Salo&Romashka

done :-)

emailed and faxed all listed

Hepe something happens

Semt mine last week via snail mail.

Sent from both and my mom (our biggest cheerleader)

I email all ready im a june filler

Emails and faxes sent from both of us

Well done everyone. Emails sent from two accounts and getting friends and family to send it too. We can make this happen.

I really hope something happens. Thanks to everyone!

Sent mine today.

Emails sent. God be with us.

Sending mine in too.

I emailed mine!

I don't think Mr. Mayorkas or Mrs. Blackburn ever even seen an I-130 petition... So I wouldn't worry about our campaign slowing down the adjudication rate.

The scenario you are describing is office gossip, which could very well happen. Though I highly doubt that more than a couple of hours will be lost due to USCIS employees gossiping about the fax machine going nuts on the 19 Nov.
For people that have months of waiting ahead of them, like myself, the loss of a couple of hours is nothing if the campaign has no affect on the processing times.
But if it work..well..i get to be with my husband quicker.

sent

Um... No. We're trying to get the word out, not shut them down.
My petition is already slowed down, because of their bad decisions and ineptitude. That's entirely on them, not me. Have you actually read the letter that we're sending?

I want to thank everyone who took the time to send letters, emails, and faxes as part of this effort. Today showed what this community is capable of and it should get the attention of people in the position to affect the adjudication process.
If you were unable to participate today you can still send emails, faxes, and letters out. The letters that were drafted can be easily changed for relatives and friends to participate. Apathy toward the process is the worst thing we can do while we wait. I suggest we use this interest this letter generated and draft a short, letter to the editor that all people waiting for USCIS can submit to local newspapers or post on blogs/ social media around the holidays. If you get a positive response from an elected official you have contacted, a personal mention would also be the best thank you they could hope for.

I (the Canadian) just signed mine as my name and "Foreign Spouse of US Citizen with Pending I-130". It could be ammended to read "family member of..." or "friend of..." etc.

My final edit. I have been researching writ of mandamus cases and decided to add US law often cited. Today I was hoping that USCIS would publish more current processing times as they should on or around the 15th of each month. Of course, that didn't happen. Should that information become available before the 19th the attached .doc can be edited. If you are a I-130 petitioner that has been waiting more than 6 months it is your own interest to start making noise. When the wheels of justice grind to a halt, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Feel free to use everything here when writing Congressmen and Senators, too. The first sentence of the letter can be omitted and be sent by family and friends who want to do something to help.
November 19, 2013
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte
Chairman
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
2138 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Mr. Chairman:
I am a Petitioner with an I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, pending at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). I am writing you with great concern that the average national processing time for I-130 petitions for immediate relatives of United States citizens has increased to 13 months. Contrary to its stated core values of Integrity, Respect, and Ingenuity, USCIS is ignoring delegated legal responsibilities, mistreating United States citizen families, and purposely accruing case backlogs in violation of [5 U.S.C. § 555(b)], which requires that “[w]ith due regard for the convenience and necessity of the parties or their representatives and within a reasonable time, each agency shall proceed to conclude a matter presented to it.” Detailed below is evidence proving the need for House Judiciary Committee action to remedy the failures of leadership at USCIS.
The I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, is the first step immediate relatives of United States citizens must complete in order to obtain legal resident visas. Approved beneficiaries still must be vetted by the National Visa Center as well as by embassies and consulates around the world before a visa is issued. Multiple bureaucratic delays and workload transfers have directly affected adjudication of petitions for which there is no statutory limitation. [8 U.S.C. § 1151] 201(b)(2)(A)(i)
USCIS has shown unwillingness to provide I-130 Immediate Relative petitioners a transparent process or definite processing times for immediate relative petitions. Inquiries made by Congressmen and Senators on the behalf petitioners have proven that USCIS has no definite timeframe for adjudication of pending I-130 Immediate Relative petitions. Also, documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request indicate that since September 17, 2012 USCIS has taken adjudicators off the processing of I-130 Immediate Relative petitions at USCIS service centers and designated all petitions to be routed through the National Benefits Center. This decision was made knowing that the National Benefits Center was not properly staffed to adjudicate I-130 Immediate Relative petitions and was made without a definite timeframe to resume work.1 Despite announcements of USCIS efforts to dedicate staff to process I-130 Immediate Relative petitions in Overland Park, KS, it is evident that it has failed to train or re-assign staff needed to process this caseload in a timely manner.2 After a year of indecision, only now some I-130 Immediate Relative petitions are being transferred from the National Benefits Center to regional service centers.3
According to the most recent USCIS I-130 Petition Performance report, the National Benefits Center completed the processing of only 2,755 I-130 Immediate Relative petitions in the first two quarters of the 2013 Fiscal Year (October 2012-March 2013). In the same reporting period, the National Benefits Center received 254,890 I-130 Immediate Relative petitions and has now accrued a backlog of 523,874 pending cases.4 If USCIS processing tables are correct, there are pending I-130 Immediate Relative petitions with priority dates as old as October 1, 2012 which have yet to be processed.5 This date is appalling considering Congress outlined what should be considered a reasonable processing time in The Immigration Services and Infrastructure Improvements Act of 2000. There Congress stated, “t is the sense of Congress that the processing of an immigration benefit application should be completed not later than 180 days after the initial filing of the application.” [8 U.S.C. § 1571]
Through its actions USCIS chooses to disregard the plight of separated families but it can not disregard the law. I request that the House Judiciary Committee investigates the needless backlog of pending I-130 Immediate Relative petitions and direct USCIS to re-evaluate its current adjudication priorities.
Sincerely,
Name Surname
1 http://www.scribd.com/doc/145514197/2013-HQFO-00304-Combined-Redacted-Part1 Pages 38-50
2 http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes from Previous Engagements/2013/May 2013/NBC-AILA-QA-2013-05-01.pdf
3 http://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/workload-transfer-national-benefits-center-service-centers
4 http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports and Studies/Immigration Forms Data/Employment-based/I130_performancedata_fy2013_qtr2.pdf
5 https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processingTimesDisplay.do Accessed November 15, 2013
Letter-To-Judiciary-Committee-I-130-Petitions.doc

My final edit. I have been researching writ of mandamus cases and decided to add US law often cited. Today I was hoping that USCIS would publish more current processing times as they should on or around the 15th of each month. Of course, that didn't happen. Should that information become available before the 19th the attached .doc can be edited. If you are a I-130 petitioner that has been waiting more than 6 months it is your own interest to start making noise. When the wheels of justice grind to a halt, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Feel free to use everything here when writing Congressmen and Senators, too. The first sentence of the letter can be omitted and be sent by family and friends who want to do something to help.
November 19, 2013
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte
Chairman
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
2138 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Mr. Chairman:
I am a Petitioner with an I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, pending at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). I am writing you with great concern that the average national processing time for I-130 petitions for immediate relatives of United States citizens has increased to 13 months. Contrary to its stated core values of Integrity, Respect, and Ingenuity, USCIS is ignoring delegated legal responsibilities, mistreating United States citizen families, and purposely accruing case backlogs in violation of [5 U.S.C. § 555(b)], which requires that “[w]ith due regard for the convenience and necessity of the parties or their representatives and within a reasonable time, each agency shall proceed to conclude a matter presented to it.” Detailed below is evidence proving the need for House Judiciary Committee action to remedy the failures of leadership at USCIS.
The I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, is the first step immediate relatives of United States citizens must complete in order to obtain legal resident visas. Approved beneficiaries still must be vetted by the National Visa Center as well as by embassies and consulates around the world before a visa is issued. Multiple bureaucratic delays and workload transfers have directly affected adjudication of petitions for which there is no statutory limitation. [8 U.S.C. § 1151] 201(b)(2)(A)(i)
USCIS has shown unwillingness to provide I-130 Immediate Relative petitioners a transparent process or definite processing times for immediate relative petitions. Inquiries made by Congressmen and Senators on the behalf petitioners have proven that USCIS has no definite timeframe for adjudication of pending I-130 Immediate Relative petitions. Also, documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request indicate that since September 17, 2012 USCIS has taken adjudicators off the processing of I-130 Immediate Relative petitions at USCIS service centers and designated all petitions to be routed through the National Benefits Center. This decision was made knowing that the National Benefits Center was not properly staffed to adjudicate I-130 Immediate Relative petitions and was made without a definite timeframe to resume work.1 Despite announcements of USCIS efforts to dedicate staff to process I-130 Immediate Relative petitions in Overland Park, KS, it is evident that it has failed to train or re-assign staff needed to process this caseload in a timely manner.2 After a year of indecision, only now some I-130 Immediate Relative petitions are being transferred from the National Benefits Center to regional service centers.3
According to the most recent USCIS I-130 Petition Performance report, the National Benefits Center completed the processing of only 2,755 I-130 Immediate Relative petitions in the first two quarters of the 2013 Fiscal Year (October 2012-March 2013). In the same reporting period, the National Benefits Center received 254,890 I-130 Immediate Relative petitions and has now accrued a backlog of 523,874 pending cases.4 If USCIS processing tables are correct, there are pending I-130 Immediate Relative petitions with priority dates as old as October 1, 2012 which have yet to be processed.5 This date is appalling considering Congress outlined what should be considered a reasonable processing time in The Immigration Services and Infrastructure Improvements Act of 2000. There Congress stated, “t is the sense of Congress that the processing of an immigration benefit application should be completed not later than 180 days after the initial filing of the application.” [8 U.S.C. § 1571]
Through its actions USCIS chooses to disregard the plight of separated families but it can not disregard the law. I request that the House Judiciary Committee investigates the needless backlog of pending I-130 Immediate Relative petitions and direct USCIS to re-evaluate its current adjudication priorities.
Sincerely,
Name Surname
1 http://www.scribd.com/doc/145514197/2013-HQFO-00304-Combined-Redacted-Part1 Pages 38-50
2 http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes from Previous Engagements/2013/May 2013/NBC-AILA-QA-2013-05-01.pdf
3 http://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/workload-transfer-national-benefits-center-service-centers
4 http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports and Studies/Immigration Forms Data/Employment-based/I130_performancedata_fy2013_qtr2.pdf
5 https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processingTimesDisplay.do Accessed November 15, 2013
Letter-To-Judiciary-Committee-I-130-Petitions.doc

Tonight I found Freedom of Information Act documents obtained by Judicial Watch, Inc. that include correspondence between USCIS employees detailing the planned changes to I-130 processing as a result of DACA. I-130 related documents begin on page 39 of the link. Most of the emails have been copied here:
From: Dooley, Sharon V Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 2:18 PM To: Borges, Luis R; Goudge, Laurie A; Kenney, Trudy L; Schweich, Margaret A; Porche, Sheri L (CTR);Moris, Louis J Cc: # SPM ISO Subject: FW: I130s to the field Importance: High Due to the volume of DACA work at the Service Center, it has been determined that the field will be sent I-130’s to adjudicate. We should get immediate relatives only. I do not know how many we will receive but we could see them as early as the week of 9/17/12. The field will be responsible forrequesting the A-files. Please let me know when you start receiving them in the mailroom. Thanks, Sharon Dooley Sharon Dooley Field Office DirectorU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Saint Paul
The St. Paul Field office has been overwhelmed since according to the USCIS tracker:
http://dashboard.uscis.gov/index.cfm?formtype=4&office=57&charttype=1
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:56 PM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Connor,William; Conway, Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Enis, Jill S; Hamilton,Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M; Klinger, Michael J;Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather,Robert B; McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M;Olivares, Jose R; Ortiz, Mario R; Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R; Reynolds, PattiJ; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T; Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, GeoffreyJ; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky, Kenneth A Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Brecht, Jeffery T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Langton, Lynn M; Hawthorne, Thomas E;Dyer, LaToya S; Smith, John H; Robinson, Terri A Subject: RE: I130s to the field This just in: Since the NBC will only serve as a “pass through” it will be up to each field office to request any relating A files for these cases. It is our understanding that the field should only receive immediate relative I-130s from SCOPS. Let us know if that is not the case. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations| DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office
More
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:09 PM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Connor,William; Conway, Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Enis, Jill S; Garman,Gary G; Hamilton, Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M;Klinger, Michael J; Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather, Robert B; McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M; Olivares, Jose R; Ortiz, Mario R; Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R;Reynolds, Patti J; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T; Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, Geoffrey J; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky, Kenneth A Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Brecht, Jeffery T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Langton, Lynn M; Hawthorne, Thomas E; Dyer, LaToya S; Smith, John H; Robinson, Terri A Subject: FW: I130s to the field Field Leadership: FYI. We just received this update regarding the shipment of I-130s to the field. More to follow once the NBC publishes their timeline for this work. As you may recall, this work istransitioning from the Service Centers to the field as a result of the deferred action for childhood arrivals process. RISO Thomas Hawthorne is available should you have any questions or concerns. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office More
From: Robinson, Terri A Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 9:44 AM To: Goodwin, Shelley M; Garman, Gary G; Woo, Ellen Y; Dean, Kimberly D; Muzyka, Carolyn L;Redman, Kathy A; Cowan, Robert M; Renaud, Tracy L Cc: Blackwood, Robert L; Limon, Norma A; Clum, Teresa; Fite, Kenneth M; Tauchen, Robert B; Wright,John L; Campagnolo, Donna P; Monica, Donald J; Harrison, Julia L Subject: RE: I130s to the field All, Shelley asked a good question below, so I am taking the liberty to expand the audience to inform all the Regions at the same time. We received our first I-130 shipment from SCOPS late last week. We are in the process of ensuring they are all relocated properly and manifesting them for distribution. ******************************************* (b) (5)*********************************************. We have committed to providing the Regions with a report prior to any shipments going out that will identify the volumes by FCO. Additionally the shipments will have a manifest associated in their individual shipments. Please let me know if you have any questions on the current plan. Also, I promised in Boston toget you a timeline of sorts to help with communicating with the field and that is still in the works. Thanks as always for your patience. Terri Robinson Acting Center Director USCIS, National Benefits Center

From: Dooley, Sharon V To: # SPM ISO Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 2:07:45 PM Attachments: image001.jpg Importance: High Please see the following information which describes the workload shift from the NBC to the field. NBC is seeking to bring on additional staff to assist with their increased workload due to DACA. As they gain more staff, the NBC will resume its current case preparation processes and take back the adjudication of the stand-alone IR I-130 petitions. The timeframe that they will resume this work is unknown at this time. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Sharon Dooley Sharon Dooley Field Office Director U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Saint Paul It seems the National Benefits Center couldn't complete background checks fast enough for some cases so they changed the screening process: From: Gallagher, Kevin E Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 7:28 AM To: Douglas, David M; Dooley, Sharon V Cc: Garman, Gary G Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Good morning all, This forwarded message deals with the e-mail string this morning titled DDDouglas is correct, the Lean & Light NBC process is due to the workload shift. The below e-mailstring details what we are to expect due to the modified process. Hits will be sent to the field without resolution for both AOS I-485 and N400 cases. Kevin E. Gallagher|Assistant Regional Director, Adjudications|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office| More
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Monday, September 17, 2012 8:03 AM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Conway,Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Garman, Gary G; Hamilton, Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M; Klinger, Michael J; Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather, Robert B;McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M; Ortiz, Mario R;Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R; Reynolds, Patti J; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T;Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, Geoffrey J; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky,Kenneth A
Cc: Quarantillo, Andrea J; Langton, Lynn M; Brecht, Jeffrey T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Smith, John H; Dyer,LaToya S; Gonzalez, Alfonso G; Cowan, Robert M Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Field Leadership: If you have any questions on the NBC “lean and light” process, please contact Regional ISO Jay Watkins. For questions regarding the IR I-130s that will be shipped from the Service Center and through the NBC to the field for adjudication, contact RISO Thomas Hawthorne. For questions regarding any deferred action I-821Ds that will be sent to the field as a result of the random sampling process, contact RISO Gebre Habtu. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office| From: Monica, Donald J Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 4:59 PM To: Woo, Ellen Y; Rust, Maureen; Garman, Gary G; Quarantillo, Andrea J; Redman, Kathy A; Tierney,Terry; Renaud, Tracy L; Goodwin, Shelley M Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Robinson, Terri A; Muzyka, Carolyn L; Campagnolo, Donna P Subject: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes
Regions: Please pass the following information to your Field Offices. This provides additional background onthe transfer of work to the field while the NBC undertakes its hiring initiative. As additional staff enters on duty, the NBC will resume its current case preparation processes and take overadjudication of the stand-alone IR petitions.

Regards,

Donald J. Monica
Associate Director
Field Operations Directorate

Immediate Relative I-130 Process
August 15, 2012—California and Vermont Service centers began shipping Immediate Relative I-130s to NBC for distribution to the field for completion. NBC will ship I-130s to the field bi- weekly based on zip code jurisdiction starting the week of September 17th. Below is a quick summary of the NBC IR I-130 process: Until Lockbox is ready to receipt with MSC receipts, these I-130s will have WAC or EAC receipt numbers
Lockbox plans to start assigning MSC receipt numbers to stand alone Immediate Relative I-130s October 1, 2012.
Case information should be available in ICMS for field to update by the time they receive the I-130s
NBC plans regular shipments to the field every 2 weeks starting the week of September 17, 2012.
As agreed to, we will ship I-130s to the field office with jurisdiction over the petitioner’s ZIP code.
NBC will not perform full TECS checks or any evidence review on these cases before we ship to the field.
The I-130s will ship in receipt files, not A-files.
NBC will report bi-weekly (to align with shipments) on the volumes shipped to the fieldby office and region.
We’ll post the reports on Connect at USCIS Connect\ Working Resources\ NBC Recurring Reports.
The NBC will provide more details on related aspects associated with this process in the near future

I don't want to step on anybody's toes but I was inspired by your letter to draft one of my own using some of your wording and mainly US government documents and data and broadening the aim to include all Immediate Relative I-130 Petitioners. I did not mention Legal Permanent Residents in this letter but it could be easily edited to include their plight as well. I also omitted mention of Visa Journey statistics and K-3 process in hopes of keeping it focused.
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte – Chairman House Judiciary Committee

November 19, 2013

Mr. Chairman:
Due to the failure of executive leadership at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the average national processing time for I-130 petitions for immediate relatives of US Citizens has increased to 13 months. I have found that contrary to its stated core values of Inegrity, Respect, and Igenuity, USCIS is ignoring delegated legal reponsibilities, mistreating US citizen families, and purposely accruing case backlogs. I am writing you with the hope that the House Judiciary Committee will realize the need to take swift action to remedy the failures of leadership at USCIS.

The I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, is the first step immediate relatives of US Citizens must complete in order to obtain legal resident visas. Approved beneficiaries still must be vetted by the National Visa Center as well as embassies and consulates around the world before a visa is issued. Bureaucratic delays have directly affected adjudication of petitions for which there is no statutory limitation. 201(b)(2)(A)(i) [8 U.S.C. 1151] Working for family unification should be the first priority of all USCIS decisions. Upon announcing the “Provisional Waiver” program, former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano claimed:

This final rule facilitates the legal immigration process and reduces the amount of time that US citizens are separated from their immediate relatives who are in the process of obtaining an immigrant visa. (January 2, 2013).1

Despite pilot programs and workload transfers tried in the past, USCIS has never been able to provide I-130 petitioners a transparent process or definite processing times for immediate relative petitions. Documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request show that since September 17, 2012 USCIS has taken adjudicators off the processing of I-130 petitions at USCIS service centers (California, Texas, Vermont) and designated all petitions to be routed through the National Benefits Center.2 This decision was made knowing that the National Benefits Center was not properly staffed to adjudicate I-130 petitions and was made without a definite timeframe to resume work. Multiple requests for assistance made to Congressmen and Senators by petitioners have shown that USCIS still has no definite timeframe for adjudication of pending I-130 petitions.

According to the most recent USCIS I-130 Petition Performance report, the National Benefits Center completed the processing of only 2,755 petitions in the first two quarters of the 2013 Fiscal Year (October 2012-March 2013). In the same reporting period, the National Benefits Center received 254,890 petitions and has now accrued a backlog of 523,874 pending cases.3 I believe the few petitions that the National Benefits managed to process to be limited to expedited cases. Despite announcements of USCIS efforts to dedicate staff to process I-130 petitions in Overland Park, KS, USCIS has failed to train or re-assign staff needed to process this caseload in a timely manner.4 After a year of indecision, the I-130 workload is only now being transferred from the National Benefits Center to regional service centers.5

If USCIS Processing tables are correct, there are pending I-130 petitions with priority dates as old as October 1, 2012 which have yet to be processed.6 There are substantial costs involved in storing and retrieving applications as well as the resources expended for follow-ups, customer inquiries, address changes, etc. (AR 2006 -- 03)7 These financial costs, however, will never compare to the human cost of lost time with loved ones separated by USCIS' continuing inefficency.

I request that the House Judiciary Committee investigates the needless backlog of pending I-130 Immediate Relative Petitions and direct USCIS to re-evalutate its current adjudication priorities.

Sincerely,

<first name last name of petitioner>

1 http://www.dhs.gov/news/2013/01/02/secretary-napolitano-announces-final-rule-support-family-unity-during-waiver-process
2 http://www.scribd.com/doc/145514197/2013-HQFO-00304-Combined-Redacted-Part1
3 http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Employment-based/I130_performancedata_fy2013_qtr2.pdf
4 http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes%20from%20Previous%20Engagements/2013/May%202013/NBC-AILA-QA-2013-05-01.pdf
5 http://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/workload-transfer-national-benefits-center-service-centers
6 https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processingTimesDisplay.do
7 http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/CISOmbudsman_AnnualReport_2006.pdf

Tonight I found Freedom of Information Act documents obtained by Judicial Watch, Inc. that include correspondence between USCIS employees detailing the planned changes to I-130 processing as a result of DACA. I-130 related documents begin on page 39 of the link. Most of the emails have been copied here:
From: Dooley, Sharon V Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 2:18 PM To: Borges, Luis R; Goudge, Laurie A; Kenney, Trudy L; Schweich, Margaret A; Porche, Sheri L (CTR);Moris, Louis J Cc: # SPM ISO Subject: FW: I130s to the field Importance: High Due to the volume of DACA work at the Service Center, it has been determined that the field will be sent I-130’s to adjudicate. We should get immediate relatives only. I do not know how many we will receive but we could see them as early as the week of 9/17/12. The field will be responsible forrequesting the A-files. Please let me know when you start receiving them in the mailroom. Thanks, Sharon Dooley Sharon Dooley Field Office DirectorU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Saint Paul
The St. Paul Field office has been overwhelmed since according to the USCIS tracker:
http://dashboard.uscis.gov/index.cfm?formtype=4&office=57&charttype=1
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:56 PM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Connor,William; Conway, Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Enis, Jill S; Hamilton,Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M; Klinger, Michael J;Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather,Robert B; McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M;Olivares, Jose R; Ortiz, Mario R; Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R; Reynolds, PattiJ; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T; Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, GeoffreyJ; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky, Kenneth A Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Brecht, Jeffery T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Langton, Lynn M; Hawthorne, Thomas E;Dyer, LaToya S; Smith, John H; Robinson, Terri A Subject: RE: I130s to the field This just in: Since the NBC will only serve as a “pass through” it will be up to each field office to request any relating A files for these cases. It is our understanding that the field should only receive immediate relative I-130s from SCOPS. Let us know if that is not the case. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations| DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office
More
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:09 PM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Connor,William; Conway, Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Enis, Jill S; Garman,Gary G; Hamilton, Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M;Klinger, Michael J; Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather, Robert B; McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M; Olivares, Jose R; Ortiz, Mario R; Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R;Reynolds, Patti J; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T; Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, Geoffrey J; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky, Kenneth A Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Brecht, Jeffery T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Langton, Lynn M; Hawthorne, Thomas E; Dyer, LaToya S; Smith, John H; Robinson, Terri A Subject: FW: I130s to the field Field Leadership: FYI. We just received this update regarding the shipment of I-130s to the field. More to follow once the NBC publishes their timeline for this work. As you may recall, this work istransitioning from the Service Centers to the field as a result of the deferred action for childhood arrivals process. RISO Thomas Hawthorne is available should you have any questions or concerns. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office More
From: Robinson, Terri A Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 9:44 AM To: Goodwin, Shelley M; Garman, Gary G; Woo, Ellen Y; Dean, Kimberly D; Muzyka, Carolyn L;Redman, Kathy A; Cowan, Robert M; Renaud, Tracy L Cc: Blackwood, Robert L; Limon, Norma A; Clum, Teresa; Fite, Kenneth M; Tauchen, Robert B; Wright,John L; Campagnolo, Donna P; Monica, Donald J; Harrison, Julia L Subject: RE: I130s to the field All, Shelley asked a good question below, so I am taking the liberty to expand the audience to inform all the Regions at the same time. We received our first I-130 shipment from SCOPS late last week. We are in the process of ensuring they are all relocated properly and manifesting them for distribution. ******************************************* (b) (5)*********************************************. We have committed to providing the Regions with a report prior to any shipments going out that will identify the volumes by FCO. Additionally the shipments will have a manifest associated in their individual shipments. Please let me know if you have any questions on the current plan. Also, I promised in Boston toget you a timeline of sorts to help with communicating with the field and that is still in the works. Thanks as always for your patience. Terri Robinson Acting Center Director USCIS, National Benefits Center

From: Dooley, Sharon V To: # SPM ISO Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 2:07:45 PM Attachments: image001.jpg Importance: High Please see the following information which describes the workload shift from the NBC to the field. NBC is seeking to bring on additional staff to assist with their increased workload due to DACA. As they gain more staff, the NBC will resume its current case preparation processes and take back the adjudication of the stand-alone IR I-130 petitions. The timeframe that they will resume this work is unknown at this time. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Sharon Dooley Sharon Dooley Field Office Director U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Saint Paul It seems the National Benefits Center couldn't complete background checks fast enough for some cases so they changed the screening process: From: Gallagher, Kevin E Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 7:28 AM To: Douglas, David M; Dooley, Sharon V Cc: Garman, Gary G Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Good morning all, This forwarded message deals with the e-mail string this morning titled DDDouglas is correct, the Lean & Light NBC process is due to the workload shift. The below e-mailstring details what we are to expect due to the modified process. Hits will be sent to the field without resolution for both AOS I-485 and N400 cases. Kevin E. Gallagher|Assistant Regional Director, Adjudications|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office| More
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Monday, September 17, 2012 8:03 AM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Conway,Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Garman, Gary G; Hamilton, Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M; Klinger, Michael J; Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather, Robert B;McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M; Ortiz, Mario R;Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R; Reynolds, Patti J; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T;Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, Geoffrey J; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky,Kenneth A
Cc: Quarantillo, Andrea J; Langton, Lynn M; Brecht, Jeffrey T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Smith, John H; Dyer,LaToya S; Gonzalez, Alfonso G; Cowan, Robert M Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Field Leadership: If you have any questions on the NBC “lean and light” process, please contact Regional ISO Jay Watkins. For questions regarding the IR I-130s that will be shipped from the Service Center and through the NBC to the field for adjudication, contact RISO Thomas Hawthorne. For questions regarding any deferred action I-821Ds that will be sent to the field as a result of the random sampling process, contact RISO Gebre Habtu. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office| From: Monica, Donald J Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 4:59 PM To: Woo, Ellen Y; Rust, Maureen; Garman, Gary G; Quarantillo, Andrea J; Redman, Kathy A; Tierney,Terry; Renaud, Tracy L; Goodwin, Shelley M Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Robinson, Terri A; Muzyka, Carolyn L; Campagnolo, Donna P Subject: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes
Regions: Please pass the following information to your Field Offices. This provides additional background onthe transfer of work to the field while the NBC undertakes its hiring initiative. As additional staff enters on duty, the NBC will resume its current case preparation processes and take overadjudication of the stand-alone IR petitions.

Regards,

Donald J. Monica
Associate Director
Field Operations Directorate

Immediate Relative I-130 Process
August 15, 2012—California and Vermont Service centers began shipping Immediate Relative I-130s to NBC for distribution to the field for completion. NBC will ship I-130s to the field bi- weekly based on zip code jurisdiction starting the week of September 17th. Below is a quick summary of the NBC IR I-130 process: Until Lockbox is ready to receipt with MSC receipts, these I-130s will have WAC or EAC receipt numbers
Lockbox plans to start assigning MSC receipt numbers to stand alone Immediate Relative I-130s October 1, 2012.
Case information should be available in ICMS for field to update by the time they receive the I-130s
NBC plans regular shipments to the field every 2 weeks starting the week of September 17, 2012.
As agreed to, we will ship I-130s to the field office with jurisdiction over the petitioner’s ZIP code.
NBC will not perform full TECS checks or any evidence review on these cases before we ship to the field.
The I-130s will ship in receipt files, not A-files.
NBC will report bi-weekly (to align with shipments) on the volumes shipped to the fieldby office and region.
We’ll post the reports on Connect at USCIS Connect\ Working Resources\ NBC Recurring Reports.
The NBC will provide more details on related aspects associated with this process in the near future

Tonight I found Freedom of Information Act documents obtained by Judicial Watch, Inc. that include correspondence between USCIS employees detailing the planned changes to I-130 processing as a result of DACA. I-130 related documents begin on page 39 of the link. Most of the emails have been copied here:
From: Dooley, Sharon V Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 2:18 PM To: Borges, Luis R; Goudge, Laurie A; Kenney, Trudy L; Schweich, Margaret A; Porche, Sheri L (CTR);Moris, Louis J Cc: # SPM ISO Subject: FW: I130s to the field Importance: High Due to the volume of DACA work at the Service Center, it has been determined that the field will be sent I-130’s to adjudicate. We should get immediate relatives only. I do not know how many we will receive but we could see them as early as the week of 9/17/12. The field will be responsible forrequesting the A-files. Please let me know when you start receiving them in the mailroom. Thanks, Sharon Dooley Sharon Dooley Field Office DirectorU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Saint Paul
The St. Paul Field office has been overwhelmed since according to the USCIS tracker:
http://dashboard.uscis.gov/index.cfm?formtype=4&office=57&charttype=1
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:56 PM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Connor,William; Conway, Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Enis, Jill S; Hamilton,Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M; Klinger, Michael J;Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather,Robert B; McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M;Olivares, Jose R; Ortiz, Mario R; Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R; Reynolds, PattiJ; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T; Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, GeoffreyJ; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky, Kenneth A Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Brecht, Jeffery T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Langton, Lynn M; Hawthorne, Thomas E;Dyer, LaToya S; Smith, John H; Robinson, Terri A Subject: RE: I130s to the field This just in: Since the NBC will only serve as a “pass through” it will be up to each field office to request any relating A files for these cases. It is our understanding that the field should only receive immediate relative I-130s from SCOPS. Let us know if that is not the case. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations| DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office
More
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:09 PM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Connor,William; Conway, Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Enis, Jill S; Garman,Gary G; Hamilton, Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M;Klinger, Michael J; Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather, Robert B; McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M; Olivares, Jose R; Ortiz, Mario R; Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R;Reynolds, Patti J; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T; Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, Geoffrey J; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky, Kenneth A Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Brecht, Jeffery T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Langton, Lynn M; Hawthorne, Thomas E; Dyer, LaToya S; Smith, John H; Robinson, Terri A Subject: FW: I130s to the field Field Leadership: FYI. We just received this update regarding the shipment of I-130s to the field. More to follow once the NBC publishes their timeline for this work. As you may recall, this work istransitioning from the Service Centers to the field as a result of the deferred action for childhood arrivals process. RISO Thomas Hawthorne is available should you have any questions or concerns. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office More
From: Robinson, Terri A Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 9:44 AM To: Goodwin, Shelley M; Garman, Gary G; Woo, Ellen Y; Dean, Kimberly D; Muzyka, Carolyn L;Redman, Kathy A; Cowan, Robert M; Renaud, Tracy L Cc: Blackwood, Robert L; Limon, Norma A; Clum, Teresa; Fite, Kenneth M; Tauchen, Robert B; Wright,John L; Campagnolo, Donna P; Monica, Donald J; Harrison, Julia L Subject: RE: I130s to the field All, Shelley asked a good question below, so I am taking the liberty to expand the audience to inform all the Regions at the same time. We received our first I-130 shipment from SCOPS late last week. We are in the process of ensuring they are all relocated properly and manifesting them for distribution. ******************************************* (b) (5)*********************************************. We have committed to providing the Regions with a report prior to any shipments going out that will identify the volumes by FCO. Additionally the shipments will have a manifest associated in their individual shipments. Please let me know if you have any questions on the current plan. Also, I promised in Boston toget you a timeline of sorts to help with communicating with the field and that is still in the works. Thanks as always for your patience. Terri Robinson Acting Center Director USCIS, National Benefits Center

From: Dooley, Sharon V To: # SPM ISO Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 2:07:45 PM Attachments: image001.jpg Importance: High Please see the following information which describes the workload shift from the NBC to the field. NBC is seeking to bring on additional staff to assist with their increased workload due to DACA. As they gain more staff, the NBC will resume its current case preparation processes and take back the adjudication of the stand-alone IR I-130 petitions. The timeframe that they will resume this work is unknown at this time. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Sharon Dooley Sharon Dooley Field Office Director U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Saint Paul It seems the National Benefits Center couldn't complete background checks fast enough for some cases so they changed the screening process: From: Gallagher, Kevin E Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 7:28 AM To: Douglas, David M; Dooley, Sharon V Cc: Garman, Gary G Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Good morning all, This forwarded message deals with the e-mail string this morning titled DDDouglas is correct, the Lean & Light NBC process is due to the workload shift. The below e-mailstring details what we are to expect due to the modified process. Hits will be sent to the field without resolution for both AOS I-485 and N400 cases. Kevin E. Gallagher|Assistant Regional Director, Adjudications|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office| More
From: Garman, Gary G Sent: Monday, September 17, 2012 8:03 AM To: Adams, Kim; Adams, Raymond P; Bard, Jodi; Blakeway, Albert W; Coates, Timothy S; Conway,Michael J; Dedvukaj, Mick; Dooley, Sharon V; Douglas, David M; Garman, Gary G; Hamilton, Ricky W; Hansen, Mark B; Heathman, Sandy M; Kehl, Lisa M; Kent, Jeanne M; Klinger, Michael J; Lambrecht, Andrew M; Lee, Kamsing V; Leopold, Kay F; Lopez, Antonio; Loutas, Aphrodite G; Mather, Robert B;McNeer, Laura K; Medina-Maltes, Martha E; Moyer, Chester S; Mueller-Cantu, Elaine M; Ortiz, Mario R;Perry, Michelle C; Pietropaoli, Lori A; Pratt, Caroline R; Reynolds, Patti J; Sheive, Kristy A; Siegl, Mark T;Stark, Laura; Tarango, Tracy; Tasch, Helaine S; Verderosa, Geoffrey J; Webb, Russell L; Zarybnicky,Kenneth A
Cc: Quarantillo, Andrea J; Langton, Lynn M; Brecht, Jeffrey T; Gallagher, Kevin E; Smith, John H; Dyer,LaToya S; Gonzalez, Alfonso G; Cowan, Robert M Subject: FW: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes Field Leadership: If you have any questions on the NBC “lean and light” process, please contact Regional ISO Jay Watkins. For questions regarding the IR I-130s that will be shipped from the Service Center and through the NBC to the field for adjudication, contact RISO Thomas Hawthorne. For questions regarding any deferred action I-821Ds that will be sent to the field as a result of the random sampling process, contact RISO Gebre Habtu. Regards, Gary Garman|Associate Regional Director, Operations|DHS|USCIS|Central Regional Office| From: Monica, Donald J Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 4:59 PM To: Woo, Ellen Y; Rust, Maureen; Garman, Gary G; Quarantillo, Andrea J; Redman, Kathy A; Tierney,Terry; Renaud, Tracy L; Goodwin, Shelley M Cc: Cowan, Robert M; Robinson, Terri A; Muzyka, Carolyn L; Campagnolo, Donna P Subject: Message to Field Offices on NBC Workloads & Modified Processes
Regions: Please pass the following information to your Field Offices. This provides additional background onthe transfer of work to the field while the NBC undertakes its hiring initiative. As additional staff enters on duty, the NBC will resume its current case preparation processes and take overadjudication of the stand-alone IR petitions.

Regards,

Donald J. Monica
Associate Director
Field Operations Directorate

Immediate Relative I-130 Process
August 15, 2012—California and Vermont Service centers began shipping Immediate Relative I-130s to NBC for distribution to the field for completion. NBC will ship I-130s to the field bi- weekly based on zip code jurisdiction starting the week of September 17th. Below is a quick summary of the NBC IR I-130 process: Until Lockbox is ready to receipt with MSC receipts, these I-130s will have WAC or EAC receipt numbers
Lockbox plans to start assigning MSC receipt numbers to stand alone Immediate Relative I-130s October 1, 2012.
Case information should be available in ICMS for field to update by the time they receive the I-130s
NBC plans regular shipments to the field every 2 weeks starting the week of September 17, 2012.
As agreed to, we will ship I-130s to the field office with jurisdiction over the petitioner’s ZIP code.
NBC will not perform full TECS checks or any evidence review on these cases before we ship to the field.
The I-130s will ship in receipt files, not A-files.
NBC will report bi-weekly (to align with shipments) on the volumes shipped to the fieldby office and region.
We’ll post the reports on Connect at USCIS Connect\ Working Resources\ NBC Recurring Reports.
The NBC will provide more details on related aspects associated with this process in the near future