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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: China
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The sad state of affairs will get worse as time goes on because USCIS employees are government employees. As government employees they earn annual and sick leave every two weeks. The hours they earn every two weeks is accured leave which means it adds up. They can hold until retirement only 240 total hours of accured leave. Any leave they earn above the 240 hours in a given year MUST be taken before the end of the current year or they lose it. This is called Use or Lose Leave. This is October. Soon it'll be November and in November are two government holidays. Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. During those two holidays government employees have the habit of using some of their leave in conjunction with those holidays, thus making a LONG weekend for them. And then comes December with the one federal holiday of Christmas. But government workers with excess annual leave also like to take extra days during the Christmas holiday so a long weekend usually ends up being a week off. Then comes New Year's Day and that's a federal holiday also, and yes, you guessed it, government employees with excess annual leave also enjoy taking extra days off during New Year's holiday also. Government employees with Use or Lose annual leave have until the second week of January to use their extra leave. Basically from now until the middle of January those government employees at CSC are going to be using up their Use or Lose Annual Leave, which in many instances is going to leave them short-handed from now until the second week of January. Each year Government Employees get 10 paid days off for Federal Holidays. In some locations instead of earning overtime hours they have the choice of comp time which means they can earn even more extra days off by working more than a 40 hour week. What all this means to us that are still waiting and waiting and waiting for our N0A2's is that unless CSC kicks it up a notch or two during the next 2 to 4 weeks, then all of us are going to have to wait even longer because of the days off that many of them will be taking for the upcoming holidays. I'm not trying to depress anyone, just stating the facts. I'm right here in the middle of this just like the rest of you and I hate it as much as you do. I want my N0A2 now just like the rest of you. Sadly it would seem that the government employees at CSC arent' too concerned with what we want.

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Morocco
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It seems that you have a problem with us Gov't employees. We get vacation time just like everyone else. We can use our leave whenever we feel like it. If you look thru these message boards it seems like allot of Government employees have been working allot of overtime (taking them away from there children and family) to work.

It kills me how we forget that the "USCIS" workers are human just like you and me.

I wish you well in your process.

Traveled to Morocco on Aug 3rd, 2005

Got Engaged on Aug 16th, 2005

Left Morocco on Aug 19th, 2005

08-29-05 Filed I129F

01-09-06 Interview Date (9am) We were not approved today, I guess we got a 221g of the damn S. Korea Police Certificate that Casablanca said we didn't need.

03/03/06 Turn in Passport at 9am

03/15/06 Visa Issued

03/31/06 Enter USA via JFK

05/15/06 Wedding for Visa

06/10/06 Mailed AOS papers

07/06/06 Biometerics Apt

07/15/06 My offical wedding day....I know .....:-)

07/10/06 Touched

08/25/06 EAD Approvel

09/01/06 EAD in Hand

09/26/06 AOS Interview (Recommend for Approval)

10-05-06 Received Welcome Letter

10-10-06 Green Card Arrived.

We are now one9d63d28.jpg.png

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: China
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It seems that you have a problem with us Gov't employees. We get vacation time just like everyone else. We can use our leave whenever we feel like it. If you look thru these message boards it seems like allot of Government employees have been working allot of overtime (taking them away from there children and family) to work.

It kills me how we forget that the "USCIS" workers are human just like you and me.

I wish you well in your process.

I just stated the facts. I AM a government employee. I work for an installation that supports the troops in Iraq. I work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. I had to beg to get time off from my job, despite the amount of accured leave I have on the books, to go and visit my fiancee. I'm not judging government employees, but you and I both know that the folks at CSC could do alot more if they would only do it. VSC has proven this time and time again. And the way VSC processes faster isn't new. If you go back over applications for the last 5 years, VSC has processed more applications and processed them faster and more efficiently than TSC, NSC and CSC. Government workers with good supervision and a good attitude about their jobs can get many things done in a short amount of time. It just doesn't seem very true with CSC.

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Thailand
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It seems that you have a problem with us Gov't employees. We get vacation time just like everyone else. We can use our leave whenever we feel like it. If you look thru these message boards it seems like allot of Government employees have been working allot of overtime (taking them away from there children and family) to work.

It kills me how we forget that the "USCIS" workers are human just like you and me.

I wish you well in your process.

Hey frndly1...I agree. Gov't employees are entitiled to their vacations just like the rest of us!! I know most of them are also hard working just like most people in the private sector.

The only small part where there is a major difference between gov't and private sector is many of us do NOT get to "use our leave whenever we feel like it". There is a business to run and it must keep running. So we have to stagger our vacations to keep things moving. We simply are not allowed to "slow things down" or "close up" shop because lots of employees want to take the holidays off.

I hope this is the case at USCIS as well.

6/14/06 - I-129f packet ready to send

6/15/06 - Decided to delay sending and use new form when available

6/28/06 - Finally mailed to Nebraska Service Center

7/20/06 - NOA1

9/20/06 - Touched for the very first time

9/21/06 - Email NOA2 wooohhooo faster than we had hoped for

9/25/06 - Snail Mail NOA2

9/25/06 - Received at NVC, verified with phone call

9/27/06 - Sent to embassy in Bangkok! Hoping my love will be here for the holidays!!!

9/30/06 - Arrived at embassy and waiting for packet 3

10/24/06 - Finally recieved packet 3

11/22/06 - Packet 3 sent to BKK embassy

11/24/06 - Embassy received packet 3

01/08/07 - Received packet 4 from BKK embassy

01/29/07 - Embassy Interview

01/30/07 - VISA in hand!!

02/05/07 - Returning to states with POE @ SFO

04/05/07 - Filed AOS

04/13/07 - NOA for I-485

06/15/07 - Biometrics

03/25/08 - Interview Date

04/04/08 - GC Received

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I'm a government worker in Canada. I'm tired of getting "bashed" because I work for the government. I work in the human service field. I don't enjoy making people "wait", I do the absolute best I can. I continue to advocate for more staff. I am proud of the work myself and my fellow staff do. I work extra hours for no overtime. Those may be the "facts" as you present them, as far as vacation time goes etc. or sick time. But what you're suggesting is that because you're waiting an inordinate amount of time, then it must be "them". It's easy to objectify when it's not you doing the work. I don't know for sure, but the first thing I think of when I know how slow CSC is is first think, did they divide up the boundaries for sending petitions to certain service centres equitably? Does VSC have more staff than CSC? Maybe there should be a better division of labour now that everything goes to both VSC and CSC centres for K-1? I don't know what the issue is, but I've never supposed it's because of government workers that just don't care! I know you mentioned you TOO are a government worker, so you should have first hand knowledge and understand you're not being specificially victimized!

Carla (F)

Edited by cartoboy123
carlahmsb4.gif
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Filed: Country: United Kingdom
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you and I both know that the folks at CSC could do alot more if they would only do it.

You have no idea what they do at CSC, like most of us.

Is it possible that they are tasked with a larger population to serve or are doing more/different case types than VSC?

Yes.

I wrote this because there are a lot of fine gov't workers who frequent this site.

Edited by meauxna

Now That You Are A Permanent Resident

How Do I Remove The Conditions On Permanent Residence Based On Marriage?

Welcome to the United States: A Guide For New Immigrants

Yes, even this last one.. stuff in there that not even your USC knows.....

Here are more links that I love:

Arriving in America, The POE Drill

Dual Citizenship FAQ

Other Fora I Post To:

alt.visa.us.marriage-based http://britishexpats.com/ and www.***removed***.com

censored link = *family based immigration* website

Inertia. Is that the Greek god of 'can't be bothered'?

Met, married, immigrated, naturalized.

I-130 filed Aug02

USC Jul06

No Deje Piedras Sobre El Pavimento!

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: China
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I'm a government worker in Canada. I'm tired of getting "bashed" because I work for the government. I work in the human service field. I don't enjoy making people "wait", I do the absolute best I can. I continue to advocate for more staff. I am proud of the work myself and my fellow staff do. I work extra hours for no overtime. Those may be the "facts" as you present them, as far as vacation time goes etc. or sick time. But what you're suggesting is that because you're waiting an inordinate amount of time, then it must be "them". It's easy to objectify when it's not you doing the work. I don't know for sure, but the first thing I think of when I know how slow CSC is is first think, did they divide up the boundaries for sending petitions to certain service centres equitably? Does VSC have more staff than CSC? Maybe there should be a better division of labour now that everything goes to both VSC and CSC centres for K-1? I don't know what the issue is, but I've never supposed it's because of government workers that just don't care! I know you mentioned you TOO are a government worker, so you should have first hand knowledge and understand you're not being specificially victimized!

Carla (F)

Please READ what I wrote. I didn't say that I was being victimized. I didn't say that I had been specially selected to be ignored by CSC. I never even said anything specifically bad about governement employees. I just stated the facts about annual and sick leave and the many paid holidays we get every year. A survey was done a couple of years ago that showed that the service centers can adjudicate a fiance visa application in 15 minutes. Even if they have 5000 applications piled up, it shouldn't take as long as it takes them to process a file. Do the math. I didn't bash anyone's family or time off. Geez. Chill

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Jasal,

Having spent 20 years with the US Government, half of which was overseas, I find your comments irresponsible.

In my previous line of work, the mission was job 1.

For you to "highlight" the A/L benefits of a Federal employee, with an inference that they are not going to perform adequately during the holiday season, implies that the Agency you work for is one of those on the chopping block.

By the way, if overseas, you can carry 360 hours. Despite this fact, useful Government employees donate many leave hours back to the Government every year. Why? Because they care about their mission!

Either way, as I have learned, many USCIS processors are contractors. Only the Adjudicators are actually USG employees.

The sad state of affairs will get worse as time goes on because USCIS employees are government employees. As government employees they earn annual and sick leave every two weeks. The hours they earn every two weeks is accured leave which means it adds up. They can hold until retirement only 240 total hours of accured leave. Any leave they earn above the 240 hours in a given year MUST be taken before the end of the current year or they lose it. This is called Use or Lose Leave. This is October. Soon it'll be November and in November are two government holidays. Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. During those two holidays government employees have the habit of using some of their leave in conjunction with those holidays, thus making a LONG weekend for them. And then comes December with the one federal holiday of Christmas. But government workers with excess annual leave also like to take extra days during the Christmas holiday so a long weekend usually ends up being a week off. Then comes New Year's Day and that's a federal holiday also, and yes, you guessed it, government employees with excess annual leave also enjoy taking extra days off during New Year's holiday also. Government employees with Use or Lose annual leave have until the second week of January to use their extra leave. Basically from now until the middle of January those government employees at CSC are going to be using up their Use or Lose Annual Leave, which in many instances is going to leave them short-handed from now until the second week of January. Each year Government Employees get 10 paid days off for Federal Holidays. In some locations instead of earning overtime hours they have the choice of comp time which means they can earn even more extra days off by working more than a 40 hour week. What all this means to us that are still waiting and waiting and waiting for our N0A2's is that unless CSC kicks it up a notch or two during the next 2 to 4 weeks, then all of us are going to have to wait even longer because of the days off that many of them will be taking for the upcoming holidays. I'm not trying to depress anyone, just stating the facts. I'm right here in the middle of this just like the rest of you and I hate it as much as you do. I want my N0A2 now just like the rest of you. Sadly it would seem that the government employees at CSC arent' too concerned with what we want.
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Quite a lot of businesses have use-it-or-lose-it policies regarding vacation. It's not unique to the CSC. Quite a lot of businesses also have roughly five to ten floating holidays per year; usually the business will do it to coincide with bank holidays as not much can be done then anyway, or to give people (say) the day after Thanksgiving gratis so they don't have to burn vacation time. Comp time is also quite common, especially among IT/tech types (easier than paying the geeks overtime.) Again, not unique to the government. This is pretty much modern professional-class business practice.

My guess is the general slow pace of government is due to the enormous amount of regulations and hoops that have to be jumped through to do anything. (Quickie example: Officer I spoke to didn't have the authorization to print me a duplicate NOA1.) VSC is faster, as I understand it, because their director authorizes overtime in the family-based division of visas. (No cite, read it somewhere here.) It's possible (just speculation) that CSC is slower with fiancé visas because their allotted overtime goes to work visas in Silicon Valley. CSC might handle a higher volume than it did when they originally drew the lines.

I'm gonna go out on a limb though and say it's not cause the horrible lazy lazy people took off Christmas. I hear they're so lazy they even celebrate Thanksgiving with TWO pumpkin pies. That I'll totally buy.

Incidentally, the policy, if it works like most places, won't dump your ENTIRE 240 hours at once, but will just kill the overage at the end of the year. So if someone has accrued 250 hours of vacation time (incidentally, this means they're not taking regular vacations normally which means, gasp, they're probably working then! Comp time, too -- if you get eight hours vacation isn't because you, gasp, WORKED an extra 8 hours), they'll lose ten come fiscal year end and carry the 240.

Of course there will be a slowdown. They'll be swilling champagne just like me on midnight and if they're nice, I'll send 'em a bottle of Veuve Cliquot.

AOS

-

Filed: 8/1/07

NOA1:9/7/07

Biometrics: 9/28/07

EAD/AP: 10/17/07

EAD card ordered again (who knows, maybe we got the two-fer deal): 10/23/-7

Transferred to CSC: 10/26/07

Approved: 11/21/07

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The sad state of affairs will get worse as time goes on because USCIS employees are government employees. As government employees they earn annual and sick leave every two weeks. The hours they earn every two weeks is accured leave which means it adds up. They can hold until retirement only 240 total hours of accured leave. Any leave they earn above the 240 hours in a given year MUST be taken before the end of the current year or they lose it. This is called Use or Lose Leave. This is October. Soon it'll be November and in November are two government holidays. Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. During those two holidays government employees have the habit of using some of their leave in conjunction with those holidays, thus making a LONG weekend for them. And then comes December with the one federal holiday of Christmas. But government workers with excess annual leave also like to take extra days during the Christmas holiday so a long weekend usually ends up being a week off. Then comes New Year's Day and that's a federal holiday also, and yes, you guessed it, government employees with excess annual leave also enjoy taking extra days off during New Year's holiday also. Government employees with Use or Lose annual leave have until the second week of January to use their extra leave. Basically from now until the middle of January those government employees at CSC are going to be using up their Use or Lose Annual Leave, which in many instances is going to leave them short-handed from now until the second week of January. Each year Government Employees get 10 paid days off for Federal Holidays. In some locations instead of earning overtime hours they have the choice of comp time which means they can earn even more extra days off by working more than a 40 hour week.

Your forgot about the Thanksgiving and Christmas Party, bathroom breaks, one 15 minute break in morning and afternoon, half hour after you sign in to finish your coffee and say good morning to everyone. LOL

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Filed: Country: Canada
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I also find you comments offensive..

When I worked for INS, I would pull lots of 12-16 hour days- 5 or 6 days a week, have my leave cancelled or denied resulting in countless missed holidays and family events...

If you look, you'll see approvals made on Saturdays and SUndays... these are adjudicators who have taken the time to work extra so that your case can be adjudicated in a timely manner. Feel lucky that you're getting them as fast as you are. A few years ago when I began my journey, it was not uncommon for it to take 9 months for the USCIS to process a I-129F. All this due to the efforts and hard work of US Government employees...

William.. I gave back lots of my leave... I was never allowed to take it :)

All this to keep you safe at night from people who shouldn't be here...

Knowledge itself is power - Sir Francis Bacon

I have gone fishing... you can find me by going here http://**removed due to TOS**

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Russia
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While there are many who feel the call of government service and rise to the occasion and provide service above and beyond the call you have to admit becuase of the environment it does attract people who are looking for a job where it can be next to impossible to be fired and the benefits are huge. If everyone worked as hard as those who came forward to raise theif voice against our frustration then I would be the first to humbley ask forgivness.

But having experienced the stark contrast in service first hand I will tell you that untill people are held accountable on all levels as they are in private industry that stark contrast in service will remain and unfortunately those who are served by those who are merely there to collect a safe paycheck and benefits from a bloated US government will yell the loudest and smear the good name of those who truly do their best to help us through this stressfull journey.

So when you see these comments think to yourself is this the level of service I provide? If not then these comments do not apply to you, if you wonder if that is you then chances are it is. Those who do the job and do it well are not the ones that we level these comments of frustration at.

Paul Misses Anna

Edited by mrsushi66
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I am tickled at the complaints on how THEY don't do their JOBS like I DO in PRIVATE INDUSTRY with timestamps during... normal business hours.

AOS

-

Filed: 8/1/07

NOA1:9/7/07

Biometrics: 9/28/07

EAD/AP: 10/17/07

EAD card ordered again (who knows, maybe we got the two-fer deal): 10/23/-7

Transferred to CSC: 10/26/07

Approved: 11/21/07

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Russia
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I am tickled at the complaints on how THEY don't do their JOBS like I DO in PRIVATE INDUSTRY with timestamps during... normal business hours.

Couldnt tell if this comment was leveled at me or not but I will address it. I would love to see you quote where I said they were not doing their jobs. As I said the complaint leveled is consistency of service and accountablity so if I was not clear enough please tell me and I will try to put it in clearer terms.

As for the time stamp on my post, I dunno about you but I have monthly meetings with my boss to ensure I am meeting the goals and expectations she has for all of her employees. The people who are my custmers can critque my work directly to my boss via annoymous survey. I have met or exceeded expectations to date. Would be nice if customers of the government services could do that. So given my customers are happy and my boss approves of my level of contribution please tell me how I am being counter productive. Also I am usually to work by 7am or 7:30am and dont leave until 5pm so there is a bit of time through out the work day that is mine.

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Filed: Timeline
William.. I gave back lots of my leave... I was never allowed to take it :)

Better man than I. I do the best job I can, but it will be a cold day in hell before I lose any Annual leave.

Another time waster at this time of the year at least where I work are the CFC functions.

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