Two days ago I called about our I-130 because of no
NOA1 or even the check cashed so got worried package
was lost or something. This lady I got may not have realy
known the no say rules or something but I was told this.
Not in these words but the meaning was clear.

The fee increase will she said (speed things up at a later
date). But for now you can expect everything to take longer
due to internal changes within DHS. A fee increase does not
for now mean things will go faster. She told me not to worry
about noa1 until 90 days after you send in the I-130.

Changes at dhs takes time, even a fee increase can add
time to yours and mine. I am told this...............
Please give DHS time to adust to this new rule...

That is what I was told 2 days ago.

*sigh* this might become a rant

This doesn't really surpise me. Unfortunately, no new system kicks in straight away and you expect teething problems or delays while people are hired.

It just means that everyone who applied after the increase will see no benefit and will be paying more But it also means that people who applied in the few months prior to the increase, like me, took the full 6 months (some of them more) because of USCIS trying to receipt the rush of petitions So we're stuck waiting for NVC to receive our files, while people who filed a month before us are already receiving or have had their final interviews. There are people who have already waited the full 6 months, only to now be stuck in a (possible) further 6 months of checks. They could be 3 months through those checks by now if USCIS were approving at their old rate.

So far this has affected all those filers from April onwards, we're already in November... that's one heck of a long "teething problem".

The benefit will be seen by those further down the line but that's no comfort at all to anyone stuck in these delays