Recent Super fast NOA2s (in 30 days or less)

[san diego 407]

Enough budget? They don't run on tax money. They run on our money, you know, the king's ransom you paid them when you filed. So why don't they do what we paid them for? They got the money. Now do the work. Plain and simple!

Al, I hear your frustration. I completely understand it. I am in the same boat. I am not sure that the money that we paid for processing go directly to them. I think they get lost in depth of our federal budget like any other funds . What is truly frustrating is: here we are, educated, high-income, high tax bracket trying to bring our loved ones LEGALLY. While you have 100s of thousands illegals crossing our southern boarder EVERY day. And nobody does anything about it.. Instead, they let us have it... This IS frustrating...

[LylAndLu 3]

I sat with a congressional liason of my Senator's office. She "explained" to me that the Service Centers bundle the petitions in packages... they move pallets of petitions and they just sit there while those pallets are assambled. And that some times adjudicators are just waiting doing nothing while the new pallet arrives, so they pull whatever is handy (more recent files) to work on that... (Never told how the new file skipped the pallet assambling process). When I said, "well, it seems it would have been better to wait and file in late january for a faster response." She said with a smile "yeah, right?"

I that point I gave up.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I sat with a congressional liason of my Senator's office. She "explained" to me that the Service Centers bundle the petitions in packages... they move pallets of petitions and they just sit there while those pallets are assambled. And that some times adjudicators are just waiting doing nothing while the new pallet arrives, so they pull whatever is handy (more recent files) to work on that... (Never told how the new file skipped the pallet assambling process). When I said, "well, it seems it would have been better to wait and file in late january for a faster response." She said with a smile "yeah, right?"

I that point I gave up.

I am personal acquaintances with two of the adjudicators at VSC. They have no explanation for this and I never heard about the pallets, one way or the other. They have never reported "waiting" for petitions to adjudicate. They do much more than I-129f petitions, of course.

In the past, the date which USCIS gave as the date of pettions they were working on, was the OLDEST petition in the system. I do not know if that has changed and the adjudicators have nothing to do with that, they process what they are given.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Al, I hear your frustration. I completely understand it. I am in the same boat. I am not sure that the money that we paid for processing go directly to them. I think they get lost in depth of our federal budget like any other funds . What is truly frustrating is: here we are, educated, high-income, high tax bracket trying to bring our loved ones LEGALLY. While you have 100s of thousands illegals crossing our southern boarder EVERY day. And nobody does anything about it.. Instead, they let us have it... This IS frustrating...

That's like I saying "I worked hard to be rich, but I could have just robbed a bank" USCIS does not condone illegals and the two things are not related. What would frustrate ME more is the people that come here legally on the VWP and get married then file for a CR-1 and GET IT! They should just simply end that BS! You come on a tourist visa, NO WAY you adjust status (getting married is OK) I do not compare our process to criminals. I compare it to people who skip the mess "legally", or are at least allowed a "loophole" to escape it.

[TeddyHoney 42]

I think you are too harsh. I think they are working hard. The problem is that they do not have enough budget and as a result human resources. I wouldn't blame them. Regarding the fast petitions: I do not believe in those to be honest with you... I think that some jerks seeing how stressed we are are trying to add to the stress. I truly believe petitions are processed in the order they are received or about that plus/minus someone get sick or takes vacation.

I tend to agree with you about the super fast petition approvals. Now, I'm not saying that this is what people are doing here on VJ, but I could create an account and add false information as far as timeline data to make it look like whatever I want - right? How would anyone know its all fictitious? Again, I am not suggesting that this is being done here. But If I did that, no one would know any different and not suspect anything unless something outstanding would draw attention and suspicion - like NOA2 in 12 days or something like that.

Again, I not saying this is being done - just staing that someone could do this. For what reason they would - I don't know.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Oh, and obviously its not a first in first out system either because whiel some petitions are approved in what must be record time, others wait for what may also be record times (like 6-7-8-9-12 months with no RFE or other hold ups!).

Is that right?

Yes, that happens. It is not the design or the plan, but it happens for various reasons. At times of heavy processing USCIS uses contracted adjudicators. They process petitions at home. When they get behind they will call in the auxillary processors and assign them cases. They are not going to go pull cases already in someone's cubicle.

Think of waiting in line at the grocery. You have waited and waited through 10 people ahead of you. You are the next to go! Yee haa! Finally. Just as the guy in front of you finishes they open register 8 and the guy that JUST stepped into line 10 people back jumps over there and he gets checked out in 1 minute flat. Fair? No. Planned by the store? No. Is it the store's policy? No. Happens? Yes. How much you bet...if you asked the store manager he will say "We check people out in the order they are received"

You also cannot assume that someone waited 6 months with "no hold ups" because they did not get an RFE. I will give you an example. One of the adjudicators I know is a Russian woman, friend of Alla's. She came here on a K-1 also. Sometimes people send documents for RUSSIAN or Ukrainian fiancees and they have not been translated. Now, the adjudicator could send an RFE (which can take weeks just to leave the office and be mailed to you) but instead they bring it over to our friend and ask "What is this? What does it say?" She says "Leave it here and I will check" Maybe a day later, maybe a week later. She is busy with YOUR petition (for example) assigned to HER, should she stop work on YOUR petition and do someone else's? No. So it sits there for a while, then she looks at it and finds it is a birth certificate for the Russian woman NOT Translated but NOT EVEN NEEDED for the petition. This case was now "held up" with no RFE. If it was held up for 2 days, that means about 50 petitions behind that one in line got processed before that one. Another acquaitance is a manager in the department that "checks stuff" among other things. They investigate stuff. What DOES that dodcument say? The copy is not clear. Is it a REAL birth certificate or something from the church his parents belonged to? There is no RFE sent, it is investigated internally. Adjudicators are like machines, they process clean petitions. If something is missing, anything, it is kicked out and goes into the alternative universe, which MAY be an RFE or MAY be an internal check or MAY be taking it over to another adjusicator that speaks Russian.

Here is the boittom line. Their are no guarantees. You knew that and you chose to be engaged to a foreign woman. The government has NO interest in making it all sensible to you. Why? You will go elsewhere? Get your petitioned approved at Lowes.Com? Maybe you will order one delivered to your door from Amazon.com?

It is the government. It has been my pleasure to work with them since I was a young man, here and in Ukraine (here is MUCH better in theory, in Ukraine you could get a visa while you wait with a $100 bribe though)Heck, I wait sometimes TWO years to get a wastewater permit from one department of the state to build a school for another department of the state! They don;t even do their OWN stuff fast. Heck, I make a really good living working part time (semi retired)as a construction consualtant and this is basically what I do, sort out government BS, navigate the obstacles and keep everyone in compliance. It really, no joke, takes far longer to get all the necessary government hurdles out of the way than it takes to BUILD a school, bridge, or even a freakin' salt storage shed!

This is only the beginning, you will be dealing with them for the next 4 years, minimum. Settle in, it is a long ride. Our petition went fast, our interview took longer to schedule than it took to get the petition approval and now the RoC is taking forever. The guy that got ahead of you in the petition line may be waiting many months for an interview. Or a year for her green card. It all "comes out in the wash" as they say.

FWIW we just got our SECOND notice to have biometrics done for Alla and Pasha for the Removal of Conditions. They probably lost the first ones they did in November. Oh well. Today is payday and we are going grocery shopping and buying the backer board for the next ceramic tile project. Alla finally has collected all her "stuff" for the bathroom remodel.

I am going on with life. I am sure she will get her 10 year green card. there is no one on earth more legitmately married than we are.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I tend to agree with you about the super fast petition approvals. Now, I'm not saying that this is what people are doing here on VJ, but I could create an account and add false information as far as timeline data to make it look like whatever I want - right? How would anyone know its all fictitious? Again, I am not suggesting that this is being done here. But If I did that, no one would know any different and not suspect anything unless something outstanding would draw attention and suspicion - like NOA2 in 12 days or something like that.

Again, I not saying this is being done - just staing that someone could do this. For what reason they would - I don't know.

Actually some DO get processed real fast. It is not the intent. I cannot say if someone is making something up. Someone with nothing better to do could get the gist of this place pretty easy, create an account and say they got approved in 30 days just for sick fun, who knows? But it DOES happen sometimes that some get processed quickly.

[jaz00mine 8]

Who got us into this mess...Bush, who is the biggest against immigrants Bush! Really

[san diego 407]

That's like I saying "I worked hard to be rich, but I could have just robbed a bank" USCIS does not condone illegals and the two things are not related. What would frustrate ME more is the people that come here legally on the VWP and get married then file for a CR-1 and GET IT! They should just simply end that BS! You come on a tourist visa, NO WAY you adjust status (getting married is OK) I do not compare our process to criminals. I compare it to people who skip the mess "legally", or are at least allowed a "loophole" to escape it.

If USCIS did not condone illegals thety wouldn't give them periodic pardons.

[san diego 407]

That's like I saying "I worked hard to be rich, but I could have just robbed a bank" USCIS does not condone illegals and the two things are not related. What would frustrate ME more is the people that come here legally on the VWP and get married then file for a CR-1 and GET IT! They should just simply end that BS! You come on a tourist visa, NO WAY you adjust status (getting married is OK) I do not compare our process to criminals. I compare it to people who skip the mess "legally", or are at least allowed a "loophole" to escape it.

I don't think "I worked hard to be rich, but I could have just robbed a bank" is a good analogy. If you rob a bank you get prosecuted. If you are illegal the worst can happen is that you get deported, and in fact most of the time they get green cards. On my taxes. Actually, am sick of the illegal immigrants populating my state. Nothing is being done about it. The problem is that the SYSTEM rewards law-breaking individuals and punishes law-abiding citizens.

[ThomKimQC 14]

I have noticed that most of these ridiculously fast approvals are silent on the beneficiary's country of origin. Could it be that they are from Obamination's poster country (Haiti) and petitioners are hiding that fact for fear of bad publicity here at VJ?

I think what Obamination is doing is an absolute outrage. I wish Congress would impeach him and throw him in jail where he belongs for doing this to us.

You have no idea what you are talking about. First of all Haiti is considered a natural disaster country so whatever help the US can provide I am all for it. Second this is not the fault of Obama because your petition isn't approved in a month's time or whatever time you feel it deserves. I waited 5 months 28 days for my NOA2 to be approved, was I frusstrated, mad, felt it was unfair...of course but I did not blame one man for the delay. Your thought process is flawed, why not just blame Bush for 911 right? Does that make any sense to you?

[Blob18 111]

Who got us into this mess...Bush, who is the biggest against immigrants Bush! Really

Political forums are that way --------->

By the way, FYI. Under Bush these were done in 2-4 months. It didn't get this bad until 2008/2009...wonder who was in office then.

[san diego 407]

That's like I saying "I worked hard to be rich, but I could have just robbed a bank" USCIS does not condone illegals and the two things are not related. What would frustrate ME more is the people that come here legally on the VWP and get married then file for a CR-1 and GET IT! They should just simply end that BS! You come on a tourist visa, NO WAY you adjust status (getting married is OK) I do not compare our process to criminals. I compare it to people who skip the mess "legally", or are at least allowed a "loophole" to escape it.

Actually, my point is that the best analogy would be: here is the airport with a single metal detector. However, you can walk around it. If you walk around it no one stops you. The SMALL group of law abiding citizens like ourselves are here in front of metal detector standing in HUGE line. Criminals with guns and explosives would walk AROUND it. As they do. So are 100 of thousand of illegals. What is the point in this metal detector? Why would anyone want to spend so much time on checking background of people that are doing this legally while if you want to come to US illegally for one or another reason they can easily do it. These 2 issues are linked. Wouldn't you agree? Wouldn't it make more sense spending more effort an budget on enforcing our southern boarder or spending resources on catching illegals and deporting them immediately? rather than screening poor people that are deeply in love and cannot see each other and suffer?

[extremerecluse 32]

I am personal acquaintances with two of the adjudicators at VSC. They have no explanation for this and I never heard about the pallets, one way or the other. They have never reported "waiting" for petitions to adjudicate. They do much more than I-129f petitions, of course.

In the past, the date which USCIS gave as the date of pettions they were working on, was the OLDEST petition in the system. I do not know if that has changed and the adjudicators have nothing to do with that, they process what they are given.

BINGO!!!!!! They get what they are given by the supervisor, who receives instructions from the USCIS Service Center Director, who receives instructions from the USCIS Regional Director who receives directions from the policy makers in Washington DC. SH%$ usually flows downhill. I was a plumber once. Nothing happens until a policy maker starts the ball rolling. They submit reports to congress. Congress is either pleased with the results or not. Usually, displeasure results in a big pile of SH%$ rolling down. Eventually, the director decides to creatively manage the outcomes by "Cooking the Books". The end result is a small but defined trend of improvement in the length of time it takes to process petitions overall. Nothing difficult. We all know they (USCIS) are way under-staffed. I also think that the funds for USCIS get co-mingled into the US Treasury general fund as in any tax (fee we pay). I think that is just the way it is folks. It is an extremely labor intensive undertaking the way it is set up now. Do you really think they want you to receive good service? Remember, that they cashed about 300,000 checks over the last 6 months. It takes how long to adjudicate a petition? 20 minutes. You mailed a check for $340 to receive 20 minutes of service. That equates to $17 per minute. Lets say that each adjudicator is getting paid $30 per hour. That comes out to 50 cents a minute. Am I missing something? $17 coming in for every 50 cents going out. I would definitely put all my investment funds into this stock. Do you think it looks like they could afford to increase the adjudicator staffing by 10 times minimum? Remember that they operate on a zero sum balance sheet. No profit allowed. I would challenge anybody here to contradict my math calculations. Are you confused? How can this be? We all try to justify the hard work USCIS provides. I would never down play the arduous task that the USCIS staffers perform. I am only looking at simple arithmetic. Can someone explain the math I come up with in less than 5000 words? PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Yagisama 93]

You have it all wrong.

First the idea would not work for people who have a difficult time to get a visa to come to the US. People in most countries cannot just come here and go to the USCIS office.

Second, USCIS doe not approve or issue VISAS, they approve petitions.

Yes, it wouldn't be fair to everyone but its not like this process is fair to everyone as it is now.

And I was just considering the 129F petition approval part.