the taxi for one person is almost the same as a two-day car rental, and driving is more convenient and time efficient.

Go the night before and stay in a hotel. That way you can be well rested and easily on time for your appointment. It will also allow you plenty of time to find the office if your are unfamiliar with the area. There are two reasonably priced hotels a short drive from the office park in which the DHS-CIS is located.
Comfort Inn Executive Park

5822 Westpark Drive

Charlotte, NC 28217

Telephone: 704-525-2626. Fax: 704-525-3372

Extended StayAmerica Efficiency Studios

6035 Nations Ford Road

Charlotte, NC 28217

Telephone: 704-676-0569. Fax: 704-676-0325

These are only two options. There are several other hotels in the area. Go to http://www.citysearch.com/, click on Charlotte, and look for hotels near the DHS-CIS address of 6130 Tyvola Center Drive.

You can use MAPQUEST or a similar on-line tool to map your drive from your home to the hotels or the DHS office.

http://www.mapquest.com

Take someone with you. Remember that even though you must have an appointment, you may need to wait for your name to be called. If you are in the bathroom, who is going to listen for your name? Also, you may need someone to make a telephone call for you or run out to the car to get something. Anyone who has camped out for Duke basketball tickets understands this. However, not also that sometimes, depending on circumstances, the office will not allow family or friends to accompany you into the building, and they may have to wait in the car.
Have a good breakfast before you go – just like your mother always told you. You may have quite a long wait, and you are not allowed to eat in the waiting room. And you certainly don’t want to be hungry and grouchy during your appointment. You may want to take a few munchies and bottled water for the time you may be waiting outside the building. Think survival strategies until you can get into the building and out again. Then take yourself to a nice restaurant.
Be prepared for security checks. The Charlotte DHS-CIS office applies usual federal building security protocols. You and your hand luggage will go through a metal detector. As you do at the airport, be ready for this by having things out of your pockets and in your bag or briefcase. Laptop computers are not allowed, so leave them at home or in your car. Cell phones are permitted, but must be turned off and may not be used to answer or make calls inside the waiting area. These rules may change at any time, so pay attention to signs and instructions.
Take something to do. You could have a long wait. Take a textbook and get in some study time. Read an e-book on your Palm Pilot. Do needlepoint. But be sure you pay attention and listen for your name.
Family matters. The waiting is miserable for children and unpleasant for their parents. Think carefully about who really needs to be there and who could stay home. For example, if you are the only person who needs work permission, your whole family does not need to be there. You may want one other person with you to help you listen for your name or otherwise help coordinate travel.

Contact the International Office by sending a message to VISAHELP@mc.duke.edu or call the office at 681-8472.