Matthew Udall

If they want to measure the progress the USCIS is making on the cases, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...sp?textFlag=N#

If they want to check the progress of their own particular case, or to see if the USCIS is reporting anything new today about their case, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...s/caseStat.jsp

Both come courtesy of the USCIS, and this is a way of getting out vital information that does not require redundant inquiries being made at the NCSC, a Representative and a Senator and does not cost the Service Center one minute of time (so they can focus on actually working the cases). After all, the OP in this thread himself reported this his rep found out and reported to him that the apparent increase in the amount of time it takes them to finish up the case once the RFE'd materials arrives is due to the amount of work pending at his Service Center.

And if they want more in the way of "minutia" about service center processing, there are people like me who have been, and are willing to continue to share that information.

I agree that information is a good thing.

If they want to measure the progress the USCIS is making on the cases, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...sp?textFlag=N#

If they want to check the progress of their own particular case, or to see if the USCIS is reporting anything new today about their case, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...s/caseStat.jsp

Both come courtesy of the USCIS, and this is a way of getting out vital information that does not require redundant inquiries being made at the NCSC, a Representative and a Senator and does not cost the Service Center one minute of time (so they can focus on actually working the cases). After all, the OP in this thread himself reported this his rep found out and reported to him that the apparent increase in the amount of time it takes them to finish up the case once the RFE'd materials arrives is due to the amount of work pending at his Service Center.

And if they want more in the way of "minutia" about service center processing, there are people like me who have been, and are willing to continue to share that information.

I'm glad the USCIS has now provided a much more convenient way to supply vital information (as opposed to hiding it).

If they want to measure the progress the USCIS is making on the cases, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...sp?textFlag=N#

If they want to check the progress of their own particular case, or to see if the USCIS is reporting anything new today about their case, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...s/caseStat.jsp

Both come courtesy of the USCIS, and this is a way of getting out vital information that does not require redundant inquiries being made at the NCSC, a Representative and a Senator and does not cost the Service Center one minute of time (so they can focus on actually working the cases). After all, the OP in this thread himself reported this his rep found out and reported to him that the apparent increase in the amount of time it takes them to finish up the case once the RFE'd materials arrives is due to the amount of work pending at his Service Center.

And if they want more in the way of "minutia" about service center processing, there are people like me who have been, and are willing to continue to share that information.

Who has waited 2 years for an I-129f approval at a Service Center (the topic of this thread is about feedback from a rep about RFE processing time at a Service Center)? I'd be surprised if anybody has even had to wait even 1 year for a Service Center to process an I-129f.

I could be wrong when it comes to any particular individual and his or her case, but whe people who already know about the USCIS reports and how to use them to calculate an overdue date contact their reps anyway, it might be that they secretly hope or expect that doing so will get their cases moved up to the front of the line. And if there is a justifiable reason to do so (they meet one of the expedite criteria the Service Centers publish to the public) than the case will be moved up in the line, however simply wanting it to move faster is not one of the enumerated expedite criteria.

And as far as "hording" information is concerned, they USCIS provides vital information in a convenient way for most people.

If people want to measure the progress the USCIS is making on the cases, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...sp?textFlag=N#

If people want to check the progress of their own particular case, or to see if the USCIS is reporting anything new today about their case, they can check here:
https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...s/caseStat.jsp

Both come courtesy of the USCIS, and this is a way of getting out vital information that does not require redundant inquiries being made at the NCSC, a Representative and a Senator and does not cost the Service Center one minute of time (so they can focus on actually working the cases). After all, the OP in this thread himself reported this his rep found out and reported to him that the apparent increase in the amount of time it takes them to finish up the case once the RFE'd materials arrives is due to the amount of work pending at his Service Center.

And if they want more in the way of "minutia" about service center processing, there are people like me who have been, and are willing to continue to share that information.

Comparing someone's death to waiting for an I-129f approval is silly and an insult to those who have had loved ones die.

Information? No problem. See the links I've posted above.

I won't post the links again where they can find vital information on a daily basis. It's certainly no secret that the USCIS is under funded and under staffed and that is why there is a backlog. The rep himself confirmed once again that very fact to the OP in this thread. One can see how much progress is being made by checking the Service Centers processing time reports.

Knowing "when" to expect progress…. That sounds like you want the USCIS to make additional wild guesses? Didn't you just say:

But now you want them to make an additional wild guess? And what method do you expect them to use to provide that information to each petitioner?

Leslie

The problem with instant gratification is that it takes entirely too long.

Leslie

This message has been brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

utopiacowboy

You cannot contact them. They do not answer their email or their telephone.

Leslie

Hi Cowboy,

I can't think of anybody other than Tony (lpdiver) that has gone through there recently. What was his timeline?

Leslie

Matthew Udall

;-).

Hi Leslie,
Last night before falling asleep (I usually put my TV on a timer when going to sleep), I seem to recall hearing something about a large earthquake hitting Morocco. Was that correct? If so, I just wanted to send out my best wishes to your husband and his family back home (plus to all the other US/Morocco couples in this group, and there are a few of these couples).

Matt

jeffreyhy

Matt,

I'm in agreement with you that premature and excessive inquiries are self-defeating, diverting resources from the job at hand. Unfortunately, my experience is that the reporting system you reference here is not a reliable source of information. I have had 2 petitions approved recently - 1 at the NSC in October and 1 at the NBC in December - that are still showing as 'received, we will let you know when a decision has been made'

The first of these I could care less about any more, so I've let it go. But for the 2nd I will one day need the approval notice, so I have little choice but to hound the CIS until they wake up to the fact that they approved my petition more than 2 months ago.

I think that most people would accept a limited amount of information if the agency had some credibility, but it doesn't.

Regards, JEff

Leslie

Thanks, Matt.

I was getting phone calls all day yesterday about this very thing. The hardest hit area is nowhere near my in-laws and we don't even know anybody in that particular area. We do know some people in Tangier (the avatar photo of my husband on the beach was taken in Tangier) and the earthquake was felt there, but I don't think there were any deaths reported in that area.

The really sad part is that these remote villages are very under-developed. There is really no way of accurately accounting for the missing or the dead other than just digging them out one by one. Many of them may never be identified because of the lack of medical/dental and birth records in these areas. My heart really goes out to the families of the missing and the dead.

utopiacowboy

Yes, they are the only active posters who have gone through Bogota. I looked to see their timelines and it appears that she received the packet within a month of its having gone through the NVC. I am certainly willing to give the embassy more time but I am beginning to get concerned. The K3 approval expires May 6.

Spahi

Hyper,
I just came back from Colorado and it is just so sunny. No wonder
people there are always happy....I am back in Chi-town..... not too
cold today.

Leslie

Well, if it's any comfort everything about our case seemed to take a month (give or take.) One month after the I-129 was approved he got packet 3. His interview was set for one month after receiving packet 3. He got the visa one month after the interview.

I realize that I was dealing with a different consulate, but a month doesn't seem too out of line. Give it a little more time.

Matthew Udall

Hi JEff,
Your posting above confirms yet again the suspect nature of the number chunchers reports about "old" cases still not approved. These old cases should therefore probably not be used as ammunition when contacting a rep with a "See what a screwed up agency this is" sort of complaint. Complaints about one's own case are fine and dandy, however as your report clearly shows, there are times where cases have been approved but that information does not make it to the online system (and whether or not your information is ever updated in the system is now a moot point... not a problem. Your case "was" approved and your current problem is not yet having an approval notice).

I asked about this phenomenon years ago while touring the CSC (the online system is new, but it matches the older telephonic checking system and is tied into the claims software system just like the old telephonic system). I've saved an old posting of mine that deals with this issue, and this posting is based upon what the Ombudsman at the CSC told me in relation to this problem (when the system indicates the case is still pending).

I'll paste in my old posting immediately below (I wrote this back in 2001 when the service was still known as the INS):
-//-
I've posted similar replies to this type of "INS Direct says they can't locate my case" question before and I have saved this reply to my hard drive, so I’m pasting it in as an answer to your question.

When a contract worker at the data entry room at a Service Center has entered your data, the INS computer (which runs the CLAIMS software system) automatically generates your receipt notice and also automatically sends the information to the INS telephone system called INS Direct. Keep in mind that this task of updating the INS Direct phone system is automated, not done by a human.

If the internal phone lines are down at a Service Center (which they often are for maintenance or a variety of other reasons) the information (that your case was received on..) never makes it to the INS Direct phone system. The computer simply sends out the information to the INS Direct system, but has no way of knowing if that information “made it� to the INS Direct phone system. The computer only sends that information out once, and does not keep sending it out over and over again.

When you call the INS Direct phone system, you are hearing information about the last thing that happened in your case (the last information that “made it� to the INS Direct phone system). In your particular case, if the internal lines were down when the Claims software tried to send out the “received on this date� information, the last thing that the INS Direct system would have about your case is that it does not yet exist as far as that system knows, so you hear the message that your case cannot be found.

Now lets say someone has a case on file and they call the INS Direct phone system and hear the message stating their case was received on a certain date. Then that case is approved, but the Service Center’s internal phone lines are down for maintenance at the time the INS computer tries to send the new information (about the case approval) to the INS Direct phone system. Even though the case had been approved, that petitioner would still hear information about the last thing that happened in the case that had “made it� to the INS Direct system... in other words, he or she would still hear, "your case was received on...".

The odds are that your case is not lost, but rather that the Service Center’s phone lines were down when the INS computer tried to update the INS Direct phone system.

Odds are that when your case is approved (or heaven forbid denied or if they decide to send you an RFE) the internal phone lines at your Service Center won't be down, so you will eventually hear about the next thing that happens in your case (and which information “made it� to the INS Direct phone system).

Good luck with your case.

Best Regards,
Matthew Udall
Attorney
http://members.aol.com/MDUdall/fiancee.htm
Copyright 2001 Matthew Udall

-//-

If you have not received an approval notice, than that is a "USCIS screw up" and you "should" be hounding them for that. The receipt and approval notices are printed, folded and stuffed into envelopes by machine (I've seen these machines in action at the CSC, NSC, NBC and TSC). The receipt and approval notices are not touched by human hand during this process, and unfortunately sometimes the machine that folds and stuffs them into an envelope malfunctions and more than one notice gets stuffed into an envelope. That means that some petitioner is likely never going to receive his or her receipt or approval notice.

I've had that happen before. I've opened up an envelope from a service center only to find someone else's notice in there along with my client's notice. That other person had an attorney working on his case, so I did what I would hope someone else would do for me, and I looked up that attorney and send the notice to him (never got a thank you reply though). Last time I was at a CSC liaison meeting, this potential problem was brought up again, and the CSC asked that we attorneys do what we can to try to help each other out when this happens (like I helped that other person's case).

So hound them to get your notice. They might try telling you to submit an I-824 and pay that fee, but try to get it without filing that form. I've had luck in this regard before (without filing an I-824 when a notice never initially arrived to my office for one of my cases).

Good luck.

Andrew Defaria

Matthew Udall wrote:

    > If they
    > want to measure the progress the USCIS is making on the cases, they can
    > check here:
    > ]https://egov.immigration.gov/graphics/cris/jsps/index.-
    > jsp?textFlag=N#[/url]
    > If they want to check the progress of their own
    > particular case, or to see if the USCIS is reporting anything new today
    > about their case, they can check here:
    > https://egov.immigration.gov/graphic...s/caseStat.jsp
    > Both come courtesy of the USCIS, and this is a way of getting out
    > vital information that does not require redundant inquiries being made
    > at the NCSC, a Representative and a Senator and does not cost the
    > Service Center one minute of time (so they can focus on actually working
    > the cases).

Agreed the case status on line is an improvement. But there are many
times when it is just inadequate. For example, if you're in the black
hole of Admin Review that site don't do shit for you. Trying to find out
*why* you are in admin review, what they are looking for and yes, how
you can actually help provide them the information so that they can
actually perform the admin review is like pulling teeth with a
toothpick! IOW impossible. I suffered through admin review for a year.
Never, I repeat, never heard why there was a review. The review was
never completed or done AFAICT, instead the embassy changed their mind
after a year of total inaction by the service center and gave us a
second change. The above web pages do nothing to provide any
information. In fact I believe they still have my case listed as
approved many years ago.

    > After all, the OP in this thread himself reported this his rep found
    > out and reported to him that the apparent increase in the amount of
    > time it takes them to finish up the case once the RFE'd
    > materials arrives is due to the amount of work pending at his Service
    > Center.

Your point? Would those web pages cited above give the OP that info? (No).

    > And if they want more in the way of "minutia" about service center
    > processing, there are people like me who have been, and are willing to
    > continue to share that information.

I'd be willing to guess that most people are unaware of this newsgroup
or BE and do not feel like paying $$$ to retain an immigration attorney
only to be told "You'll just have to wait". I've dealt with several
immigration attorneys in my day and none of them ever gave the detailed
information about the innards of service center processing that you do
Matt. And while interesting it is also frustrating to learn exactly how
bass ackwards their processing is. Come on, really? Shelfs? In the 21st
century? Amazing!

    > Originally
    > posted by Andrew Defaria
    >> And yes, they want an approval yesterday
    > many times because they've
    >> already been told, incorrectly, that the
    > process would be finished many
    >> yesterdays before or that they have
    > been waiting 1/2, 1, 2 years for
    >> something that just should not be
    > taking that long!
    > Who has waited 2 years for an I-129f approval at a Service Center (the
    > topic of this thread is about feedback from a rep about RFE processing
    > time at a Service Center)? I'd be surprised if anybody has even had to
    > wait even 1 year for a Service Center to process an I-129f.

I languished for over a year in admin review. Technically you are right,
I had an approved petition however the admin review was sent back to the
service center and they sat on it for a year, did nothing and said
nothing about it. From my viewpoint having an approval meant absolutely
nothing because I was still denied the ability to bring her here.

    > Originally posted by Andrew
    > Defaria
    >> The agencies would not have to be dealing with multiple
    > inquires if they
    >> would be giving out information instead of hoarding
    > it!
    > I could be wrong when it comes to any particular individual and his or
    > her case, but whe people who already know about the USCIS reports and
    > how to use them to calculate an overdue date contact their reps
    > anyway, it might be that they secretly hope or expect that doing so
    > will get their cases moved up to the front of the line.

Pure conjecture on your part, isn't it?

People want to be treated reasonably. Having to wait even 6 months for
some paperwork to be processed is unreasonable in most peoples eyes. We
rarely experience such waits in any other aspects of our lives so why
here? And if the process is going to take that long we want to know why,
what's involved, what the steps are, how many steps are there, what step
are we at, how long the steps typically take so that we can get a
feeling of how long it should be for us to expect a final approval and
plan our lives around such things. We don't want a simple "We're working
on this date, three months before your date, cannot tell you how many we
average per day, when we will get to your case and you're just gonna
have to wait" with no indication of any progress for 6 months to a year!

Now us enlightened people here in this newsgroup, with the helpful
information you and others supply about the process know that they are
swamped, overworked, understaffed and are working as hard as they can
with the resources provided. However, any way you slice it it is clear
to me that to most people such waits are an indication of a *BROKEN
PROCESS IN DIRE NEED OF FIXING AND/OR MORE RESOURCES!!!* Hell and it's
not just me or them that is saying that - the president also says it
vowing to get all immigration processing done within at least 6 months
(now if they could just achieve that... :-( ).

    > And if there is a justifiable reason to do so (they meet one of the
    > expedite criteria the Service Centers publish to the public) than the
    > case will be moved up in the line, however simply wanting it to move
    > faster is not one of the enumerated expedite criteria.
    > And as far as "hording" information is concerned, they USCIS provides
    > vital information in a convenient way for most people.

IYHO but not IMHO.

    >> That depends largely on your definitions
    > of "timely fashion" and "as
    >> fast as they can". For example, if they
    > were paramedics and were
    >> processing "as fast as they can" but fail to
    > get the patient to the
    >> hospital in time and they die then I'd still
    > call it "not in a timely
    >> fashion". I *understand* they are working
    > with what they have but I also
    >> understand that the patient is still
    > dead.
    > Comparing someone's death to waiting for an I-129f approval is silly
    > and an insult to those who have had loved ones die.

Bullshit! It's an analogy which, by definition, is not gonna be the same
thing. I used it to explain that sometimes "as fast as possible" !=
"timely fashion". Substitute a person who broke their arm, somebody who
lost a business opportunity or investment or missing your baby's birth
for somebody who died. The point still remains: Sometimes "as fast as
possible" != "timely fashion". Too bad you were unable to understand it.
However I levied no insult to anybody that died nor their loved ones and
I'm amazed you got that out of my statement, so to respond in that
fashion is disengenous at best Matt.

    > Originally posted by Andrew Defaria
    >> Often people are
    > not looking to be placed in front of anybody else -
    >> they just want
    > information.
    > Information? No problem. See the links I've
    > posted above.

Often that information is insufficient.

    > Originally posted by Andrew Defaria
    > Again, often people are just looking for information to understand what
    >> the hold up is and when they can expect to see some progress (and it
    >> would be nice to see progress being made or being alerted that
    > progress
    >> is being made).
    > I won't post the links again

THANK GOD!

    > where they can find vital information on a daily basis. It's certainly
    > no secret that the USCIS is under funded and under staffed and that is
    > why there is a backlog.

Right, the secret is *why* they are under funded, under staffed, etc...

    > The rep himself confirmed once again that very
    > fact to the OP in this thread. One can see how much progress is being
    > made by checking the Service Centers processing time reports.
    > Knowing
    > "when" to expect progressÂ.... That sounds like you want the USCIS to make
    > additional wild guesses?

Maybe to you - but not to me. Ever hear of educated guesses? Reasonable
estimates? Guess not.

    > Didn't you just say:
    > Originally
    > posted by Andrew Defaria
    >> And yes, they want an approval yesterday
    > many times because they've
    >> already been told, incorrectly, that the
    > process would be finished many
    >> yesterdays before or that they have
    > been waiting 1/2, 1, 2 years for
    >> something that just should not be
    > taking that long!
    > But now you want them to make an
    > additional wild guess?

Hey that's your straw man not mine!

    > And what method do you expect them to use to
    > provide that information to each petitioner?

There are a plethora of examples in the real world of how real
organizations do this. Learn from them.
--
Things are more like they are today than they ever were before.

utopiacowboy

Thanks. I am concerned but willing to wait a while longer. The problem is I have been looking on timelines like davehollis and it looks like in the past everyone received their packets from Bogota within a couple of weeks. Of course they could be swamped right now. BTW, good to hear that all your loved ones are safe and sound in Morocco.

Matthew Udall

If they are investigating your case, it would not make much sense to tip you off as to the subject matter of that investigation. And besides that, it was the "Consulate" that sent your case back to the service center. The task of performing "reconsideration" or "revocation" at a Service Center is not a high priority.

Most people don't have their cases sent back to the Service Center from the Consulate for reconsideration or revocation. Don't you remember the "hours" I spent going over this with you before while you were going through this? This was when you used your asinine argument about UPL being fine and dandy with your analogy about it being perfectly fine to shout "FIRE" in a crowded theater. That's when I decided it was not worth wasting any more time on an idiot such as you. In fact, instead of replying further in this thread as I planned to, I will take my own advice again and stop here.

Good luck.

Well, I'll post a little more. I'll bet most attorneys who practice immigration law are not members of AILA. I'll bet most AILA members do not do fiancée cases or visit the service centers. I on the other hand have a keen interest in fiancée cases and service center processing, so naturally I'm going to have insight into these issues that most attorneys won't have.

And you have a problem with shelves? What a dork!