VSC filers, listen up...

[Michael 007 0]

Hello everyone. I am a long time lurker on this site. I know how much we have all been through thanks to the wonderful USCIS, especially for those at VSC. I have been on the verge of insanity for the last 5 months wondering when I will ever get that golden NOA2. Actually it was the beginning of this very week when I hit rock bottom and thought seriously about giving it all up and starting over but then 3 very important things happened...

1) A mentor at work made a very poignant reminder to me that all things happen in life for a reason and that God never fails to overcome anything (I really needed to hear that, somehow my co-worker just came out of the blue and said it)

2) If you are like me, I have begun to notice a small trickle of NOA2s being posted to this site. So far I've noticed a couple of Jan/Feb approvals.

3) Most importantly, I found out some very big news that I do not think most VJers are aware of regarding the VSC. I work for a major American manufacturing corporation and like many of my fellow freshmen co-workers, we all started our jobs after getting MBAs this spring. It was by chance today at lunch I started mentioning all the drama I was having with the USCIS regarding getting wife and 2 week old daughter home. Needless to say, my co-workers were very understanding and sympathetic to my plot giving the fact they are foreign nationals trying to stay here and work after business school. It was then that one guy piped up and began telling me how the USCIS was putting him through the wringer regarding his H1B visa. I have to admit for someone who has spent many sleepless nights over the last 3 months studying immigration law and the USCIS, I was painfully unaware of how the H1B works.

Now here is an eye-opener for everyone...

If I recalled correctly, someone posted on this site within the last few weeks stating that they spoke to a Congressman regarding the USCIS's slow processing. He stated that the VSC was allocating resources to process other visas, I-130s taking the back-burner of course! Well, what my co-worker told me today blew my mind. We all know that the VSC has been at a virtual stand-still since April. Well, April 1 is when the USCIS begins to process H1Bs (I am not sure, but I think the VSC is the only service center that processes these visas). Out of the hundreds of thousands of international students in the American university system every year, only 60,000 H1Bs are available for post-grad employment authorization.

Now here is how this touches us. According to my co-worker, regardless of whether or not your H1B petition was filed on time, come July 31, the USCIS puts all H1Bs aside and will not process nor even look at a single H1B until next April. According to my calendar, it is July 15, only 16 more days for H1Bs to be processed. I am taking a guess here, but I would imagine that the H1Bs have been taking up over 80% of the officers at the VSC and come Aug 1, I suspect to see a massive realignment of work priorities and with a little luck, those I-130s/K3s will start getting pushed on out the door.

Just my two cents. I a pray for each and everyone of us every day.

[Y's_habibitk 2]

This is interesting and thanks for sharing the optimism! I hope you are right.

Good luck on your journey

Edited July 17, 2008 by Y_habibitk

[R de la R 2]

I see, maybe it is the reason why they have not touched my application for a while. It is unfair. why they do not split the adjudicators between the K-1 visas and the one you mentioned. I think there is not a good managment tool to stop everything on one side.

[ronjie 0]

I thought the N-400 was the culprit. but to me it doesn't matter what it is, as long as they start producing. thanks for letting us see the glass half full .......

Edited July 17, 2008 by ronjie

[Monica&Isha 0]

I remind myself everyday that God's time is the perfect time... I'm trying to be positive and I am most of the days. What you're saying makes sense so I hope it really comes true.

Hello everyone. I am a long time lurker on this site. I know how much we have all been through thanks to the wonderful USCIS, especially for those at VSC. I have been on the verge of insanity for the last 5 months wondering when I will ever get that golden NOA2. Actually it was the beginning of this very week when I hit rock bottom and thought seriously about giving it all up and starting over but then 3 very important things happened...

1) A mentor at work made a very poignant reminder to me that all things happen in life for a reason and that God never fails to overcome anything (I really needed to hear that, somehow my co-worker just came out of the blue and said it)

2) If you are like me, I have begun to notice a small trickle of NOA2s being posted to this site. So far I've noticed a couple of Jan/Feb approvals.

3) Most importantly, I found out some very big news that I do not think most VJers are aware of regarding the VSC. I work for a major American manufacturing corporation and like many of my fellow freshmen co-workers, we all started our jobs after getting MBAs this spring. It was by chance today at lunch I started mentioning all the drama I was having with the USCIS regarding getting wife and 2 week old daughter home. Needless to say, my co-workers were very understanding and sympathetic to my plot giving the fact they are foreign nationals trying to stay here and work after business school. It was then that one guy piped up and began telling me how the USCIS was putting him through the wringer regarding his H1B visa. I have to admit for someone who has spent many sleepless nights over the last 3 months studying immigration law and the USCIS, I was painfully unaware of how the H1B works.

Now here is an eye-opener for everyone...

If I recalled correctly, someone posted on this site within the last few weeks stating that they spoke to a Congressman regarding the USCIS's slow processing. He stated that the VSC was allocating resources to process other visas, I-130s taking the back-burner of course! Well, what my co-worker told me today blew my mind. We all know that the VSC has been at a virtual stand-still since April. Well, April 1 is when the USCIS begins to process H1Bs (I am not sure, but I think the VSC is the only service center that processes these visas). Out of the hundreds of thousands of international students in the American university system every year, only 60,000 H1Bs are available for post-grad employment authorization.

Now here is how this touches us. According to my co-worker, regardless of whether or not your H1B petition was filed on time, come July 31, the USCIS puts all H1Bs aside and will not process nor even look at a single H1B until next April. According to my calendar, it is July 15, only 16 more days for H1Bs to be processed. I am taking a guess here, but I would imagine that the H1Bs have been taking up over 80% of the officers at the VSC and come Aug 1, I suspect to see a massive realignment of work priorities and with a little luck, those I-130s/K3s will start getting pushed on out the door.

Just my two cents. I a pray for each and everyone of us every day.

[whisper2me 0]

Hello everyone. I am a long time lurker on this site. I know how much we have all been through thanks to the wonderful USCIS, especially for those at VSC. I have been on the verge of insanity for the last 5 months wondering when I will ever get that golden NOA2. Actually it was the beginning of this very week when I hit rock bottom and thought seriously about giving it all up and starting over but then 3 very important things happened...

1) A mentor at work made a very poignant reminder to me that all things happen in life for a reason and that God never fails to overcome anything (I really needed to hear that, somehow my co-worker just came out of the blue and said it)

2) If you are like me, I have begun to notice a small trickle of NOA2s being posted to this site. So far I've noticed a couple of Jan/Feb approvals.

3) Most importantly, I found out some very big news that I do not think most VJers are aware of regarding the VSC. I work for a major American manufacturing corporation and like many of my fellow freshmen co-workers, we all started our jobs after getting MBAs this spring. It was by chance today at lunch I started mentioning all the drama I was having with the USCIS regarding getting wife and 2 week old daughter home. Needless to say, my co-workers were very understanding and sympathetic to my plot giving the fact they are foreign nationals trying to stay here and work after business school. It was then that one guy piped up and began telling me how the USCIS was putting him through the wringer regarding his H1B visa. I have to admit for someone who has spent many sleepless nights over the last 3 months studying immigration law and the USCIS, I was painfully unaware of how the H1B works.

Now here is an eye-opener for everyone...

If I recalled correctly, someone posted on this site within the last few weeks stating that they spoke to a Congressman regarding the USCIS's slow processing. He stated that the VSC was allocating resources to process other visas, I-130s taking the back-burner of course! Well, what my co-worker told me today blew my mind. We all know that the VSC has been at a virtual stand-still since April. Well, April 1 is when the USCIS begins to process H1Bs (I am not sure, but I think the VSC is the only service center that processes these visas). Out of the hundreds of thousands of international students in the American university system every year, only 60,000 H1Bs are available for post-grad employment authorization.

Now here is how this touches us. According to my co-worker, regardless of whether or not your H1B petition was filed on time, come July 31, the USCIS puts all H1Bs aside and will not process nor even look at a single H1B until next April. According to my calendar, it is July 15, only 16 more days for H1Bs to be processed. I am taking a guess here, but I would imagine that the H1Bs have been taking up over 80% of the officers at the VSC and come Aug 1, I suspect to see a massive realignment of work priorities and with a little luck, those I-130s/K3s will start getting pushed on out the door.

Just my two cents. I a pray for each and everyone of us every day.

Your post made my day!!!

[mrc1330 0]

I really hope you're right... Although i do believe in the whole "cycle" thing. It is true that service centers repeatedly break the law and process in cycles instead of by date the way the INA and the CFR's state.

Another idea although it is horrible.. is that it might be even longer than that... some speculate that VSC is dedicated to N400's (for the election) and wont stop until it gets to a certain deadline.. perhaps the deadline to get a voter registration number. Whatever that is...

This is interesting and thanks for sharing the optimism! I hope you are right.

Good luck on your journey

[ronjie 0]

Hello everyone. I am a long time lurker on this site. I know how much we have all been through thanks to the wonderful USCIS, especially for those at VSC. I have been on the verge of insanity for the last 5 months wondering when I will ever get that golden NOA2. Actually it was the beginning of this very week when I hit rock bottom and thought seriously about giving it all up and starting over but then 3 very important things happened...

1) A mentor at work made a very poignant reminder to me that all things happen in life for a reason and that God never fails to overcome anything (I really needed to hear that, somehow my co-worker just came out of the blue and said it)

2) If you are like me, I have begun to notice a small trickle of NOA2s being posted to this site. So far I've noticed a couple of Jan/Feb approvals.

3) Most importantly, I found out some very big news that I do not think most VJers are aware of regarding the VSC. I work for a major American manufacturing corporation and like many of my fellow freshmen co-workers, we all started our jobs after getting MBAs this spring. It was by chance today at lunch I started mentioning all the drama I was having with the USCIS regarding getting wife and 2 week old daughter home. Needless to say, my co-workers were very understanding and sympathetic to my plot giving the fact they are foreign nationals trying to stay here and work after business school. It was then that one guy piped up and began telling me how the USCIS was putting him through the wringer regarding his H1B visa. I have to admit for someone who has spent many sleepless nights over the last 3 months studying immigration law and the USCIS, I was painfully unaware of how the H1B works.

Now here is an eye-opener for everyone...

If I recalled correctly, someone posted on this site within the last few weeks stating that they spoke to a Congressman regarding the USCIS's slow processing. He stated that the VSC was allocating resources to process other visas, I-130s taking the back-burner of course! Well, what my co-worker told me today blew my mind. We all know that the VSC has been at a virtual stand-still since April. Well, April 1 is when the USCIS begins to process H1Bs (I am not sure, but I think the VSC is the only service center that processes these visas). Out of the hundreds of thousands of international students in the American university system every year, only 60,000 H1Bs are available for post-grad employment authorization.

Now here is how this touches us. According to my co-worker, regardless of whether or not your H1B petition was filed on time, come July 31, the USCIS puts all H1Bs aside and will not process nor even look at a single H1B until next April. According to my calendar, it is July 15, only 16 more days for H1Bs to be processed. I am taking a guess here, but I would imagine that the H1Bs have been taking up over 80% of the officers at the VSC and come Aug 1, I suspect to see a massive realignment of work priorities and with a little luck, those I-130s/K3s will start getting pushed on out the door.

Just my two cents. I a pray for each and everyone of us every day.

are the h1b's the visa's that can be expedited for a $1000.00 bucks extra. and they can't get away with charging us the $1000.00 for a k1/k3, coz we are entitled to it. so charging us would be extortion. charging corporations the bucks is just another part of doing business. if you were the govt. what visa would you work on?

[ronjie 0]

are the h1b's the visa's that can be expedited for a $1000.00 bucks extra. and they can't get away with charging us the $1000.00 for a k1/k3, coz we are entitled to it. so charging us would be extortion. charging corporations the bucks is just another part of doing business. if you were the govt. what visa would you work on?

Edited July 17, 2008 by ronjie

[DianaP 0]

Thanks for sharing with us... When I called the USCIS director s office today to follow up on my petitions I was told that sadly VSC is overwhelmed with petitions they need to get out of the way by July 31st... I should have an answer max by Aug 15th, this lady tells me since my expedite request was approved on June 15th by only a small percentage of the officers at VSC are handling I-129F and I-130 petitions... So I think your co-worker may be absolutely right... Best of luck to all of us...

[Brad and Vika 129]

Hello everyone. I am a long time lurker on this site. I know how much we have all been through thanks to the wonderful USCIS, especially for those at VSC. I have been on the verge of insanity for the last 5 months wondering when I will ever get that golden NOA2. Actually it was the beginning of this very week when I hit rock bottom and thought seriously about giving it all up and starting over but then 3 very important things happened...

1) A mentor at work made a very poignant reminder to me that all things happen in life for a reason and that God never fails to overcome anything (I really needed to hear that, somehow my co-worker just came out of the blue and said it)

2) If you are like me, I have begun to notice a small trickle of NOA2s being posted to this site. So far I've noticed a couple of Jan/Feb approvals.

3) Most importantly, I found out some very big news that I do not think most VJers are aware of regarding the VSC. I work for a major American manufacturing corporation and like many of my fellow freshmen co-workers, we all started our jobs after getting MBAs this spring. It was by chance today at lunch I started mentioning all the drama I was having with the USCIS regarding getting wife and 2 week old daughter home. Needless to say, my co-workers were very understanding and sympathetic to my plot giving the fact they are foreign nationals trying to stay here and work after business school. It was then that one guy piped up and began telling me how the USCIS was putting him through the wringer regarding his H1B visa. I have to admit for someone who has spent many sleepless nights over the last 3 months studying immigration law and the USCIS, I was painfully unaware of how the H1B works.

Now here is an eye-opener for everyone...

If I recalled correctly, someone posted on this site within the last few weeks stating that they spoke to a Congressman regarding the USCIS's slow processing. He stated that the VSC was allocating resources to process other visas, I-130s taking the back-burner of course! Well, what my co-worker told me today blew my mind. We all know that the VSC has been at a virtual stand-still since April. Well, April 1 is when the USCIS begins to process H1Bs (I am not sure, but I think the VSC is the only service center that processes these visas). Out of the hundreds of thousands of international students in the American university system every year, only 60,000 H1Bs are available for post-grad employment authorization.

Now here is how this touches us. According to my co-worker, regardless of whether or not your H1B petition was filed on time, come July 31, the USCIS puts all H1Bs aside and will not process nor even look at a single H1B until next April. According to my calendar, it is July 15, only 16 more days for H1Bs to be processed. I am taking a guess here, but I would imagine that the H1Bs have been taking up over 80% of the officers at the VSC and come Aug 1, I suspect to see a massive realignment of work priorities and with a little luck, those I-130s/K3s will start getting pushed on out the door.

Just my two cents. I a pray for each and everyone of us every day.

From your lips to God's ear!!!

[Imua 0]

Very interesting - hope we will see those NOA2s rolling in after Aug 1!!!

[Urge To Race 2]

Search VJ for last years April filers thread and you would see that we had the same discussions. April filers last year waited an average of over 6 months for K3 NOA2. May and June filers were also impacted by the rush to beat the July 2007 fee increases so they wanted almost 7-8 months.

H1Bs for foreign workers can be filed starting April 1. Since the number was decreased (65,000 for fiscal 2009) from the temporary level increase earlier this decade (to 195,000), the first day brings in enough petitions to claim all of the visas. The operate first come first serve, but to be fair (multiple mail trucks arrive, which ones are actually received first? and mail delivery hiccups), they take all H1B petitions received in the first few business days they are accepting them (depending on overall volume), and hold a lottery to get the lucky H1B winners. It was April 3, 2007 last year they had reached the limit. For this year they are required to have all processing including interview done by some time in October so they can be here and working for 2009. This is required, so the H1Bs take precedent since there is a firm time limit.

As a side note, the first 20,000 received that have advanced degrees from US universities are exempt from the 65,000 cap. Also, renewals do not count toward the 65,000 cap. For fiscal 2009, USCIS announced on April 8, 2008 that the quotas for visas for the year has been reached for both the advanced degrees and the regular 65,000. USCIS completed initial data entry for all H1B petitions received during April 1 to April 7, 2008 before running the lottery

Also, the tons of H1B petitions that they get that are rejected must be sent appropriate notices. Then they get back to I130s and I129Fs and other types of petitions in earnest.

Cheers.

[sus 70]

3) Most importantly, I found out some very big news that I do not think most VJers are aware of regarding the VSC. I work for a major American manufacturing corporation and like many of my fellow freshmen co-workers, we all started our jobs after getting MBAs this spring. It was by chance today at lunch I started mentioning all the drama I was having with the USCIS regarding getting wife and 2 week old daughter home. Needless to say, my co-workers were very understanding and sympathetic to my plot giving the fact they are foreign nationals trying to stay here and work after business school. It was then that one guy piped up and began telling me how the USCIS was putting him through the wringer regarding his H1B visa. I have to admit for someone who has spent many sleepless nights over the last 3 months studying immigration law and the USCIS, I was painfully unaware of how the H1B works.

Now here is an eye-opener for everyone...

If I recalled correctly, someone posted on this site within the last few weeks stating that they spoke to a Congressman regarding the USCIS's slow processing. He stated that the VSC was allocating resources to process other visas, I-130s taking the back-burner of course! Well, what my co-worker told me today blew my mind. We all know that the VSC has been at a virtual stand-still since April. Well, April 1 is when the USCIS begins to process H1Bs (I am not sure, but I think the VSC is the only service center that processes these visas). Out of the hundreds of thousands of international students in the American university system every year, only 60,000 H1Bs are available for post-grad employment authorization.

Now here is how this touches us. According to my co-worker, regardless of whether or not your H1B petition was filed on time, come July 31, the USCIS puts all H1Bs aside and will not process nor even look at a single H1B until next April. According to my calendar, it is July 15, only 16 more days for H1Bs to be processed. I am taking a guess here, but I would imagine that the H1Bs have been taking up over 80% of the officers at the VSC and come Aug 1, I suspect to see a massive realignment of work priorities and with a little luck, those I-130s/K3s will start getting pushed on out the door.

Just my two cents. I a pray for each and everyone of us every day.

That's not exactly true- April 1st is the first date that H1B petitions can be received for the next year's filing period - which technically opens on October 1st. However, there are so many H1B petitions filed that the Cap is usually reached within the 1st day or so - The H1B covers foreign workers, not just foreign students, and the cap is 65,000 - There are 20,000 visas available for student workers that are exempt from the cap - You can read more here.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

I do know that from April 1 forward, the USCIS is slammed with H1B petitions - my HR Law dept is slammed with work the entire month of March, trying to ensure that all the ducks are in a row and get things filed by April 1. The H1Bs that are currently being worked on are for the year 2009 - so once they are logged in, they might put them aside until April 1, but I am not sure - However, someone filing an H1B that didn't have it in by April 1 has slim to none chance of getting through -

[CaNdiD wiTcH 0]

Thanks for sharing this. I am keeping my fingers cross.. Good luck to all of us.