You would think that the immigration system would have went from 2 locations to 4 locations to speed things up tremendously. Instead, they go from 4 locations to 2. And within the 2 places, VSC and CSC, CSC is full of idiots.

Yep!!! Another day, another no show from CSC!!! Shocker!!!

I'm cautiously pessimistic about this week too, but to be fair CSC are always slow on Mondays. Let's hope things pick up...

I don't know but I'm starting to get frustrated by not seeing many approvals from CSC, unlike VSC. I'm happy for the VSC approvals but come on, CSC....time to wake up!! Patiently waiting....waiting....waiting....

Oh, also there are no VSC approvals for today. Maybe VSC and CSC had a big webcam party today.

(I suspect we'll see some timeline updates when people start getting home from work. Let's hope that at least some of them are from CSC.)

I could barely work as it is cuz I keep checking VJ for approvals and also USCIS....I know I have a while to go but still...everytime I see a Sept/Oct approvals, I can't help but get excited. LOL

Maybe the CDC (Calif. Disservice Center) has fallen into the Specific Ocean, or it should fall. (What's that old quote? "When your specificity goes, you fall"?)

Bite your tongue. They fall into the ocean and my petition falls into the ocean. While I would mourn the deaths of the millions who live in southern California, I would be extremely put out by having to re-submit my petition, and that would be the real tragedy! So let's keep a little perspective here!

Well according to... [someone] in the July thread a couple people from CSC (late July) were approved on 14th

Yeah, there were two people yesterday who filled in their timelines that had been approved previously ...

angie & pecto received their NOA1 on 2007-08-13 and their NOA2 on 2008-01-09

Jindrich & Wenona received their NOA1 on 2007-08-27 and their NOA2 on 2008-01-10

Getting closer to that September date Mox!!! Pretty exciting!!!

R

Wow - they really did take some time to update their timelines!! I thought someone said they got approved yesterday as well though..? In the July thread?

Doh!!!! Their NOA1 might have been August but they sent their NOA1 in in July!!!

My bad!!!

R

angie & pecto received their NOA1 on 2007-08-13 and their NOA2 on 2008-01-09 - I-129F Sent : 2007-07-27

Jindrich & Wenona received their NOA1 on 2007-08-27 and their NOA2 on 2008-01-10 - I-129F Sent : 2007-07-27

So no-one on the 14th then? How odd!! Maybe they haven't updated their timeline yet - they were quite new

Ahh - just found them - they put their NOA2 as the 9th but they actually got approved yesterday - they were asking how to change their timeline

Are they the individuals that I mentioned above or are there other people too? As you can see, I'm getting completely a*al about all this!!!

R

They are the ones dated NOA2 9th Jan We've also had another July filer approved yesterday but they haven't updated their timeline yet

That will be Christine & Nick from Germany - well done you guys - seems July is sloooooooooowly getting done!!!

R

And congrats to Saokun & David -

Saokun & David: I-129F Sent : 2007-07-28 NOA1 : 2007-08-23 NOA2 : 2008-01-14

CSC are on a two a day roll now ... breakneck speed!!!

Anything is better then nothing! Atleast CSC seems to be waking up!

Congrats to the approvals. Hopefully it's the start of all July filers being approved this week.

Did any of them mention whether they heard online or hard copy NOA2. Would be interesting to know whether the online updates are actually working.

I'm tempted to say something witty or sarcastic about 2 CSC approvals in one day, but mostly I just want it to keep happening, so I'm going to keep my mouth shut. *sigh*

I know what you mean, it's so slow it's almost laughable. But, I really think you had a good point about the case status not being updated recently. That's why it would be useful to know what the means of approval discovery is right now. Maybe, there's a flurry of approvals on the way.

I keep hoping that will be the case.

I say this rhetorically because I don't think anyone would argue the point, but ya know if they would just be more transparent about the process then it would really ease a lot of this anger and frustration over having to guess about what might be the problem. How hard would it be to just put something up on the USCIS website that says "There's a problem with case online status at CSC, so we're not updating it this week." Or "Our processing this week has slowed to a crawl because blah blah blah." And I would love to share this thought with the ombudsman, but lessee, I need to fill out a form and then snail mail it, oh but it's not really a problem with *my* case file per se, so...yeah, fuggedaboutit. Not even a decent feedback mechanism.

EDIT: To end the post on a positive note, the gorilla is still alive.

I repeat: They have fallen into the Specific Ocean, with your application specifically used as jetsam. You will receive separate RFEs for each element of the entire package, oh, let's see... once every week through Leap Year 2044 (this processing-information just appeared on the newly transparent CDC website).

Thanks mox...was gettin' worried about the gorilla! I agree with what you're saying..it's the same thing that all of us were saying back in May & June. Things go alright (slow) for a while, then come to an abrupt halt. Back in that time frame it seemed that VSC was non-existant and CSC was moving at a pace that a snail could easily beat on a bad day...with a broken shell! If they would just keep us informed, there wouldn't be as many angry/frustrated people.

I am curious what the big secret is to the whole process with USCIS. I am a state employee (okay, it's the fire dept., but my paycheck still says State of Calif) so I'm use to things moving slowly at times, but there is usually some kind of reason with the "red tape". I've never heard of a government process that would take this long and you would not be able to call someone to get information. I understand that the process has always taking a long time, but with new technology and the fee increase, things should be moving much much faster. How hard is it to get a background check on a name. I can get my credit report within a minute or 2. So, I would think that Homeland Security could find my info just as fast. I'm sure if they wanted information from us, they would not stand to wait 4-6 months for an answer. I am not upset with the system, it is what it is and we are at their mercy.

Okay, I'm down off my box. Just some things that came to mind when I read what Mox wrote and wonder why they can't be more upfront with what is going on.

Yes,you're right.
It's so not fairm,You know. Seeing these crazy periods(i mean it's been o year allmost for some) makes you break done.

Well - I just called the USCIS again today and the man who I spoke to said "well, maam - give it another two weeks. I'm sure by then you will hear something". UGH - that's what they said two weeks ago. The pot is getting ready to boil over.....I'm trying to remain positive.

what do they say when you point that out?

I agree with what everyone's saying... that the process is aggravatingly long, we all know... but it's a government department, and EVERYthing could always do with more money, from roads to education to pre-natal care to whatever else... so I accept that it takes a long time, and they can't necessarily hire the staff that would make it much shorter

BUT: they CAN and SHOULD do something about the processing out of order, and the lack of information... it's those things that tip you over from 'aggravated' to 'going rapidly insane with not a damn thing you can do about it'

He actually cut me off when I asked him and said that every petition is different. I told him that even people with RFE's at the same time as mine are getting approved and he again cut me off and said ma'am, every case is different - and proceeded to tell me that it should be approved within two weeks.

He must have been looking into his crystal ball?

I know what he can do with that ball.

Exactly. Communicating doesn't cost taxpayers anything.

well, it probably would, to be fair... but only a very small amount, and probably save staff time from people ringing saying 'what the frank's going on?!'

Well, like I said earlier it would just be a matter of sticking something up on the web page saying "CSC processing is slow because of blah blah" or whatever. That costs money in terms of man-hours I suppose, but with the right process in place it would be a simple matter of manager logging in, updating message, pressing "Submit" and then watching the call volume go down. Might even be able to make a case that it saves money in call volume.

What *would* cost a little money is having an effective feedback system. The ombudsman is better than nothing, but only slightly. I'd like to see something in more of a blog format where the ombudsman solicits comments and then posts findings. That's a lot to ask for I know, but the ombudsman system right now is nigh useless.

well, you've got to bear in mind that to those actually AT CSC, processing may not be slow at all... it may be that they're working on different petitions this week or something, so going at exactly the same pace as ever, but just not touching many K1s

however, as you say, SOME sort of update would be better than nothing, and shouldn't be too difficult to organise

Just about every month (every day at the moment) something (or nothing ) comes up that makes me think that we really should be trying to do something about this so that we can change the outcome for future filers. I know this sounds all very idealistic and seasoned VJers would likely pat me on the head and tell me there is nothing to be done except be patient. In some ways I agree, since calling does very little except divert resources and cause further frustration. Plus, historically many people have been waiting much longer than I currently have. Another reason why I have done nothing about it is because I fear annoying the very people who have my future in their hands.

Having said all of this, the excuses re: excess applications in 2007 are just wearing a bit thin now. The fact remains that USCIS, since August, have received 2.5 times the July application fee for every applicant and nothing has been done to improve the situation for those who paid the new fee. Part of me feels guilty for being one of the filers who caused the system to overload but USCIS knew what impact the fee increase would have. I really feel that every post-July filer has been let down by a terribly flawed system. Throwing money at the issue clearly had little impact. Or the money just hasn't been directed into the right areas.

I'm just terribly frustrated by the whole K1 experience and whilst I know following anything but the K1 route is unpopular to some on this forum I know what advice I would be giving to anyone who fell in love with someone in the US. It wouldn't be K1.

That's the thing. If petitions were being processed in order and both service centers were working within a given timeframe of one another then any slowdown in processing wouldn't be such a hardship - as long as they posted some information on the website.

Hmmm...I hadn't actually thought of this possibility. That's a good point. Maybe it's tourist visa month at CSC.

We can know one thing for sure, and it is that CSC hates gorillas.

I dunno; if I was as behind as CSC is at present, I think I'd be keeping one jump ahead of the wolf, and doing a few days or a week on whatever was coming closest to being 'out of time'... so maybe it IS tourist visa week, but that means K1s will come back around soon

Well, I had a long talk with my Congressman's aide in August, and he flatly said, "USCIS is our VERY worst" (Federal agency). He said that no one there would even listen to Congressional people any longer, and there was even a go-between that Congressional offices had to go to -- no more calling supervisors directly. He said that he had cases "999 days plus" that still weren't being dealt with. He said that it would LITERALLY take an "Act of Congress" for anything to change.

What I'm certain of is this: If Pres. Bush or his successor(rette) gives amnesty to the Illegals currently here, my blood will boil. The Illegals need to get in the back of the line, pay the same fees that we do, suffer just as long (at least) as we do, and be required to pay taxes through the nether regions like we do.

My fiancee wryly agrees with me when I say that if she were an illegal Mexican, she'd be here already and have the world by the tail. Even in Ecuador, they've heard what's going on!

Interestingly, the Mexicans who are here illegally are ALSO in violation of MEXICAN law, which states that no Mexican may emigrate until his papers are in order. We're rapidly approaching a tangent probably inappropriate for this thread (and a counterproductive one, unless we wish to be upset), but it's true.

Four paragraphs without a punchline -- I must be sick! Si, man.

sick, man

Still the Prettiest, man.

Personally I would call every day and don't mention that you have called loads - eventually you will get to someone who will help you... It might even be worth not mentioning the RFE - say when you filed, when you got your NOA1 and how long you have been waiting and ask if they can find anything out... I don't know if that would work but it might get them to actually investigate rather than go "oh she's only had the RFE back a month or so - no point in her calling yet"...

Things do slowly seem to be picking up at CSC... still not up to scratch but at this point...

Yes, the e-mail notification system seems to be working. I check the status on USCIS everyday, no change by 5:30 yesterday (1/14) . This morning I had an e-mail stating My I-129F was approved on 1/14. The e-mail was sent around 6:45 PM (PST) . No prior touches.

Good luck to the rest of the July Filers still waiting.

[quote name='babblesgirl' date='Jan 15 2008, 10:27 AM' post='1491743']
Congrats to the approvals. Hopefully it's the start of all July filers being approved this week.

Did any of them mention whether they heard online or hard copy NOA2. Would be interesting to know whether the online updates are actually working.
[/quote

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: WACxxxxxxxxxxx

Application Type: I129F , PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On January 14, 2008, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this
I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the
notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case
status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from
USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS
Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at
www.uscis.gov under Case Status and Processing Dates.
*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.


Just a clarification, I received this email from CRIS on January 14. My sister actually the one who received the hardcopy for the NOA2 on January 14(I dont have it with me at the moment). But approval date from NOA2 hardcopy is January 10, 2008. I will edit my timeline ASAP! I got a touch on January 10 and January 11. There's an obvious discrepancy of the date from the CRIS email, it says, they sent the notice on the 14th of January but it was actually sent out probably on the 11th.

Congratulations on the approval, keep 'em comin. pretty please.

Yeah gratzies!!! I wouldn't worry about the dates - ours were a bit weird as well Don't forget to update your timeline asap so I have a chance of winning the CSC sweepstakes this week!!

I just had a thought - what if CSC is bypassing the emails and net updates, and just sending approvals as hard copies, or even straight to NVC? that's happened to a few people, maybe it will happen again

Normally I'd complain if they did that, but at this point I'd definitely take it as a win!

Well - a-jeanne has had a couple of touches so...

Well then...an average of 0.67 CSC approvals per day for the week so far. That's gotta be some kind of record.

So here's my Top 10 list of guesses as to why the CSC have stopped approving our petitions:

10. In a move of solidarity with the Hollywood writers, CSC adjudicators refusing to write "Approved."
9. The CSC New Years Eve Party was a killer. Seriously, they're all dead.
8. It's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" marathon days at CSC. 7 seasons of kick-azz slayage in glorious surround sound.
7. They're all refusing to work until President Bush replaces Hannah Montana in his Top 8 on Myspace with CSC.
6. Entire CSC staff caught in Groundhog Day time warp, unable to escape until they discover the true meaning of "to blave."
5. CSC playing hide and seek with manager who must count to 10 million.
4. Entire CSC evacuated. Somebody reported not seeing a Ninja in the break room, and everyone knows that Ninja's are invisible, so it must be true.
3. They're holding out for more Hershey's Kisses.
2. It's ALWAYS Beer-30 somewhere in the world.

And the number one reason CSC have stopped approving our petitions:

1. They hate gorillas. It's all my fault.