When are RFE's going to be approved
Dec 16th 2003, 3:43 pm
#16
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Location: Bandera, Texas - Medellin, Colombia
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Ah, Mr. Udall, the voice of reason. Unfortunately, if you are separated from such a lovely wife as shown in this photo, you are not inclined to be reasonable. I know I want to be with my wife NOW! Of course I probably should have thought about this before falling in love with a Colombian. Oh well, it will be over eventually. It sounds like you do have some legitimate gripes with the handling of your RFE. Money, money, money is what we really need from Congress to solve this problem.
Dec 16th 2003, 3:50 pm
#17
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by utopiacowboy
Ah, Mr. Udall, the voice of reason. Unfortunately, if you are separated from such a lovely wife as shown in this photo, you are not inclined to be reasonable.
Ah, Mr. Udall, the voice of reason. Unfortunately, if you are separated from such a lovely wife as shown in this photo, you are not inclined to be reasonable.
At least the OP will be reunited with his loved one soon. Not so in my case.
Last edited by Matthew Udall; Dec 16th 2003 at 3:53 pm.
Dec 16th 2003, 4:24 pm
#18
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Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 118
Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by Matthew Udall
By the way, nice photo.
I see it all the time. People who have never visited a service center, have absolutely no idea about the size and scope of their operation, don’t know about the procedures and processes they have in place to try to do this important work on a grand scale, don’t appreciate the fact that no two cases are indeed the same, have no idea what sort of prioritizing must be made when doing this work, might not be aware of a new deadline or other restraint just placed on them by congress, jump to an incorrect conclusion that just because someone else’s case (or a few someone else’s cases) took a certain amount of time that theirs must also be approved as per some sort of schedule… these folks “always� blame the USCIS workers or management when cases are not approved as quickly as they want.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe you have every reason to wish you were together with your loved one right now, and yes, it is true that they can and do make mistakes from time to time, however the speed in which your particular case is being worked on is far more likely due to workload than due to mismanagement (but if it makes you feel better to have this scapegoat, go ahead).
Who said you have to wait like it’s a new petition? Most of the time cases are approved pretty swiftly once the RFE materials arrive, but who knows what is going on at your particular service center right now that is obviously slowing (and according to you a few other people’s cases) the final approval of your case.
I think they worry more about trying to stay as current as they can on the dozens of case types they process, and probably a little less about whether or not they are pissing a particular person off (since I think they will get complaints no matter what they do). The ironic thing is that people are complaining about, and complaining to the wrong people. If you want immigration cases to be processed faster the culprit is Congress. I would hate to be a manager at a Service Center taking heat from the very people (Congress) who created the problem in the first place!
I will agree with you that managing a client’s expectations is important, however they are not perfect nor will they ever be perfect. The Service Centers themselves don’t have the authority to change the projected processing times listed on a receipt notice (USCIS HQ tells them what to list). Plus, processing times will always speed up and slow down for a wide variety of factors, some of which are completely outside the control of the USCIS. Unless people get instant adjudication of their petitions (and Congress could spend enough to hire a separate Immigration Officer for each and every case, but that is not going to happen), there is always going to be someone complaining about processing times (and people are going to continue wasting the Service Center’s time [and sometimes their political reps time] by contacting the service center to complain even when their case is not overdue yet!).
Hey, at least “they� are now posting their service center reports on “their� site. I’ve been advocating for a long time that they do this so it would not have to come from AILA and as it would give more realistic expectations than a wild guess made at the outset and printed on a receipt notice. That is progress, a good management decision that will help give the public more realistic expectations.
How do you know there is not something wrong with your particular case? How do you know what constraints and priorities the managers must take into consideration (or ordered by Congress to take into consideration) right now? If there are others waiting for the RFE/approvals, and if your attorney’s letters have not fixed the problem, then it sure sounds to me like they may have had to do some sort of prioritizing that did not work in your favor.
I doubt you go to work and work for free without pay, and your decision not to work for free has nothing to do with the managers at your job. Congress has underfunded the USCIS, and they have more work waiting to be done than man-hours budgeted to do it all immediately. I don’t think the managers at the Service Centers can get their employees to work for free any more than your manager can get you to work for free.
That is pretty much what I’ve always been told about RFE’s when I’ve asked about the procedures while touring the Service Centers. They don’t go back to the bottom of the pile, and instead the contract worker goes to the special shelf where they shelve the cases waiting for RFE replies, they find and pull the file and take it back to the (or an) immigration officer for further processing.
I was at the post office today around 4 PM. Even though when I first arrived there was hardly anybody there (there were only two people in front of me in the line), the people who already were with the clerks must have had weird transactions as it still took almost 20 freaking minutes to make it to a clerk! They should hire more of them so I “never� have to wait in line longer than 1 minute (and even that would be 1 minute too long :-). But alas, they are serving the public, not just me as an individual (and by the time I was finished with my two-minute transaction, the line of people waiting stretched out the door).
Plus I come prepared with things packaged up and stamped, and usually they only have to scan the priority mail bar code for me; and I hate it when I see “IDIOTS� in line who treat the postal employees like they were their own private Mailboxes Etc. employee who will wrap up their shipment for them, add extra tape on the box for them… that sort of thing. If people came prepared (and in the immigration context, if more people put together well documented submissions) I believe transactions would move through both agencies (Post office and USCIS) more quickly.
By the way, nice photo.
I see it all the time. People who have never visited a service center, have absolutely no idea about the size and scope of their operation, don’t know about the procedures and processes they have in place to try to do this important work on a grand scale, don’t appreciate the fact that no two cases are indeed the same, have no idea what sort of prioritizing must be made when doing this work, might not be aware of a new deadline or other restraint just placed on them by congress, jump to an incorrect conclusion that just because someone else’s case (or a few someone else’s cases) took a certain amount of time that theirs must also be approved as per some sort of schedule… these folks “always� blame the USCIS workers or management when cases are not approved as quickly as they want.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe you have every reason to wish you were together with your loved one right now, and yes, it is true that they can and do make mistakes from time to time, however the speed in which your particular case is being worked on is far more likely due to workload than due to mismanagement (but if it makes you feel better to have this scapegoat, go ahead).
Who said you have to wait like it’s a new petition? Most of the time cases are approved pretty swiftly once the RFE materials arrive, but who knows what is going on at your particular service center right now that is obviously slowing (and according to you a few other people’s cases) the final approval of your case.
I think they worry more about trying to stay as current as they can on the dozens of case types they process, and probably a little less about whether or not they are pissing a particular person off (since I think they will get complaints no matter what they do). The ironic thing is that people are complaining about, and complaining to the wrong people. If you want immigration cases to be processed faster the culprit is Congress. I would hate to be a manager at a Service Center taking heat from the very people (Congress) who created the problem in the first place!
I will agree with you that managing a client’s expectations is important, however they are not perfect nor will they ever be perfect. The Service Centers themselves don’t have the authority to change the projected processing times listed on a receipt notice (USCIS HQ tells them what to list). Plus, processing times will always speed up and slow down for a wide variety of factors, some of which are completely outside the control of the USCIS. Unless people get instant adjudication of their petitions (and Congress could spend enough to hire a separate Immigration Officer for each and every case, but that is not going to happen), there is always going to be someone complaining about processing times (and people are going to continue wasting the Service Center’s time [and sometimes their political reps time] by contacting the service center to complain even when their case is not overdue yet!).
Hey, at least “they� are now posting their service center reports on “their� site. I’ve been advocating for a long time that they do this so it would not have to come from AILA and as it would give more realistic expectations than a wild guess made at the outset and printed on a receipt notice. That is progress, a good management decision that will help give the public more realistic expectations.
How do you know there is not something wrong with your particular case? How do you know what constraints and priorities the managers must take into consideration (or ordered by Congress to take into consideration) right now? If there are others waiting for the RFE/approvals, and if your attorney’s letters have not fixed the problem, then it sure sounds to me like they may have had to do some sort of prioritizing that did not work in your favor.
I doubt you go to work and work for free without pay, and your decision not to work for free has nothing to do with the managers at your job. Congress has underfunded the USCIS, and they have more work waiting to be done than man-hours budgeted to do it all immediately. I don’t think the managers at the Service Centers can get their employees to work for free any more than your manager can get you to work for free.
That is pretty much what I’ve always been told about RFE’s when I’ve asked about the procedures while touring the Service Centers. They don’t go back to the bottom of the pile, and instead the contract worker goes to the special shelf where they shelve the cases waiting for RFE replies, they find and pull the file and take it back to the (or an) immigration officer for further processing.
I was at the post office today around 4 PM. Even though when I first arrived there was hardly anybody there (there were only two people in front of me in the line), the people who already were with the clerks must have had weird transactions as it still took almost 20 freaking minutes to make it to a clerk! They should hire more of them so I “never� have to wait in line longer than 1 minute (and even that would be 1 minute too long :-). But alas, they are serving the public, not just me as an individual (and by the time I was finished with my two-minute transaction, the line of people waiting stretched out the door).
Plus I come prepared with things packaged up and stamped, and usually they only have to scan the priority mail bar code for me; and I hate it when I see “IDIOTS� in line who treat the postal employees like they were their own private Mailboxes Etc. employee who will wrap up their shipment for them, add extra tape on the box for them… that sort of thing. If people came prepared (and in the immigration context, if more people put together well documented submissions) I believe transactions would move through both agencies (Post office and USCIS) more quickly.
My frustration lies not so much with the service centers, but with their lack of reporting of status. It may not help things go faster, but it makes the waiting easier knowing what is happening. They should overhaul the online status system to report more detailed information about what they are processing.
I'm also frustrated with the political aspect of this. More money is needed to staff these centers to work through the massive backlog that exists. But, this seems to be low priority for our government.
Dec 16th 2003, 4:24 pm
#19
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Joined: Sep 2003
Location: USA & CANADA
Posts: 322
Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Good point Matt.
Looking at this whole mess from a different perspective can change an attitude. Our spouses/fiance's are alive and in love with us and there's always hope we will be with them soon. What about the people out there who lost their love in divorce or death. Think about it...think about how lucky you actually are.
Looking at this whole mess from a different perspective can change an attitude. Our spouses/fiance's are alive and in love with us and there's always hope we will be with them soon. What about the people out there who lost their love in divorce or death. Think about it...think about how lucky you actually are.
Originally posted by Matthew Udall
I “am� separated from my lovely wife, although it has nothing to do with the USCIS. I've always treated her reasonably and fairly regardless of the situation or any grief I may have gone through due to our separation. Sometimes we simply have to endure hardship, grief, inconvenience or hassle, and sometimes no amount of bitching is going to change that.
At least the OP will be reunited with his loved one soon. Not so in my case.
I “am� separated from my lovely wife, although it has nothing to do with the USCIS. I've always treated her reasonably and fairly regardless of the situation or any grief I may have gone through due to our separation. Sometimes we simply have to endure hardship, grief, inconvenience or hassle, and sometimes no amount of bitching is going to change that.
At least the OP will be reunited with his loved one soon. Not so in my case.
Dec 17th 2003, 7:20 am
#20
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by glasgowm
My frustration lies not so much with the service centers, but with their lack of reporting of status. It may not help things go faster, but it makes the waiting easier knowing what is happening. They should overhaul the online status system to report more detailed information about what they are processing.
My frustration lies not so much with the service centers, but with their lack of reporting of status. It may not help things go faster, but it makes the waiting easier knowing what is happening. They should overhaul the online status system to report more detailed information about what they are processing.
So, your problem is their “lack of reporting of status�? What more do you need them to tell you? If you want them to tell you “how much longer�, than you are asking them to tell you something that they can’t possibly answer with any certainty (we’ve already seen the effects of “wild guessing� about this for years now, as that type of wild guess is printed on receipt notices).
I suppose if they had an “unlimited� amount of money, they could hire a union officer to work just your one case, and that officer could call you every day even when there was nothing to report, to tell you there is nothing to report. Or perhaps they could simply hire your own special contract worker to call you every day to let you know how many feet the file is away from being to the front of the shelf, or to tell you that there is nothing new to report today. But since they are actually under-funded and don’t have the man-hours as it is to stay current on every case type, don’t expect them to hire a special employee just for your case any time soon.
The message, “Nothing New To Report Today� is already being delivered to you each and every day when you log onto the net and see that the message has not changed to indicate the case has been approved.
They just came up with the on-line system, so I would not hold your breath waiting for an overhaul of that brand new system. The on-line system was designed to give the same information that was already available via the phone checking system (but without all the busy signals trying to get through using the phone system). I suppose one could have one’s rep bug the service center constantly (that same rep who likely under budgeted and thus understaffed the service center in the first place) or one could call on one’s own each day to bug the service center. I would agree with your assertion though (in that case), that doing this “may not help things go faster�.
I think the best approach is, 1) put together a well documented submission to try to reduce the odds of getting an RFE (all of you RFE people out there are slowing down “everybody’s� case including my client’s cases), 2) stop bugging them and don’t have your rep’s bug them (let them do their job) unless, a) you have reason to believe they have lost your case or there is a screw up that needs fixing, or b) your case becomes “overdue�.
Last edited by Matthew Udall; Dec 17th 2003 at 7:22 am.
Dec 17th 2003, 9:40 am
#21
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Posts: 118
Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by Matthew Udall
If you have a receipt notice, you know they have your case. True, they might lose it once they have it, but that is not as common an event as you might think (its actually pretty rare). If you have a computer, you have access to the reports they themselves put out that will tell you if your case has likely been given to an officer yet (IBIS wrinkle). Once you determine that your case has likely been given to an officer, you can calculate a realistic overdue date and contact them if the case becomes overdue.
...
If you have a receipt notice, you know they have your case. True, they might lose it once they have it, but that is not as common an event as you might think (its actually pretty rare). If you have a computer, you have access to the reports they themselves put out that will tell you if your case has likely been given to an officer yet (IBIS wrinkle). Once you determine that your case has likely been given to an officer, you can calculate a realistic overdue date and contact them if the case becomes overdue.
...
I assume that they have an automated system for tracking cases. It would be nice if they would post each weak not only what dates they are working on, but how many of each case type they processed and how many applications they have backlogged. This of course would not be a constant flow week to week. People get moved around, people take vacation, the holidays interveen, but it would give you an idea of how things are progressing. Again, this wouldn't speed the process up, it would just allow people to see the data and feel like something is happening.
I am definitely happy that they now post the processing reports on their site. I think this is a major improvement. Maybe this will be a first step to provide even better reporting in the future.
The hardest part of the waiting for me is the fact that their is absolutely nothing I can do to speed it up.
Dec 17th 2003, 9:46 am
#22
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Posts: 118
Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by Matthew Udall
If you have a receipt notice, you know they have your case. True, they might lose it once they have it, but that is not as common an event as you might think (its actually pretty rare). If you have a computer, you have access to the reports they themselves put out that will tell you if your case has likely been given to an officer yet (IBIS wrinkle). Once you determine that your case has likely been given to an officer, you can calculate a realistic overdue date and contact them if the case becomes overdue.
If you have a receipt notice, you know they have your case. True, they might lose it once they have it, but that is not as common an event as you might think (its actually pretty rare). If you have a computer, you have access to the reports they themselves put out that will tell you if your case has likely been given to an officer yet (IBIS wrinkle). Once you determine that your case has likely been given to an officer, you can calculate a realistic overdue date and contact them if the case becomes overdue.
This is not a criticism of the process. I just really have no idea what is involved. When I think of getting Visas, I think of when I got a Visa for Mozambique in Zimbabwe. It cost like $20 and I had to fill out a very simple form. I submitted these to the window, and once they verified that I did indeed have $20 with my application, they stamped the Visa in my passport and I walked out the door. I've had similar experiences in many other countries as well.
Of course, I don't think this is what is going on at any of the Service Centers, but that's the image that comes to mind.
Dec 17th 2003, 9:48 am
#23
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Joined: Jul 2003
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by tmushen
This really is crazy. I believe that we are going to be waiting another 60 to 90 days from the time the RFE was issued. Absolute BS. These people should all be fired because they have the clue how painful this is. National Security my ass because if it was National Security that was so important they would hire more people. It's all about money or lack of.
This really is crazy. I believe that we are going to be waiting another 60 to 90 days from the time the RFE was issued. Absolute BS. These people should all be fired because they have the clue how painful this is. National Security my ass because if it was National Security that was so important they would hire more people. It's all about money or lack of.
I am so sorry you guys are still waiting, I wish I could approve your case!!!. We are on day 71 today.. It is no by far what you guys have been waiting.. but I know how hard it is to be away from the ones you love
, the only thing I can tell you is to hang in there, You should get approve anytime soon.By the way, nice picture, you 2 look like a very nice and lovely couple!!
Dec 17th 2003, 9:55 am
#24
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by glasgowm I assume that they have an automated system for tracking cases.
Their reports reflect the notice date of the last case given to an officer. When making these reports, a contract worker has to go into the file room and get those dates off of the index cards in order to gather the data for the report. Doesn’t sound too automated to me. Perhaps you want them to put out a new report every day? Again, they are already understaffed and overworked, and throwing them more “busy� work is “not� going to get your case approved any faster and could actually have the opposite effect.
Originally posted by glasgowm
It would be nice if they would post each weak not only what dates they are working on, but how many of each case type they processed and how many applications they have backlogged.
It would be nice if they would post each weak not only what dates they are working on, but how many of each case type they processed and how many applications they have backlogged.
Originally posted by glasgowm
This of course would not be a constant flow week to week. People get moved around, people take vacation, the holidays interveen, but it would give you an idea of how things are progressing. Again, this wouldn't speed the process up, it would just allow people to see the data and feel like something is happening.
This of course would not be a constant flow week to week. People get moved around, people take vacation, the holidays interveen, but it would give you an idea of how things are progressing. Again, this wouldn't speed the process up, it would just allow people to see the data and feel like something is happening.
Originally posted by glasgowm
The hardest part of the waiting for me is the fact that their is absolutely nothing I can do to speed it up.
The hardest part of the waiting for me is the fact that their is absolutely nothing I can do to speed it up.
You are not buying a petition approval nor buying a visa. This ain’t McDonalds and there is no instant gratification waiting for you at the drive thru window. Sorry, but that is just the way it is.
Last edited by Matthew Udall; Dec 17th 2003 at 12:09 pm.
Dec 17th 2003, 11:49 am
#25
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Posts: 16,266
Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by Matthew Udall
You are not buying a petition approval nor buying a visa. This ain’t McDonalds and there is no instant gratification waiting for you at the drive thru window. Sorry, but that is just the way it is.
You are not buying a petition approval nor buying a visa. This ain’t McDonalds and there is no instant gratification waiting for you at the drive thru window. Sorry, but that is just the way it is.
I'm almost tempted at next liaison to ask them to put back the sign in 8024 and 2050 -- "This is not Burger King -- you can't have it your way."
It was SO honest and so true.
Dec 17th 2003, 12:32 pm
#26
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by Folinskyinla
Hi:
I'm almost tempted at next liaison to ask them to put back the sign in 8024 and 2050 -- "This is not Burger King -- you can't have it your way."
It was SO honest and so true.
Hi:
I'm almost tempted at next liaison to ask them to put back the sign in 8024 and 2050 -- "This is not Burger King -- you can't have it your way."
It was SO honest and so true.
I am not asking to be approved faster I am just asking to be approved as fast as everyone else whether that be 60, 90, 120 or any amount of days. I don't see how you guys can't see our point of view.
Like I said yesterday soon they will be processing cases with receipt dates from the time we received RFE's. This is not right. I could see if it took each of us a few months to get the information back to BCIs but that wasn't the case. Waiting this long we could just send in new applications. Like I said yesterady I know that's not the answer but I am approcahing 140 days as are many others with RFE's while some people are getting approved as quick as 70 to 80 days. So when are these RFE's actually going to be worked on.
I know the next question is how do I know they are not being worked on. Well I don't know this but I do know everyone in this forum and few others with RFE's around the middle November have not been approved and I can't see how we all have something wrong with our cases.
Dec 17th 2003, 12:58 pm
#27
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by tmushen
I have read the last few posts and as much as I agree with them I have to say I don't think anyone us is asking to buy a visa.
I have read the last few posts and as much as I agree with them I have to say I don't think anyone us is asking to buy a visa.
Instead you are asking the U.S. government to “bestow� or “grant� to you a very precious gift, but before the government can do that, an officer charged with applying U.S. immigration law must first look over “your� forms and evidence and make a judgment call as to whether or not you are indeed eligible to submit the petition. Likewise, a Consular officer charged with applying U.S. immigration law will eventually focus his or her attention on your spouse’s unique facts and evidence in order to make a judgment call that she is indeed eligible to receive this precious gift that you and she have asked them to bestow.
Contrary to popular belief, your wife at this moment in time does not have a “right� to a K-3 or immigrant visa, nor do you have the “right� to have her living with you right now in the U.S. Those precious gifts are only given once officers charged with enforcing the law have the opportunity to finish doing their jobs. Please let them do their jobs.
Granted, if there were more of them (officers), it might not take so long, and I can appreciate that it might not be a fun waiting period.
Originally posted by tmushen
I also don't think any one of us is asking for our cases to processed ahead of others. I think our gripe is when we see people getting approved with Receipt dates as far as 9/30 which for some of us is less than 30 days away from the time we received our RFE's something is not right.
I also don't think any one of us is asking for our cases to processed ahead of others. I think our gripe is when we see people getting approved with Receipt dates as far as 9/30 which for some of us is less than 30 days away from the time we received our RFE's something is not right.
Originally posted by tmushen
I am not asking to be approved faster I am just asking to be approved as fast as everyone else whether that be 60, 90, 120 or any amount of days. I don't see how you guys can't see our point of view.
I am not asking to be approved faster I am just asking to be approved as fast as everyone else whether that be 60, 90, 120 or any amount of days. I don't see how you guys can't see our point of view.
Originally posted by tmushen
Like I said yesterday soon they will be processing cases with receipt dates from the time we received RFE's. This is not right.
Like I said yesterday soon they will be processing cases with receipt dates from the time we received RFE's. This is not right.
Originally posted by tmushen
I am approcahing 140 days as are many others with RFE's while some people are getting approved as quick as 70 to 80 days. So when are these RFE's actually going to be worked on.
I am approcahing 140 days as are many others with RFE's while some people are getting approved as quick as 70 to 80 days. So when are these RFE's actually going to be worked on.
All I can tell you is that generally, they seem to process cases pretty quickly once the RFE materials arrive. Of course, your definition of pretty quickly might be different than mine. And if you observation is correct that yours is not the only RFE case having this occurrence, than as I stated yesterday, it sounds to me like they might have had to do some prioritizing that did not work in your favor. Believe it or not, they are understaffed and sometimes things come up (or Congress commands them) which require them to shift personnel from one product line to another for a short while until the event/crisis or what-have-you is over.
I think I’ll be quiet about this now. I do tour the service centers whenever I get the chance as I’m interested in learning as much minutia as I can about service center processing (the more I know, the more I can bring to my cases), however history has shown that when I start sharing too much of this information in relation to this particular subject, inevitably some yahoo is going to accuse me of “defending� the USCIS.
Last edited by Matthew Udall; Dec 17th 2003 at 1:04 pm.
Dec 17th 2003, 1:27 pm
#28
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Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Originally posted by Matthew Udall
I put that in from time to time to remind people that this is “not� private enterprise… which seems to be the most frequent argument made by the uninformed… “If I ran my business this way, I would not be in business for long�… that sort of thing.
Instead you are asking the U.S. government to “bestow� or “grant� to you a very precious gift, but before the government can do that, an officer charged with applying U.S. immigration law must first look over “your� forms and evidence and make a judgment call as to whether or not you are indeed eligible to submit the petition. Likewise, a Consular officer charged with applying U.S. immigration law will eventually focus his or her attention on your spouse’s unique facts and evidence in order to make a judgment call that she is indeed eligible to receive this precious gift that you and she have asked them to bestow.
Contrary to popular belief, your wife at this moment in time does not have a “right� to a K-3 or immigrant visa, nor do you have the “right� to have her living with you right now in the U.S. Those precious gifts are only given once officers charged with enforcing the law have the opportunity to finish doing their jobs. Please let them do their jobs.
Granted, if there were more of them (officers), it might not take so long, and I can appreciate that it might not be a fun waiting period.
If you are laboring under the belief that your case has to be processed at a certain time based on “other people’s� cases, than you are laboring under beliefs that have obviously lead to unrealistic expectations. And as far as I know, there is no “overdue� date for cases that received an RFE.
I know better than to embrace a view that is not based in reality. This is not a factory or cookie cutter approach whereby every case (or product in a factory) is uniformly the same. If you are laboring under the belief that your case has to be processed at a certain time based on “other people’s� cases, than you are laboring under beliefs that have obviously lead to unrealistic expectations.
Not right according to whom? And why on earth are you trying to compare case processing for people who put together a well documented submission (do not get an RFE) to those who do get RFE’S?
I can’t tell you “when� it will be finished any more than the USCIS can tell someone “how long it will take� when they receive the case at the service center. You are asking for something they cannot give.
All I can tell you is that generally, they seem to process cases pretty quickly once the RFE materials arrive. Of course, your definition of pretty quickly might be different than mine. And if you observation is correct that yours is not the only RFE case having this occurrence, than as I stated yesterday, it sounds to me like they might have had to do some prioritizing that did not work in your favor. Believe it or not, they are understaffed and sometimes things come up (or Congress commands them) which require them to shift personnel from one product line to another for a short while until the event/crisis or what-have-you is over.
I think I’ll be quiet about this now. I do tour the service centers whenever I get the chance as I’m interested in learning as much minutia as I can about service center processing (the more I know, the more I can bring to my cases), however history has shown that when I start sharing too much of this information in relation to this particular subject, inevitably some yahoo is going to accuse me of “defending� the USCIS.
I put that in from time to time to remind people that this is “not� private enterprise… which seems to be the most frequent argument made by the uninformed… “If I ran my business this way, I would not be in business for long�… that sort of thing.
Instead you are asking the U.S. government to “bestow� or “grant� to you a very precious gift, but before the government can do that, an officer charged with applying U.S. immigration law must first look over “your� forms and evidence and make a judgment call as to whether or not you are indeed eligible to submit the petition. Likewise, a Consular officer charged with applying U.S. immigration law will eventually focus his or her attention on your spouse’s unique facts and evidence in order to make a judgment call that she is indeed eligible to receive this precious gift that you and she have asked them to bestow.
Contrary to popular belief, your wife at this moment in time does not have a “right� to a K-3 or immigrant visa, nor do you have the “right� to have her living with you right now in the U.S. Those precious gifts are only given once officers charged with enforcing the law have the opportunity to finish doing their jobs. Please let them do their jobs.
Granted, if there were more of them (officers), it might not take so long, and I can appreciate that it might not be a fun waiting period.
If you are laboring under the belief that your case has to be processed at a certain time based on “other people’s� cases, than you are laboring under beliefs that have obviously lead to unrealistic expectations. And as far as I know, there is no “overdue� date for cases that received an RFE.
I know better than to embrace a view that is not based in reality. This is not a factory or cookie cutter approach whereby every case (or product in a factory) is uniformly the same. If you are laboring under the belief that your case has to be processed at a certain time based on “other people’s� cases, than you are laboring under beliefs that have obviously lead to unrealistic expectations.
Not right according to whom? And why on earth are you trying to compare case processing for people who put together a well documented submission (do not get an RFE) to those who do get RFE’S?
I can’t tell you “when� it will be finished any more than the USCIS can tell someone “how long it will take� when they receive the case at the service center. You are asking for something they cannot give.
All I can tell you is that generally, they seem to process cases pretty quickly once the RFE materials arrive. Of course, your definition of pretty quickly might be different than mine. And if you observation is correct that yours is not the only RFE case having this occurrence, than as I stated yesterday, it sounds to me like they might have had to do some prioritizing that did not work in your favor. Believe it or not, they are understaffed and sometimes things come up (or Congress commands them) which require them to shift personnel from one product line to another for a short while until the event/crisis or what-have-you is over.
I think I’ll be quiet about this now. I do tour the service centers whenever I get the chance as I’m interested in learning as much minutia as I can about service center processing (the more I know, the more I can bring to my cases), however history has shown that when I start sharing too much of this information in relation to this particular subject, inevitably some yahoo is going to accuse me of “defending� the USCIS.
I also know that a Visa is a gift and not a right. I know cases have to be reviewed and approved but I think I did all that was asked. Any back ground checks on wife should in my opinion already be in the sysem as I stated in a few previous posts today when the Congressional rep called who ever she called today this person was able to telll us that not only does my wife have the I130 and I129F pending should also has an interview date for citizenship in New York 5 years after she applied to become a citizen. To make a long story short my wife had or has a Green Card which I assume is invalid. She applied for Citizenship 5 years ago before she left for Turkey. They are just getting to her case and giving her a date for that but ironically we can't get her in the country because I/we supposdly didn't send the G325-A form in and thus we are waiting on the I129F to be approved.
See we have a little added twist to our story. Any way I just miss my wife and how ever she gets in whether it be the I130 or I129F I just can't wait to see her again. I could stomp my feet all I want and type all night long to try and understand the process but it all comes down to I miss my wife.
Dec 18th 2003, 3:02 am
#29
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
Mr. Udall ,
Could you explain about the IBIS wrinkle . and access to a report to
tell if our case is in the hands of an officer? Please
Mike
On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 20:20:20 +0000, Matthew Udall
<member3997@british_expats.com> wrote:
>Originally posted by glasgowm
>> My frustration lies not so much with the service centers, but with
>> their lack of reporting of status. It may not help things go faster,
>> but it makes the waiting easier knowing what is happening. They
>> should overhaul the online status system to report more detailed
>> information about what they are processing.
>>
>If you have a receipt notice, you know they have your case. True, they
>might lose it once they have it, but that is not as common an event as
>you might think (its actually pretty rare). If you have a computer, you
>have access to the reports they themselves put out that will tell you if
>your case has likely been given to an officer yet (IBIS wrinkle). Once
>you determine that your case has likely been given to an officer, you
>can calculate a realistic overdue date and contact them if the case
>becomes overdue.
>So, your problem is their “lack of reporting of status�? What more do
>you need them to tell you? If you want them to tell you “how much
>longer�, than you are asking them to tell you something that they can’t
>possibly answer with any certainty (we’ve already seen the effects of
>“wild guessing� about this for years now, as that type of wild guess is
>printed on receipt notices).
>I suppose if they had an “unlimited� amount of money, they could hire a
>union officer to work just your one case, and that officer could call
>you every day even when there was nothing to report, to tell you there
>is nothing to report. Or perhaps they could simply hire your own special
>contract worker to call you every day to let you know how many feet the
>file is away from being to the front of the shelf, or to tell you that
>there is nothing new to report today. But since they are actually under-
>funded and don’t have the man-hours as it is to stay current on every
>case type, don’t expect them to hire a special employee just for your
>case any time soon.
>The message, “Nothing New To Report Today� is already being delivered to
>you each and every day when you log onto the net and see that the
>message has not changed to indicate the case has been approved.
>They just came up with the on-line system, so I would not hold your
>breath waiting for an overhaul of that brand new system. The on-line
>system was designed to give the same information that was already
>available via the phone checking system (but without all the busy
>signals trying to get through using the phone system). I suppose one
>could have one’s rep bug the service center constantly (that same rep
>who likely under budgeted and thus understaffed the service center in
>the first place) or one could call on one’s own each day to bug the
>service center. I would agree with your assertion though (in that case),
>that doing this “may not help things go faster�.
>I think the best approach is, 1) put together a well documented
>submission to try to reduce the odds of getting an RFE (all of you RFE
>people out there are slowing down “everybody’s� case including my
>client’s cases), 2) stop bugging them and don’t have your rep’s bug them
>(let them do their job) unless, a) you have reason to believe they have
>lost your case or there is a screw up that needs fixing, or b) your case
>becomes “overdue�.
Could you explain about the IBIS wrinkle . and access to a report to
tell if our case is in the hands of an officer? Please
Mike
On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 20:20:20 +0000, Matthew Udall
<member3997@british_expats.com> wrote:
>Originally posted by glasgowm
>> My frustration lies not so much with the service centers, but with
>> their lack of reporting of status. It may not help things go faster,
>> but it makes the waiting easier knowing what is happening. They
>> should overhaul the online status system to report more detailed
>> information about what they are processing.
>>
>If you have a receipt notice, you know they have your case. True, they
>might lose it once they have it, but that is not as common an event as
>you might think (its actually pretty rare). If you have a computer, you
>have access to the reports they themselves put out that will tell you if
>your case has likely been given to an officer yet (IBIS wrinkle). Once
>you determine that your case has likely been given to an officer, you
>can calculate a realistic overdue date and contact them if the case
>becomes overdue.
>So, your problem is their “lack of reporting of status�? What more do
>you need them to tell you? If you want them to tell you “how much
>longer�, than you are asking them to tell you something that they can’t
>possibly answer with any certainty (we’ve already seen the effects of
>“wild guessing� about this for years now, as that type of wild guess is
>printed on receipt notices).
>I suppose if they had an “unlimited� amount of money, they could hire a
>union officer to work just your one case, and that officer could call
>you every day even when there was nothing to report, to tell you there
>is nothing to report. Or perhaps they could simply hire your own special
>contract worker to call you every day to let you know how many feet the
>file is away from being to the front of the shelf, or to tell you that
>there is nothing new to report today. But since they are actually under-
>funded and don’t have the man-hours as it is to stay current on every
>case type, don’t expect them to hire a special employee just for your
>case any time soon.
>The message, “Nothing New To Report Today� is already being delivered to
>you each and every day when you log onto the net and see that the
>message has not changed to indicate the case has been approved.
>They just came up with the on-line system, so I would not hold your
>breath waiting for an overhaul of that brand new system. The on-line
>system was designed to give the same information that was already
>available via the phone checking system (but without all the busy
>signals trying to get through using the phone system). I suppose one
>could have one’s rep bug the service center constantly (that same rep
>who likely under budgeted and thus understaffed the service center in
>the first place) or one could call on one’s own each day to bug the
>service center. I would agree with your assertion though (in that case),
>that doing this “may not help things go faster�.
>I think the best approach is, 1) put together a well documented
>submission to try to reduce the odds of getting an RFE (all of you RFE
>people out there are slowing down “everybody’s� case including my
>client’s cases), 2) stop bugging them and don’t have your rep’s bug them
>(let them do their job) unless, a) you have reason to believe they have
>lost your case or there is a screw up that needs fixing, or b) your case
>becomes “overdue�.
Dec 18th 2003, 4:02 am
#30
Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,049
Re: When are RFE's going to be approved
t,
It's "little added twist[s]" like this than might be causing your delay. It could very well be that the NBC wants to see your wife's existing file before acting on the petition that is before them. That file has to be gotten from wherever it is, and perhaps wherever-it-is doesn't want to give it up until they're done with it.
Without going into details, this is why my I-129f petition sat at the VSC for over 150 days (without any RFE) until I asked that it be withdrawn.
Regards, JEff
ps: could you and your wife please put some clothes on....
It's "little added twist[s]" like this than might be causing your delay. It could very well be that the NBC wants to see your wife's existing file before acting on the petition that is before them. That file has to be gotten from wherever it is, and perhaps wherever-it-is doesn't want to give it up until they're done with it.
Without going into details, this is why my I-129f petition sat at the VSC for over 150 days (without any RFE) until I asked that it be withdrawn.
Regards, JEff
ps: could you and your wife please put some clothes on....
Originally posted by tmushen
... not only does my wife have the I130 and I129F pending should also has an interview date for citizenship in New York 5 years after she applied to become a citizen. To make a long story short my wife had or has a Green Card which I assume is invalid. She applied for Citizenship 5 years ago before she left for Turkey. They are just getting to her case and giving her a date for that but ironically we can't get her in the country because I/we supposdly didn't send the G325-A form in and thus we are waiting on the I129F to be approved.
See we have a little added twist to our story. ....
... not only does my wife have the I130 and I129F pending should also has an interview date for citizenship in New York 5 years after she applied to become a citizen. To make a long story short my wife had or has a Green Card which I assume is invalid. She applied for Citizenship 5 years ago before she left for Turkey. They are just getting to her case and giving her a date for that but ironically we can't get her in the country because I/we supposdly didn't send the G325-A form in and thus we are waiting on the I129F to be approved.
See we have a little added twist to our story. ....
