En&Em

check details of reasons of delay..

it says transfering files from 1 service center to other will cause extra ordinarily delay.

This was refering to naturalization but I think it will be applicable to I 130 as well.

This is not the same situation.

The site talks about transferring naturalization cases from one office to another. After initial processing, naturalization is handled at an applicant's local USCIS office. When a person moves while an application is pending, their file often has to be transferred to the local office closer to their new location. And, as noted, that movement of one individual file can cause delays, for a variety of reasons.

In the case of the CSC-TSC transfer, you are talking about multiple file transfers, all at once, with the transfer being generated by the service center (not the applicant), and the actual transfer moving between service centers (not local offices).

Y'all should be okay, and it should speed up the process compared to staying at CSC.

holly macaroni, Sept filer from CSC got approved today. now i really dont get the way they work since CSC has bcklog from June. Happy for that filer, hope we all have the same sort of luck.

I don't really know, but I am guessing that person had a successful expedite request.

I just got off the phone with the USCIS customer service center about my fiancee visa application.

I specifically asked the agent I spoke to if there was an additional hold being placed on batches of visa applications, he checked on this and stated that the processing time is still five months for CSC and that if there were a significant back-log that they would update that time. I filed mine in August so he said that it would still be processed within the five month time-frame meaning that I should hear something within the next two months.

Thank you for the update!

And, NVC is not involved with your petition at this time, USCIS is. Look at your timeline and then look at ours. Compare the two and you will have more information on when to expect something next. For now, you wait.....

but....for more information and entertainment, mvoe on over to the RUB regional forum where there a tons of folks who are in your and have been in your situation.

I don't know when I said that NVC was involved in my case. I referenced NSCS (USCIS's National Customer Service Center). I know I need an NOA2 before my case goes to NVC.

Otherwise, thank you for the info and suggestion about the regional forum!

Based on the recent posts and timelines info, YES there seems to be some kind of hold. Some have waited beyond the five months.I find the hold unfair, because this is not a lottery, it's rather expensive for just a visa. If they have too much to handle, then they should get help by hiring more people to do the work. Overwhelming case loads from us means overwhelming amount of $$$$$$$ for the department, it means growth, opportunity, it means jobs, Gov't jobs for those who are actually unemployed. I dont understand, what the problem is, I'm begining to feel that maybe we are a nuissance to them, but we're not, we are $$$$$$ to boost the economy and more. There are those entering the U.S as we speak illegally without the wait and cost the gov't lots of $$$$$$ guess what? they get treated better than us for free. It's unprofessional I expect better service, 5- 8 months is not acceptable, not by me anyway!!

I don't think the backlog is from an increase of the fiance(e) or marriage visas, which have the higher application fees. So I am not sure that there is really a big increase in CSC's/USCIS's budget.

There have been a couple interesting theories regarding the slowdown/backlog at CSC.

First, it seemed that CSC was focusing on getting the marriage applications caught up, without doing much with the fiance(s) applications. The marriage applications now seem as current--or even a little ahead--of the fiance(e) applications. Moreover, a good chunk of CSC's marriage applications with NOA1s mainly from July and August 2010 have now been transferred to the Texas Service Center to speed up processing.

Second, in another thread, someone pointed out that there had been a huge volume of I-821s filed (Applications for Temporary Protected Status):

I-821 thread

But if you review CSC's charts, they seem to have mostly resolved their load of I-821s, at least through August 2010:

CSC data about I-821s

So I remain hopeful that the backlog is already well on its way to being cleared up. And, so far, no one else has actually posted that anyone at USCIS or the NCSC has talked about a "hold."

The holidays are probably not going to help the speed of the processing, but I hope for all of us that CSC is able to speed things up. Best wishes!

Also, although I am not far enough in the process to discuss POE issues (I wish I were!), there are reviews of Chicago as POE here:

Chicago POE Reviews

Yes. There is a place in Terminal 5 for people to wait for travelers arriving and going through customs.

Also, there is separate short-term parking at Terminal 5, if you are driving there.

I don't know how long it will take to get through, but CONGRATULATIONS!

there doesnt seem to be any "hold" .... a september 2010 filer WOULD expect to be processed by february 2011; there is no 'hold' there involved, that IS 5 months. July 2010 - Dec 2010, and so on. the people in that thread dont appear to be doing their math

I started the thread to report and discuss what a NCSC rep told me--which is not typical. These were her words, not mine, and the info was unrelated to the purpose of my call. I have not heard or read that anyone was told there was a five-month "hold." Maybe you would not care about receiving similar comments, but I did and I wanted to see: (1) if anyone heard anything similar, and if so, what does it really mean; or (2) perhaps this was just some kind of aberration?

That I and now some others want to discuss and compare notes about this doesn't mean that we cannot do math or that we don't realize the rep might have chosen her words poorly (even though I specifically tried to confirm that she meant "hold" several times).

Yes. You could be correct. It might just be the five-month goal. I have acknowledged that, and because no one has received similar information, it is probably true. But, at least at the time I had the conversation with the NCSC rep, there are other possible explanations, too. And if someone doesn't realize that or doesn't care, well...

Anyway, good luck to all of you now at TSC. I hope it speeds up your NOA2s!

Here's a good link for you: Visitation FAQ's

As Heather says, it's good to carry a copy of the NOA(s) to show you are going through the process legitimately. Welcome to VJ!

It's interesting to me that for those with fiance(e)s from countries in the visa waiver program, the POE officers seem to consider the K-1 process as an indication that a visit while the K-1 is pending will not be abused/overstayed.

Based on information from Embassy staff and people on VJ is that the analysis of the pending K-1 is the opposite for those from countries that actually need a tourist visa (such as Russia). In these cases, it seems that the K-1 process is viewed by the embassy staff as a disadvantage. Apparently they think that someone who is an "impending immigrant" is supposedly more likely to overstay on a tourist visa.

I agree much more with the POE analysis than the Embassy analysis. Why would we put the K-1 process in jeopardy by overstaying a tourist visa? But what I think apparently does not necessarily matter.

I sure wish my fiancee could visit during the holidays...

This has seriously freaked me out.... I hope that the person you spoke to was just misinformed because otherwise I'm going to FREAK OUT! If they don't even start looking at our applications until February that does NOT sit well with me... what utter #######!

Crappy news, but thanks for sharing....just when things were starting to look up with half of the June apps being processed...........

I would not get too upset. So far, no one else has posted similar information.

Moreover, in thinking about things, the information the rep gave me does not necessarily conflict with the five-month goal. In fact, if other information on the VJ site is accurate, the rep's information would be consistent with saying (this is not what she actually said), "Don't expect your NOA2 early; it's going to take the full five months."

To provide a little more detail about this, in other posts on VJ, some people have described that the CSC staff really needs only about 15 minutes with each I-129F file to make a decision. I don't know if this is true, but considering the number of applications sitting at CSC, it certainly seems possible. Anyway, if sufficient information is submitted (and if these people are correct), supposedly the CSC staff needs very little time to review a single application; under this theory, most of the delay is just waiting for the CSC to get through the files ahead of you. If so and if CSC starts processing September 2010 applications in February 2011, most of those applications could be approved right away in February 2011--but still barely within the five-month goal.

So maybe the NCSC rep chose her words poorly. Maybe someone else will post something about better information than (or information that corrects) what I received. That is the potential benefit of the VJ community.

The operator simply screwed up the answer to his question which resulted in a firestorm. There is nothing new or different about what is going on.

People should know that the only limit to how many calls they can make is in direct realtionship to how much punishment they can absorb. The people answering the questions dont know enough to even ask someone that does, before they respond.

I am a veteran of this waiting game & the misinformation they put out. My own case took 408 days

Thank you for the perspective.

Just to be clear and correct a minor misperception, I was not calling NCSC to request the status of my application at CSC. I read this site; I read the USCIS site; I know that I have no basis to request information about the timing of my application until a full five months after my NOA1.

I had a legitimate, independent reason to call.

Before I could even ask my question, however, the customer service rep said to me, your application is on a "five-month hold." I even said to her, I am not calling to find out the status of my application, but now that you provided that information, I have some questions. If you read my original posts, I try to explain this.

There is a lot of speculation about whether the rep was talking about the five-month processing goal or whether she actually was discussing a five-month hold. I am very familiar with the CSC and VSC goals for processing I-129F applications. I was concerned that the rep was confused. But she clearly told me the application was on hold--several times as I tried to make sure.

Was the rep confused or choosing her words poorly? Perhaps. Was the rep's information about the hold basically the same as telling me the application would take the full five months? Probably, assuming that the NOA2s can be issued the same day as the application is actually reviewed (some previous posts have said, that once the application is actually reviewed, it takes the staff person only about 15 minutes to reach a decision on a complete application).

Regardless, I shared the information the rep clearly told me and then I asked others on VJ for any similar information/experiences, to determine the validity of the information I received. At this point, most of the comments have been speculation that either I was confused or the rep was confused. I was not. The rep might have been.

So En&Em(if I got the name right) should have called if nothing would have happened in February 2011, but not now. What could the operator tell him other than what's on the website? They even suggest you shouldn't call if you're well within the 5 months mark. IMO... this is not something to worry about. And even that member who fears it will take 10 months is a bit crazy... Come on...

Even if it's February, we only have 2 months and a half to wait 'cause this month is almost a half through. We just have to wait a 1/2 more... and February is right around the corner. Let's keep our strength. Yeah, I'm saying it but I cried today when I have seen the thread for the first time. Now I'm optimistic again.

Just to be clear, I was not calling NCSC to request the status of my application at CSC. I read this site; I read the USCIS site; I know that I have no basis to request information about the timing of my application until a full five months after my NOA1.

I had a legitimate, independent reason to call.

Before I could even ask my question, however, the customer service rep said to me, your application is on a "five-month hold." I even said to her, I am not calling to find out the status of my application, but now that you provided that information, I have some questions. If you read my original posts, I try to explain this.

There also is a lot of speculation about whether the rep talked about the five-month processing goal or a five-month hold. I am very familiar with the CSC and VSC goals for processing I-129F applications. I was concerned that the rep was confused. But she clearly told me the application was on hold--several times as I tried to make sure.

Was the rep confused or choosing her words poorly? Perhaps. Was the rep's information about the hold basically the same as telling me the application would take the full five months? Probably, assuming that the NOA2s can come the same day as the application is actually reviewed (some previous posts have said it takes only 15 minutes to review the application).

Regardless, I shared the information the rep clearly told me and then I asked others on VJ for any similar information/experiences, to determine the validity of the information I received. At this point, most of the comments have been speculation that either I was confused or the rep was confused. I was not. The rep might have been.

Precisely. I think it's the standard bull they tell callers just to get rid of them and give them unrealistic time frames. You always read posters on here talk about the various lines given to them by the CSC. Just a few weeks ago someone posted that they stated they were on April 23rd applications when we were seeing June approvals.

As long as we keep seeing daily approvals, we have nothing to worry about.

I hope you are correct. I am not entirely convinced about the five-month hold--even though it was clearly what was described to me, with that same phrase--so I thought I would ask if anyone else heard anything similar. So far, no one else has described similar information. Hopefully, it was just a poor description of what was meant to be the official five-month goal.

Okay, so I'm still confused. Is it they won't even LOOK at the applications for 5 months, so it could, in theory, take 10 months for a #*!$#!ing K1 visa?!? Or am I just freaking out and the person just worded it really poorly?

I just reported what I was told and understood. I thought my description was as clear as it was stated to me. My impression was as yours: My file and all of those on hold would not really even be looked at until after the hold period (unless things changed, which was also a possibility). But now I am interpreting things a little bit.

I did not ask the NCSC staff to explain very detail about the process, and I don't have all the answers about how things work at CSC. I discussed this one concept, and I have asked if others have heard similar things or if they might have clarification.

In addition, I also stated the following (which is based on posts within VJ, not on my call with the NCSC):

At the same time, some describe that the reason the process takes so long is, not because the applications are difficult, but because there are so many--a couple thousand or so each month. So files sitting seems to be part of the process, almost by definition. Theoretically, if true, they could process a complete application and issue the NOA2 the same day.

To provide a little more detail about this, some people have described that the CSC staff really needs only about 15 minutes with each I-129F file. So, if sufficient information is submitted (and if these people are correct), supposedly the CSC staff needs very little time to review a single application. Under this theory, most of the delay is just waiting for the CSC to get through the files ahead of you. If this is true, if they start processing September 2010 applications in February 2011, most of those applications could be approved right away.

Some people have responded that the five-month hold described to me is really no different than the five-month processing goal. I certainly wondered that, too, and asked the NCSC staff person how the five-month hold related to or affected the five-month goal (but I did not get a very direct response). Anyway, if the files could mostly be completed processed shortly after they were started in Februay 2011, that would be more or less true.

How did you get through. I can't seem to get through to anyone?

I called, and then I just waited. I did not hit any numbers at all--not even to indicate English versus Spanish (like you would have to do with an old rotary phone). After about 20 minutes of holding, someone answered.

I am kind of at a loss for words. So supposedly, potentially, the files are just sitting there, not being actively worked on for 5 months. So we get an extra 5 months of waiting for them to RESUME the process? I don't know what to say if this is in fact true.

If true, I sympathize with your concern. At the same time, some describe that the reason the process takes so long is, not because the applications are difficult, but because there are so many--a couple thousand or so each month. So files sitting seems to be part of the process, almost by definition. Theoretically, if true, they could process a complete application and issue the NOA2 the same day.

Just to be clear, I know my information is somewhat disturbing, but...

I want to share information, but not cause too much stress, especially until we have more information. I have read posts about the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) giving out conflicting information in the past. Part of the reason I asked so many questions of the staff person is to be sure she was not trying to talk about the five-month goal. She clearly continued to talk about a hold, but who knows. And I think some have said that the NCSC staff does not get cutting-edge and in-depth information from the service centers.

To try to figure this out, I thought it best to compare notes with others, to see if anyone else received similar information. I am wondering if someone else has had recent contact with or without any info about a hold.

Just to be clear, I know my information is somewhat disturbing, but...

I want to share information, but not cause too much stress, especially until we have more information. I have read posts about the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) giving out conflicting information in the past. Part of the reason I asked so many questions of the staff person is to be sure she was not trying to talk about the five-month goal. She clearly continued to talk about a hold, but who knows. And I think some have said that the NCSC staff does not get cutting-edge and in-depth information from the service centers.

To try to figure this out, I thought it best to compare notes with others, to see if anyone else received similar information. I am wondering if someone else has had recent contact with or without any info about a hold.

Just to be clear, I know my information is somewhat disturbing, but...

I want to share information, but not cause too much stress, especially until we have more information. I have read posts about the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) giving out conflicting information in the past. Part of the reason I asked so many questions of the staff person is to be sure she was not trying to talk about the five-month goal. She clearly continued to talk about a hold, but who knows. And I think some have said that the NCSC staff does not get cutting-edge and in-depth information from the service centers.

To try to figure this out, I thought it best to compare notes with others, to see if anyone else received similar information. I am wondering if someone else has had recent contact with or without any info about a hold.

I will call, but I have no idea what to ask about that might seem reasonable. Point me to the phone number. Oh, wait, I need a while to be calm first.

I want to share information, but not cause too much stress, especially until we have more information. I have read posts about the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) giving out conflicting information in the past. Part of the reason I asked so many questions is to be sure the person was not trying to talk about the five-month goal. She clearly continued to talk about a hold, but who knows. And I think some have said that the NCSC staff does not get cutting-edge and in-depth information from the service centers.

To try to figure this out, I thought it best to compare notes with others, to see if anyone else received similar information.

To answer your question, NCSC can be reached at 1-800-375-5283. But we can just wait to see if someone else has had recent contact with or without any info about a hold. I certainly am not suggesting that someone call the NCSC just for this issue.

I would call a couple times and get different operators and see if they all tell you the same thing or not... very often they all say something different.

I don't really want to call back because I assume they keep records of the calls. Moreover, one of the first questions I was asked was, "Have you called about this issue before?"

That is part of the reason I asked whether others had received any similar descriptions.

Today I called the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) for a question about my i-129F application, unrelated to timelines.

Before I could ask my question, the staff member said, your application is on a "five-month hold." Although this could change, she said currently, CSC is not scheduled to start processing the application until February 2011.

She added other applications with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010 are also on hold until February 2011. She said that the hold was necessary because of a significant backlog at CSC.

I continued to ask some questions:

- Was this unique to my application or to those of us with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010?

- More specifically, was the hold applicable to applications from July, August, October, and November?

- How does the hold affect CSC's official goal of five months for these applications?

She said the five-month hold applied to all I-129Fs (and perhaps some others, but I did not absorb what she said about other types of applications). She explained that July 2010 applications were on hold until December 2010; August 2010 were on hold until January 2011; etc. She again stressed that this was the current information, and it could change.

With regard to the official goal of five months, she really did not say much, other than repeating that the September applications would be processed in February 2011.

I am somewhat hopeful that her information is out-of-date, for example, the transfer of marriage applications to Texas might be an indication that this supposed backlog is already well on the way to being cleared. While I am trying to remain optimistic, I was disappointed with this potential news.

Has anybody received similar information about a supposed "five-month hold" at CSC? Does anybody have some perspective about this?

Today I called the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) for a question about my i-129F application, unrelated to timelines.

Before I could ask my question, the staff member said, your application is on a "five-month hold." Although this could change, she said currently, CSC is not scheduled to start processing the application until February 2011.

She added other applications with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010 are also on hold until February 2011. She said that the hold was necessary because of a significant backlog at CSC.

I continued to ask some questions:

- Was this unique to my application or to those of us with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010?

- More specifically, was the hold applicable to applications from July, August, October, and November?

- How does the hold affect CSC's official goal of five months for these applications?

She said the five-month hold applied to all I-129Fs (and perhaps some others, but I did not absorb what she said about other types of applications). She explained that July 2010 applications were on hold until December 2010; August 2010 were on hold until January 2011; etc. She again stressed that this was the current information, and it could change.

With regard to the official goal of five months, she really did not say much, other than repeating that the September applications would be processed in February 2011.

I am somewhat hopeful that her information is out-of-date, for example, the transfer of marriage applications to Texas might be an indication that this supposed backlog is already well on the way to being cleared. While I am trying to remain optimistic, I was disappointed with this potential news.

Has anybody received similar information about a supposed "five-month hold" at CSC?

Today I called the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) for a question about my i-129F application, unrelated to timelines.

Before I could ask my question, the staff member said, your application is on a "five-month hold." Although this could change, she said currently, CSC is not scheduled to start processing the application until February 2011.

She added other applications with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010 are also on hold until February 2011. She said that the hold was necessary because of a significant backlog at CSC.

I continued to ask some questions:

- Was this unique to my application or to those of us with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010?

- More specifically, was the hold applicable to applications from July, August, October, and November?

- How does the hold affect CSC's official goal of five months for these applications?

She said the five-month hold applied to all I-129Fs (and perhaps some others, but I did not absorb what she said about other types of applications). She explained that July 2010 applications were on hold until December 2010; August 2010 were on hold until January 2011; etc. She again stressed that this was the current information, and it could change.

With regard to the official goal of five months, she really did not say much, other than repeating that the September applications would be processed in February 2011.

I am somewhat hopeful that her information is out-of-date, for example, the transfer of marriage applications to Texas might be an indication that this supposed backlog is already well on the way to being cleared. While I am trying to remain optimistic, I was disappointed with this potential news.

Has anybody received similar information about a supposed "five-month hold" at CSC?

Today I called the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) for a question about my i-129F application, unrelated to timelines.

Before I could ask my question, the staff member said, your application is on a "five-month hold." Although this could change, she said currently, CSC is not scheduled to start processing the application until February 2011.

She added other applications with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010 are also on hold until February 2011. She said that the hold was necessary because of a significant backlog.

I continued to ask some questions:

- Was this unique to my application or to those of us with receipts (NOA1s) from September 2010?

- More specifically, was the hold applicable to applications from July, August, October, and November?

- How does the hold affect CSC's official goal of five months for these applications?

She said the five-month hold applied to all I-129Fs (and perhaps some others, but I did not absorb what she said about other types of applications). She explained that July 2010 applications were on hold until December 2010; August 2010 were on hold until January 2011; etc. She again stressed that this was the current information, and it could change.

With regard to the official goal of five months, she really did not say much, other than repeating that the September applications would be processed in February 2011.

I am somewhat hopeful that her information is out-of-date, for example, the transfer of marriage applications to Texas might be an indication that this supposed backlog is already well on the way to being cleared. While I am trying to remain optimistic, I was disappointed with this potential news.

Has anybody received similar information about a supposed "five-month hold" at CSC? Does anybody have some perspective about this?