Local Office Doesnt Have Access to CSC Case Information?

[TinTin and Samby 11]

Hi All,

Thought I would share this interesting situation that occurred to us last week. Would be interested if others have had the same or different experiences with their attempts to get Case Information from the a Local Office (ie through an InfoPass Appointment or Walk in).

We received an online email that the CSC had issued an RFE (AOS Case was previously transferred to CSC). The email, as others here know, provides zero useful information regarding the nature of the RFE. It only states that a letter has been sent to you and in the letter you will find the specifics of the additional information being requested.

Upon receipt of the email, I promptly made a quick same day infopass appointment at my Local Office (it's a great thing being 10 minutes away from the local office!!!! ). I had expected that the Case Officers there at the Local Office could simply go online and look at the case and give me the details of what additional Information was being requested. This would allow me to have a 4 day jump start on collecting this information (the 4 days that it would take for the First Class Stamped USCIS RFE Letter to travel from CSC to me).

Imagine my suprise when I was told by not 1 but 2 different (quite friendly) officers that they would be most hapy to look up my case but that the only information that they have access to in their system is the same note that says "CSC has sent you an RFE, please see the letter for the details". They said they would be happy to send an email to the case officer (at the CSC) which sent the RFE and ask him if he would reply (to them - Local Office) the nature of the RFE and then they would give me a call on my cell phone, but they said that that usually takes longer than the 4 days it takes for the mail delivery of the letter itself.

It seems incredible to me that this kind of information is not in some kind of Information System where it can be retrieved and viewed. It's really only in hard copy in some paper file?? Either that or the officers in the Local Offices do not have access to the (entire) Information System that the CSC uses??

So, I read a lot about people making Info Pass appointments with their Local Office to be able to talk with an actual Immigration Officer in order to get information or correct problems, etc. From this experience I had, it is confusing to me how they could do much of anything given their limited access.

Of course, maybe they just pulled a fast one on me..... Would love to hear others' experiences with Immigration Officers in the Local Offices.

Thanks.

-Samby

Edited April 30, 2009 by TinTin and Samby