~ EXPEDITE TIPS ~

[Army_Wife 2]

I called USCIS with my expedite request (IF you recall from another thread my father has terminal lung cancer and is at stage 4 out of 5) They took my information and told me someone would get back to me within 45 days!!

I know what dealing with terminal cancer is like .... my father died from pancreas cancer.

45 days is beyond unnaceptable.

I would collate all the documentation including a letter from the doctor giving the worst prognosis .... write a cover letter ... keep as unemotional as you can .... discuss facts only.

State you need your spouse with your support during this time and your father requests to see your spouse for what could be the last time.

State you're requesting an expedite due to an Extreme Emergent Situation/Humanitarian (Significant and Compelling reasons).

Then fax all the information to the service center and to both of your State Senators and all of your State Congressmen.

This is a dire scenario .... and I know how you're feeling right now .... but you must pull the strength from the bottom of your soul and put this stuff together.

Hugs for you, I know you can do it!

I told the lady that I have all the documentation needed to back up my statements and asked if I needed to send them anywhere. She told me that they do not need them at this time, but if they want to see it, they will ask me for the documentation. I told her about the death of my sister and that there is a murder investigation going on. The man who killed her was released from prison in November, where he served 7 years for murdering his uncle. I told her about the family battle that is breaking out, like the 7 court hearings that I am required to go to in order to determine who will be the executor of her estate (she was 20, so there was no will naming the executor) and I told her that my husband and I had been together for 5 years and that he knew my sister well, and it hurt him very deeply that he was not able to pay his last respects to my sister.

I also told her about the information I pulled off a Mexican government website that shows the city that my husband lives in, only 50% have running water and 0% have drainage. Which means there is no toilets or showers, so the rate of disease is very high. I told her that I spent a week there, and you have to go do your business behind the house, or by a tree. I used the humanitarian and emergent situtation cause for my expedite request.

Nicole,

You need to be methodical in your approach to this.

List the criteria which you wish to expedite under.

Then under those headings, write the facts.

You sister I believe would come under Extreme Emergent/Humanitarian too.

State everything as factual and as unemotional as you can.

Do write about the court cases and that you need your Husband with you for support, not just for you, but for what's left of your family.

Collate the paperwork appertaining to the situation.

If there is a lawyer involved, ask if he will write a letter stating the importance to the morale of your family for your Husband to be there.

Lawyers are good at writing strong letters, so ask him for a letter which would be strong, yet convincing to the coldest of people.

The other part would be your Husband's scenario, so, separate the sections to avoid confusion.

I believe it would be another Humanitarian point.

Go to Google and find information to back up exactly what you're writing about and print it off, this can be used as evidence to back up your request.

Again, with your case, once you have got your package together, I'd fax it all to the service center, and both your State Senators and State Congressman

Nicole, I pray all will be good and come together.

Hi KipandSarahJane,

I just want to tell you this is really great what you have started. I am sure it has already helped so many of us here on VJ!!

I know i just filed but my husband and I really want to be together fast as so does everyone else here. My question is do i have any chances of getting an expedite if the spouse lives in Pakistan? i googled some info and this is just a little glimpse of what i found. Please give me your input, if you think these are good bases or not?

"Karachi faces challenges that are central to many developing metropolises including overcrowding, traffic, pollution, poverty and street crimes. These problems continue to earn Karachi low rankings in livability comparisons: The Economist ranked Karachi fourth least livable city amongst the 132 cities surveyed[41] and Business Week ranked it 175 out of 215 in livability(2007), down from 170 in 2006. The level of air pollution in Karachi is estimated to be 20 times higher than World Health Organization .

Also, with the all the danger recently happening so much because of the former prime minister passing away, its can get really dangerous at times.

please let me know what you guys think...

thanks for all your help!

Thank you for saying this thread is good.

I truly believe, that the only way to help each other thru this USCIS situation is to help find ways for all of us to get out of it quicker ..... and if we all pool our thoughts for those who are in dire need, then hopefully we can help those in terrible situations to find some peace.

Everyone misses their spouses, but there are people on this website whose situations go beyond missing someone .... and sometimes it's important to put others first

I'm pretty sure that the VJ member Zayd had a spouse in Pakistan and managed to expedite his case out of USCIS based on the dangers of living there.

Do PM him and ask what information he used .... the reason I'm asking you to contact him, is because he's already done it.

I don't want to add my assumptions to an already proven case.

Of course, I do not know the details, and there could have been other criteria involved, but at least he should be able to stear you in the right direction.

Do ask him to post the info on here to help others if he would, or for you to do it.

We must all work together ....

[✿Ice Rain✿ 0]

Hi Sarah,

This is absolutely a good post , to inform those who's Military partners or Reserves that are not aware that we are entitled for this Expedite Process.

Keep on posting.

Thank you for sharing this to this forum.

Shape

OK guys, I'm back to earth now following the exciting week of tracking my expedite from the initial fax to the Senator's office .... to approval at VSC. I want you to know that I've far from forgotten you all and have put together some expedite tips.

Some of you guys are really suffering and probably don't realise that you are in a position to apply to have your case sped up.

For those that think me posting this on VJ is bad .... I'm not listening!

All I see is K1's and H1-B's getting all the attention while the I-130 filers are getting forgotten.

We on VJ are a very small section of overall filers ... and there's a lot of people on here who don't have the confidence to apply for what they are entitiled, due to their circumstances.

Let's look at the USCIS Expedite Criteria:

* Severe financial loss to company or individual

* Extreme emergent situation

* Humanitarian situation

* Nonprofit status of requesting organization in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States

* Department of Defense of National Interest Situation (Note: Request must come from official United States Government entity and state that delay will be detrimental to our Government)

* USCIS error

* Compelling interest of USCIS

Now the USCIS Criteria for Expediting the FBI Name Check:

* Military Deployment

* Age out cases not covered under the Child Status Protection Act, and applications affected by sunset provisions such as diversity visas

* Significant and compelling reasons, such as critical medical conditions, and

* Loss of social security benefits or other subsistence at the discretion of the USCIS District Director.

If you take both sets of criteria into consideration you'll be more likely to have a better outcome.

* Financial is the first one that springs up in both

If your spouse is living anywhere that is not a third world country, this one shouldn't be too hard, as the US Dollar is so weak right now, it can hardly stand. Financing a home in the US and one in the UK for example is going to drain your finances and fast ..... so it's not hard to prove this one against your US income.

Get copies of the foriegn spouses rental payments and other bill payments and have it converted into US Dollars on the documentation too so it shows the extreme situation more easily. Get copies or documentation to show your US income.

I went for a letter stating my Husband's US income from work and got a letter from my rental company in the UK stating how much my rent was and got them to write it in US Dollars too.

If you have children to support in a foreign country, this will only add to it ... don't skip anything, and collate it all!

If your finances are suffering badly and you're left with no money .... try this.

* Extereme Emergent Situation/Humanitarian is also covered on both (significant and compelling reasons)

These are obviously tagged together for the FBI name check expedite. The more you have the better. We've all noticed that your spouse living in a dangerous country counts under this .... get info from google and print it off, get a police letter from your spouses local police department stating the dangers of living where she/he does .... go to the Dept of State website and see what info is posted on that particular country .... if there are warnings, print it off!

Sometimes you don't need the info to back up the facts .... but you don't want to take any chances when applying for expedite .... let them see just how bad the situation is.

Don't forget to state that you are frightened for your spouses life!

A close family member having a severe medical condition would also come under criteria too ... but unless a parent is dying, it probably won't work as a stand alone case ... so you'll need more.

Get the worst prognosis in a the form of a doctors letter and have it state the need for your spouse to be there for support etc.

The situations which would come under this are not exhaustable .... but I'm just listing 2 for examples.

* Department of Defense of National Interest Situation is an easy one as it covers Military Deployment immediately. All military must have no further stress added to their lives when being trained for deployment, being sent on deployment or are on deployment. They are who keep the US safe and cannot make mistakes due to unnessary stress.

If you do not have orders for deployment, or are not on deployment .... go to your Commander (the higher up the better) and explain the situation. This immigration thing is very stressful and I'm sure your CO will understand and help you by writing a strong letter requesting your case be expedited under this criteria. Make sure it has military headed paper.

I would suggest adding other criteria into the mix too and discussing them with your CO, as if he adds them to the letter it will back your case up more.

National Interest could also cover a multitude of government jobs .... if you work for the government stop and think about this one .... what would happen if you make mistakes on your job due to the stress of this process ??? What could be the outcome ??? ... especially if you're in the line of keeping the living alive.

Write them down and discuss it with your government boss .... get a strong letter drawn up on government headed paper requesting an expedite under this criteria. If you don't try, you won't know.

* USCIS Error are you past the processing dates on the website with your NOA1 date ??? or infact with your filing date ??? if so, try this.

The more criteria you have the better ..... do not give them any 'wiggle room'. Remember, each case is looked at on it's own merit and there is no standard way of doing this.

Once you've gathered all of your information. ... you need to draw up a cover letter explaining it all, section by section. Keep it to the point! Try not to be too emotional about it as they will only base your expedite on facts .... not emotions!

Missing each other will not count.

Take your time and get it right .... and get someone who is not in your situation to read it all and see what they think .... as they will not be as distressed as you and will be able to see things more clearly.

Research your State Senators .... go to Google and check out the Senator's website. Don't forget you have Congressmen too for your state.

Contact them one at a time and see if they would be willing to help you ... be calm and collected and explain the situation in a nice way .... a lot of them have departments who deal with USCIS .... and you will be expected to fill out a release form for the Privacy Act 1974 so they can work on your behalf with your case and your information.

USCIS also have to reply to these guys within 48 working hours ... so you'll know quicker.

They can also put pressure on to get your expedite approved .... if your reasons are compelling enough.

Using a Senator/Congressman makes USCIS more transparent in this process and USCIS are likely to take you more seriously.

Don't forget, that without your vote, these guys wouldn't have their Senate or Congress jobs .... they are there to work for you .

Some people I notice do get their expedites when calling USCIS direct .... if you want to try this, go ahead .... these are the expedites that are very rare .... but they do happen. If you're going to do this, I would suggest faxing your information which you've collected to them too for black and white proof.

Don't be afraid of applying for an expedite if you have a compelling reason to do so.

I know there's a lot of you on here who feel as though they won't be heard and are suffering immensly.

If you have something dire going on and this application process to be with your spouse is affecting it, gather the info and try ..... you have nothing to lose!

No expedite application carries a guarantee .... so keep this in mind .... however, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I hope this helps and gives some of you a bit more confidence to try ... and if anyone has any other tips they can think of, please post them.

[Army_Wife 2]

Hi Sarah,

This is absolutely a good post , to inform those who's Military partners or Reserves that are not aware that we are entitled for this Expedite Process.

Keep on posting.

Thank you for sharing this to this forum.

Shape

Hi Shape, it's nice to hear from you again on here.

Sadly, we're not entitled to this expedite ..... as yet.

But it's a very valid reason for applying.

If the letter from the CO is strong enough and shows the importance of the expedite, and outlines that the expedite is being applied for under The Department of Defense, National Interest ..... there is no reason why it should be turned down .... especially if it is applied for via a strong pro-military Senator as the one we used.

The safety of The United States is paramount .... our troops all need to be as stress free as possible ..... and this USCIS process adds more pressure than ever .... unwarranted pressure for those who are in the business of keeping the living alive, are pretty good grounds I think for expedite.

My Husband even said going thru USCIS was worse than being deployed

I would still suggest throwing other expedite criteria into the mix at this stage, to remove 'wriggle room' ... like finances and humanitarian for example .... is a good idea.

But, I pray that one day, the method of automatic military expedite will become normal practice.

For those who are worried this would open doors to 'fake marrriages' .... the security check set up for a lot of foreign spouses for military can be quite stringent .... and could be something easily processed before the marrage takes place, as in a few instances, it already is.

[LizScott 0]

Hi Sarah,

This is absolutely a good post , to inform those who's Military partners or Reserves that are not aware that we are entitled for this Expedite Process.

Keep on posting.

Thank you for sharing this to this forum.

Shape

Hi Shape, it's nice to hear from you again on here.

Sadly, we're not entitled to this expedite ..... as yet.

But it's a very valid reason for applying.

If the letter from the CO is strong enough and shows the importance of the expedite, and outlines that the expedite is being applied for under The Department of Defense, National Interest ..... there is no reason why it should be turned down .... especially if it is applied for via a strong pro-military Senator as the one we used.

The safety of The United States is paramount .... our troops all need to be as stress free as possible ..... and this USCIS process adds more pressure than ever .... unwarranted pressure for those who are in the business of keeping the living alive, are pretty good grounds I think for expedite.

My Husband even said going thru USCIS was worse than being deployed

I would still suggest throwing other expedite criteria into the mix at this stage, to remove 'wriggle room' ... like finances and humanitarian for example .... is a good idea.

But, I pray that one day, the method of automatic military expedite will become normal practice.

For those who are worried this would open doors to 'fake marrriages' .... the security check set up for a lot of foreign spouses for military can be quite stringent .... and could be something easily processed before the marrage takes place, as in a few instances, it already is.

I wanna say it again ... SARAH YOU'RE AN ANGEL! The tips you gave revived my hope and surely to other military wives like me out there!

[Army_Wife 2]

Hi Sarah,

This is absolutely a good post , to inform those who's Military partners or Reserves that are not aware that we are entitled for this Expedite Process.

Keep on posting.

Thank you for sharing this to this forum.

Shape

Hi Shape, it's nice to hear from you again on here.

Sadly, we're not entitled to this expedite ..... as yet.

But it's a very valid reason for applying.

If the letter from the CO is strong enough and shows the importance of the expedite, and outlines that the expedite is being applied for under The Department of Defense, National Interest ..... there is no reason why it should be turned down .... especially if it is applied for via a strong pro-military Senator as the one we used.

The safety of The United States is paramount .... our troops all need to be as stress free as possible ..... and this USCIS process adds more pressure than ever .... unwarranted pressure for those who are in the business of keeping the living alive, are pretty good grounds I think for expedite.

My Husband even said going thru USCIS was worse than being deployed

I would still suggest throwing other expedite criteria into the mix at this stage, to remove 'wriggle room' ... like finances and humanitarian for example .... is a good idea.

But, I pray that one day, the method of automatic military expedite will become normal practice.

For those who are worried this would open doors to 'fake marrriages' .... the security check set up for a lot of foreign spouses for military can be quite stringent .... and could be something easily processed before the marrage takes place, as in a few instances, it already is.

I wanna say it again ... SARAH YOU'RE AN ANGEL! The tips you gave revived my hope and surely to other military wives like me out there!

You're very kind .... let's hope it works .... again

We military wives must stick together .... we have the hardest job on the planet .... but we stand proud next to our Husbands who try to keep this country safe.

And for that we should be able to spend the little time we can with them

Goodluck to all of you

[choochoo 0]

thanks for giving me Zayd's reference. I have PM'd him, and now hopefully he can let me know what he did.

thanks again for the awesome postings!!!

[✿Ice Rain✿ 0]

My Husband even said going thru USCIS was worse than being deployed

hahaha, and so is my husband. lol!

[NicoleX08 1]

Ok So what does this mean? I got 2 emails this morning and this is what they say:

1.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

California Service Center

P.O. Box 30111

Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0111

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Emailed to WSUNICOLE_04@*****.com

Dear M. Xique:

On 05/27/2008 you, or the designated representative shown below,

contacted us about your case. Some of the key information given to us at

that time was the following:

Caller indicated they are:

-- Applicant or Petitioner

Attorney Name:

-- Information not available

Case type:

-- I130

Filing date:

-- 02/08/2008

Receipt #:

-- WAC-08-***-*****

Beneficiary (if you filed for someone else):

-- Information not available

Your USCIS Account Number (A-number):

-- Information not available

Type of service requested:

-- Expedite

The status of this service request is:

This case is in process and was recently transferred to the local USCIS

office for review. You should be receiving notice from the local

USCIS office that services the area of your reseidence regarding this

review.

If you have any further questions, please call the National Customer

Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Please remember: By law, every person who is not a U.S. citizen and

who is over the age of 14 must also notify the Department of Homeland

Security within 10 days from when they move (persons in "A" or "G"

nonimmigrant status are exempt from this requirement). If you have moved,

please complete a Form AR-11 and mail it to the address shown on that form.

If you do not have this form, you can download it from our website or

you can call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283

and we can order one for you. If you move, please call us with your new

address information as soon as your move is complete. If you have

already called us and given us this information, you do not need to call

again.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

and # 2

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: WAC08********

Application Type: I130 , IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR

ORPHAN

Current Status: This case has been sent for a standard interview.

On May 28, 2008, we transferred this case to our CINCINNATI, OH

location to conduct the interview that is a standard part of processing this

I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. You will be

sent a notice when the interview is scheduled, or if the office needs

something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call

customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use

our processing dates to estimate when this case will be done. This case

has been sent to our CINCINNATI, OH location. Follow the link below to

check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates

as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case

status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from

USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS

Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at

www.uscis.gov under Case Status and Processing Dates.

*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.

Sincerely,

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

I called and the gentleman I spoke with stated that it seems as though they approved the expedite but they sent it to the local office in order for it to be adjudicated the rest of the way and I should hear from the local office soon. Has this happened to apyone else? I am so confused...

[Army_Wife 2]

Nicole, I've never heard of this .... any chance of calling them and asking what they're doing?

If they approve the expedite, they send a simple email stating expedite approved and adjudicate the case a while later.

If denied, they send one saying expedite denied.

This sounds interesting .... please let us know what you find out

Goodluck

[NicoleX08 1]

When I called, the guy told me that it sounded like they approved the expedite and they were sending my case to Cincinnati for an interview to be adjudicated. It says in the e-mail that it is normal, but I have never heard of this. I told him that my husband is in Mexico, so it would only be me. He really did not know what to say because there was no further info in the system than what they sent me...

[Army_Wife 2]

When I called, the guy told me that it sounded like they approved the expedite and they were sending my case to Cincinnati for an interview to be adjudicated. It says in the e-mail that it is normal, but I have never heard of this. I told him that my husband is in Mexico, so it would only be me. He really did not know what to say because there was no further info in the system than what they sent me...

I'm just as confused as you .... I have no idea what's going on.

Interview for 'what' will be interesting .... a nice NOA2 would be nice .... nothing complicated.

Better still, special adjudication for Nicole ... that would be great!

Please keep us posted

[kitty loves moudi 0]

The first email is about your expedite.. it simply states your case is being sent to your local office for standard review and your local office will be contacting you.

The second email from your local office says that your case is undergoing "standard review" and they will contact you with an appointment for interview if one is needed.

Maybe it has to do with the reason used for you expedite? I'm guessing here, as I've not seen this b4. The good word is IF an interview is needed.. so they are just clarifying something it seems.

[kitty loves moudi 0]

I called USCIS with my expedite request (IF you recall from another thread my father has terminal lung cancer and is at stage 4 out of 5) They took my information and told me someone would get back to me within 45 days!!

bgreed, have you received a reply yet ? Could they have said 4 to 5 days, which is what they told me. 45 days for an expedite is not quite right for them to respond.

[NicoleX08 1]

The first email is about your expedite.. it simply states your case is being sent to your local office for standard review and your local office will be contacting you.

The second email from your local office says that your case is undergoing "standard review" and they will contact you with an appointment for interview if one is needed.

Maybe it has to do with the reason used for you expedite? I'm guessing here, as I've not seen this b4. The good word is IF an interview is needed.. so they are just clarifying something it seems.

I honestly have no idea. If it was for the expedite request, what is the purpose of sending somewhere else and then having to wait for an interview. It seems to nullify the point of an expedite... But then again USCIS does not have to make sense. We pay them to have our spouses here with us and then just for fun, they like to toy around with us.

[bgreed 0]

I called USCIS with my expedite request (IF you recall from another thread my father has terminal lung cancer and is at stage 4 out of 5) They took my information and told me someone would get back to me within 45 days!!

bgreed, have you received a reply yet ? Could they have said 4 to 5 days, which is what they told me. 45 days for an expedite is not quite right for them to respond.

I got a reply yesterday. Expedite denied petition will be processed in standard time period.

However I'm not going to let that stop me as I have already contacted my father physician and he is sending me a letter on my fathers condition. I fully intend to do as Sarah suggested up thread and see what happens. I really think they need to realize that I won't just go away in this situation. As my wife and I have a six month old who may never see his grandfather unless I can find a wayt o keep up the preassure for an approval.

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