Trump Administration Plans to Close Key Immigration Operations Abroad(merged)

[nastra30 1,968]

Functions of international offices:

https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/directorates-and-program-offices/refugee-asylum-and-international-operations-directorate/international-operations/international-operations

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

19 hours ago, jg121783 said:

Did I read correctly that USCIS employees are being diverted away from green card cases (people who pay fees so USCIS can operate) to asylum cases (people who pay nothing, most of whom don't even qualify for asylum)? If that's the case that kind of bothers me considering my wife and step son just started the ROC process and from what I read that process is taking up to 2 years these days. Not to mention I am having to jump through a bunch of hoops trying to get an extension letter for my step son. So essentially people like us who pay for USCIS services are supplementing illegal aliens trying to play the system and were having to wait longer as a result.

Nailed it ... 

[Kowatti 189]

17 hours ago, mexigrl said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trump-administration-preparing-to-close-international-immigration-offices/2019/03/12/e8db2be4-44d3-11e9-aaf8-4512a6fe3439_story.html?utm_term=.0fe4005f9213

Does anyone know what this means to those that are trying to get visas for family members etc? It sounds like they are closing the office in Mexico City. I'm getting married to a Mexican man shortly and am really concerned about this. It's one more way this administration is trying to stop immigration. Can they really stop us like this?

 

Thanks,

Laurianne


Here is the article:

I have a feeling it's going to get worse 😕.

[givionte 138]

6 hours ago, millefleur said:

They also handle cases of adoption of children in said countries by US citizen/LPR parents among other things. So these offices were never merely just for DCF.

This is a big on in China.  Guangzhou Consulate is constantly busy processing adoption cases from China.  That's one of the most important duties they serve.  I can't imagine how they'd just drop their local services here, as it would make it seriously difficult for anyone to adopt in China, and the domestic offices are not prepared to handle all these cases in the future.

[millefleur 5,035]

5 hours ago, givionte said:

This is a big on in China.  Guangzhou Consulate is constantly busy processing adoption cases from China.  That's one of the most important duties they serve.  I can't imagine how they'd just drop their local services here, as it would make it seriously difficult for anyone to adopt in China, and the domestic offices are not prepared to handle all these cases in the future.

Right, this exactly. Maybe they will funnel all the paperwork via the Embassy directly.

[TBoneTX 43,021]

Two more noncontributory posts have been removed.

[mexigrl 2]

On 3/13/2019 at 4:25 AM, givionte said:

 

"I agree with others that we should wait for details, but for someone like me who is planning to DCF to bring my wife later this year, it's some very stressful news to hear.  Especially under the Trump administration, things could change in an instant... or they might not, depends on the whims of the administration and what the courts will think.  But for those now in the process or soon to be, this puts some of us in a limbo who have been doing all the right things to do perfectly legal immigration.  We need details asap of their proposals."

I spoke with a friend who is a retired US Consul in Mexico. He said he believes this will have an effect on DCF. He also believes that most things will be taken over by the embassies, but cautioned me they are overloaded and generally understaffed right now. This administration is making it as clear as possible that they do not want immigrants in the US. I think there will be many roadblocks, most for no reason. Good luck!


 

 

 

[Hemutian 68]

Just read that the Trump Administration has decided to close 20 USCIS field offices around the world (including the one in Guangzhou, China which is where my fiancee's K1 visa is supposed to be processed).

 

Source 1 (Law and Border) 

Source 2 (NPR) (NPR)

 

Has anyone heard of this? Does anyone know what exactly this means for those of us in the middle of the K1 application process?

I'm guessing at the very least this will mean further increase processing times. 

 

But if the field office is completely closed, then who will conduct the interviews?

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

8 minutes ago, Hemutian said:

Just read that the Trump Administration has decided to close 20 USCIS field offices around the world (including the one in Guangzhou, China which is where my fiancee's K1 visa is supposed to be processed).

 

Source 1 (Law and Border) 

Source 2 (NPR) (NPR)

 

Has anyone heard of this? Does anyone know what exactly this means for those of us in the middle of the K1 application process?

I'm guessing at the very least this will mean further increase processing times. 

 

But if the field office is completely closed, then who will conduct the interviews?

Please calm down this will not affect K1 visas at all. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

On 3/13/2019 at 4:01 PM, PandT said:

I have a feeling it's going to get worse 😕.

Why do you say that? 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

On 3/13/2019 at 1:36 PM, adil-rafa said:

Still makes me wonder if the applications have gone from 4 million to over 6 million a year,  why not hire new employees?

nothing that has been done recently has helped any part of legal or the illegal problems 

sorry ,  just my opinion

  i beiieve the lowest fee paid is $435 K1 (not counnting biometrics and such)  so  the extra 2 million at even the $435 rate (not counting the huge AOS fee or the citizenship at $725 )   it would be $870,000,000 /just doing the lowest fee times 2 million

I think they are BUT with how much of backlog that is already in place and it just keeps getting worse they just can't get ahead of this issue at all. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

On 3/12/2019 at 10:14 PM, mexigrl said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trump-administration-preparing-to-close-international-immigration-offices/2019/03/12/e8db2be4-44d3-11e9-aaf8-4512a6fe3439_story.html?utm_term=.0fe4005f9213

Does anyone know what this means to those that are trying to get visas for family members etc? It sounds like they are closing the office in Mexico City. I'm getting married to a Mexican man shortly and am really concerned about this. It's one more way this administration is trying to stop immigration. Can they really stop us like this?

Thanks,
Laurianne
Here is the article:

Of course the administration can legally do this. Unless you were going to DCF then this will not affect you at all. 

[Hemutian 68]

On 3/13/2019 at 12:02 PM, Mr. Data said:

Wow，this is big news for DCF. I'm glad we already finished our DCF process in Guangzhou and have our visa in hand now. 

Sorry for my ignorance, but what does "DCF" stand for?

Will this only affect CR1 applicants, or will it affect K1 applicants as well?

[Mr. Data 26]

8 minutes ago, Hemutian said:

Sorry for my ignorance, but what does "DCF" stand for?

Will this only affect CR1 applicants, or will it affect K1 applicants as well?

DCF stands for Direct Consular Filing. It is a process that allows qualifying immigration petitioners who are living outside the U.S. to file certain forms and petitions directly with USCIS units housed within US Consulates and Embassies abroad, instead of filing with the lockbox in the U.S. To qualify for DCF you will usually need to prove that the petitioner has legal residence status in the jurisdiction covered by the consular USCIS unit, and isn’t just traveling. For example, I’m an American living and working in China, I had to first show the Guangzhou Consulate that I had a valid Chinese residence permit before they accepted our I-130 petition and related documents. The upside of DCF is that (at least in my experience) it is much, much faster than filing in the U.S. Our I-130 was approved in four days.

 

I’m not sure how the process differs for K1 visas. Based on my quick glance at the Wikipedia article, it seems like maybe DCF is not available for K1 applications, since the petition required is different? Maybe someone else can chime in here.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Consular_Filing

[geowrian 22,335]

8 minutes ago, Hemutian said:

Sorry for my ignorance, but what does "DCF" stand for?

Will this only affect CR1 applicants, or will it affect K1 applicants as well?

DCF = Direct Consular Filing. It's where you send the petition to the USCIS office abroad instead of to the US. This is very limited in who can do so currently (foreign residency of the petitioner and such).

An I-129F cannot be filed abroad, so it has no impact whatsoever in your case.

 

Keep in mind the difference between the role of USCIS (part of DHS) and those of the embassies and consulates (which are part of the Department of State).

USCIS adjudicates petitions and applications. This covers things like the I-129F petition.

DOS handles embassies and consulates, which handle the visas.

 

Only the USCIS field offices are being closed and staff relocated to the US.