Expedite Request

[Yagisama 93]

I was pretty sure it was going to be denied so I wasn't too surprised when I got the denial email.

On Friday I just read the news about the earthquake and tsunamis and just freaked out and picked up the phone and called USCIS.

On hindsight it probably is best to just wait for the normal queue to process. We are #38 on Igor's list so hopefully it won't be too long now.

[EAbbas 213]

I was pretty sure it was going to be denied so I wasn't too surprised when I got the denial email.

On Friday I just read the news about the earthquake and tsunamis and just freaked out and picked up the phone and called USCIS.

On hindsight it probably is best to just wait for the normal queue to process. We are #38 on Igor's list so hopefully it won't be too long now.

I hope that too for you!!! Good luck and know that all our prayers and thoughts are with you and ppl like you who have families in japan as well as all the victims of this tragedy....bittersweet for sure for some as I read yesterday they found a baby alive...just wish they found soo many more... God speed to everyone....

[LookyWhatIFound 38]

With the nuke catastrophy over in Japan its getting crazy over there! Best of luck to all in Japan!

[tokyobelle 2]

hey guys i heard that the staff at the US embassy Tokyo are the first ones to leave Japan from today. the navy and the air force are also evacuating going to korea in the meantime :/ so i dunno even if we expedite it now, no one's gonna be here to process the visa.

ugh i am actually gonna leave for the weekend going to Kansai area (perhaps Osaka) and wait for the nuclear plant problem to settle. the japanese gov't is pretty vague with the information on what's really going on.

[EAbbas 213]

hey guys i heard that the staff at the US embassy Tokyo are the first ones to leave Japan from today. the navy and the air force are also evacuating going to korea in the meantime :/ so i dunno even if we expedite it now, no one's gonna be here to process the visa.

ugh i am actually gonna leave for the weekend going to Kansai area (perhaps Osaka) and wait for the nuclear plant problem to settle. the japanese gov't is pretty vague with the information on what's really going on.

If the us embassy leaves japan...will they have any resources to process the japanese visa petitions or will it be on standstill until they come back? Just wondering if this happened anywehre else bfore and what they did to resume the visa processing and interviews...wishing all those with visas for japan much luck and speedy approvals

[tokyobelle 2]

well here is the current information from the tokyo US embassy website, i guess they have some staffs left

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-important.html

Non-immigrant Visa Procedures (2) (March 17, 2011)

Due to the recent events, we are only able to process emergency visa cases. Please follow the instructions below for applying for a non-immigrant visa.

- F, M, J applicants who already have appointments in March and they need to register with their school/organizations by the end of March may come for interviews as scheduled.

- If you don’t have an appointment for March, please make your appointment in April or later.

- We are able to assist in truly emergency cases under very limited circumstances.

[catnipyosh 1]

Did the expedite requests get approved yet? any words from USCIS??

I received the following message from the VSC in response to my request to expedite. It looks like they are automatically pulling all petitions with beneficiaries RESIDING in Japan (Japanese citizen or otherwise). Folks may want to follow up to make sure their cases have been flagged for expedition. This is the (redacted) text of the email response I received:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

VERMONT SERVICE CENTER

75 LOWER WELDEN STREET

SAINT ALBANS,VT 05479

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Monday, March 28, 2011

Emailed to []@[]

Dear M. []:

On 03/25/2011 you, or the designated representative shown below, contacted us about your case. Some of the key information given to us at that time was the following:

Caller indicated they are:

-- Applicant or Petitioner

Attorney Name:

-- Information not available

Case type:

-- I129F

Filing date:

-- 01/xx/2011

Receipt #:

-- EAC-xxxxxxxxxxxx

Referral ID:

xxxxxxxxxxxVSC

Beneficiary (if you filed for someone else):

-- LAST NAME, First Name

Your USCIS Account Number (A-number):

-- 000000000

Type of service requested:

-- Expedite

The status of this service request is:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) understands that this is a difficult and emotional time for our fellow citizens with family and friends in countries recently affected by natural disasters. The Vermont Service Center (VSC) has identified all pending applications and petitions (including petitions that were returned from a U.S. Consulate or U.S. Embassy) where a resident of Haiti or Japan is involved. These cases will be processed in an expeditious manner.

If you have any further questions, please call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Please remember: By law, every person who is not a U.S. citizen and who is over the age of 14 must submit Form AR-11 AND notify this office of their change of address, within 10 days from when they move (persons in "A" or "G" nonimmigrant status are exempt from this requirement). To notify this office of a move, visit our website at: www.uscis.gov or call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283. The Form AR-11 can be downloaded from our website or you can call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 and we can order one for you. Instructions for filing the Form AR-11, including mailing instructions, are included on the Form.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services