Called USCIS

[Sergi9 110]

Darnell, thank you for you that link. I will be sure to use its advice and follow up through other means. I cannot just sit idly by and wait endlessly anymore. I've been doing that for 5 months. Even if USCIS cannot deliver within the 5-month window, we at least deserve an explanation for their delay since we are tax-paying U.S. citizens who paid an exorbitant amount of money for this visa. All I want is an explanation for their delay in service, and that's what I was asking for today when I called them. In return, I get a very rude customer service rep and a rehearsed response from 2 other people, which were useless to me.

here is a suggestion, why don't you folks record the calls? Make some recordings post them on u-tube and send links to the USCIS Ombudsman via email. Enough of these rude customer service calls get listened to and perhaps a change will come at least on the customer service side of the house.

If you think this end of the processing spectrum is painful, wait till the Embassy side and you need some help and have to pay via credit card just to speak to someone and then after they get your money on the credit card have a rude foreign national working for the consulate to hang up on you.

[KiwiBird 132]

So what option did u take Kiwi Bird ??

I'm still waiting. Been waiting since early September (for just the paperwork so far). Been waiting for two years before that to be able to mail it in.

[Milushka 22]

I'm still waiting. Been waiting since early September (for just the paperwork so far). Been waiting for two years before that to be able to mail it in.

Honestly, if I would see the same movement from VSC as you guys see from CSC now, I wouldn't even bother - because getting your approval before 5 month ( even 3 days before) is nothing in comparance with 6-7 months of wait when you are ready to pull out your hair with all tht emailing/calling

Even though I do not support the dark speeches on this forum, I can not see people talking of issues while being on a different levels of assurance/mood/hormone of happiness level. just saying....

Good luck, luckely you ll hear something very soon !

[On the Road Again 2]

here is a suggestion, why don't you folks record the calls? Make some recordings post them on u-tube and send links to the USCIS Ombudsman via email. Enough of these rude customer service calls get listened to and perhaps a change will come at least on the customer service side of the house.

If you think this end of the processing spectrum is painful, wait till the Embassy side and you need some help and have to pay via credit card just to speak to someone and then after they get your money on the credit card have a rude foreign national working for the consulate to hang up on you.

To all Florida residents....just remember that it is illegal in Florida to record telephone calls unless you tell the other side you are recording them.

[SuperDuper! 230]

here is a suggestion, why don't you folks record the calls? Make some recordings post them on u-tube and send links to the USCIS Ombudsman via email. Enough of these rude customer service calls get listened to and perhaps a change will come at least on the customer service side of the house.

If you think this end of the processing spectrum is painful, wait till the Embassy side and you need some help and have to pay via credit card just to speak to someone and then after they get your money on the credit card have a rude foreign national working for the consulate to hang up on you.

+1

You Sir win the GREAT IDEA POST OF THE DAY.

Remember the national media attention this guy got when he recorded the rude AOL clerk when trying to cancel his acct?

One guy and his tape recorder brought so much heat down on AOL and its aggressive sales tactics.

I guess people really don't want to get involved and stand up and try to change the system, but yet will complain how long the visa process takes.

Good luck to all applicants and get those visas soon!

Edited January 22, 2011 by Boing!

[PrestoMN 4]

You have six options:

Keep waiting

Withdraw your petition and cancel everything

Keep waiting

Move to their country

Keep waiting

Keep waiting

It would be great if people that have been on this site for a while could sit quietly if they have nothing to contribute but trite, condescending comments. I think it's fair that the OP is frustrated with the process, and beyond frustrating people even more I'm not sure what this post does.

[KVPandPKP 0]

I passed my 5-month time window recently from my NOA1. I called USCIS mid-day today and spoke with their first-level customer service. I told her I was outside the time window as stated on their website, so I wanted to put in a service request as suggested by the last customer service representative I called a few weeks ago. She tried putting it in, but their system was not working correctly, so she asked me to call back to put in a service request in about 2 or 3 hours. I then asked her if I can speak with a higher level customer service or an immigration officer to ask him or her about the delays with the processing time for VSC.

I was transferred to the so called "higher-level" customer rep, and he basically reiterated the same BS nonsense the last woman told me, except he behaved as though he was doing me the favor (not surprising since it is the government) as I can tell from his tone and did not even want to continue the conversation or help me much. I asked him if I can contact an immigration officer or someone at VSC either through phone or email. He answered me once that such information was withdrawn several years ago. I asked him to repeat the message as I did not hear him correctly the first time. He completely stayed silent with no intention of helping me any further. I asked if he was still on the line. And he threatened that he would terminate the call now. I told him it was very rude of him to speak this way to someone who paid a lot of money for a service that was promised in the 5-month time window and was not delivered. I threatened him back that if he hangs up, I'll have to report him, which of course I could not do since I neither had his name or his customer rep number, but since he threatened me, I felt he deserved it too. And he hung up the phone on me.

I called back USCIS and spoke to a woman who was more helpful this time around. Although she reiterated the same information as the last 2 people, I told her that USCIS continues to ask us to call back after 30 days although I called them almost 30 days ago, not to mention now I am truly outside their processing time window as promised on their website. So she must have felt a little remorse for me and gave me 2 email addresses I can contact later on at VSC. I do not understand how some people on this site get helpful people on the line at USCIS who give them more information than what they read from a script.

In summary, at the time of this writing, VSC is processing I-129F applications filed back on July 24th and if I do not hear something in the next 30 days, I should call back again. My fiancee and I are both at our wit's end about this process. We have not seen each other in over 7 months, and this wait is pushing us to our emotional limits. At this point, we don't know what to do, and I am at a loss to understand what is the next step if another month goes by and USCIS repeats this same BS all over again.

Mr Florida,

It took us little over 5 months to get our I-130 approval from USCIS. However, i had to put a service request in . Initally when i tried to i was given the run around and the some hocus pokus that i am not elgible to place a service request and then two weeks later i called again and then i was able to place a service request. After doing so i saw some movement on the application and then a week latter i got the approval. I would suggest you place the service request first and see what happens and then contact a congress man if nothing moves further. I say this because thats what the congress man office may tell you to do first.

KVP

[Ally & Rach 24]

You have six options:

Keep waiting

Withdraw your petition and cancel everything

Keep waiting

Move to their country

Keep waiting

Keep waiting

my goodness what a pathetic, pointless thing to type..

[Rwlaird 18]

I agree with Ally's post -- "got my N0A2 (recently) and honestly believe it was after sending an e-mail....... if you don't get a reply in a couple of days forward them the same mail, and again, and again. If you get a reply that looks automated? Forward it again and again.. we did and we got a reply from a real person and an approval shortly after."

Mine was recently approved and maybe the timing was merely coincidental but the process I pursued was 1) waited about a week after 5 month mark 2) contacted Customer Service, wrote down the date and name of person I talked to (it turns out that I should have also written down her employee number or something like that) 3) contacted my congressman's office and told them that USCIS's response of "wait 30 days and maybe it will come" is unacceptable 4) waited a few days and called back to the congressman's office to make sure he was following up 5) got a worthless response (they expected it to be done within 30 days) 6) contacted my Senator 7) started emailing the VSC - sent 1 email, waited a few days with no response so sent another, sent 2 that day, sent about 5 the next - finally got a response with a person's name at the bottom - the response said to first contact customer service or email back to VSC if you already have and give them the date and name and number of the person you talked to 9) I emailed that info back 10) waited a few hours and started sending multiple emails with that person's name who answered my email in the subject (none of those were answered) 11) the next day I got approval and within an hour after that got email from my Senator with the same info.

Maybe the timing of my approval was merely coincidental and all my efforts did nothing. I'm fine never knowing but I sure wasn't going to sit idly by according to their instructions of "wait 30 days and call back."

[Ally & Rach 24]

I agree with Ally's post -- "got my N0A2 (recently) and honestly believe it was after sending an e-mail....... if you don't get a reply in a couple of days forward them the same mail, and again, and again. If you get a reply that looks automated? Forward it again and again.. we did and we got a reply from a real person and an approval shortly after."

Mine was recently approved and maybe the timing was merely coincidental but the process I pursued was 1) waited about a week after 5 month mark 2) contacted Customer Service, wrote down the date and name of person I talked to (it turns out that I should have also written down her employee number or something like that) 3) contacted my congressman's office and told them that USCIS's response of "wait 30 days and maybe it will come" is unacceptable 4) waited a few days and called back to the congressman's office to make sure he was following up 5) got a worthless response (they expected it to be done within 30 days) 6) contacted my Senator 7) started emailing the VSC - sent 1 email, waited a few days with no response so sent another, sent 2 that day, sent about 5 the next - finally got a response with a person's name at the bottom - the response said to first contact customer service or email back to VSC if you already have and give them the date and name and number of the person you talked to 9) I emailed that info back 10) waited a few hours and started sending multiple emails with that person's name who answered my email in the subject (none of those were answered) 11) the next day I got approval and within an hour after that got email from my Senator with the same info.

Maybe the timing of my approval was merely coincidental and all my efforts did nothing. I'm fine never knowing but I sure wasn't going to sit idly by according to their instructions of "wait 30 days and call back."

I don't think its coincidental.. look at the approvals list.. there was nothing happenning at vermont.. we mailed a few times then a few days later.. response.. nothing seems to have happened since us either.. keep annoying them.. least it gives you hope!!;0)

[mckay76 11]

If you want to call me rude for pointing out realistic options, then I guess I'm rude. So the OP got a response of '6 options' from someone already approved, and a response of '3 options' from someone not approved. They are realistic options, though, since there really isn't much the OP can do.

Unfortunately, all of our hands are tied when it comes to USCIS. Even talking to a congressman doesn't get USCIS to jump all over your petition, and that's just the way it is.

Well here's a realistic option for you..when someone asks a question or makes a statement how about if you have nothing constructive or helpful to say you don't say anything at all. Sarcasm and rude responses are not needed here.

my goodness what a pathetic, pointless thing to type..

exactly, which was why I chimed in

[Ramisgreat 20]

Amazing to see how people talk this way when they were approved in no time.Such comments are really not welcome.Thanks but no thanks for your advice.

[Ramisgreat 20]

You have six options:

Keep waiting

Withdraw your petition and cancel everything

Keep waiting

Move to their country

Keep waiting

Keep waiting

Amazing to see how people talk this way when they were approved in no time.Such comments are really not welcome.Thanks but no thanks for your advice.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

real easy to say when your already approved

That's not really relevant is it?

Ya gotta love these people who look down on you and think they are better than you because their SO is already with them. For all the help it does us, it kinda reminds me of a screen door on a submarine.

This does not go out to all who completed their journeys nor to even most who did, just a select few. No need to name names because you know who you are, and so does everyone else.

So why don't you become a screen door on someone else's submarine. This submarine does not need one.

: :no:

Why do you think someone is looking down on you?

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Amazing to see how people talk this way when they were approved in no time.Such comments are really not welcome.Thanks but no thanks for your advice.

What does the fact that someone is already reunited have to do with the reality of a situation?