March 2025 AOS Filers

[TheBabyDerp 20]

27 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Who do you propose should pay for our immigration petitions?  

I am fine with the fees. I am simply saying that USCIS should receive a little more funding.

[Crazy Cat 45,521]

1 minute ago, TheBabyDerp said:

I am fine with the fees. I am simply saying that USCIS should receive a little more funding.

Thanks.  I guess a simple solution to speed up the process is to hire more people....but that would probably require a massive increase in all fees....again.   I guess we have to settle for a compromise between fee structure and the backlog.

[Gary Rich 326]

10 minutes ago, TheBabyDerp said:

I am fine with the fees. I am simply saying that USCIS should receive a little more funding.

I disagree. USCIS already charges some of the highest application fees in the federal system — and yet inefficiencies persist. The issue isn’t just a lack of funding; it’s how the existing funds are managed. More money without structural reform could just feed bureaucracy. Instead of more funding, USCIS needs accountability, modernization, and transparency to make sure the resources they already have are used effectively.

[OldUser 10,720]

16 minutes ago, TheBabyDerp said:

I am fine with the fees. I am simply saying that USCIS should receive a little more funding.

But many aren't happy even with current fees, let alone higher potential fees.

 

There is no ideal solution:

 

1) Keep everything as is - backlogs

2) Get supplemental / full funding from Congress - USCIS will be affected more by government shutdowns and political games

3) Increase fees - many complain about current fees

4) Introduce premium processing - many will complain about rich buying faster processing and inequality 

Edited Thursday at 02:06 PM by OldUser

[TheBabyDerp 20]

50 minutes ago, OldUser said:

But many aren't happy even with current fees, let alone higher potential fees.

 

There is no ideal solution:

 

1) Keep everything as is - backlogs

2) Get supplemental / full funding from Congress - USCIS will be affected more by government shutdowns and political games

3) Increase fees - many complain about current fees

4) Introduce premium processing - many will complain about rich buying faster processing and inequality 

Yeah, that is the way it is with most government processes. There is no ideal solution.  I see your points. If only they could be more efficient with the funding they already have.

 

As for #4, there will always be inequality in life. Premium processing or "gold cards" sound like a good way to increase funding.  I actually like the gold card idea.

Edited Thursday at 02:56 PM by TheBabyDerp

[Nathan2424 14]

I think one of the other factors that I think plays a major part of the dissatisfaction is the inconsistency and lack of transparency that often gets ignored under the guise of 'every case is different, therefore processing times can vary significantly'. There is definitely some truth to that, but I think it's vastly overly used as an excuse to avoid scrutiny.

[TheBabyDerp 20]

37 minutes ago, Nathan2424 said:

I think one of the other factors that I think plays a major part of the dissatisfaction is the inconsistency and lack of transparency that often gets ignored under the guise of 'every case is different, therefore processing times can vary significantly'. There is definitely some truth to that, but I think it's vastly overly used as an excuse to avoid scrutiny.

Absolutely. The lack of communication is abysmal. A better support line and communication would be sweet. Especially if we could communicate directly with a specific field office.

[OldUser 10,720]

On 10/9/2025 at 11:44 AM, Nathan2424 said:

I think one of the other factors that I think plays a major part of the dissatisfaction is the inconsistency and lack of transparency that often gets ignored under the guise of 'every case is different, therefore processing times can vary significantly'. There is definitely some truth to that, but I think it's vastly overly used as an excuse to avoid scrutiny.

They have the keys to the castle and set the rules... So discretion is always there, unfortunately

[appleblossom 5,109]

On 10/9/2025 at 10:56 AM, TheBabyDerp said:

Premium processing or "gold cards" sound like a good way to increase funding.  I actually like the gold card idea.

That’s going to bring in very little IMO. Wealthy individuals already have the EB5 option available to them, so I’m not sure many people will choose to pay $100k more for essentially exactly the same thing. 

 

But it’s always struck me as very odd that immediate family members don’t have a premium processing option, when pretty much every other visa category does. It was ridiculous to me that I got my immigrant visa in 5 months and yet a spouse of a US citizen would have had to wait 4 times that. 

[appleblossom 5,109]

On 10/9/2025 at 3:23 PM, TheBabyDerp said:

Absolutely. The lack of communication is abysmal. A better support line and communication would be sweet. Especially if we could communicate directly with a specific field office.

Which would mean longer wait times (as staff have to pause work on cases to deal with the endless enquiries they’d get), or higher fees again (hiring more staff to deal with the enquiries). 
 

Given the NVC has millions of enquiries every year, if people could contact field offices directly it would drown them IMO. 

[Nathan2424 14]

2 hours ago, appleblossom said:

Which would mean longer wait times (as staff have to pause work on cases to deal with the endless enquiries they’d get), or higher fees again (hiring more staff to deal with the enquiries). 
 

Given the NVC has millions of enquiries every year, if people could contact field offices directly it would drown them IMO. 

I do somewhat agree, but I also think it's a bit of a chicken/egg situation because one of the major reasons for many of the inquiries is due to the inconsistent communications and lack of transparency, so by addressing it, I think it would reduce it significantly. I'm more keen on the improved communication opposed to support line though.

 

[OldUser 10,720]

44 minutes ago, Nathan2424 said:

I do somewhat agree, but I also think it's a bit of a chicken/egg situation because one of the major reasons for many of the inquiries is due to the inconsistent communications and lack of transparency, so by addressing it, I think it would reduce it significantly. I'm more keen on the improved communication opposed to support line though.

 

I don't believe USCIS goal is to help / ensure people get immigration benefit. Quite the opposite, they typically look for ways to collect the fees and deny petitions... The burden of proof is on applicant. 

[appleblossom 5,109]

Just now, Nathan2424 said:

I do somewhat agree, but I also think it's a bit of a chicken/egg situation because one of the major reasons for many of the inquiries is due to the inconsistent communications and lack of transparency, so by addressing it, I think it would reduce it significantly.

 

I can't speak to AOS as I haven't been through that process, but for my immigrant visa it was incredibly transparent. Every single bit of the process is laid out step by step on the website, with detailed instructions and guides, and each processing time is regularly updated i.e. the NVC stage, the USCIS stage, etc. I honestly never felt that I needed to ask anybody anything, and that included our lawyers, as I knew what was coming up at each stage and what they'd need of us ahead of time. 

 

But perhaps the AOS process is very different, in which case they should bring it in line with other routes, to make it clear to all. 

 

[Boiler 48,097]

As an entity USCIS processes cases.

 

As individuals I am sure there is a variance but essentially they follow the same route, sort of like a lot of other Agencies some people will go beyond their role.

 

Something I certainly did not appreciate as the help function is a lot less than I was used to.

[TheBabyDerp 20]

On 10/11/2025 at 6:37 AM, appleblossom said:

Which would mean longer wait times (as staff have to pause work on cases to deal with the endless enquiries they’d get), or higher fees again (hiring more staff to deal with the enquiries). 
 

Given the NVC has millions of enquiries every year, if people could contact field offices directly it would drown them IMO. 

Not sure I agree with this. If they gave more regular communications, they would likely receive less inquiries.  Essentially, they are leaving people on read. I do understand that there will be wait times though.  Maybe adding a nice premium processing option for AOS could allow a communication line.

 

Also, for the inquiries... They have been useless for me. If you try to make an inquiry before several years after you filed, they will just tell you to wait. So, there inquiry system is practically useless, at least for us.