Are you pissed off at USCIS?

[Yasi 0]

ah, yes...just a little over a year ago, we were so jealous of the folks in california...second only, of course to those going through vermont. at that time, the place you did not want to be stuck was the nebraska service center...otherwise known as the seventh level of hell.

i do sympathize, and i remember the heartbreak of being separated from my then fiance only seemed to make the time drag even slower.

i would advise you guys to broaden your perspective a bit, though...take a look at what is happening on the 'other' side of the K-1...there are some people who are stuck in FBI name-check while their AOS is pending...some as long as 2 or 3 years! in order to be most effective, it may be worth addressing the legal immigration issue as a whole, and not just fiance visas.then again, that's just my 2 cents.

dani_christine, I was wondering the same thing... I agree with you... I love to join you all for bringing media's attention to the whole process of immigration.

My issue is different from all of yours... My fiance has been on FBI name check for the past 17 months. We got our NOA2 May of 2005 and been at NVC since then.... I know most cases leave NVC quickly but there is a small percentage (lucky us) get stuck there for background checks through washington agencies (I've been told by NVC many times).

I feel for all of you... Waiting is hell.

Good luck to all.

Yasi

[1HappyGuy 45]

Hi everyone,

I just joined VJ and have been a guest for about 1 1/2 months. A friend told me about this site and I wish I had known about it sooner. I am sorry to say that the USCIS has not improved since I first got involved. I applied first time in August 2003 with worse results that you are experiencing now. My I-129F languished in the files for 7 months before they even got to the date I filed. Then, because I had written a letter offering help with anything they needed, my file was misplaced. Three weeks later in March 2004 the application was approved. My intended arrived in early May. Unfortunately, she turned out to be a total mental case and I must have been seeing her on the good days. She lasted two weeks before I said good bye.

However, I did reconnect with a wonderful woman that I had met on my first trip to Ukraine. We got together last May 2005 for three weeks and it was kismet. It took 3 months to the day for the I-129F to be approved this time and she arrived on November 17, 2005. We married in January, thus that is why I'm "1HappyGuy".

But, now I want to add my comments to so many of you that are suffering with the waiting, the uncertainty and the *&%# frustration. First of all, continue to encourage each other. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, its just got detoured because of IMBRA. Do not under any circumstances write to the USCIS service center or you will suffer my fate of being lost in their massive file system.

Contacting your congressman or senator is not of much use unless the time for processing has passed by at least 30 days. When I filed the standard line was "it is taking us between 120 and 180 days to process this type of application". So, in my case it would be 210 days before politicians would even look.

The system we are dealing with is broken, but at least they are trying to fix it. Remember this, the USCIS did not pass IMBRA, somebody from the state of Washington got this going. This organization is staffed by bureaucrats that can not see an end in their work. They are so overwhelmed that they have lost any desire to do a better than average job. However, if congress would stop screwing with the system and the adminstration would stop making more Homeland Security regulations, then the processing times would improve. When I first started my journey, the INS (then) had a backlog of all applications of 3.5 million. It is now reduced to about 1 million.

If you really want to help your fellow VJ'ers the talk about your plans when your fiancee arrives. In many cases they will never have been to America. Life here is much different than other places in the world. Some may have problems with language, driving, home styles, customs, etc. The list of problems is endless. But by suggesting to each other you will find that the time will move quickly and you will be better prepared for the arrival of your new love.

I hope this helps to ease some of you with frustrating burdens. It does get better, believe me. I have had it bad and great. Great is much better.

Thanks for listening.

[*Robert* 2]

You can't fix something that ain't broke! If the people that complain about the USCIS could put themselve in their shoes!!!

People need to relax. Though complaining may make you feel better, for oh such a short period of time, it doesn't help a thing, and won't change thing.

[Kirsten L 0]

ah, yes...just a little over a year ago, we were so jealous of the folks in california...second only, of course to those going through vermont. at that time, the place you did not want to be stuck was the nebraska service center...otherwise known as the seventh level of hell.

i do sympathize, and i remember the heartbreak of being separated from my then fiance only seemed to make the time drag even slower.

i would advise you guys to broaden your perspective a bit, though...take a look at what is happening on the 'other' side of the K-1...there are some people who are stuck in FBI name-check while their AOS is pending...some as long as 2 or 3 years! in order to be most effective, it may be worth addressing the legal immigration issue as a whole, and not just fiance visas.

then again, that's just my 2 cents.

Point very well taken. I was actually thinking about this today. And I suspect tjv2000 is already jumping ahead mentally, too. I think we need to start somewhere. So what we could do is take the K-1 situation as one vivid example of an entire system that's literally screaming for reform. It's actually pretty smart because it's one of the gateways to beginning the immigration process. If we can show people how discouraging and inefficient the beginning of the process alone is, then we'll have reporters and the public right on board with us when we give them even a peek at the next stages. I like the way this plan is starting to shape up...

If anyone out there wants to start working the AOS angle so that we can hit that next, GREAT!! I think we definitely should start getting those ducks in a row, as well.

Edited September 1, 2006 by Kirsten L

[kitkat1 5]

Hi everyone,

I just joined VJ and have been a guest for about 1 1/2 months. A friend told me about this site and I wish I had known about it sooner. I am sorry to say that the USCIS has not improved since I first got involved. I applied first time in August 2003 with worse results that you are experiencing now. My I-129F languished in the files for 7 months before they even got to the date I filed. Then, because I had written a letter offering help with anything they needed, my file was misplaced. Three weeks later in March 2004 the application was approved. My intended arrived in early May. Unfortunately, she turned out to be a total mental case and I must have been seeing her on the good days. She lasted two weeks before I said good bye.

However, I did reconnect with a wonderful woman that I had met on my first trip to Ukraine. We got together last May 2005 for three weeks and it was kismet. It took 3 months to the day for the I-129F to be approved this time and she arrived on November 17, 2005. We married in January, thus that is why I'm "1HappyGuy".

But, now I want to add my comments to so many of you that are suffering with the waiting, the uncertainty and the *&%# frustration. First of all, continue to encourage each other. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, its just got detoured because of IMBRA. Do not under any circumstances write to the USCIS service center or you will suffer my fate of being lost in their massive file system.

Contacting your congressman or senator is not of much use unless the time for processing has passed by at least 30 days. When I filed the standard line was "it is taking us between 120 and 180 days to process this type of application". So, in my case it would be 210 days before politicians would even look.

The system we are dealing with is broken, but at least they are trying to fix it. Remember this, the USCIS did not pass IMBRA, somebody from the state of Washington got this going. This organization is staffed by bureaucrats that can not see an end in their work. They are so overwhelmed that they have lost any desire to do a better than average job. However, if congress would stop screwing with the system and the adminstration would stop making more Homeland Security regulations, then the processing times would improve. When I first started my journey, the INS (then) had a backlog of all applications of 3.5 million. It is now reduced to about 1 million.

If you really want to help your fellow VJ'ers the talk about your plans when your fiancee arrives. In many cases they will never have been to America. Life here is much different than other places in the world. Some may have problems with language, driving, home styles, customs, etc. The list of problems is endless. But by suggesting to each other you will find that the time will move quickly and you will be better prepared for the arrival of your new love.

I hope this helps to ease some of you with frustrating burdens. It does get better, believe me. I have had it bad and great. Great is much better.

Thanks for listening.

I, for one, believe these are wise words. Then again, I'm completely beaten down and defeated these days after fighting tool and nail to get simple information regarding IMBRA, RFEs and why my March petition is still sitting at CSC while zillions of people who applied months after me have already been approved. By the time my honey is actually here, I suspect half the people on the board right now will be expecting their first child! It's not that I don't support or encourage people to do what they can for the next group of poor souls who go through this process. But for now, at this point, I am resigned to the fact that there is zero I can do to right this wrong aside from having another drink and trying to relax.

[MrMrsKnight 0]

Okay.... I'll post emails of people and shows we can write to. Choose the ones you want to email and once you do, let us know so we can keep track and eventually make a list and organize ourselves.

Let's keep the emails strong, clean and to the point.

The Big Story w/ John Gibson — Myword@foxnews.com

The Big Story Weekend — Bigstory-weekend@foxnews.com

The Big Story Primetime — Bigstory-weekend@foxnews.com

Bulls & Bears — Bullsandbears@foxnews.com

Cashin' In — Cash@foxnews.com

Cavuto on Business — Cavuto@foxnews.com

DaySide — Dayside@foxnews.com

Forbes on FOX — Forbes@foxnews.com

FOX & Friends — Friends@foxnews.com

FOX News Live — Feedback@foxnews.com

FOX News Live w/ Jamie Colby — Jamie@foxnews.com

FOX News Live Weekend — Feedback@foxnews.com

FOX News Specials — Viewerservices@foxnews.com

FOX News Sunday — FNS@foxnews.com

FOX News Watch — Newswatch@foxnews.com

FOX Report w/ Shepard Smith — Foxreport@foxnews.com

Hannity & Colmes — Hannity@foxnews.com or Colmes@foxnews.com

Heartland w/ John Kasich — Heartland@foxnews.com

The Journal Editorial Report — JER@foxnews.com

The Lineup — Lineup@foxnews.com

On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren — Ontherecord@foxnews.com

The O'Reilly Factor — Oreilly@foxnews.com

Special Report w/ Brit Hume — Special@foxnews.com

Studio B w/ Shepard Smith — Studiob@foxnews.com

War Stories w/ Oliver North — Warstories@foxnews.com

Your World w/ Neil Cavuto — Cavuto@foxnews.com

Oprah -- http://www2.oprah.com/email/reach/email_reach_fromu.jhtml

Today -- today@nbc.com

Nightly News -- nightly@nbc.com

Dateline -- dateline@nbc.com

And to email any CBS show (or all of them), go to www.cbsnews.com and click on "contact us" on the bottom of the page!

Power to us and I hope it works.... for us and people coming behind us!

[Kirsten L 0]

Okay.... I'll post emails of people and shows we can write to. Choose the ones you want to email and once you do, let us know so we can keep track and eventually make a list and organize ourselves.

Let's keep the emails strong, clean and to the point.

The Big Story w/ John Gibson — Myword@foxnews.com

The Big Story Weekend — Bigstory-weekend@foxnews.com

The Big Story Primetime — Bigstory-weekend@foxnews.com

Bulls & Bears — Bullsandbears@foxnews.com

Cashin' In — Cash@foxnews.com

Cavuto on Business — Cavuto@foxnews.com

DaySide — Dayside@foxnews.com

Forbes on FOX — Forbes@foxnews.com

FOX & Friends — Friends@foxnews.com

FOX News Live — Feedback@foxnews.com

FOX News Live w/ Jamie Colby — Jamie@foxnews.com

FOX News Live Weekend — Feedback@foxnews.com

FOX News Specials — Viewerservices@foxnews.com

FOX News Sunday — FNS@foxnews.com

FOX News Watch — Newswatch@foxnews.com

FOX Report w/ Shepard Smith — Foxreport@foxnews.com

Hannity & Colmes — Hannity@foxnews.com or Colmes@foxnews.com

Heartland w/ John Kasich — Heartland@foxnews.com

The Journal Editorial Report — JER@foxnews.com

The Lineup — Lineup@foxnews.com

On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren — Ontherecord@foxnews.com

The O'Reilly Factor — Oreilly@foxnews.com

Special Report w/ Brit Hume — Special@foxnews.com

Studio B w/ Shepard Smith — Studiob@foxnews.com

War Stories w/ Oliver North — Warstories@foxnews.com

Your World w/ Neil Cavuto — Cavuto@foxnews.com

Oprah -- http://www2.oprah.com/email/reach/email_reach_fromu.jhtml

Today -- today@nbc.com

Nightly News -- nightly@nbc.com

Dateline -- dateline@nbc.com

And to email any CBS show (or all of them), go to www.cbsnews.com and click on "contact us" on the bottom of the page!

Power to us and I hope it works.... for us and people coming behind us!

You are AWESOME!!! I had begun to compile this kind of info today, but you're already way ahead of me. HIP HIP HOORAY!!!

I just wrote to tjv2000 and suggested that we all also throw out the names of local but well-known talk radio personalities who might be inclined to help us. We need to stay away from shock jocks...the credibility thing again. But I think there's a whole lot of good that could come from that, as well. In the Madison area, there's Vicki McKenna on WIBA Talk Radio. In Chicago, I'm quite certain that Don Wade & Roma would be an excellent team to send to. Don Wade is a friggin' bull dog, God bless him. So is Roe Conn. All three of these people broadcast out of WLS Talk Radio.

We also do need to contact politicians and political candidates. A list is very easily available online for all senatorial and congressional representatives. Candidates facing elections, though...We'll definitely need to compile a list of those.

Here's the thing, we need to organize this stuff into a schedule once we've got all the names. So, for now, let's just get the rest of the info we need. It should only take another day or two. Once we do that, a schedule can very quickly be put together and disseminated amongst the group.

BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE...Let's get a solid list of names of those who are willing to help with this campaign. We need to know just how much manpower we've got--and who we can call on in any hour of need. If you're interested, can you please email myself or MrMrsKnight (is this ok with you, MrMrsKnight?) with as much information as you feel comfortable offering. The following info would be helpful: real name, phone number, email address/es, and possibly IM identies. You can email me with such information via this site. Just go to my VJ home page. Let's kick it into gear...Keep the momentum rolling!!!

Edited September 1, 2006 by Kirsten L

[wanthimhere 0]

I will support any group effort, whether big or small. But, I really think that the media route is better than the politician route .... the media can hype and spotlight the problem to a much bigger and a much more capable audience.

Additionally, I would prefer to address the nature of the "broken system" (as opposed to just the CSC debacle). While a 6 month wait for a NOA2 might seem like an eternity to some, the Embassy in my fiance's country has over 27,000 people waiting for visas, and as of this summer, each of the K1/K3 ers are moving at give or take 1000 spots per month ..... translation: a 2-3 year wait once our petition hits his country. THIS is a broken system!!!

And even though I'm leaning towards bailing on the K1 and just moving to his country instead, I will gladly put forth any effort necessary to make our cases heard.

[MrMrsKnight 0]

Kirsten L Thank you for the compliment and I apreciate your effort too! Let's get together to try to do out part.

If you want to be a part of our group and if you want to help us turning this plan into action, email/message me or Kirsten and we'll try to be online same place/ same time so we can organize it all!

We want to make things better not only for ourselves but for people that haven't even sent their petitions yet. We're in this together

[tjv2000 0]

comments_about_USCIS.docSee attached word document

add any comments you have, reattach and add your reply

[ronin308 0]

Most government agencies will have a knee jerk reaction at this that will not help your cases. Removing the ability to get information from the service center directly was a reaction to complaints about not being informed. Moving 129Fs from Texas and Nebraska to California was a reaction and if we keep going down this path the lucky few in Vermont will also end up in California where staffing levels won't change and the increased workload will make it rotten for everyone.

I waited over a year for NOA-2 due to USCIS incompetence but I don't think this way of impacting change will have a positive effect.

[Kirsten L 0]

Most government agencies will have a knee jerk reaction at this that will not help your cases. Removing the ability to get information from the service center directly was a reaction to complaints about not being informed. Moving 129Fs from Texas and Nebraska to California was a reaction and if we keep going down this path the lucky few in Vermont will also end up in California where staffing levels won't change and the increased workload will make it rotten for everyone.

I waited over a year for NOA-2 due to USCIS incompetence but I don't think this way of impacting change will have a positive effect.

I'm really sorry to hear you've been waiting so long. Actually, though, the transfer of files from Nebraska and Texas to California is part of a general shift occurring inside of USCIS concerning which service centers process which types of visa petitions. Nebraska and Texas, as I understand it, have simply been phased out as K-1 processing entities for this reason. It wasn't a slap at filers.

Many government agencies have implemented necessary change when finally called to account through sufficient public demand. Collecting a list of what's wrong with USCIS is simply a first step in understanding what is broken so that it can be addressed and fixed. Trust me when I say that while venting mode may be carrying the moment, any push for change led from will be handled with the professional attitude necessary to ensure credibility and respectability. I agree with you that an angry mob attitude will get us no where. Facts, statistics, and calm, rational representation of our concerns eventually will, however.

[sasha414 0]

count me in

[Ilya R. 0]

count me in

this thread is more than 2 years old

[MrsCat 6]

count me in

this thread is more than 2 years old

I guess USCIS hasn't fixed the problems from 2 years ago?