Our AOS/EAD were received in Chicago on 10th July 2007, I received NOA and biometrics interview letter in mail promptly, attended Biometrics over two weeks ago - but have not had any updates to the 'Last Updated' column values. I registered on the USCIS site on 6th August 2007, so I think that is why it currently shows '08/06/2007'.

As I understand it, the value in the 'Last Updated' column shows the last time the cases were updated in the USCIS systems, as per below:

Receipt Number E-mail Last Updated Form # Form Title
MSC0XXXXXXXX Y 08/06/2007 I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS
MSC0XXXXXXXX Y 08/06/2007 I765 APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION

I have read a lot of VJ folks saying that the 'Last Updated' date changes on or very soon after the biometric interview appointment - mine hasn't, so I wonder if there is a problem with the record of my case in their systems or if I don't really know enough what touches are and what they represent.

How do we know what we know about the 'touches'? Has an ex-USCIS employee told us what a change to the 'Last Updated' actually means? I don't actually see an explanation on the USCIS site (not to say it isn't there). Or maybe the updates are manually keyed in, and are not really linked to the USCIS systems that are handling our cases.

Has anyone got any insight in this area?
Cheers, Ed.

Our AOS/EAD were received in Chicago on 10th July 2007, I received NOA and biometrics interview letter in mail promptly, attended Biometrics over two weeks ago - but have not had any updates to the 'Last Updated' column values. I registered on the USCIS site on 6th August 2007, so I think that is why it currently shows '08/06/2007'.

As I understand it, the value in the 'Last Updated' column shows the last time the cases were updated in the USCIS systems, as per below:

Receipt Number E-mail Last Updated Form # Form Title
MSC0XXXXXXXX Y 08/06/2007 I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS
MSC0XXXXXXXX Y 08/06/2007 I765 APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION

I have read a lot of VJ folks saying that the 'Last Updated' date changes on or very soon after the biometric interview appointment - mine hasn't, so I wonder if there is a problem with the record of my case in their systems or if I don't really know enough what touches are and what they represent.

How do we know what we know about the 'touches'? Has an ex-USCIS employee told us what a change to the 'Last Updated' actually means? I don't actually see an explanation on the USCIS site (not to say it isn't there). Or maybe the updates are manually keyed in, and are not really linked to the USCIS systems that are handling our cases.

Has anyone got any insight in this area?
Cheers, Ed.

Our case was not touched after our biometrics...some peoples cases get touched after and some do not, so i would not worry about that

I think it is purely random whether anyone gets a "touch" or not. We've had it where we got touched when there was nothing whatsoever different about our case - no appointments, no extra forms sent, no queries by us, nothing. I think it fell off their desk or something (joke).

If you noticed on some of the other forums, USCIS are unpredictable, but very backed up. Sometimes updates are done over the weekend and these updates include date changes to online profiles; people report getting touches on federal holidays as a result, and other such oddness. I think, for me personally, I don't worry about touches and getting them or not. All I care about is the paperwork being received and all the relevant letters and receipts making their way to me.

Put it this way - we have our online status for our AP as pending, but we received it in time for our Christmas vacation, used it and have since applied for EAD and received it (with the site being updated to reflect it). Yet all this time, our AP is still listed as "pending".

So you can see why I don't put much stock in the "touches" versus non-touches.


Hope that helps

Annie

I have not received any "touches" either. I am being processed at the National Benefits Center, too. I have just gotten my EAD - received a notice that the card was ordered about a week and a half before I got it. It sound slike it takes about 6 weeks from your biometrics almost always these days. Also, I heard that the National Center porcesses things more quickly than the local centers. I know that makes me feel better. Hopefully it is true!

Touches, really and truly, mean nothing (in my humble humble opinion).

WifeofHunkyJohn, that was an excellent post.

Hi there,

There was that former USCIS employee on VJ (whose name escapes me at this moment) who said that everytime the file goes somewhere it is scanned - what we label a 'touch'.

So employee takes your file out of the box to work on, scans it = touch. Employee hands it to someone else to handle, they scan it = touch, obviously to keep track of where a file is at all times, which seems like a dandy system and also seems like they may not be using it so much anymore (or they are working on the backlog so things aren't being passed around/mulled over so much?).

Thanks to everyone for their comments on this. It certainly sounds that sitting around watching the 'updated' date is not going to make much of a difference.

You'd think so, however people do still get excited about a "touch". I think it is because the process can seem so slow and daunting that a "touch" is seen as at least something moving in regards your case, however small.

I simply think of a touch as moving your case from the shelf to the floor to level out someone's old rickety chair.

Do you receive more information if you sign up for an account on the USCIS website to receive automatic e-mails or is it the same thing if you just go to the site to check it?

Same, except if you sign up for an account and choose email notification. You'll get an automatic email sent to you when you status is updated. So you don't need to keep checking all the time.

so if you get an email that is what they are considering a touch? I have always wondered what a touch meant and where do you get touched and how? HAHA. I have signed up on USCIS website where they are to email me updates, so is this where you get touched maybe?