SO Unfair

[GDS 13]

Here we pay 590 for what?? an 8-9 month wait from Vermont. These delays are so unreasonable given how high the fees are.

I talked to the folks at Vermont the day before, I'll tell you how it happened. Basically, they say the wait for RoC at Vermont is expected to increase to a year.

I went to hand deliver the RoC package at the VSC at 75 Welden St. At the gate, the guard asked me if I was a "bonded courier" - I said no. He said then he couldnt allow me to enter, but I could drop it off at the Post Office nearby or at UPS pick up point in the Staples store. The guard was friendly and sympathetic, no attitude was shown.

Luckily, as it was lunch break and the weather was perfect, there were lots of employees in and around the parking lot. Everybody there is friendly and courteous, far nicer then the folks at the New York office. I went up to a group of 3 and tried to start a conversation, but they seemed uninterested. Undaunted, I said goodbye and walked over to a group of 4 - 2males and 2 females, and here I was lucky. They were very willing to talk, and said after telling them I am in the RoC phase, they told me their workload is increasing by the week, and they don't have funding to increase the staff.

When asked, they stated there is little chance of sharing their workload with CSC or field offices as these RoC filings do not fall within the high priority pending cases.

They also added - and this is the important part - that there are lots of talk going on about Obama's recent decision to allow young illegals to work legally - and they will start accepting applications from the illegals within 60 days, from the date Obama made that announcement. They also said they have been directed to process this oncoming tsunami of applications - they expect uscis to be flooded with 800,000+ applications - on a top priority basis, and will be most likely diverting staff from other immigration applications to processing these.

So here we are....we, the law abiding folks get kicked to the back of the queue, while the folks whose parents break the law and enter illegally, now get rushed to the front of the line. Fantastic! Way to go, Obama! You sure will win my USC spouses's vote!

[UK_Fan 192]

when i heard his announcement, first thing that came to my mind was:"thank God i got my EAD", because i can only imagine how long the wait it gonna be now.. i waited 59 days, but i think that's nothing comparing to what is going to happen.. and i'm one of the lucky ones, some people wait way longer.

[Gummibear 5]

I'm surprised that IO Officers at VSC are allowed to share these infos to outsiders. Aren't they national secrets?

[zenaxe 22]

Here we pay 590 for what?? an 8-9 month wait from Vermont. These delays are so unreasonable given how high the fees are.

I talked to the folks at Vermont the day before, I'll tell you how it happened. Basically, they say the wait for RoC at Vermont is expected to increase to a year.

I went to hand deliver the RoC package at the VSC at 75 Welden St. At the gate, the guard asked me if I was a "bonded courier" - I said no. He said then he couldnt allow me to enter, but I could drop it off at the Post Office nearby or at UPS pick up point in the Staples store. The guard was friendly and sympathetic, no attitude was shown.

Luckily, as it was lunch break and the weather was perfect, there were lots of employees in and around the parking lot. Everybody there is friendly and courteous, far nicer then the folks at the New York office. I went up to a group of 3 and tried to start a conversation, but they seemed uninterested. Undaunted, I said goodbye and walked over to a group of 4 - 2males and 2 females, and here I was lucky. They were very willing to talk, and said after telling them I am in the RoC phase, they told me their workload is increasing by the week, and they don't have funding to increase the staff.

When asked, they stated there is little chance of sharing their workload with CSC or field offices as these RoC filings do not fall within the high priority pending cases.

They also added - and this is the important part - that there are lots of talk going on about Obama's recent decision to allow young illegals to work legally - and they will start accepting applications from the illegals within 60 days, from the date Obama made that announcement. They also said they have been directed to process this oncoming tsunami of applications - they expect uscis to be flooded with 800,000+ applications - on a top priority basis, and will be most likely diverting staff from other immigration applications to processing these.

So here we are....we, the law abiding folks get kicked to the back of the queue, while the folks whose parents break the law and enter illegally, now get rushed to the front of the line. Fantastic! Way to go, Obama! You sure will win my USC spouses's vote!

Well for the record, when I was petitioning for the green card under the I 130 there was all this talk about Haiti and the devastation of the 7.0 catasphronic earthquake in 2010 and those folks would be processed first etc....and people started making similar comments such as yours, against the President blah blah...and guess what? My petition from filing to approval took 6.5 months. Many many others were very close in that timeframe. So the argument and fear was without merit.

And do you remember that while it's a royal pain the rear to have to wait, there are people facing deportation, you are not. Just like the folks in Haiti faced unbelievable devastation, people actually complained about the possibility of their own claims being delayed, and weren't.

Edited June 23, 2012 by zenaxe

[GDS 13]

Well for the record, when I was petitioning for the green card under the I 130 there was all this talk about Haiti and the devastation of the 7.0 catasphronic earthquake in 2010 and those folks would be processed first etc....and people started making similar comments such as yours, against the President blah blah...and guess what? My petition from filing to approval took 6.5 months. Many many others were very close in that timeframe. So the argument and fear was without merit.

And do you remember that while it's a royal pain the rear to have to wait, there are people facing deportation, you are not. Just like the folks in Haiti faced unbelievable devastation, people actually complained about the possibility of their own claims being delayed, and weren't.

Most people, including me, would be fully agreeable towards prioritizing claims by people from Haiti whose lives have been ruined by the earthquake, no doubt,

even if it meant our own applications would be delayed.

Few people would agree to have their own applications delayed because people who clearly broke the law get priority, as is the case now.

Also, if I recollect correctly, about 30,000 people from Haiti claimed asylum in the US, though I could be wrong, a much smaller number than the 800,000 expected to file now.

[danmarkx 5]

Yeah, the 800,000 new applicants kind of got me concerned a lil bit. HOWEVER, after much thought, it just hit me.........this will affect the EAD application time-frame way more than ROC applications. The unique thing about ROC application is that you can only file at VSC or CSC.....this is unlike EAD applications where you are reviewed by your local offices.

I expect the 800,000 applications to be processed by local offices around the country, depending on where the applicant lives (kinda how is done with EAD applications). Obviously, some applications will be sent to Vermont, since it will be the local office for some people. CSC might actually slow down, due to the high number of applications that will be coming from Latinos in the state of California.

Hence, ROC applicants need not fear. I really hope I am right about this.....I filed in Jan, and would really need to get this over with! Cheers, my friends~~~

[tom&tanya 48]

Here we pay 590 for what?? an 8-9 month wait from Vermont. These delays are so unreasonable given how high the fees are.

I talked to the folks at Vermont the day before, I'll tell you how it happened. Basically, they say the wait for RoC at Vermont is expected to increase to a year.

I went to hand deliver the RoC package at the VSC at 75 Welden St. At the gate, the guard asked me if I was a "bonded courier" - I said no. He said then he couldnt allow me to enter, but I could drop it off at the Post Office nearby or at UPS pick up point in the Staples store. The guard was friendly and sympathetic, no attitude was shown.

Luckily, as it was lunch break and the weather was perfect, there were lots of employees in and around the parking lot. Everybody there is friendly and courteous, far nicer then the folks at the New York office. I went up to a group of 3 and tried to start a conversation, but they seemed uninterested. Undaunted, I said goodbye and walked over to a group of 4 - 2males and 2 females, and here I was lucky. They were very willing to talk, and said after telling them I am in the RoC phase, they told me their workload is increasing by the week, and they don't have funding to increase the staff.

When asked, they stated there is little chance of sharing their workload with CSC or field offices as these RoC filings do not fall within the high priority pending cases.

They also added - and this is the important part - that there are lots of talk going on about Obama's recent decision to allow young illegals to work legally - and they will start accepting applications from the illegals within 60 days, from the date Obama made that announcement. They also said they have been directed to process this oncoming tsunami of applications - they expect uscis to be flooded with 800,000+ applications - on a top priority basis, and will be most likely diverting staff from other immigration applications to processing these.

So here we are....we, the law abiding folks get kicked to the back of the queue, while the folks whose parents break the law and enter illegally, now get rushed to the front of the line. Fantastic! Way to go, Obama! You sure will win my USC spouses's vote!

I don't understand why you are upset . You will receive an automatic 1 year extension of your 2 year card while you are waiting.

[zenaxe 22]

I don't understand why you are upset . You will receive an automatic 1 year extension of your 2 year card while you are waiting.

I think people react to the idea that everything is put on hold while all of this gets priority but that's not the case. There is still a flow and yes with ROC, we are here, we have filed, and we get NOA or stamped I 551 but we don't become illegal or face deportation. If the case isn't completed we continue to get extensions. Unless we are denied for some reason, which for all of us at this ROC stage, is incredibly unlikely...well unless you turn out to be an axe murderer or something, we are essentially waiting for the process to complete.

We're in a different place than those others discussed ie asylum, and specialized circumstances. My primary point was less about judgment of whether a policy should or should not be, although I have my own thoughts about this; but merely to point out that during the 2010 Haitian earthquake, many were concerned that the US administration was going to stop processing everyone but the folks in Haiti therefore delaying everyone's claims and petitions; but that was not the case and all just went along.

Have a groovy day !

[Noah Lot 387]

Yeah, the 800,000 new applicants kind of got me concerned a lil bit. HOWEVER, after much thought, it just hit me.........this will affect the EAD application time-frame way more than ROC applications. The unique thing about ROC application is that you can only file at VSC or CSC.....this is unlike EAD applications where you are reviewed by your local offices.

I expect the 800,000 applications to be processed by local offices around the country, depending on where the applicant lives (kinda how is done with EAD applications). Obviously, some applications will be sent to Vermont, since it will be the local office for some people. CSC might actually slow down, due to the high number of applications that will be coming from Latinos in the state of California.

Hence, ROC applicants need not fear. I really hope I am right about this.....I filed in Jan, and would really need to get this over with! Cheers, my friends~~~

Think about how wages in blue collar industries will drop once a flood of 800,000 relatively unskilled "workers" join 10M AMERICANS looking for work....what's wrong with this picture?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Not to rain on anyone's parade but I would have loved to get my ROC in 8 or 9 months. Mine took 12 months - and that was back from February 2008 to February 2009. That was the normal rate back then. Getting them processed in 8 or 9 months means they have sped up the process in the last few years. I remember individuals who waited even longer than the usual 12 to 14 months. A number of them 'forced' the decision on their ROCs by applying for Citizenship since they were eligible. An ROC petition has to be approved before the Naturalization petition can be approved, so when the processing of the N-400 reached that stage it automatically triggered processing of the ROC.

I'm just saying that yes, it is difficult and frustrating to wait, and yes, USCIS is under-staffed and making do on the funds solely from users and not from tax-payers. There is always some crisis or another that people state will detract USCIS workers from working on their petitions. I would wait and see what happens - since you are waiting anyways - rather than lament that someone else might move ahead of you in line. Someone is always moving ahead off you in line at USCIS - and you are always moving ahead of someone else. It's the way the 'beast' is designed.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Kathryn41

[nurse1967 287]

Well I hate to break it to you, but as of August 16th, ours will be at a year at VSC. It's kind of ridiculous because my husband can file for naturalization next month. Crazy!

[TiklingGuy 211]

I remember those days were i was calling my wife on the phone everyday because she was half way around the world. I waited 9 months before she entered the united states. As long as she is here with me, i dont care how long it takes for her ROC to be approved. Things could be worse, like being separted from your spouse again.

[Ron-Tanya 23]

Not to rain on anyone's parade but I would have loved to get my ROC in 8 or 9 months. Mine took 12 months - and that was back from February 2008 to February 2009. That was the normal rate back then. Getting them processed in 8 or 9 months means they have sped up the process in the last few years. I remember individuals who waited even longer than the usual 12 to 14 months. A number of them 'forced' the decision on their ROCs by applying for Citizenship since they were eligible. An ROC petition has to be approved before the Naturalization petition can be approved, so when the processing of the N-400 reached that stage it automatically triggered processing of the ROC.

I'm just saying that yes, it is difficult and frustrating to wait, and yes, USCIS is under-staffed and making do on the funds solely from users and not from tax-payers. There is always some crisis or another that people state will detract USCIS workers from working on their petitions. I would wait and see what happens - since you are waiting anyways - rather than lament that someone else might move ahead of you in line. Someone is always moving ahead off you in line at USCIS - and you are always moving ahead of someone else. It's the way the 'beast' is designed.

I would like to know who told you these people at USCIS work only from the funds paid by the fees charged from us the customer?? There is not a US Government that has ever operated from fees charged. If our present President could pull off something like that it would be a slam dunk reelection)))

[LaL 418]

Every year there is some change that causes disruption in the processing (or conversely often it's just all talk and no actual disruption) . It's just the nature of it, don't sweat it.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I would like to know who told you these people at USCIS work only from the funds paid by the fees charged from us the customer?? There is not a US Government that has ever operated from fees charged. If our present President could pull off something like that it would be a slam dunk reelection)))

Actually, I believe this was a requirement set up by President Bush when USCIS became part of Homeland Security. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, it is so. Between 95 to 98% of USCIS funding comes from the fees paid by users. While I don't have the link at hand to the actual law in the Federal Register, here is a link to a news story based on the news release from USCIS in 2009 explaining why the fees were increasing because USCIS is mandated by law to be self-supporting from their fees and there had been a drop in applications. It is the only federal department that has this requirement:

http://articles.lati...ocal/me-immig24

To quote partially from the article:

Immigration officials consider more fee increases

Immigrant rights groups fear that further fee hikes would cut many out of the

citizenship application process. The immigration agency, which must be

self-supporting, faces a $118-million shortfall.

U.S. immigration officials are considering another possible round of fee increases and budget cuts next year, prompting concern among immigrant rights groups.Alejandro Mayorkas, the new director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said during a visit to Los Angeles on Wednesday that "financial challenges" have caused the agency to consider potential fee increases but no decision has been made.

The agency is facing a $118-million revenue shortfall this year in part because applications for citizenship and skilled worker visas are below projections, according to officials.

Citizenship applications plunged to 58,000 last year from 254,000 the previous year in the Southern California district. Most experts blame the decline on a fee increase of 69% to $675 in 2007.

But immigration officials said the agency is required by law to be self-supporting and that the fee increase was required because a special congressional appropriation to help reduce application backlogs had run out.

To help close the shortfall, Mayorkas said, the agency has requested $206 million from Congress.

"It is financially responsible to examine all of the options that are available . . . as the agency confronts financial challenges," Mayorkas said.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Kathryn41