Calling all Senators and Representatives

[JoyDee 21]

Hi all,

Has anyone successfully contacted a member of Congress to act on their behalf? I've sent emails and regular letters to mine with no response. I'm not giving up yet, but wondering if anyone has had any luck with their member of Congress actually contacting USCIS and further, if that call was effective in your case.

Thanks!

Edited December 22, 2010 by JoyDee

[TBoneTX 43,516]

I contacted the office of Congressman Nick Lampson (Texas) several times, and the staffers (even those who weren't the primary immigration interactors) were completely helpful and supportive. They faithfully made inquiries to USCIS and the Consulate, and they communicated with me very well. Sadly, Rep. Lampson was defeated for re-election in 2008, by Pete Olson.

In contrast, when I contacted the Chiefette of Staff for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, it took multiple tries to get through, and when I finally reached her and began to explain my story, the Chiefette cut me off and haughtily said (and this is verbatim), "The Senator has far more important things to do than to concern herself with a K-1 application." Guess whose opponent will be getting my vote when the marvelous Senator comes up for re-election?

[milimelo 4,271]

The congressman or senator will not do anything if the petition is within the processing times.

[TBoneTX 43,516]

The congressman or senator will not do anything if the petition is within the processing times.

Maybe in many or most instances. However, Rep. Lampson's staff inquired for me when my petition was quite before the posted processing time.

[AnnieMugaya 3]

The congressman or senator will not do anything if the petition is within the processing times.

Not totally true. See the speed of my approval and entire process? That was my congressman's work! They might not always help, but they are certainly capable of doing so.

[Aztec&Taino 144]

Hi all,

Has anyone successfully contacted a member of Congress to act on their behalf? I've sent emails and regular letters to mine with no response. I'm not giving up yet, but wondering if anyone has had any luck with their member of Congress actually contacting USCIS and further, if that call was effective in your case.

Thanks!

Is this just a theoretical question? You just sent your petition in November, plus all Haitian petitions are expedited according to the info in your signature, so why would you want to contact your member of congress?

[JoyDee 21]

Is this just a theoretical question? You just sent your petition in November, plus all Haitian petitions are expedited according to the info in your signature, so why would you want to contact your member of congress?

Well, if you look at the conditions in Haiti right now you can see why I don't want my fiance living there any longer than necessary. The earthquake last January, political unrest and potential civil war, no clean water, a cholera epidemic, a housing shortage. Though he has spent his life in the struggling nation, conditions are much worse now than they have been in decades. I am terrified day and night that something will happen to him. It's true that my case is expedited along with however many other Haitian cases, but if I can get my congressperson to push and make things happen faster, I will!

I'll add that it was really hard to get the documents that I needed from him because there is no mail service into or out of the country. It took almost two months to get the biographical form because we had to wait for someone coming stateside to carry it with them. That was a significant hold-up. Turns out that I probably could have submitted without the document and they would have been okay with it.

Edited December 22, 2010 by JoyDee

[JoyDee 21]

Not totally true. See the speed of my approval and entire process? That was my congressman's work! They might not always help, but they are certainly capable of doing so.

Hi Annie, Your case was quite fast! Did you have a personal relationship with the congressman or did you cold-call? What were the circumstances of your request? Thanks!

[thelastpetitioner 218]

i think youre going a bit too far,iran is currently equally if not more so in a crisis,financially and environmentally ,and my fiance is a member of armed forces,does that mean he should be bale to abuse the right to expedite just because my situation is less than ideal?

youre going overboard with all this,feel free to jump on me all you want,i dont give a damn,but jesus get a reality check,some of us wait over five months,and you getting your case expedited is just not enough?

Edited December 22, 2010 by thelastpetitioner

[JoyDee 21]

i think youre going a bit too far,iran is currently equally if not more so in a crisis,financially and environmentally ,and my fiance is a member of armed forces,does that mean he should be bale to abuse the right to expedite just because my situation is less than ideal?

youre going overboard with all this,feel free to jump on me all you want,i dont give a damn,but jesus get a reality check,some of us wait over five months,and you getting your case expedited is just not enough?

I am certainly not abusing the right to expedite. My expedite was approved. Further, it's not a competition about who is in worse off shape. Finally, you're entitled, as is every person with a petition, to ask your congressman to speak on your behalf. I wish you and your fiance a speedy process.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

it seems like it is a competition to you,youre most certainly not the first one with a partner in a third world country or disastrous situation,but you sure act like it.

to be honest you seem ungrateful,a couple from Sudan were just recently denied their expedite just because the reason wasnt humanitarian enough for USCIS can you imagine?a war is not disastrous enough.like you mentioned its not a competition but you need to realize how annoying it is to see people like you,getting special treatment and just wanting more.

call your congressman all you want,youre within the timeline and therefor VSC has no obligation to proceed the inquiry your congressman makes on your behalf,good luck with the rest of your time waiting.

[JoyDee 21]

it seems like it is a competition to you,youre most certainly not the first one with a partner in a third world country or disastrous situation,but you sure act like it.

to be honest you seem ungrateful,a couple from Sudan were just recently denied their expedite just because the reason wasnt humanitarian enough for USCIS can you imagine?a war is not disastrous enough.like you mentioned its not a competition but you need to realize how annoying it is to see people like you,getting special treatment and just wanting more.

call your congressman all you want,youre within the timeline and therefor VSC has no obligation to proceed the inquiry your congressman makes on your behalf,good luck with the rest of your time waiting.

To be honest, that's what the Congressman is there for. He or she is the intermediary between me and my government. That's why I vote and elect these people to speak on my behalf. Its the political process, and yes, I will take advantage of it, unapologetically.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

but thats the thing,there is so much a congressman can do,they have done what they were supposed to by expediting the Haitian beneficiaries ( which i disagree with ).let me tell you something,ive been on this website since august,and i have seen many cases in which the idea of having a congressman or someone with some pull working on one's case has helped them go through things,even more than half of the time,there is not much that a congressman or representative can do for many reason.

its like an optical illusion.just be grateful for how lucky you have gotten and youll get less ####### and more actual advice on this website

[Casprd 167]

Well, if you look at the conditions in Haiti right now you can see why I don't want my fiance living there any longer than necessary. The earthquake last January, political unrest and potential civil war, no clean water, a cholera epidemic, a housing shortage. Though he has spent his life in the struggling nation, conditions are much worse now than they have been in decades. I am terrified day and night that something will happen to him. It's true that my case is expedited along with however many other Haitian cases, but if I can get my congressperson to push and make things happen faster, I will!

I'll add that it was really hard to get the documents that I needed from him because there is no mail service into or out of the country. It took almost two months to get the biographical form because we had to wait for someone coming stateside to carry it with them. That was a significant hold-up. Turns out that I probably could have submitted without the document and they would have been okay with it.

It wont hurt to contact your rep or senator. They are there to work for us and given the situation it is entirely understandable why you would want to move as quickly as possible. If it were just after the earthquake in Chengdu, I would be on the phone every day trying to expidite things to make sure my wife's petition was moving as quickly as possible. Haitian visas are already being expidited so I wouldn't expect they will be able to make much of a difference in the process, but for peace of mind if nothing else you might as well use every tool at your disposal.

[Casprd 167]

i think youre going a bit too far,iran is currently equally if not more so in a crisis,financially and environmentally ,and my fiance is a member of armed forces,does that mean he should be bale to abuse the right to expedite just because my situation is less than ideal?

youre going overboard with all this,feel free to jump on me all you want,i dont give a damn,but jesus get a reality check,some of us wait over five months,and you getting your case expedited is just not enough?

Iran doesn't have a cholera epidemic going on so the situation is not the same. Trying to expidite the process given this is not abusing the system. Living in substandard conditions is one thing, but living in the midst of a rampant epidemic is another thing entirely. The situation in Haiti is far from less than ideal.