~ EXPEDITE TIPS ~

[Todd-Leah 0]

Sarah,

We are sorry to learn that you no longer are active on this board.

If by any chance you get to read this, please accept our sincere appreciation and gratitude for your tips.

It's this post of yours that got us inspired to file an expedite request!

Thank you for directing us to the possible reasons we can ask for expedite and how to go about this.

We received a notice in the mail today telling us that our expedite requested is approved and the I-130 is in process.

Thank you very much!!

Leah

[NicoleX08 1]

wow... I did not even notice this, Sarah, I hope you are doing well and we wish you and your husband the best!

[nimche 8]

Thank you, this is really helpful.

I filed expedite request today to CSC thru fax and CA senator. i hope i get somthing back. Can I send evidence later?

[Catt 6]

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.

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.

His Wifey, this is the thread I was referring you.

Good luck!

Edited February 10, 2009 by Catt

[His_Wifey 1]

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.

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.

His Wifey, this is the thread I was referring you.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot girl... i really appreciate that.... i was reading it ... going to tell hubby about it...thanks!

[Catt 6]

And this is the second, Ber + Ter.

If you need help with your letters, give us a shout.

[Catt 6]

LOVE, this is the thread I was referring to.

[100% Al Ahly Fan 53]

Nothing here applies to me, although a great post. Very informative. Thank you!

[maritoni 3]

Thank you soo much for this useful infos:)God bless you and congratulations on your approval:)

Cheers,

Mj

[newlyweds 0]

And this is the second, Ber + Ter.

If you need help with your letters, give us a shout.

hi catt, want to ask if you for ideas about the letter from the CO for us to be expedited; my fiance has yet to talk to his CO, he is in okinawa and has been stationed there for less than a year (aug.2008) and i was wondering if you can give me any tips like how and what to ask his CO to help us with our case to be expedited; my fiance called the military hotline and they just said they cant expedite us! i dont buy that at all;

there's that whole thing with North Korea and that worries me so much; even though he said he wont deploy, well who knows; the uscis should be more supportive and they should hasten their pace.. 

but yeah just really want to get as much help and ideas on how we can push for an expedite. 

My fiance already wrote to his senator in PA too; a letter from the CO would really  help support all this

thanks! <3

[Moonskin 0]

Hello,

my hubby and I got recently married and are going to apply for a CR1 (prob will send package end of next week). What I have read on this topic was really interesting (Thanks to the person who posted it) so I was wondering I we could apply. My husband is in the Air Force and currently finishing his formation which is gonna lead him to his first deployement, and we would really like that everything is set before this deployment. Furthermore, we are currently renting 2 appartments : his in the US, and mine in France, and this is seriously a lot of money. That's why I am wondering if it couldn't be taken in consideration.

Now the question is, when do you apply for an expedite, can you do it when you send your package ? Or a while after ?

Other question out of topic : does anyone have experienced travelling to the US for visit while their CR1 was being processed ?

Like all of you, I can't live without my loved one so much anymore and I really would like to visit for summer, I am just quite afraid not being let in, even if I don't have any intention to stay till the visa is not approved.

[newlyweds 0]

Hello,

my hubby and I got recently married and are going to apply for a CR1 (prob will send package end of next week). What I have read on this topic was really interesting (Thanks to the person who posted it) so I was wondering I we could apply. My husband is in the Air Force and currently finishing his formation which is gonna lead him to his first deployement, and we would really like that everything is set before this deployment. Furthermore, we are currently renting 2 appartments : his in the US, and mine in France, and this is seriously a lot of money. That's why I am wondering if it couldn't be taken in consideration.

Now the question is, when do you apply for an expedite, can you do it when you send your package ? Or a while after ?

Other question out of topic : does anyone have experienced travelling to the US for visit while their CR1 was being processed ?

Like all of you, I can't live without my loved one so much anymore and I really would like to visit for summer, I am just quite afraid not being let in, even if I don't have any intention to stay till the visa is not approved.

hi Moonskin there's a thread that you could find really helpful, it's for for miltary spouses and u can ask about the CR-1  too

click here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...tips&st=525

God bless 

[Catt 6]

Hello,

my hubby and I got recently married and are going to apply for a CR1 (prob will send package end of next week). What I have read on this topic was really interesting (Thanks to the person who posted it) so I was wondering I we could apply. My husband is in the Air Force and currently finishing his formation which is gonna lead him to his first deployement, and we would really like that everything is set before this deployment. Furthermore, we are currently renting 2 appartments : his in the US, and mine in France, and this is seriously a lot of money. That's why I am wondering if it couldn't be taken in consideration.

Now the question is, when do you apply for an expedite, can you do it when you send your package ? Or a while after ?

Other question out of topic : does anyone have experienced travelling to the US for visit while their CR1 was being processed ?

Like all of you, I can't live without my loved one so much anymore and I really would like to visit for summer, I am just quite afraid not being let in, even if I don't have any intention to stay till the visa is not approved.

Hi,

Congrats on your marriage!

From what you posted here, I'd say you have a very good chance of getting an expedite approved (though, as Sarah said, there are no guarantees, we have seen quite a number in the past year, since we started following this).

Do not send the expedite request along with the CR-1 package, because chance is very great it will just get stuck in there until the adjudicator looks at your case. You file your application (double checking that everything is in order etc - but you are already on these fora before filing, which is really smart). A few weeks later you will receive a letter from USCIS, with your receipt number (starting with EAC or WAC, depending on where the service center that will handle your case). Once you have that, you can file your expedite.

What I recommend you do (since it usually speeds things up considerably) is that your husband contacts his Senator/Congressman and asks them to help. He can send an email but calling will give him an immediate idea of whether or not that office is on the ball immigration wise and is willing to help (some are great, some are not).

What you guys do then: prepare a letter to the Service Center, with in there the CIS receipt number, the date of receipt, both your full names, dates of birth, addresses. You write what you applied for (in your case I-130 application for CR1) and 'Expedite request - Department of Defense National Interest Situation'.

You then - briefly and professionally - state that you got married on ____, that you filed the I-130 on ____, it was received on ____ by ___ Service Center and has ____ receipt number.

You state that your husband is in the US Military and currently undergoing training prior to deployment on ___ (if you already know the date, add that).

If your husband already has his deployment orders, then you add a copy of those and no letter from the CO is necessary. If he does not have his orders yet (which is possible - sometimes actual orders are only received very shortly before deployment, while the men already know they will be going), then he should ask his CO for one (he could prepare a draft and let the CO sign it, depending on what the CO prefers).

You write that your husband has to be able to fully focus on his training and that the uncertainty of knowing when you will be able to join him in the US, is making that more difficult. It is therefore essential that your application is handled immediately.

Your financial comments can certainly also be added. You state that you are now paying for two appartments/houses, and that this financial burden puts extra strain on your family. (Know, however, that the above reason will be more important one).

That is it basically.

When you have this letter, and the copy of the orders/CO's letter, you write another for the Senator's/Congressman's office, where you basically say the same, and you ask their help for the expedite.

If you do have deployment orders in hand, and you do not want to go via a political channel, you can try calling the military infoline. They have been known to help with such an expedite request (although others have heard a flat-out "no, can't be done", even with orders in hand ...) This way can take longer though.

If you do not have deployment orders, the military helpline will most likely just tell you you cannot expedite (which is incorrect) - so contact the politician's office instead.

If you need help with your letter, send me a message and let me know, I will be glad to help.

Good luck!

Cat

P.S. You should be able to visit the U.S. while your application is being processed. I did while waiting for my K3-visa, and it was fine. However, I come from a visa waiver program-country. I do not know how it works in practice if you were to need a tourist visa, but others on the forum would know (check out posts of people that come from the same country as you).

If you do travel, make sure to take adequate proof of 'home ties', so the officials at the POE are convinced you will be returning after your visit, and you are not trying to enter the country and just stay. Proof I took was: return ticket (you always have to do with when travelling on visa waiver program), letter from my employer, utility bills. I also took my receipt number so I could mention it when asked (so it would not seem I had anything to hide).

In my case, they did not ask a single question. But be prepared for the worst.

[Catt 6]

And this is the second, Ber + Ter.

If you need help with your letters, give us a shout.

hi catt, want to ask if you for ideas about the letter from the CO for us to be expedited; my fiance has yet to talk to his CO, he is in okinawa and has been stationed there for less than a year (aug.2008) and i was wondering if you can give me any tips like how and what to ask his CO to help us with our case to be expedited; my fiance called the military hotline and they just said they cant expedite us! i dont buy that at all;

there's that whole thing with North Korea and that worries me so much; even though he said he wont deploy, well who knows; the uscis should be more supportive and they should hasten their pace.. 

but yeah just really want to get as much help and ideas on how we can push for an expedite. 

My fiance already wrote to his senator in PA too; a letter from the CO would really  help support all this

thanks! <3

Hi,

Sorry, I did not see your post until just now.

If he is in Okinawa, is he in a place where you would be able to join him? Or will he be going to the US soon?

Please read what I just wrote to the person that posted just after you, I believe the same applies to you as well (again, there are no guarantees but you can try).

In your case, there definitely are no deployment orders. But still, the rest is the same: he has to be able to focus on his job, and the uncertainty of when you will be able to join him (therefore I asked you about Okinawa, and where you will go once you have your visa) is making that more difficult.

I would advise you to first make a draft of letter, and that your fiance then takes that draft to the CO and asks him for his help. He can explain that a letter from him would drastically improve his chances of getting his fiance the visa sooner.

Did you already get a response from your senator? Tell your fiance to try and call and ask for their immigration expert, that might go faster.

I seem to have deleted our letters, so cannot send you an example. However, if you can always send me your drafts and I will revise if you like.

Good luck, and please do not hesitate to send me a message if you want further info. You can also tell your fiance he can contact me if he wants more info prior to talking to his CO.

Cat

[Moonskin 0]

Thank you for your wonderfull reply, it should help a lot.

I also posted here btw : http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...0&start=540

I just told my hubby to come read this thread though that he hates forums hehe.

And yes I come from a VWP country aswell (i'm French), so actually what I fear is to get to an agent who is in a bad mood and tries to make problems out of nothing when I wanna come visit.

I was wondering about one other thing too, some people say if you join photos in your package (and we have a few) it is better that you got them printed with the date on the back, but I dont know where my husband could do that in the US, or if it really has to show the date or that it just is an option. Did I make myself clear ?

Actually we have "so much proofs" to send with the photos that it seems the package is gonna be huge copies of letters, phone bills, pics, plane tickets, train tickets when husband was in France and a few debit card receipt and stuff (not inven including chat logs cuz it is TOO BIG), so well, it is kinda a mess.

Edited May 30, 2009 by Moonskin