daveandmaxine

Yeah thanks guys. Sorry I was such a pain in the butt for a while.
I know that the State Dept has reasons for doing what they do, but they don't share any of it with us, so we will never know what motivates them. We can guess, for example if you are an FBI agent working on a counter terrorism task force and your fiance's visa gets delayed, you can have a pretty good idea of what is holding it up. But most of the time you will never know.
And yes I have a pretty good idea of what jet lag feels like. Been there, done that, as we all have. But the farthest Candy ever flew from Phil has been Cyprus, so the Western Hemisphere will be a new adventure for her, along with 12 hours of jet lag added to 20 hours of flying. The bed is waiting for her at home whenever she pleases.
Now if you will all excuse me, I have a trip to JFK Airport to make and a bride to collect.

Thank you all for the info. We are also filing soon and my partner is in Philippines, so this info will hopefully keep our case from getting delayed.

Similar petitions have been tried in the past and have never reached the threshold to make anything happen. I personally think a letter to the individuals in charge from each and every one would have a greater impact.
But of course, you're welcome to start another petition and I'll be glad to sign.

Here we go....
============== DRAFT ===============
To whom it may concern (or insert addressee here),
This letter is to bring to your attention, and to seek appropriate improvement and resolution of, the growing discrepancy in processing times between the two service centers handling I129-f petitions. As you may know, the two service centers for I129-f petitions are California and Texas. The routing of incoming petitions is dependent on the petitioner's home state. As a petitioner living in one of the states that has been routed to the Texas Service Center, the increasing inaction seen at SRC is discouraging to say the least. For example, as of late, California is completing those applications anywhere from 15-60 days after receipt, whereas Texas is dragging along with a minimum of 5 months and in some cases as much as 8 months. To demonstrate further, using data from your website at http://dashboard.uscis.gov/, you'll see that California, on average, is managing to keep the number of receipts, pending petitions, and completed petitions at fairly the same level with the latest number of completed petitions at 1,948 (as of May 2014 published data). In stark contrast is Texas, with the number of petitions pending skyrocketing, while the number of petitions completed has been decreasing for the last seven months, with the latest number of completed petitions down to just 564 (as of May 2014 published data). I implore you to look into this discrepancy in processing times for the Texas Service Center's I-129f petitions. I encourage you to take action in resolving this matter so that all petitioners, regardless of their home state at the time of filing, are treated fairly with regards to the disparate wait times. Sincerely, Signed ============== DRAFT =============== To everyone interested, please look over this and suggest any edits. We'll crowdsource a final letter and send to the appropriate powers that be. Here is a link to the USCIS Leadership: http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/leadership Looks like the most appropriate person would be David Garner, Chief, Office of Performance and Quality: http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/leadership/david-garner-chief-office-performance-and-quality Unfortunately, no real contact information is available for any of these people that I could find. If anyone can surface some contact info, other than the generic USCIS Headquarters Office of Service Center Operations at SCOPSSCATA@dhs.gov please post that here. Thanks! Let's get something done about this!

Here we go....
============== DRAFT ===============
To whom it may concern (or insert addressee here),
This letter is to bring to your attention, and to seek appropriate improvement and resolution of, the growing discrepancy in processing times between the two service centers handling I129-f petitions. As you may know, the two service centers for I129-f petitions are California and Texas. The routing of incoming petitions is dependent on the petitioner's home state. As a petitioner living in one of the states that has been routed to the Texas Service Center, the increasing inaction seen at SRC is discouraging to say the least. For example, as of late, California is completing those applications anywhere from 15-60 days after receipt, whereas Texas is dragging along with a minimum of 5 months and in some cases as much as 8 months. To demonstrate further, using data from your website at http://dashboard.uscis.gov/, you'll see that California, on average, is managing to keep the number of receipts, pending petitions, and completed petitions at fairly the same level with the latest number of completed petitions at 1,948 (as of May 2014 published data). In stark contrast is Texas, with the number of petitions pending skyrocketing, while the number of petitions completed has been decreasing for the last seven months, with the latest number of completed petitions down to just 564 (as of May 2014 published data). I implore you to look into this discrepancy in processing times for the Texas Service Center's I-129f petitions. I encourage you to take action in resolving this matter so that all petitioners, regardless of their home state at the time of filing, are treated fairly with regards to the disparate wait times. Sincerely, Signed ============== DRAFT =============== To everyone interested, please look over this and suggest any edits. We'll crowdsource a final letter and send to the appropriate powers that be. Here is a link to the USCIS Leadership: http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/leadership Looks like the most appropriate person would be David Garner, Chief, Office of Performance and Quality: http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/leadership/david-garner-chief-office-performance-and-quality Unfortunately, no real contact information is available for any of these people that I could find. If anyone can surface some contact info, other than the generic USCIS Headquarters Office of Service Center Operations at SCOPSSCATA@dhs.gov please post that here. Thanks! Let's get something done about this!

I support this also. If you need help in drafting a letter, I will help as needed. I've already written to my senator about this situation – not about my case in particular because we're only at ~1 1/2mos. since filing, but with the overall inefficiency at TSC and the huge discrepancy between the two service centers – I've yet to receive a response.
It's unfair to those of us following legal immigration law having our application delayed because we were sent to TSC simply based on our state of residence. All Americans have a right to the same, reasonable processing time, regardless of where you live when you file.

I support this also. If you need help in drafting a letter, I will help as needed. I've already written to my senator about this situation – not about my case in particular because we're only at ~1 1/2mos. since filing, but with the overall inefficiency at TSC and the huge discrepancy between the two service centers – I've yet to receive a response.
It's unfair to those of us following legal immigration law having our application delayed because we were sent to TSC simply based on our state of residence. All Americans have a right to the same, reasonable processing time, regardless of where you live when you file.

Similar petitions have been tried in the past and have never reached the threshold to make anything happen. I personally think a letter to the individuals in charge from each and every one would have a greater impact.
But of course, you're welcome to start another petition and I'll be glad to sign.

What?

Based on the progress of I-129F petitions approved at TSC as seen on the website (http://dashboard.uscis.gov/) as well as the attached image below, it seems TSC is slowing down their approvals likely as a trade off with something more "necessary" to them such as I-130s due to the media hype and news coverage.
Only 564 I-129F petitions were approved in May 2014!
We should all (petitioners from Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, and Jul) come together to bring attention to this lag. I'm sure TSC is aware of the situation, but without any transparency or accountability of the situation, they will churn them out at the rate they feel like.
Yes, it may be only a "few" months delay in the grand scheme of things, but even those few months are precious with my fiance. And if you feel the same way, I think we should:
1) Write a letter and each of us send a copy to the director or other high ranking official at USCIS
2) Media attention on the subject just like how the I-130s had not too long ago
So, please let us try to do this not only for us, but those future filers as well!

Here we go....
============== DRAFT ===============
To whom it may concern (or insert addressee here),
This letter is to bring to your attention, and to seek appropriate improvement and resolution of, the growing discrepancy in processing times between the two service centers handling I129-f petitions. As you may know, the two service centers for I129-f petitions are California and Texas. The routing of incoming petitions is dependent on the petitioner's home state. As a petitioner living in one of the states that has been routed to the Texas Service Center, the increasing inaction seen at SRC is discouraging to say the least. For example, as of late, California is completing those applications anywhere from 15-60 days after receipt, whereas Texas is dragging along with a minimum of 5 months and in some cases as much as 8 months. To demonstrate further, using data from your website at http://dashboard.uscis.gov/, you'll see that California, on average, is managing to keep the number of receipts, pending petitions, and completed petitions at fairly the same level with the latest number of completed petitions at 1,948 (as of May 2014 published data). In stark contrast is Texas, with the number of petitions pending skyrocketing, while the number of petitions completed has been decreasing for the last seven months, with the latest number of completed petitions down to just 564 (as of May 2014 published data). I implore you to look into this discrepancy in processing times for the Texas Service Center's I-129f petitions. I encourage you to take action in resolving this matter so that all petitioners, regardless of their home state at the time of filing, are treated fairly with regards to the disparate wait times. Sincerely, Signed ============== DRAFT =============== To everyone interested, please look over this and suggest any edits. We'll crowdsource a final letter and send to the appropriate powers that be. Here is a link to the USCIS Leadership: http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/leadership Looks like the most appropriate person would be David Garner, Chief, Office of Performance and Quality: http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/leadership/david-garner-chief-office-performance-and-quality Unfortunately, no real contact information is available for any of these people that I could find. If anyone can surface some contact info, other than the generic USCIS Headquarters Office of Service Center Operations at SCOPSSCATA@dhs.gov please post that here. Thanks! Let's get something done about this!

I support this also. If you need help in drafting a letter, I will help as needed. I've already written to my senator about this situation – not about my case in particular because we're only at ~1 1/2mos. since filing, but with the overall inefficiency at TSC and the huge discrepancy between the two service centers – I've yet to receive a response.
It's unfair to those of us following legal immigration law having our application delayed because we were sent to TSC simply based on our state of residence. All Americans have a right to the same, reasonable processing time, regardless of where you live when you file.

I support this also. If you need help in drafting a letter, I will help as needed. I've already written to my senator about this situation – not about my case in particular because we're only at ~1 1/2mos. since filing, but with the overall inefficiency at TSC and the huge discrepancy between the two service centers – I've yet to receive a response.
It's unfair to those of us following legal immigration law having our application delayed because we were sent to TSC simply based on our state of residence. All Americans have a right to the same, reasonable processing time, regardless of where you live when you file.

Why do you continue posting this to people? I mean you were approved in less than 2 months, how could you really know how it feels to wait this long?

Calm down folks. This is why, I believe it was suggested earlier for the TSC folks to move to the TSC section. Many were getting very frustrated leading to not-too-friendly exchanges. I don't believe that is what we are here to do. We're here to lift each other up, but I have noticed a snide comment each time in many posts with referencew to TSC. Why is a TSC comparison necessary for just about every post here. If you're getting frustrated at the pace of the CSC, then do yourself a favor and move to the TSC posts.Nobody here controls how fast or slow their petitions are handled. We all did the best we could and submitted and then started praying or doing whatever we believe we need to do to effect events.
If you've been on VJ long enough, you will understand why the comparison reference. Kay&Jay was/were only trying to diseminate information which was misinterpreted. At, least, that's how I see it. Let's encourage one another here, share information that will help us all (God knows I have learnt a lot here). It will help if the TSC folks who decided to stay here stop all the comparison comments at each post. We all already know that some (not all) TSC petitions take longer. But if if you really want to be fair, they are still withing the given time frame, for the most part. I understand the frustration and we're all here to comfort each other. If I shared my own frustrations at getting to the interview and having to start all over again like I never applied before, and mentioned that in every post here, I'm sure some develop apathy towards my situation. That does not mean they don't care for what i'm going through. Can we just make this place what it is supposed be.

Thanks for your comments. I can answer a few of your questions but the Site Administrator, Captain Ewok, handles all of the technical stuff and is best to answer those questions for you.
2. The Site Administrator is Captain Ewok. He will probably respond in this thread shortly.
3. Any member in good standing who has demonstrated an ability to post calmly and accurately in the forums, who has been on the site long enough to become familiar with its many aspects as well as the many different types and processes of visa 'journeys', and who has the time to volunteer their services can be a moderator. The Site Administrator appoints moderators, and the current moderation team maintains a list of possible candidates (which is regularly updated as names are added and removed from the list). When there is a need for new moderators, this list is consulted and the various candidates posting histories researched and discussed by the moderation team and administration, coming back with a preferred candidate who is then 'invited' to become a moderator. Not everyone accepts the invitation as it can be a lot of work.
4. Group is basically an assigned category of membership. It is generally handled by the site software and shows what category of membership you have, determined by your participation. You are a Validating member until you respond to the membership email verifying you are a real person; you then become a new member until you have a certain number of posts. You are a general member then unless you are appointed as an Organizer (move threads when they are posted in the wrong place) or one of the Moderators, or your membership is 'closed' if you are no longer a member.
It would be lovely if we could keep all relevant information in one location, however, the field of immigration is so large and multi-faceted that there really isn't an easy way to do that. Certainly how we are organized now can probably be tweaked and I know Captain Ewok is receptive to any suggestions members have (and help that they offer) on how to improve the site, but no matter what we do, people are always going to have to do some leg work on their own, because that is the nature of the immigration process itself. It doesn't fit into nicely defined little categories but has a lot of overlap so that one aspect can apply to several different processes. The site is organized in general related areas with more specific themes, and there are step by step instructions with forms and such that can be accessed through the menu bar at the top.
No matter how organized a site becomes, however, people are always going to ask questions - and there is really no way that every answer can be posted in a concise format, because every case is individual. Even if everyone is pursuing the same visa, there are still country specific or Consulate specific differences that are best addressed through members asking questions and other members sharing their own personal experiences.
One of the biggest problems we do have and are trying to address is to keep the information about the different processes and forms and such current. These change pretty regularly and we need to keep updating both the general information and the country or consulate specific information, and really rely upon our membership to help with that.
As I said, I am sure Captain Ewok will be along to answer more of your questions, and I know we are always interested in members who are willing to help us keep this site effective, productive and relevant.

Signed and shared!