meeting wit hLocal USCIS office

[gretchen_darren 67]

Hi all,

Friday I meet with local USCIS office. I was advised to meet with local office when calling in to followup on expedite request and why no answer. The expedite inquiry was sent with this letter:

Your request for expedited processing has been received. After careful review and consideration, it has been determined that the request does not meet the expedite guidelines established by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. As such, the case will be adjudicated in date receipt order.

Again calling, was advised to meet with local office instead of placing another query into the CSC. Stated the forms are not adjudicated there for I-129F. Was told by call center to go into local office anyway.

wonder what is up??? anyone got any ideas? Just wondering what may happen on Friday.

[sunandmoon 450]

Hi all,

Friday I meet with local USCIS office. I was advised to meet with local office when calling in to followup on expedite request and why no answer. The expedite inquiry was sent with this letter:

Your request for expedited processing has been received. After careful review and consideration, it has been determined that the request does not meet the expedite guidelines established by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. As such, the case will be adjudicated in date receipt order.

Again calling, was advised to meet with local office instead of placing another query into the CSC. Stated the forms are not adjudicated there for I-129F. Was told by call center to go into local office anyway.

wonder what is up??? anyone got any ideas? Just wondering what may happen on Friday.

Since you've already made a expedite service request by calling NCSC, an infopass appointment is another way to make such a request.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=16a6b1be1ce85210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

[Kris & Liezl 3]

Hi all,

Friday I meet with local USCIS office. I was advised to meet with local office when calling in to followup on expedite request and why no answer. The expedite inquiry was sent with this letter:

Your request for expedited processing has been received. After careful review and consideration, it has been determined that the request does not meet the expedite guidelines established by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. As such, the case will be adjudicated in date receipt order.

Again calling, was advised to meet with local office instead of placing another query into the CSC. Stated the forms are not adjudicated there for I-129F. Was told by call center to go into local office anyway.

wonder what is up??? anyone got any ideas? Just wondering what may happen on Friday.

According to your signature, you JUST got your NOA1 on 3/10/2011 - that's just one month ago...

USCIS states that normal processing time is 5 months; and when you call them, they say "well that is just an estimate". If you're lucky enough to get into CSC, it seems 5 months is a pretty close guess-timate. For some of us, however, our case is held hostage for 6+ months by VSC! These are just their "normal processing times". And then, from other posts I've read here, you can't really successfully get an expedite until your case has gone AT LEAST 30 or 60 days (not sure which one) beyond "normal processing time". Or at least that is what people report their Congressmen/Senators were told when they got them involved.

Again, it has been just over a month since you got your NOA1. I am wondering on what grounds you are using to justify your expedite request? Surely they will be asking you why YOU should not have to endure the same wait everyone else is... May I ask what is your reason for the expedite request after one month? I'd love to know, especially if it works!

[B_J 2,752]

According to your signature, you JUST got your NOA1 on 3/10/2011 - that's just one month ago...

USCIS states that normal processing time is 5 months; and when you call them, they say "well that is just an estimate". If you're lucky enough to get into CSC, it seems 5 months is a pretty close guess-timate. For some of us, however, our case is held hostage for 6+ months by VSC! These are just their "normal processing times". And then, from other posts I've read here, you can't really successfully get an expedite until your case has gone AT LEAST 30 or 60 days (not sure which one) beyond "normal processing time". Or at least that is what people report their Congressmen/Senators were told when they got them involved.

Again, it has been just over a month since you got your NOA1. I am wondering on what grounds you are using to justify your expedite request? Surely they will be asking you why YOU should not have to endure the same wait everyone else is... May I ask what is your reason for the expedite request after one month? I'd love to know, especially if it works!

There are certain reasons that USCIS will expedite a petition. This is different than the request because of the length of time that the petition has been waiting.

Expedite Criteria

All expedite requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and are granted at the discretion of the Director. The burden is on the applicant or petitioner to demonstrate that one or more of the expedite criteria have been met. The criteria are as follows:

Severe financial loss to company or individual

Extreme emergent situation

Humanitarian situation

Nonprofit status of requesting organization in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States

Department of Defense or National Interest Situation (Note: Request must come from official United States Government entity and state that delay will be detrimental to our Government)

USCIS error

Compelling interest of USCIS

[gretchen_darren 67]

I want to apoligize for being lengty, But sometimes people just get to me.... why, why why, me, me, me me. I want MY turn. You have to WAIT on ME.... sometimes I just witsh somehow the world would stop and look at others for a change....

ok, I got the NOA1 on 2/25, that is the date on the receipt. I have been waiting almost 2 months now, just trying to be patient. But each time someone asks why I should get an expedite and jump in line in front of them, I just want to take there there for 3 days and see if they can even take their type of living (a fisherman squatting village - think of poverty on top of poverty) for that long. Look at my facebook page, look at the like to my finace. look for webfire76 on youtube.

As for expedite, there are several reasons:

1) i asked int he beginning on the letterhead and recieved no response.

2) I had to call to request status and was told to go to hte phoenix office.

3) the information taken over the phone was so crude, it was horrible, I knew the request was going to be denied. The person absolutely did not care at all. they WANTED me to go into the office.

4) the area in the philippines is under a state of emergency by the President of the Philippines.

5) There is massive rebel conflict going on in the area and just south and east of the area.

6) The village is a very, very , very poor fishing village without my support the famiy would starve at times. Ther have been times where they have just eaten cassava for the meal without telling me they are out of rice or food. This even happened while I was there. I only found out because i questioned the conversation between my finace and her cousin. they eat rice, tamban, and other common vegatables 3 times a day. The family has never ever been to a Mcdonald's, a jollibee, or anything else. Imagine taking 18 people who met me at the airport to McDonald's who had never been there once in their life. It was an experience for me.

7) The water pump is located right next to an abandoned fish pond. I do not know the health in the village, but many people seem to be sick all of the time.

8) I am going to college for some mandatory courses for work.

9) I need help with my kids when they are with me so I can study.

10) I am sending approximately $200 to $400 a month to get my fiance her shots to stay healthy plus food for the family while waiting, plus make sure hte family has food to eat so both her and I do not have to worry about her getting sick.

11) up until January, the family (7 people) lived in a one room house, I provided the money for them to put up walls and divide the house into 3 rooms. The parents and girls have some privacy now.

12) these people gave for food when they had nothing, NOTHING themselves. I tried to eat as little as possible without offending, but it broke my heart to see how they were just giving.

13) I am trying to help the dad and family improve their income, and how to live. they WANT me to buy the m a boat and set them up in boats so they CAN WORK and make money for themselves. They DO NOT, stress absolutely DO NOT want me to provide for them except in emergency situations.

14) I was in the boonies, I was nowhere near ANY city. the closest city did not even have a bank or a walmart, or a tore. The nearest town was 12 miles away. It had a version os a wal-mart, a mcdonalsds, and a few mom and pop places. But where I was was not where a tourist would go. A missionary might go where I was. A relief worker maybe night go there. But I was INVITED to go there. I took it in stride. But the clothes the children were wearing, the poverty, the village itself. I just can't convey it to you. What you see in japan fro mthe tsunami, comes close to showing you how they are living. And it is not just her, or her family, but the WHOLE EXTENDED family lives in that village. Half the village is related to each other.

if she lived in a proper village, in a city, something, I would understand waiting. I would gladly wait. I really would. But this is horrible living conditions. Sometimes they do not even have food to eat. The family has 3 sons which work. they make 500php a catch (that is $11US) for the 3 of them. He makes maybe, 4,000 to 5,000php a month, a good month maybe 10,000php (but that is exceptional). During summer/fall, they make 2,000 to 4,000 php a month due to typhoons going by. Living in a log cabin, or living in a tent on a beach is the equivalent of how they live day to day. I know their are different living conditions around the world. Each of our fiance's and spouses have it rough. I am not discounting any of that. Every night in my hotel room, I had to go into the bathroom or out to the lobby to cry. It broke my heart to see how they were living. No house has running water, the bathrooms are outhouses, there are no private showers (not even public his and her showers, they was out in the open at the pump wearing baggy old clothes, back in a hidden area.) The church is a pavilion with a cross on top. They cook outside. There is no refrigerators to store food, or to preserve food. they use the salt and dry method. the pig from the engagement party feed the entire family (extended family as well.) for a week. they go through a bag (50kg/110pbs) of rice every 30 days. I wish I knew how to just break your heart until you went from the anguish of seeing how they lived and how they still have a positive attitude. My fiance humbles ME, for all I have been blessed with and all of my cares. I am remembering what it was like as a kid, to grow up in a campground and just not care about the things of life. Instead of the me=ism atttidue everyone has, but the caring about others. I want everyone here to get their turn,to get their application answered. My finace wants to come over here soon. But you know something. SHE IS WILLING TO WAIT ER TURN, just so others can come as well. find me any other girl who will live in those consitions, not complain, carae about you, AND want OTHERS to come ahead of her self. to me this girl is PRICESLEES. I would give up EVERYTHING just to spend the rest of my life with her. nothing, NOTHING I own is as great a treasure as she is. If any guys want a great girl, I know of several girls just like her looking for men who see and understand. My fiance does not know who to use a knife, she thinks a spoon is for cutting. NOW and the ACLU would throw a fit because my fiance believes by being a servant to her husband she is showing love. She still has her standards though. we are waiting until marriage. the hard part for me is LETTING her serve me. it is hard for me to accept it. Everytime she does osolmething, I feel so much more blessed to be loved by her. You want to know WHY I want her here so bad? There are only a few girls in the world have I found through all of my searches who are as PRICELESS a treasure as her. When God blesses you with your dream, with your one prayer you have been praying for for years, would you just let your self sit back and wait, or would you try to move heaven and earth thanking God. then accepting the answers if you were told to wait afte rhaving done everything? A man prayed to win the lottery for 40 years, knowing God would reward him. the only problem was in not one day of those 40 years did he buy a lottery ticket. Before I even went ot met her, we had her passport completed. When I was there we finished the application process. After coming back, we are currently getting the forms ready for the embassy, planning the trip, planning the wedding, and getting her immunizations. We are putting time to good use while waiting. We are not waiting on the "Answer" we are preparing for hte next steps. and if I can not bring her here. then I will look at going to live and work in a city there where her and I can be together until I can bring her here. but I am hoping I can bring her here. I would miss my children if I could not see them as well.

[Shawn & Emi 16]

I want to apoligize for being lengty, But sometimes people just get to me.... why, why why, me, me, me me. I want MY turn. You have to WAIT on ME.... sometimes I just witsh somehow the world would stop and look at others for a change....

ok, I got the NOA1 on 2/25, that is the date on the receipt. I have been waiting almost 2 months now, just trying to be patient. But each time someone asks why I should get an expedite and jump in line in front of them, I just want to take there there for 3 days and see if they can even take their type of living (a fisherman squatting village - think of poverty on top of poverty) for that long. Look at my facebook page, look at the like to my finace. look for webfire76 on youtube.

As for expedite, there are several reasons:

1) i asked int he beginning on the letterhead and recieved no response.

2) I had to call to request status and was told to go to hte phoenix office.

3) the information taken over the phone was so crude, it was horrible, I knew the request was going to be denied. The person absolutely did not care at all. they WANTED me to go into the office.

4) the area in the philippines is under a state of emergency by the President of the Philippines.

5) There is massive rebel conflict going on in the area and just south and east of the area.

6) The village is a very, very , very poor fishing village without my support the famiy would starve at times. Ther have been times where they have just eaten cassava for the meal without telling me they are out of rice or food. This even happened while I was there. I only found out because i questioned the conversation between my finace and her cousin. they eat rice, tamban, and other common vegatables 3 times a day. The family has never ever been to a Mcdonald's, a jollibee, or anything else. Imagine taking 18 people who met me at the airport to McDonald's who had never been there once in their life. It was an experience for me.

7) The water pump is located right next to an abandoned fish pond. I do not know the health in the village, but many people seem to be sick all of the time.

8) I am going to college for some mandatory courses for work.

9) I need help with my kids when they are with me so I can study.

10) I am sending approximately $200 to $400 a month to get my fiance her shots to stay healthy plus food for the family while waiting, plus make sure hte family has food to eat so both her and I do not have to worry about her getting sick.

11) up until January, the family (7 people) lived in a one room house, I provided the money for them to put up walls and divide the house into 3 rooms. The parents and girls have some privacy now.

12) these people gave for food when they had nothing, NOTHING themselves. I tried to eat as little as possible without offending, but it broke my heart to see how they were just giving.

13) I am trying to help the dad and family improve their income, and how to live. they WANT me to buy the m a boat and set them up in boats so they CAN WORK and make money for themselves. They DO NOT, stress absolutely DO NOT want me to provide for them except in emergency situations.

14) I was in the boonies, I was nowhere near ANY city. the closest city did not even have a bank or a walmart, or a tore. The nearest town was 12 miles away. It had a version os a wal-mart, a mcdonalsds, and a few mom and pop places. But where I was was not where a tourist would go. A missionary might go where I was. A relief worker maybe night go there. But I was INVITED to go there. I took it in stride. But the clothes the children were wearing, the poverty, the village itself. I just can't convey it to you. What you see in japan fro mthe tsunami, comes close to showing you how they are living. And it is not just her, or her family, but the WHOLE EXTENDED family lives in that village. Half the village is related to each other.

if she lived in a proper village, in a city, something, I would understand waiting. I would gladly wait. I really would. But this is horrible living conditions. Sometimes they do not even have food to eat. The family has 3 sons which work. they make 500php a catch (that is $11US) for the 3 of them. He makes maybe, 4,000 to 5,000php a month, a good month maybe 10,000php (but that is exceptional). During summer/fall, they make 2,000 to 4,000 php a month due to typhoons going by. Living in a log cabin, or living in a tent on a beach is the equivalent of how they live day to day. I know their are different living conditions around the world. Each of our fiance's and spouses have it rough. I am not discounting any of that. Every night in my hotel room, I had to go into the bathroom or out to the lobby to cry. It broke my heart to see how they were living. No house has running water, the bathrooms are outhouses, there are no private showers (not even public his and her showers, they was out in the open at the pump wearing baggy old clothes, back in a hidden area.) The church is a pavilion with a cross on top. They cook outside. There is no refrigerators to store food, or to preserve food. they use the salt and dry method. the pig from the engagement party feed the entire family (extended family as well.) for a week. they go through a bag (50kg/110pbs) of rice every 30 days. I wish I knew how to just break your heart until you went from the anguish of seeing how they lived and how they still have a positive attitude. My fiance humbles ME, for all I have been blessed with and all of my cares. I am remembering what it was like as a kid, to grow up in a campground and just not care about the things of life. Instead of the me=ism atttidue everyone has, but the caring about others. I want everyone here to get their turn,to get their application answered. My finace wants to come over here soon. But you know something. SHE IS WILLING TO WAIT ER TURN, just so others can come as well. find me any other girl who will live in those consitions, not complain, carae about you, AND want OTHERS to come ahead of her self. to me this girl is PRICESLEES. I would give up EVERYTHING just to spend the rest of my life with her. nothing, NOTHING I own is as great a treasure as she is. If any guys want a great girl, I know of several girls just like her looking for men who see and understand. My fiance does not know who to use a knife, she thinks a spoon is for cutting. NOW and the ACLU would throw a fit because my fiance believes by being a servant to her husband she is showing love. She still has her standards though. we are waiting until marriage. the hard part for me is LETTING her serve me. it is hard for me to accept it. Everytime she does osolmething, I feel so much more blessed to be loved by her. You want to know WHY I want her here so bad? There are only a few girls in the world have I found through all of my searches who are as PRICELESS a treasure as her. When God blesses you with your dream, with your one prayer you have been praying for for years, would you just let your self sit back and wait, or would you try to move heaven and earth thanking God. then accepting the answers if you were told to wait afte rhaving done everything? A man prayed to win the lottery for 40 years, knowing God would reward him. the only problem was in not one day of those 40 years did he buy a lottery ticket. Before I even went ot met her, we had her passport completed. When I was there we finished the application process. After coming back, we are currently getting the forms ready for the embassy, planning the trip, planning the wedding, and getting her immunizations. We are putting time to good use while waiting. We are not waiting on the "Answer" we are preparing for hte next steps. and if I can not bring her here. then I will look at going to live and work in a city there where her and I can be together until I can bring her here. but I am hoping I can bring her here. I would miss my children if I could not see them as well.

I understand why you want an expedite but USCIS probably took the view that your fiancée's situation isn't a new situation - meaning that's the way life is where she lives. Japan, Haiti etc. had big natural disasters which means that they're often expediting petitions for people in those countries.

Good luck with your process and again, I do sympathize with your situation.

[kenshaq 3]

i feel your situation:) i'm the benificiary from the philippines. being away from our fiance is really hard and the processing is really a long wait but we can't do anything about it to speed the process, the decission is in their hands. we're just here to wait for our turn. some may get lucky that they get expedite but some don't. i also live in a province and living here is simple and my fiance really learned a lot of things and always telling me how blessed he was to live there. again goodluck to you and your fiance and always remeber that it will gonna be soon for you and her be together permanently...thats how me and my fiance tells each other when we miss each other:)

[lovelyjoy 13]

I know how you feel and I know how hard life is in the province. But I can see why USCIS might not grant your request for an expedite. Allow me to explain...

I am from the province as well (Bicol region to be exact). It's one of the poorest regions in the Phil, typhoon stricken, we live near an active volcano called Mt. Mayon that erupts every 8-10 years. I know how it's like to stay in an evacuation area, we've been there a few times. We've experienced falling in-line to receive help from the gov't. I used to line-up every single day in grade school because I was one of the under nourished kids. The US and other countries used to give free milk, flour, dental care and other help to poor communities/families like us and I was tasked to receive them.

We never had our own house thus we've always lived with relatives or rented a small house and yes sleeping beside members of the family and having "no privacy" is part of our culture/everyday life. Most of my childhood and teenage years I spent living with extended family = 6 cousins, 2 grandparents, 1 uncle, 1 aunt, my mom and my brother. We lived in a house with only 2 bedrooms, so the rest of us had to sleep in the living room or on wood chairs, not couches. There was even a time when my Ma, bro and I slept in the unused pig's den. Of course we cleaned it first!

My father left us when I was a toddler. We may not have Muslim rebels in our province but we do have anti-gov't factions there. When I was young I've witnessed a shooting in front of our house, 2 people died. I don't remember the details but I remember blood in front of my grandmother's yard. It's one of the reasons why I'm scared of blood.

So what you enumerated might seem like an "ordinary" condition to most Filipinos in the provinces or even in the slums in Manila. My life or your fiancee's life may seem like a sad soap opera/novel, but it's REALITY to millions of Filipino families. That's why many of us try so hard to finish education and find a decent job. The last thing I want is some pity party.

It'll be really hard to convince people at the embassy/NVC to believe extreme poverty/rebel fighting as legit reasons worthy of an expedite.

But, go ahead and try. I wish you the best. Keep us posted!

[Kris & Liezl 3]

So what you enumerated might seem like an "ordinary" condition to most Filipinos in the provinces or even in the slums in Manila. My life or your fiancee's life may seem like a sad soap opera/novel, but it's REALITY to millions of Filipino families. That's why many of us try so hard to finish education and find a decent job. The last thing I want is some pity party.

It'll be really hard to convince people at the embassy/NVC to believe extreme poverty/rebel fighting as legit reasons worthy of an expedite.

Exactly... My fiance is also from a province. I have been to the Philippines, to her home. I can identify with EVERYTHING the OP has suggested as reasons for his expedite, except for the rebel fighting and the fishing village. But everything else, yeah... From what I witnessed there, all of that is pretty common outside of the bigger cities - heck, even within cities in some cases. I saw entire communities living under highways in Cebu City. And it has been that way forever there... Whenever I express concerns about some part of her way of life/standard of living, she always says, "Oh, don't you worry Kris, we're use to it". So what we are trying to understand is how is your case any more urgent than those of many other people petitioning a fiance from the Philippines or other developing/third-world country? It's an impoverished country... Many, many, many more people are in your fiance's same living situation. She is not the only one.

Good luck requesting your expedite... I will tell you this though. I also wanted to expedite my case AFTER I hit the 5-month mark. When I called in, they told me that I didn't really have a good case for an expedite. All they would do was take a service request; but even then, they told me I was still "within normal processing time, because 5-months is just an estimate" and that I would need to give them 30 days for a response. All we are saying is, you just described the situation of millions of Filipinos over there. However deserving of an expedite you believe your case to be, it just isn't likely. So yeah, go in with high hopes! But also prepare yourself for a "please wait in line sir". It's incredibly difficult, waiting. However, you may need to accept at some point that you have no choice. Good luck...

[Hilbill 0]

Good luck. I requested an expedite for my fiance because of severe financial loss because of his business and apparently losing $30000 isn't enough of a loss! I was denied and received the same form letter you received, no reasoning or anything.

[Hilbill 0]

Good luck. I requested an expedite for my fiance because of severe financial loss because of his business and apparently losing $30000 isn't enough of a loss! I was denied and received the same form letter you received, no reasoning or anything.

Also, I had congressional backing and they still denied it.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

Apparently the OP and at least one member replying in this thread have missed a very important point when requesting an expedite:

Regardless of the reason, it must be on the US Citizen's side of the situation.

The Beneficiary losing money because they will delay the sale of a business doesn't meet that requirement.

The US Citizen planning their weddings and putting down large deposits before the Visa has been issued doesn't meet the requirement (albeit for different reasons).

The Beneficiary living in poverty doesn't meet that requirement.

@OP, if you're sending $200 -$400 monthly to the Philippines then they are living far better than the neighbors.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

Apparently the OP and at least one member replying in this thread have missed a very important point when requesting an expedite:

Regardless of the reason, it must be on the US Citizen's side of the situation.

The Beneficiary losing money because they will delay the sale of a business doesn't meet that requirement.

The US Citizen planning their weddings and putting down large deposits before the Visa has been issued doesn't meet the requirement (albeit for different reasons).

The Beneficiary living in poverty doesn't meet that requirement.

@OP, if you're sending $200 -$400 monthly to the Philippines then they are living far better than the neighbors.

one of the most strong cases of expedite approval is humanitarian reasons,what humanitarian reason would be for a US citizen?

im just curious.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

OP,as much as i understand you,you need to realize,poverty is a common thing in Philippines.currently youre in the USCIS stage,so they dont really care which province your fiancee is from,all they care about is that you have filed the petition correctly and that you have met in person,UNFORTUNATELY.the only cases where the expedite is approved based on the beneficiaries terms is when the beneficiary has a terminal illness ( i have seen a case like that on here ) or when there is a disaster going on ,like in japan or Haiti.unfortunately your fiancee really doesnt meet the expedite requirements,as inhumane as that is.youre in CSC and they have been moving extremely quickly for a couple of days,so i really hope you get yours soon

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

one of the most strong cases of expedite approval is humanitarian reasons,what humanitarian reason would be for a US citizen?

im just curious.

I'll go you one better, examples of Humanitarian Reasons that have been approved for expedite:

Terminal Illness of the USC Petitioner's parent or close relative, thus allowing the USC to have their other half meet the ailing relative.

Disability due to recent injury or medical procedure of the USC, having their spouse at home would assist with daily care while they recover.