Michele R

August 20, 2009

Hey guys!! I just got the e-mail from CRIS!!! I can't believe it !!! The wait if finally over!!! We got the approval no RFE! Thank God!!!! I am going out of my mind right now!!!!

Hi Ovi - We are so happy for you. I am sitting here with Kirill reading your message and we both congratulate you. Last night I told him about the whole letter writing campaign stuff that we were trying to organize and he said that he hoped your approval came through as well - and the next morning, what do I find, your approval!! Great news. Michele and Kirill

August 19, 2009

Wow it's quiet here tonight...I wonder if anything happened today! Yesterday there were approvals popping up everywhere!

With just 2 approvals today, looks like a really quiet place today! Hope for a better tomorrow.

Hopefully people just haven't updated yet...fingers crossed!

I was reading the March filers and there were some folks on 3/27 still waiting...but I look at April and there are approvals. So I guess it's a hit and miss

So I arrived in Moscow to see Kirill yesterday I woke of this morning to check my e-mail and to my surprise I see the approval notice in the inbox. I could not believe it! Just last Friday I called all of my wedding vendors to cancel the wedding - now I may be able to put things back on track. Thank you God, everyone here for their support (especially when I was going crazy trying to organize a letter campaign), and the VSC!

July 24, 2009

Question - If there are newbies that want to try and take action what difference is it to you - why continue to comment without actually saying anything pertinent to this topic? BTW - the topic is the current inequity between the CSC and the VSC. I have seen nonething constructive in what you are postiing and am not quite sure what the point of your involvement in this thread is, other than to get attention.
Right now, what would be helpful is facts (not opinions) as to why these inequitieis develop from time to time and what may be done to improve the service. Do you have any facts? Do you know of other people that have tried to deal with this particular issue in the past? If so, what happened or didn't happen? Did anyone in your support group submit a FOIA to get information about this issue - did it actually result in any information pertinent to this topic? Do you know of ways to approcah our Senators that are particulalry effective regarding this inequity?

If you don't have any real input, however, please continue to air your grievences and hostilities towards us or the system, we are certainly a captive audience and I find all of your responses childishly amusing in a "nana nana boo boo" sort of way.

Michele, part of the answer you are looking for can be found on the nature of the work that service centers do. They do not process only fiance(e) visas. They process multiple kinds of petitions, and their priorities seem to change as time rolls.

Before May my I-129F was on pace to be approved in just three months at VSC, but then came the work visa petition process (I believe H-1 visa process) and VSC slowed to a crawl. Prior to May VSC rolled through I-129F petitions very quickly, to the point that I was one week away (based on Igor's list) to be approved based on the time of NOA1 (meaning that at the end of April they were already approving petitions with NOA1 date just one week ahead of mine). Well, that one week turned into two months and my I-129F was only approved at the end of June.

So, when we ask for changes, we need to keep in mind that the whole immigration process has to be streamlined for more predictability for every type of case being processed in these centers.

thank you - that is an excellent point

July 24, 2009

Michele, what you view as hostility is nothing of the sort. I pretty much told everyone how my battle with Immigration turned out and I was basically told to screw off. I could actually give you some avenues to go down to assist you, but I have seen that it will not help. So now I am merely amusing myself by the way some people on this thread have chosen to ignore those with experience rather than question them on why they feel it is a waste of time. If you don't like it I honestly don't care, but I am still waiting to see if someone has something to say that will actually work. So far nothing. But I will stay as long as I desire, so you will have to deal with it.
Now rather than waste your time worrying about me why don't you write some letters and get the government fixed?

come and put your stinky little turds and wet blankets on the table and then circle the table on your moral high horse, snorting and whining in a "nana nana boo boo" sort of way.

Okay but do the stinky little turds go on top of, underneath, or in between the wet blankets?

Can't they be all of the above?

Gotta love the visuals - we've got the stinky little turds everywhere :-), everytime the table is cleared we get a fresh new pile.

Back to morocco forever - I will repeat the questions I put on the table:

Do you have any facts (not opinions) as to why inequitieis between the CSC and VSC develop from time to time and what may be done to improve the service?

Do you know of other people that have tried to deal with this particular issue in the past? If so, what happened or didn't happen?

Did anyone in your support group submit a FOIA to get information about this issue - did it actually result in any information pertinent to this topic?

Do you know of ways to approcah our Senators that are particulalry effective regarding this inequity?

I have alrady written my first round of letters and am trying to put together an approach that might get more attention, using my personal political connections. However to do this, I need to deal with facts and constructive solutions (not a long list of bad stories). So far you have not offered any regarding the CSC/VSC issue.

As far as "so you will have to deal with it" please understand that I love your meaningless replies - my favorite movie is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - and so to me this back and forth is sheer comedy. I still wonder, however, why someone who has already gone through this nightmare would come back and get in pissing matches with newbies? One of life's little mysteries I suppose.

July 24, 2009

from what i have seen in two years, the ombudsmen does not have the power to do anything he can inquire about a case but he holds no real power
if u have aggressive congressman or senators they seem to be able to get more done than ombudsmen.

the point is really it is not in the best interest of any servicer center to fix a broken system.

they are accountable only to them self.

u can think they are much like the FBI and CIA above the law and only accountable with in its own agency.

just my opinion after fighting this system for two years

sara

hi sara - thanks for the input, in your experience, at what point will the senator take on your case/issue?

July 24, 2009

I am not going to read through this entire thread. But I would like to take a moment to address that there are some that feel that we can actually make a difference. Let me give you a brief story of our journey.
I married in Morocco in Oct of 04. We filed for the CR1 in December of 04. My husbands interview was in Aug of 05. Sounds good so far, right? He was denied, as were many others here on VJ from the same consulate. We fought like He!!. Wrote letters, phone calls, emails, you name it we did it. Did anything in the process change? No. Do we wish this He!! on anyone else? No. Bottom line is you're banging your head against the wall. The system sucks, but we wasted our time and effort on methods that didn't work. The people that have the ability to change it, and that isn't us the little people, see this process in a different light that we do. They are trying to weed out the fraud. Sometimes it doesn't make sense to us, but they see the entire picture that we don't.

My husband finally got his visa in Dec of 06. And that was considered speedy for a returned petition. I know someone that had their interview a month before ours and her husband just got here last month. So I guess I get a little annoyed that there are those that are whining about their normal process taking a few extra months when I see that there are those that waited years with less complaints.

This is the process that is set in place. You have 2 choices here. Follow the process as is laid out by the USCIS/DOS or move to your fiance/spouse's country. I guess you will call me heartless because I have my husband here now. But the truth is that my spirit is broken because of this system. Post back here after you have fought the same battle that we have. Let's see if you have the same high hopes that you can make a difference.

That's the typical "journey" if you want to bring your foreign spouse to France.

Actually 2 years and only 2 applications would even be lucky. Your visa request is usually denied 2 or 3 times before it -may- be approved. It's very common that one single visa process lasts more than 2 years.

Whoever takes care of your file has the entire right to deny your case without any reason. They usually say "secret government reason". You can't appeal. You can only try again, and spend the fee again, and I think there's even a delay before you can!

And after you get approved, you'll have to deal with the immigration services more than 10 years before you get a permanent residency card... Residency card that you'll have to renew after one year at first, then 3 years then 5, and so on. It's a neverending story.

Emmigration process in France are nothing like in the US, no nice site with online updates. You have to go to their office for real and do hours and hours of queues...

There's no clear rules, any agent can ask you any document any time and ask you to come back.

It's so broken and so slow that many times, people can get a one year visa that will expire in two weeks. (I've seen it through my own eyes)

And for sure, no nice brochure "Welcome to France"...

Whoever said that immigration procedures are much easier in Europe is very wrong...

Most of Europe is totally closed to any kind of immigration. France is "fighting" against family immigration because it represents 80% of our immigration right now...!

Unfortunatly, I know what you've been through. And I really know how it can break your spirit as you said.

I did fight against my own system for 3 years, and I finally gave up. It broke our couple. During those 3 years, I never had any justification, no explanation, just denial of everything we could try.

I actually never thought I could do this again... but when I see USCIS rules and process, it conforts me. It's nothing like what I've seen in my own country.

Of course, it has little failures like any system, but for the most cases, everything just go fine.

The entire world is into a "closing walls" process, I highly doubt this is going to get better anytime soon.

For now, I just feel VERY lucky I can hope to be with my american monkey within a year.

As far as wisdom and guidance - Moroccoforever didn't even fill out a K-1 or provide any insight as to why there is a major discrepancy between the centers - which is what this thread is about. She seems to have had a bad experience with a consulate, which is unfortunate, but also off topic.

You base this on one paragraph of my experience? I did file the I-129F. They lost it. I went rounds with the USCIS with that one as well. Not to mention that a returned petition goes back to the USCIS for review. So to say that my bad experience was only with the consulate is not only erroneous, but shows how little you know about this process.

But by all means don't listen to those that have been through this process. I am just so excited to hear how all of you are going to show the government how it is done. So far I haven't seen much.

I really don't understand your hostility - or the other people like you in this thread. It is actually a very amusing to see you all come and put your stinky little turds (as one person wrote earlier) and wet blankets on the table and then circle the table on your moral high horse, snorting and whining.

Question - If there are newbies that want to try and take action what difference is it to you - why continue to comment without actually saying anything pertinent to this topic? BTW - the topic is the current inequity between the CSC and the VSC. I have seen nonething constructive in what you are postiing and am not quite sure what the point of your involvement in this thread is, other than to get attention.

Right now, what would be helpful is facts (not opinions) as to why these inequitieis develop from time to time and what may be done to improve the service. Do you have any facts? Do you know of other people that have tried to deal with this particular issue in the past? If so, what happened or didn't happen? Did anyone in your support group submit a FOIA to get information about this issue - did it actually result in any information pertinent to this topic? Do you know of ways to approcah our Senators that are particulalry effective regarding this inequity?

If you don't have any real input, however, please continue to air your grievences and hostilities towards us or the system, we are certainly a captive audience and I find all of your responses childishly amusing in a "nana nana boo boo" sort of way.

July 24, 2009

I don't think it's entirely necessary to file an FOIA to understand why the only 2 processing centers go at different speeds. Seems quite straight forward to me............one center is currently receiving more items to process than the other or those items being processed need more hands-on than normal (for example perhaps more RFE's are being sent out). At any rate, I still haven't seen anyone post their suggestions about how to make the system work more efficiently.......except for those who have added their experiences here. They give us tons of guidance on how to file the forms, what information is required, they answer our stupid questions, all so that our Visa experience goes smoother and quicker than theirs did. So, how about a little respect for those "old VJ'ers and some respect for the (I'm sure) overworked USCIS processors.

I have never bashed the USCIS workers - nor do I intend to. As far as wisdom and guidance - Moroccoforever didn't even fill out a K-1 or provide any insight as to why there is a major discrepancy between the centers - which is what this thread is about. She seems to have had a bad experience with a consulate, which is unfortunate, but also off topic.

RE the FOIA, hopefully things are as straightforward as you suspect regarding these centers - but if it were, this is a problem that isn't too difficult to solve (send some files over the the less inundated center when the discrepancy gets to be more than two months different) and I am not sure why it persists year after year. The reason I am asking about the FOIA is to avoid filing one if someone already has the answer from them. I think it may be possible to get farther with the Ombudsman if one's letter included some real solutions on how things could work better. I am going to approach my old MBA operations professor with the facts (if I can find them, not the "facts" that Moroccoforever refers to or the collection of bad experiences everyone posts here) and see what he has to say. My grad school, which was international, dealt with this issue all of the time and may be interested in working on coming up with a constructive solution for evening out workloads.

July 24, 2009

I am not going to read through this entire thread. But I would like to take a moment to address that there are some that feel that we can actually make a difference. Let me give you a brief story of our journey.
I married in Morocco in Oct of 04. We filed for the CR1 in December of 04. My husbands interview was in Aug of 05. Sounds good so far, right? He was denied, as were many others here on VJ from the same consulate. We fought like He!!. Wrote letters, phone calls, emails, you name it we did it. Did anything in the process change? No. Do we wish this He!! on anyone else? No. Bottom line is you're banging your head against the wall. The system sucks, but we wasted our time and effort on methods that didn't work. The people that have the ability to change it, and that isn't us the little people, see this process in a different light that we do. They are trying to weed out the fraud. Sometimes it doesn't make sense to us, but they see the entire picture that we don't.

My husband finally got his visa in Dec of 06. And that was considered speedy for a returned petition. I know someone that had their interview a month before ours and her husband just got here last month. So I guess I get a little annoyed that there are those that are whining about their normal process taking a few extra months when I see that there are those that waited years with less complaints.

This is the process that is set in place. You have 2 choices here. Follow the process as is laid out by the USCIS/DOS or move to your fiance/spouse's country. I guess you will call me heartless because I have my husband here now. But the truth is that my spirit is broken because of this system. Post back here after you have fought the same battle that we have. Let's see if you have the same high hopes that you can make a difference.

I'm very sorry that the process failed you the way it did, and glad that in the end you came through and are together.

That being said, you really haven't contributed anything here. All you've really done is thrown turds on the table.

Perhaps nothing will come of people's efforts to change the system. Change is difficult and slow. But certainly nothing will change if everyone just resigns themselves to bending over and grabbing their ankles as you suggest.

Nobody's hurting you by trying to make things better. So why do you act so offended when others don't accept your advice to just bend over and take it?

You may view them as "turds on the table", but they are facts. Okay, you think you can make a difference then read through this entire thread.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3896

This is what came from mine and a few others research on how to fix a broken system. Kiyah, Chi and I, along with many others have worked very hard just to come to the realization that there is not much one can do to change the system. It is like an ant throwing pebbles at the feet of giants. They are just brushed away. What we did accomplish, that we didn't have, was a support group that was able to provide guidance through the process. Something we didn't have. Were we pissed off? Yes, but rather than blow it out of our a$$e$ on how we can make changes we researched and found out the normal process so that we could help others going through similar situations. We didn't change the system, we just understand it better now than we did when we started.

And please when you are done "changing the system", please come back and post your "I told you so" thread. If by chance you are able to make changes I will gladly say I was wrong.

These last few exchanges have been inspiring - maybe all of us insolent, whining, optimists should form a new thread called "turds on the table" or "we blow it out of our a$$e$ support group" so that we can stop attracting so much pious rage from other members who are intrigued by the name of this thread but have no interest in providing constructive input. Speaking of new ideas - has anyone tried submitting a FOIA in the past to understand more about why these different centers can go at such different speeds from time to time?

July 24, 2009

I am not going to read through this entire thread. But I would like to take a moment to address that there are some that feel that we can actually make a difference. Let me give you a brief story of our journey.
I married in Morocco in Oct of 04. We filed for the CR1 in December of 04. My husbands interview was in Aug of 05. Sounds good so far, right? He was denied, as were many others here on VJ from the same consulate. We fought like He!!. Wrote letters, phone calls, emails, you name it we did it. Did anything in the process change? No. Do we wish this He!! on anyone else? No. Bottom line is you're banging your head against the wall. The system sucks, but we wasted our time and effort on methods that didn't work. The people that have the ability to change it, and that isn't us the little people, see this process in a different light that we do. They are trying to weed out the fraud. Sometimes it doesn't make sense to us, but they see the entire picture that we don't.

My husband finally got his visa in Dec of 06. And that was considered speedy for a returned petition. I know someone that had their interview a month before ours and her husband just got here last month. So I guess I get a little annoyed that there are those that are whining about their normal process taking a few extra months when I see that there are those that waited years with less complaints.

This is the process that is set in place. You have 2 choices here. Follow the process as is laid out by the USCIS/DOS or move to your fiance/spouse's country. I guess you will call me heartless because I have my husband here now. But the truth is that my spirit is broken because of this system. Post back here after you have fought the same battle that we have. Let's see if you have the same high hopes that you can make a difference.

Thanks for the sermon. Despite being called a whiner by many members that are farther through their journey, I am taking action. As a result of reading all of the posts from people like you on this thread, I have promised myself that later down the road if I am embittered and pessimistic about the process, I will keep my opinions and sad story to myself and make an effort not to judge people who have come here for support or to express their frustration. There is always going to be someone somewhere out there that has a sadder story than your own (that had to walk ten miles in snow in winter to schoool), but this does not mean it is futile to take whatever actions you feel might help your cause and the broader cause if you are so inclined. Why don't we all just try to "live and let live" a little more in this thread.

July 24, 2009

Rise and shine my friends. Another Friday is starting. Here I am hoping that VSC finally approve all those December and January petitions that are left so that they can turn their attention on February, March, us and so on.
Don't worry. Our time to jump with joy will come soon.

PEACE you all..............

Good Morning All -I got a canned response to my letter to the USCIS Ombudsman. After that I sent a letter to my Congressman. Now I feel like I have done everything I can do to bring some equity to the system. The wedding will officially be cancelled on August 14 and having learned from my own stupid mistakes, I will not plan another one until we have a visa in hand. In the meantime, we decided to use Kira's ticket that we got for him to come here for a trip for me back to Moscow next month.

As I mentioned before, I used to work for the USG. After my experience with USCIS as an outsider I look back on it in an entirely different light. Now I understand that one of the major sources of frustrations for "customers" is the lack of transparency. Decisions seem to me made within a black box with no requirement on the agency's part for a reasonable or timely explanation if processes slow down or go off track. If I ever go back to work for the USG, this experience will definitely change for the better how I interact with the public. I think most people are reasonable and if you give them a reasonable explanation, they will be patient - as I would be in this situation if the agency were to simply explain what is going on.

July 23, 2009

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.
You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

I agree... Planning the wedding seven months from filing is really asking for having to reschedule. We did plan the wedding as well, but we allowed nine months, even though the VJ statistics I was looking at back then showed an average time of five months to get the visa for Germans. I didn't know back then how much the service center processing times fluctuate, and how unreliable the statistics therefore are, but I still wanted to play safe and leave more time. So we planned for October... and there was a time in June when I thought we might have to reschedule. Even though I disagree with most VJers who think you absolutely can't plan anything, since I think everyone can calculate their risks and decide to take them or not, and certain consulates are less likely to give you trouble than others, I would never have dared to gamble on the best case scenario. And retrospectively, I wish I had at least forbidden my family to book their flights from Germany early on... That really added to my stress when waiting for NOA2.

Michele R, I would look at the Russian timelines very closely, and see how realistic getting him to the US by November is. If you see it's unrealistic, better adjust your plans now, or you'll go crazy and not enjoy the wedding planning at all. I wish you good luck. You have only waited a bit over three months, and maybe you will get lucky and be one of the first to be approved among April filers. I really hope that happens for you.

Thanks - for the first two months of waiting it seemed realistic. Now, of course, it does not. If there is no word by Aug. 14 all bets are off given the long processing time in Moscow to follow. I have already resigned myself to this. What is funny is that I was basing my estimates on my friends' expereinces with this (I did not start taking full advantage of Igor's list until just recently to see all of the posts about the differences in these two centers). I used to live in Oregon and now understand that the reason they all got their approvals in 3 months was because they were feeding into a different center. Someone asked on the "I,m Outraged" thread how we would all feel if we did not have Igor's list and VJ - my answer was the same. Given the discrepancy between my experience and my friends' experience in Oregon - I would have figured it out. Anywho - I am not setting another date until after we have a visa in hand. At this point, there is also a good chance that I may change jobs and move back to Moscow in the fall - what to do in that situation, God only knows. I will cross that bridge if and when I get to it.

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.
You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

I agree... Planning the wedding seven months from filing is really asking for having to reschedule. We did plan the wedding as well, but we allowed nine months, even though the VJ statistics I was looking at back then showed an average time of five months to get the visa for Germans. I didn't know back then how much the service center processing times fluctuate, and how unreliable the statistics therefore are, but I still wanted to play safe and leave more time. So we planned for October... and there was a time in June when I thought we might have to reschedule. Even though I disagree with most VJers who think you absolutely can't plan anything, since I think everyone can calculate their risks and decide to take them or not, and certain consulates are less likely to give you trouble than others, I would never have dared to gamble on the best case scenario. And retrospectively, I wish I had at least forbidden my family to book their flights from Germany early on... That really added to my stress when waiting for NOA2.

Michele R, I would look at the Russian timelines very closely, and see how realistic getting him to the US by November is. If you see it's unrealistic, better adjust your plans now, or you'll go crazy and not enjoy the wedding planning at all. I wish you good luck. You have only waited a bit over three months, and maybe you will get lucky and be one of the first to be approved among April filers. I really hope that happens for you.

Thanks - for the first two months of waiting it seemed realistic. Now, of course, it does not. If there is no word by Aug. 14 all bets are off given the long processing time in Moscow to follow. I have already resigned myself to this. What is funny is that I was basing my estimates on my friends' expereinces with this (I did not start taking full advantage of Igor's list until just recently to see all of the posts about the differences in these two centers). I used to live in Oregon and now understand that the reason they all got their approvals in 3 months was because they were feeding into a different center. Someone asked on the "I,m Outraged" thread how we would all feel if we did not have Igor's list and VJ - my answer was the same. Given the discrepancy between my experience and my friends' experience in Oregon - I would have figured it out. Anywho - I am not setting another date until after we have a visa in hand. At this point, there is also a good chance that I may change jobs and move back to Moscow in the fall - what to do in that situation, God only knows. I will cross that bridge if and when I get to it.

P.S. We actually wanted to plan the whole thing for December to give ourselves a little more breathing room, then the Russian Orthodox Church said no - the last day we could get married before a very long holiday season was the day we went with.

July 23, 2009

I hope you get a better response than I did, Michele. The canned response I received is below.
Dear Sir/Madam:

Thank you for contacting the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB) in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under the authority of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the CIS Ombudsman assists individuals and employers who experience specific problems during the USCIS benefits seeking process, largely to identify problems and to formulate recommendations to improve the USCIS service.

We believe that first hand information from individuals like you is the best source for identifying systemic problems in the immigration benefits process. Our office will consider the information you provided as we develop recommendations to improve USCIS’ practices and procedures.

Thank you for contacting our office.

Sincerely,

CIS Ombudsman

I am actually expecting the canned response. Basically, after I read the "I'm Outraged" thread, I decided that I needed to do everything I could do and let the chips fall where they may. I did not want to look back and say to myself, when I was sitting without Kira over the holidays, "maybe I should have..." I also don't believe that things will ever change unless people speak up. Maybe it is futile .. but there is also a chance that one more voice would result in a shift in priorities ... call me an optimist

Good Luck to all you March filers - the sooner you get approved, the sooner we are next in line :-)

July 23, 2009

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.
You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

yep, it was indeed wacky - wish I knew then what I know now - just discovered the forums section of this site not too long ago and was basing my estimates on people I knew personally that had much better experiences ... when I read what happened to Mara my stomach hit the floor. I will not set another date until we have the visa in hand... in the meantime I see no reason why there should be such differences in processing times, even if I don't personally benefit from any changes that may come about

July 23, 2009

Yes....and the thing with the estimated timelines is just a statistic game. If VSC were truly approving petitions in 4 months then our estimated date of approval would be somewhere in August. But since the only petitions that we see approved recently are from December and January it adds to the timeline because the time to approve those were 6-7 months instead of 4. If you average those numbers then our estimated time of approval is not 4 months but 5 or a little more. Once those from March get approved AND update their info we will see our timelines move back again.
But bear in mind. It depends on members updating their info. So the more they do it the more accurate the timelines become.

PEACE..............

By the way - I am posting a few links from one of yesterday's hot topics for those of us here who did not read the thread.

In the thread below , a former service center agent describes how our applications are processed at the centers - it was fascinating

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;#entry738208

and here is another one about a story a couple of years back about VJ

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2801706_pf.html

For those of you who want to try and take some action about the inequity between the VSC and CSC I am posting the letter I submitted to the USCIS Ombudsman today. Please feel free to cut and paste if you like. I used to work for the fed gov. and we had an ombudsman - she could often shake things loose if there was enough public interest.

For those of you who are not interested, please understand that I am not trying to offend anyone or be a line-jumper. The conversation in the "I'm Outraged" thread got a little tense yesterday and I certainly don't want to disturb the peace of our April VSC group. I also posted this on all the VSC threads that precede us.

Good Night!

The Letter I Sumitted to the USCIS Ombudsman today:

To Whom It May Concern:

In April of this year I applied for a K1 visa for my finance. Because I am a resident of Virginia I was required to submit my application to the USCIS center in Vermont. Since I have applied for this visa, the processing times at the VSC have slowed dramatically (to over 180 days).

When I contacted the USCIS today, they said that the VSC was processing applications from December 30, 2008 and that my application would not be reviewed until October 22 of this year in the best-case scenario (more than 180 days after I submitted my application). Meanwhile, residents of states that feed into the USCIS servicing center in California are being processed within 66 to 100 days.

I find this inequity unacceptable, given that all applicants pay the same application fee. After having researched this issue, I do not think that it is caused by a difference in the efficiency of VSC employees versus CSC employees, but more likely by a misallocation of workloads vis a vis resources by either the USCIS or its subcontractor Northrop Grumman. Furthermore, I do not understand why processing times are increasing while the volume of applications is decreasing (as your office itself noted in its June 2009 report to Congress).

Unless steps are taken to remedy this inequity immediately, which is unlikely given my conversation with USCIS today, I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception. As I am sure you are aware, these misfortunes pale in comparison to some other people standing in line at the VSC under far worse circumstances, while May and June filers begin to be approved at the CSC.

I realize that my application is currently within the USCIS' “normal” processing time. Nonetheless, today when I called for the first time I was told that my application will be adjudicated around October 22, more than 180 days after my submission. Further, it is not "normal" for residents of one state, like Virginia, to arbitrarily receive such significantly inferior service from the USCIS than residents of California or Oregon. Why isn't the I-129F workload distributed more evenly among these centers and why can't files be sent from one center to another when one center falls significantly behind another?

It is infuriating to see large numbers of people who filed their petitions in May and June being approved by the CSC before all of us who filed our applications in January, February, March, and April at the VSC. While I know that the memebership of the primary tracking site for I129F petitions (VisaJourney) does not comprise the entire pool of I129F applicants, its membership pool does represent a statistically valid number of applicants and it is therefore possible to ascertain broad trends in visa processing extracted from its data. On top of this, USCIS' own bulletins display the existing inequity, albeit on a more publicly digestible magnitude.

Ironically, my fiancé is more peaceful about this issue, noting that the USCIS seems to me no more equitable or effective than its counterpart agency in his largely corrupt country of the former Soviet Union. In fact he advised me to not to send this letter, for fear of the type of retribution one would encounter in his country for voicing concerns about a what seems to be a systemic problem that no one has an interest in or incentive to correct.

As a patriot and former federal government employee, however, I assured my fiancé that things were different in America. I sincerely hope that your office will propose and implement a long term solution to this problem, rather than simply add my letter as a tally mark on a count of "Top Ten Complaints in the Ombudsman E-Mail Box" for inclusion in an annual propaganda piece, like they would in the former Soviet Union. It is hard enough to wait six months plus for adjudication. Adding the knowledge that people in different states are waiting half the time you are for no apparent good reason is like adding salt to an open wound. I hope that future customers do not have to suffer from an inequality that does not seem too complex to solve.

July 23, 2009

It's been 203 days and no answer!!!! We are still waiting, there is no update on nothing, isnt this weird? I can't log in USCIS website to see my case, can something being updated?

FYI - I sent this letter to the USCIA Ombudsman today and have posted it on the "I'm Outraged," February, March, and April VSC threads. I used to work for the fed government and we had an ombudsman - waves of voices made a difference and shook things loose. Feel free to cut and paste if you are interested in taking action.