December 2009 Filers - CSC!

[Y&E 12]

Oh wow I am really sorry to hear that you guys are having these delays.

There isn't anyway they can just wait for the certificate to get to you?

I mean really like you said it is on its way.

Just keep thinking positive although I know it is hard to do sometimes.

You are getting all the crappy stuff outta the way now so your interview will be a breeze!

I will keep my fingers crossed for you guys!

Thanks for the positive thoughts Meggy - you know, you'd think that since I ticked the box saying that I already had it they'd have just left well alone. Anyway, Royal Mail exhorted £5 out of me to send back my letter for 1pm tomorrow. I included a cover letter pointing out that since they ask what police certificates you have I had ticked that box so they could assume that I did have it. Just stupid American buracracy I think. Anyway, I hope that NZ responds to them fast, but I doubt they will.

Just very frustrated and P off'd right now.

[Casper&Diana 0]

Greetings again Fellow DFs! MeggyMo asked me off-line for an update so I thought I would share. Jes' bin so bizzy! The quick summary for me is the old "hurry up and wait." After getting the RFE turned around in a (I think) record time of 16 hours after receipt, and the NOA 2 two days later, nothing else has happened! It's 10 days since the NOA2 and my repeated calls to the NVC have all resulted in the same response, "That number is not in our system yet. Please call back in a week." <How about I call back in an hour instead?>

I have learned some things of academic interest about how the Service Center to NVC hand-off happens. On the same day the NOA2 is issued the USCIS makes a hard copy and sends your package from the xSC to the NVC via a special government-only courier. Should take 3-4 days. It's gov't only so there is no chance UPS could accidentally send it to Zimbabwe.

At the same time they e-mail the entire package to the NVC so it is actually there the same day as the NOA2! I don't know why they e-mail it because the NVC (apparently) doesn't do anything until they have received and logged in the hard copy. Does that make any sense?

As of now, being the impatient lad that I am, I started a search for the packet at NVC (here's a good e-mail address to have: NVCresearch@State.gov) AND I called USCIS, got to a supervisor who said, 'the packet is in New Hampshire; they're just lazy.' <Uh, ok> And she sent a second copy of the packet to the NVC.

Tomorrow is another day. My fingers are crossed and I remain ever hopeful and optimistic. Stay tuned!

[Casper&Diana 0]

Still no NOA2. Contacted my state Senator´s office last week, and again yesterday. Should I try a Congressman instead? Still no touch. I can´t blame it on Ecuador, because another couple just got their NOA2 within 7 weeks. Please God, send an NOA2 our way...

Hey eE, I feel your pain. Having just been in your situation I contacted both my US senators and my US congressman. To answer your question as to who is the best to contact, my experience was different with all three. I don't think any one is intrinsicly better or worse but start with the one who has been in office the longest. They probably have the best established staff to handle these things. After that, which of them seems willing to help the most?

In my case I had a freshman senator who was useless, one established congressman whose aide would (and did) make a single 'courtesy' enquiry but as soon as the canned reply came back 'It isn't done because it isn't done yet and it won't be done until it's done.' the aide refused to do anything more. My second senator was also established, had an experienced staff and the aide I worked with made it clear she would go to the mat for me. That's the one you want!

¡Buena Suerta!

[MeggyMo 4]

Agreed with Casper on contacting the congressman.

Angelo and I lucked out.

I guess the infamous Joy who was Angelo's congressman's aid pulled it of for us!

Angelo spoke with her today and she told him she contacted the CSC three times in the span of 2 days telling them to get their butts in gear! And as you guys know it worked! After a few days of getting Joy on the case we were approved.

She is also (with no asking from us) following our case to the end.

She told us she has been in touch with my consulate in Vancouver to make sure everything is still running smoothly.

So I say definitely contact someone because if they really want to and they have their eye on the prize for you they can make things happen.

Hopefully your congressman's aid can do something similar!!

[Y&E 12]

So, turns out that my RFE is standard practice for the US Embassy in NZ and I didn't need to get my own police report from there anyway. Oh well, hopefully London sends it quickly and NZ processes it fast!

Good luck to everyone who it working with their government rep on this process.

[Casper&Diana 0]

Update from Oregon: As I posted, my NOA 2 was April 12th but as of yesterday the NVC still disavows any knowledge of having received my application from the CSC. Finally, after a week of calling everyday and getting the same "please allow 2-4 weeks" I worked my way up the NVC food chain to the "Unit Manager, Telephone Inquiry" whatever that is. Well, my new best friend Erica is trying to find my application. But as of close of business Friday, no joy.

Erica did assure me that all applications are "handled in the order received." Really, I asked, what dates are they working on now? She called the mailroom and found out they are currently processing April 20 applications!!! So, Erica, what's the deal?! My application was April 12! A bit of back pedaling then about the 'first in, first out.' We left it that she would try to locate my app. No word yet. I will say that Erica seems honest and sincere and I believe she is helping. That opinion may change on Monday!

So, today I spent two hours skyping/talking with Diana. Always a pleasure! That was funny because there was no audio on the computer but the video was better than usual. Whether it was skype or her computer we don't know but it was funny looking at each other on the monitors while holding cell phones to our ears while we did!

Reality Check: Diana has a small financial auditing company and also works as the Financial Controller for another company. Apparently closing a company in the Ukraine is not like here where you just send in some forms. I guess it takes her a month of personal visits to some bureaucracy(ies) to do it. She also wants to give at least 2 weeks notice to her employer. I told her that, one way or the other, she should be in Oregon in June. Then I said, given everything she needed to do before then, preparing the countless documents for the embassy interview to packing a household of stuff, she should give notice at work on Monday and start closing her company.

Of course it is only logical to make everything happen in sync but her eyes got big (even on skype) as the "reality" of this life changing event we are doing ratcheted up another notch!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

[Y&E 12]

Wow, I really hope that they find everything and Diana gets to you in June, Caspar.

[MeggyMo 4]

Ditto!

I have my fingers crossed for you guys!

That is a lot of extra stuff she has to do along with getting everything ready for the interview.

I am sure you guys can do it though!

[Casper&Diana 0]

Monday April 26, 2 weeks after NOA 2, and still the NVC has no idea where my application is! *sigh*

[MeggyMo 4]

Really?

Ugh I am sorry to hear that Casper. Do you still have your senator on the case?

It might be a good idea to give him a heads up on what is going on.

I am sure you have been contacting the CSC and the NVC like crazy.

I am sure it is on its way it just wants to make you sweat a bit more.

Just keep calling both the CSC and the NVC and you should hear that good news soon!!

I have my fingers and toes crossed for you guys

[Casper&Diana 0]

Really?

Ugh I am sorry to hear that Casper. Do you still have your senator on the case?

It might be a good idea to give him a heads up on what is going on.

I am sure you have been contacting the CSC and the NVC like crazy.

I am sure it is on its way it just wants to make you sweat a bit more.

Just keep calling both the CSC and the NVC and you should hear that good news soon!!

I have my fingers and toes crossed for you guys

Hey MeggyMo,

Yeah, I call or e-mail my new-best-friend director at the NVC every day. She seems genuinely interested in giving me some good news but so far there is just no knowledge of my application in New Hampshire. It's just weird. Now I am beginning to wonder if the CSC was playing with me when they said (over a week ago) that the application had been sent to the NVC and that the mail room at the NVC was just "lazy"(their word). Well, tomorrow I beat up on the CSC again.

Wish me luck! Diana gave notice at her work yesterday.

[Y&E 12]

I'm sure that it will turn up soon, Caspar. Maybe the volcanic ash slowed up US mail too

That's brave of Diana to give her notice in already. I'm terrified to just in case something goes wrong when I get an interview. On the bright side, my NZ police cert turned up today so I'm sending a copy to London with a begging letter to get them to give me an interview date

[esperanza Ecuador 0]

TOUCH! I haven´t received a text or e-mail yet, but today (after almost three weeks of initiating a plea for help from Senator´s office, run around between their three state offices) I got the call and phone message from the nice gentleman who was assigned to checking on our case. It was the standard...it´s not 5 months yet (darn bet it almost is though!) and we are within normal processing, if you don´t hear by 5 months, check again.

Even so, after my night school tonight I just checked www.uscis.gov website....

TOUCH! come on...NOA2. I bought a ticket to Ecuador yesterday for me and my two boys, and we will arrive June 9th and be there to July 6th. We have to get this show on the road so I am there for the interview!!!

Thanks MeggyMo and Casper and all for your words of encouragement, they meant a lot.

[MeggyMo 4]

TOUCH! I haven´t received a text or e-mail yet, but today (after almost three weeks of initiating a plea for help from Senator´s office, run around between their three state offices) I got the call and phone message from the nice gentleman who was assigned to checking on our case. It was the standard...it´s not 5 months yet (darn bet it almost is though!) and we are within normal processing, if you don´t hear by 5 months, check again.

Even so, after my night school tonight I just checked www.uscis.gov website....

TOUCH! come on...NOA2. I bought a ticket to Ecuador yesterday for me and my two boys, and we will arrive June 9th and be there to July 6th. We have to get this show on the road so I am there for the interview!!!

Thanks MeggyMo and Casper and all for your words of encouragement, they meant a lot.

I hope you hear that good news soon you definitely deserve that after all your waiting!

Hey not a problem I just can't wait for every December filer to be done!!

[Casper&Diana 0]

You're welcome from me too. I hope your CSC to NVC journey is smoother than mine! 2 1/2 weeks and no one can tell me (at either end) where my application is. Insane.