NevAnna

Todd, I feel the same as you, and I'm sure many can sympathize. I am not against security measures and the processing of marriage related visas, but I am VERY frustrated at the amount of time it takes to have one's file even looked at. And, the sometimes rudeness of an officer when you call to check on your status. We have every right to call when we see things wrong with this process, as we are paying for it with hard earned money. We are paying for it emotionally. The stress involved with this waiting on someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, cannot be measured. Thousands of miles away from each other can be very painful. It doesn't help to add the fact that it's all up to a decision being made by our government. Keep hopeful and know that you ARE going to make it!

Duckie

i think the officer has all the right to be rude. he has the same right to be rude, as you have a right to call. yes, it is emotional. i am not in the same boat as the officers processing out cases - i am waiting too. what i cannot understand though is somebody who calls a service center every single day. i believe the centers should not answer questions about a case with a operator unless you reach at least the waiting time the online status or automatic phone thing gives you. then the centers would have more staff to get the actual work done. but probably others do not agree with me, but imagine this (purely fictional):

the nsc hires 50 more psychology educated phone operators to calm down the mass of callers and to get rid of the busy signal all day.

nay, i dont think so. it is a very nice service that you can check the status for free online. it is good that they also offer that for ppl who have no access to internet. i am not so fluent with the laws in the usa, but i dont think they have to do that service at all or for free. would the phone still be busy all day if they had a 1-900 number there you can ask about the status and a regular for real problems?

just my $0.02

brian09

Most of the complaints about NSC have been with the amount of times it takes to get the 2nd NOA. If they were approved within three weeks like VSC, it would probably cut down the number of inquiries by about 90%.

Also, many that filed from NSC, including myself, got notices in the mail that said they can expect processing to be complete in 70-100 days. It is taking much longer than that now.

It creates a tremendous amount of call volume just from those calls coming in checking on their status after no action in 100 days. Those seem to me like legitimate calls. The service centers should try to be responsive to the customer in cases like that.

Those that have legitimate inquiries should call and write the service center.

Duckie

ok agreed, my fiance got the same letter with 70-100 days. and we thought "wow, cool, online status" only to find out first time it jumped from the 70-100 days to the 150-180 days

they should address the significant longer time in the written 1st noa too - not sure what a very recent one says. anyone?

Khadija

Yeah, I know what you mean about the disappointment when seeing the discrepency.

My NoA for our I-130 (USC me - Egyptian spouse) from the NSC stated 150-190 days and when I checked the online status it had jumped to 250-280 days! Given that our NoA is dated 7/23/02 that puts us at the end of May (if these times are to be believed).

At this point I'm putting my faith in my senator who called the NSC on 4/8 and was told they'd be finished with my petition in 30-45 more days. If that's true, no point in filing for a K3 at this late stage. If it's bad news (as in the first person the senator's office spoke with just made up the 30-45 day timeframe to get rid of the call), then I'll assume the 250-280 days is pure ficture, file the K3 petition and plan another trip to Cairo in September to see my husband.

What I don't understand is why fiances and spouses are treated differently and why spouses take longer than fiances? What difference does it make whether you're already married or planning to get married? All these "buckets" I-129Fs, I-130s, K1s, K3s... it's all so silly. Engaged/married - it's all the same. We love our fiances, husbands and wives and want to be together. Why are we "pitted" against each other for limited BCIS resources?

Finally, I think we should all write our senators and congressman to deplore the lack of funding for these immigration services. That is why we (especially those waiting for NSC and TSC) are in this forever limbo. These agencies, field offices, service centers, etc... just do have sufficient funding to hire more staff and upgrade their equipment. It would be quite a powerful message if everyone who visited this site did just that! I know I will.


Patty Khadijah

NevAnna

Yep, I didn't start calling until after about 115 days of my 1st NOA. Although that is before the 150-180 days for NSC, I saw others getting approved around120-130 days. So, I started calling twice a week. Once on Monday and again on Friday. I only ask the same question about the status, if it's on an officer's desk or still shelved. I take up maybe a minute of their time, at the most. I don't expect to be treated any different than if I were calling customer service. Sure, they have the right to be rude. I should have stated my sentence a little differently. Bad choice of word using "right" on my part, but then again, I didn't expect it to be picked apart. The officer I talked to knew that our petition was on it's way to an officer that very day and instead of telling me that, they chose to make a snide remark and hung up on me.

tigger1969

i agree - if they tell people in the 1st NOA ,that waiting time is 150 to 180 days ,it just might cut down on the phone calls to the bcis.
i also think that we should be happy(over joyed) that it is still possible to bring our loved ones to the USA. after the 9/11 thing and all. just my opinion.

Duckie

i am sorry, i did not know that specific. and i for sure did not address you personally about the full lines whole day. and it is sad that rude is rude in this bad way as you describe it - i thought it is in the normal meaning of rude like "a little unfriendly and stressed"