When is USCIS going to offer premium processing for family based petitions (K-1, 2 and 3)? I guess they think it's more important that employers be united with their employee then fiancees and spouses be united with each other. Apparently we can wait for freaking ever and nobody at USCIS or the U.S. government gives a crap. There's my rant and here is the link.


http://www.visaportal.com/agencies/article...?article_id=172

That is BS in the highest order. Employment based Premium processing for $1000?

How bout a can of azz whup for free, from the family based petitioners?

I am not even going to read that link, because I know I will become extremely upset with it. I am sure every person here would pay whatever is needed for 'expediated processing'.

Maybe they don't feel right in giving family based immigration priority to those that can afford to pay more. Wouldn't that be like saying to some "sorry, you aren't affluent enough to get in the front of the line...you'll have to get in line behind Mr Wait because he could afford to pay more than you"? How long would it be before the screams were heard from those less affluent petitioners that they were being descriminated against?


If everyone could afford faster processing in such a system, then everyone would pay it and we would be back to normal processing times at a higher expense.

I agree with "john_and_marlene." The only thing that bothers me is that yet again big business prevails. The get to flash a few dollars and obtain premium processing leaving others in this agonizing process in the dust. What's new!

Oh, I understand. It's political. That doesn't make it right. The news headline would read some thing like "The USCIS gives preferential treatment to USC petitioners who pay $1,000, the little guy gets screwed again" Then they interview some poor slub who's whines about the inequities between the haves and have nots in America today and how he just wants to be with the one he loves but he just can't come up with $1000 to get his fiancee here quicker. If he only had a better opportunity than that crap minimum wage job he might have that kind of money though. Poor guy. Nice little human interest story for the evening news.

But apparently it's ok to make small businesses that can't afford to pay the $1000 wait while big business gets their employee processed in 15 days. Doesn't make for a nice human interest story on the evening news though.

The amusing thing is that according to the USCIS ombudsman report, the faster processing actually costs USCIS less to do because paperwork is moved faster and more efficiently. However as USCIS relies on the funds brought in for expedited processing, it has no real impetus to process all applications the "quick and cheaper" way because it would mean a huge drop in income (USCIS is a self funded agency).

BTW - I agree with john_and_marlene on this as well. Making people pay to get to the front of the line makes no sense for businesses IMHO, it makes even less sense for families.

hmm... I paid $1000 for a ticket, $100 for a visa, and had to get $500 worth of spending money on my last trip to Algeria... hm... I would have had no problem chucking out $1600 for an expedite... bleh.

Think again, I wouldn't. To me this seems like a bribe to speed up the process. Too many years of that BS in Russia for every little thing in life. The less of that we have here, the better.

john_and_marlene is 100% correct on this. It's not an issue of the government wanting to help big business. It has everything to do with government not wanting to give the perception that rich individuals can bring their family members to the US faster because they can pay for it. That is DEFINITELY a no no. The news media would have a field day with this.

Personally I can afford the $1000 to EXPEDITE my personal processing had I this choice, but I think ethically it is wrong to even allow this sped up processing. That is why I'm so angry with VSC. They are essentially doing this already by processing and approving K-1 visas in 30 days or less while CSC takes at least 90 days. This is unfair and discrimination based on geographic location.

I know this is not going to be a popular opinion but I would be in favor for a premium based service as long as the the quality of the review as well as the final decision were the same regardless of what level of service you used. In other words the amount you pay does not determine "IF" you get in but the speed at which you get a decision.

I would still be in favor of the service even if I could not afford and let me tell you why. Typically when this happens (as somone already pointed out) the process gets looked at and refined. Many of those refinements will make it to the other levels of service and even the non-premium services will be improved. The only problem is once they put that teired system in place the non-premium service will be forever stuck at some level. By this I mean if the premiums service garuntees 15 day turn around they will never let the non premium service fall below lets say 45 days. What this would do is garuntee some consistency in the process and you would not have a situation where VSC is cranking out approvals while CSC appears to be moving backwards...

Just my opinion.

Paul

If they offer premium processing for family-based visas, that will create a two-tier system that will ensure that people with less money wait even longer. I say no premium processing, only expedites for valid reasons.

I understand why businesses want to have visas issued quickly...my SIL claims she has an expedited visa of some sort from the US, which was needed almost immediately or the jobs of several people in the UK might have been jeopardized. I don't know the details, though, since I'm not very close to my sister-in-law. I suppose I could ask, but she'd probably tell me to f*ck off. (We're REALLY not close.)




You do realize this is the US government you're talking about, right?

No.... tell me it ain't so... big biz gets the grease while the rest of us normal folks wait?

And by the way... no one ever accused the US Government of being innovative. (I work for US Dept Homeland Security).

So the guy who will replace me will be here before my fiance? WTF?

exactly...I don't understand why the big difference between the 2 service centers...if California has more than they can handle then Vermont needs to take some of the load...like those of us in Michigan...lol

It is very unfair that the VSC processes applications in about 1/3 the time as the CSC. Last time I checked I paid the same amount of money. Why does my petition take 3 times as long? I can understand making changes to improve the system but who decided the geographical breakdown that determines where applications are processed? I swear I could hand my niece 2 crayons and a US map and she'd do a better job. If it's taking about 90 days at one site and 30 days at the other it would make sense to shift a few more petitions to the faster site to balance the load. I guess that makes too much sense though..

Can't for the life on me figure out why my east coast petition is being sent to the west coast for processing when there is a center on the east coast. The gov't really doesn't think rationally. What happen to being cost and time effective?

What happened to the ...."liberty AND JUSTICE FOR ALL"
This premium processing is so unfair.....so now what......do we all go and start our own businesses so we can bring our family and loved ones over to work remedial jobs???? Will they get here faster if they apply to work as field works picking cotton? UFFFFFFFFFFFFF . This is so unfair!!!!!

Are you serious? Premium processing is for employment based visas - companyies pay that fee when they have an immediate, urgent need.

LisaD had it right: Giving family based immigration priority to those that can afford to pay more would be like saying to some "sorry, you aren't affluent enough to get in the front of the line...you'll have to get in line because other can afford to pay more than you" How long would it be before the screams were heard from those less affluent petitioners that they were being discriminated against?

If everyone could afford faster processing in such a system, then everyone would pay it and we would be back to normal processing times at a higher expense. . . .

Exactly, and why this wouldn't make any sense. However, it seems we already a premium processing system in place anyway, it called VSC, and it is only for those special few who happen to live in the right part of the country............

Yup. Exactly... it'd take just as long as it does now, and cost a huge amount more... and I bet anyone who couldn't afford the 'premium' processing would suffer even longer waits as a result, too. Much better to treat everyone equally (I'm ignoring the existence of VSC for a minute here!), I think the alternative would be much worse.