My Brain Storm

[extremerecluse 32]

Uhm... It's called Localization. It's very common. Theres the answer to that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internationalization_and_localization

Too much technology is bad. Really? Let me have your GPS. Let me have your Laptop. Let me have your Cell Phone, Let me have your widescreen tv. Let me have your microwave. Let me have your washer and dryer. Let me have your vehicle. What did you say about technology? Bad? Really? Come on now!!

[extremerecluse 32]

I don't remember a contract stating how long it would take for the I130 to be approved when I filed mine. The waiting time for this process to be completed is just one more piece of evidence of a bona fide relationship that we "submit" without being aware of it.

I respectfully disagree. Your application will spend 1-5 years siting in a pile of thousands waiting processing. Why is it sitting in that mountain of I-130's? Ask your self. You actually think that USCIS is testing your devotion to your loved one? Oh BOY. The reason behind letting that document remain untouched for 1-5 years is none of your business. Good service should be your business and something you demand. You paid good money for what? GOOD SERVICE; nothing more!!! The transaction you made with this private entity called USCIS is a simple contract; nothing more. They had taken your good money. If you expected them to provide poor service, then why did you submit the petition? You, as a paying customer to a self sufficient, private entity demand GOOD SERVICE. SIMPLE!!!! It is not up to you to figure out how to fix the problem; only to know that a big problem exists and the private entity that had taken your money for services rendered needs to remedy the problem before you decide to take them to court, which you can do right now.

[Julie y Pat 67]

I respectfully disagree. Your application will spend 1-5 years siting in a pile of thousands waiting processing. Why is it sitting in that mountain of I-130's? Ask your self. You actually think that USCIS is testing your devotion to your loved one? Oh BOY. The reason behind letting that document remain untouched for 1-5 years is none of your business. Good service should be your business and something you demand. You paid good money for what? GOOD SERVICE; nothing more!!! The transaction you made with this private entity called USCIS is a simple contract; nothing more. They had taken your good money. If you expected them to provide poor service, then why did you submit the petition? You, as a paying customer to a self sufficient, private entity demand GOOD SERVICE. SIMPLE!!!! It is not up to you to figure out how to fix the problem; only to know that a big problem exists and the private entity that had taken your money for services rendered needs to remedy the problem before you decide to take them to court, which you can do right now.

If you had gotten your NOA2 from USCIS in one month(good service), you'd probably wait an additional five to six months for an interview date in Manilla. Who will you sue then? The Department of State? The only contract you will have in this process is the I864, and that contract says the US government will sue you if certain conditions are met.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Too much technology is bad. Really? Let me have your GPS. Let me have your Laptop. Let me have your Cell Phone, Let me have your widescreen tv. Let me have your microwave. Let me have your washer and dryer. Let me have your vehicle. What did you say about technology? Bad? Really? Come on now!!

Actually, until I married my husband the only ones of those I owned was my older car (manual transmission - no big onboard computers either) and an old desk top computer. I also owned a hair blow dryer and an electric kettle. The stove and fridge came with my apartment and the laundromat was nearby, but as my hobby was historical re-enacting, I spent many years doing primitive camping. I can make my own clothes by hand, I can start a fire without matches, cook and bake almost anything you like over that fire, use basic hand tools to construct almost anything needed for my survival . . well, you get the idea. Now I inherited a lap top, a microwave and a washer and dryer and cellphone through marriage -still don't have a widescreen tv, GPS or anything like that, but I married a techno geek so the technology came with the marriage. I am perfectly fine without these luxuries - as are significant numbers of the world's population.

Yes, too much technology is a bad thing - it robs you of the ability to do things for yourself; it destroys self-sufficiency. Your assumptions that everyone needs the items you have listed above for survival or even enjoyment of life shows a very narrow focus of reality. In many countries in the world people do NOT have all of those luxuries - or even some of them.

You have not addressed the situation of how you standardize the basic information that is requested even to file an I-130 or an I-129 f petition. The necessary attachments are not standardized throughout the US and without a computerized system that would accept the necessary attachments that accompany the petitions (marriage certificates,birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, etc.) you cannot even get started on a one-stop USCIS based computerized process.

You seem to think that all the initial process involves is submitting documents and having them checked off against a list. A better understanding of the process would show you that this is not the case. The documents submitted are analyzed and assessed to ensure eligibility requirements are met. They don't just look at the quantity of documents submitted - they review the quality of information contained within those documents - in other words this is an analysis and decision making process. You would need a 'thinking' computer that was able to differentiate between the various ways information is listed on original documents - all of which are issued by many different, non-standardized State departments for anything issued within the US - and then add in documents that are issued outside of the country and you add a whole other degree of complexity.

For example - these are the basic documents requested for submission with the I-129f and the I-130 petitions - the process that is done in the US and which you state can easily be processed completely by technology without human involvement: All of the documents that are listed as 'non-standardized' need to be evaluated to determine if they satisfy the mandatory requirements This must be done by a human who can analyze the information, not a computer checking off that a document was submitted:

I-129f:

Things that can be standardized: I-129f petition; G-235a form; letter of intent to marry (a new form can be created); Proof of US citizenship -a) certificate (although there are many different versions of the certificate over the years) b) US passport; proof of parental consent if necessary (new form can be created); passport photos

Things that cannot be standardized: proof of having met in person over the last 2 years -( too many variables requiring analysis and a decision that requirement met); declaration of meeting (too many variables to standardize based upon different cultural traditions around the world); Proof of US citizenship - birth certificates (at least 50 different styles of documents plus many versions over the years from different states); Proof of eligibility to marry - divorce documents, death documents, annulment documents for both parties - (even greater degree of variability than proof of US citizenship as you have variables of 50 states plus every country in the world); proof of legal name change - (infinite variability depending on method of process involved in US and around the world); IMBRA requirements - require certified copies of court and police records -( infinite variability from US and around the world) ; Request for IMBRA waiver -( infinite variability of evidence and circumstances);

I-130

Things that can be standardized: I-130 petition; G-235a form; Proof of US Citizenship - a) certificate b) passport; or Proof of PR status; passport photos

Things that cannot be standardized: Marriage certificate (differs in all 50 states and every country in the world); Proof of eligibility to marry- divorce documents, death documents, annulment documents for both parties -( variable in US and around the world); Bonafides of marriage - leases joint financial records, property ownership, children, affidavits, etc., (high degree of variability); Proof of familial relationships - birth certificates,judicial statements -( variable for around the world and US; proof of name changes (variable options and differing formats around the world).

It is not a matter of checking off that someone has submitted any of the items listed in the second list of each of the above petitions - all of these documents have to be examined to determine that yes, they are what they are said to be, and yes,they do contain the information that is requested, and yes, they satisfy the requirements that they are submitted to satisfy.

Until you can get a computer that can think, analyze non-hierarchical information, verify legitimacy of evidence and 'understand' how the evidence fits the situation, it will NOT be a simple matter to computerize phase one, no matter how much technology you bring to the plate.

I appreciate your frustration with the process but you are not clicking off options for your new sports car from a finite set of variables; you are asking for a human relationship between two individuals with widely variable possibilities to be evaluated as 'real' and approved on its merits in order to qualify for a future immigration benefit, which is decided at the Consulate level.

One other comment - the reference to 'Good" service does not necessarily include your definition of 'timely' service. USCIS generally states it takes a certain amount of time to process the necessary documents. The high degree of variability of documents to be analyzed as well as the high volume of traffic and the necessity for the USCIS staff to work on other petitions as well as fiancee and spousal petitions means that their definition of good and timely may be vastly different than yours. Historically, they are providing the same level of service now as they have for at least the eight years with which I have been involved in the process. They have never promised more than that so they are not violating a 'contract' to make a decision about your petition on your time schedule. Yes, I absolutely understand this is frustrating and appreciate the need to try and find a solution, but the one you are proposing is not the one that will work, at least not with the level of technology that we currently have available to us.

Also - USCIS is not a private entity -it is a division of the Department of Homeland Security that is mandated to fund its activities through user fees of those using its services and not through the general tax base of the US citizens. Its funding mandate does not negate its position as a department within the Federal Government .

Edited February 20, 2011 by Kathryn41

[extremerecluse 32]

Please provide actual proof of USCIS being a private entity. Also please provide proof of a contract.

FWIW: I felt that I got good service for the fees paid. So we have a difference in opinion.

How long was your petition sitting in a storage room waiting for your 30 minutes of fame? Do you think it was right for your petition to sit untouched for 6 months? Did you think that this was normal? Why or why not? You were satisfied? Why? What do you actually think can be improved with USCIS? What do you think the vast majority of other visa journey members think? Be honest. Do you think USCIS is using best practices? Private entity? I work for the US Postal Service. It is a private corporation which uses postage fees to earn all revenue. The USCIS Director stated before many reporters that the agency is also self sufficient. That means that USCIS is acting as any other privately held company. No tax dollars are used to fund the operation. Therefore they are susceptible to anything that any other privately held company is, to include being hit with a lawsuit for Poor Service for fees paid. No tax dollars used equals corporation collecting big fees. Big fees demand GOOD SERVICE. That includes working on our petitions as soon as they arrive. Not 6 months later. I am sorry to disagree with you. Everybody that stuffs that envelope with those documents along with $$$ expects GOOD SERVICE. As a compromise and a temporary remedy, I would recommend that payments be withheld until the petition review has begun. Sound fair?

[extremerecluse 32]

Actually, until I married my husband the only ones of those I owned was my older car (manual transmission - no big onboard computers either) and an old desk top computer. I also owned a hair blow dryer and an electric kettle. The stove and fridge came with my apartment and the laundromat was nearby, but as my hobby was historical re-enacting, I spent many years doing primitive camping. I can make my own clothes by hand, I can start a fire without matches, cook and bake almost anything you like over that fire, use basic hand tools to construct almost anything needed for my survival . . well, you get the idea. Now I inherited a lap top, a microwave and a washer and dryer and cellphone through marriage -still don't have a widescreen tv, GPS or anything like that, but I married a techno geek so the technology came with the marriage. I am perfectly fine without these luxuries - as are significant numbers of the world's population.

Yes, too much technology is a bad thing - it robs you of the ability to do things for yourself; it destroys self-sufficiency. Your assumptions that everyone needs the items you have listed above for survival or even enjoyment of life shows a very narrow focus of reality. In many countries in the world people do NOT have all of those luxuries - or even some of them.

You have not addressed the situation of how you standardize the basic information that is requested even to file an I-130 or an I-129 f petition. The necessary attachments are not standardized throughout the US and without a computerized system that would accept the necessary attachments that accompany the petitions (marriage certificates,birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, etc.) you cannot even get started on a one-stop USCIS based computerized process.

You seem to think that all the initial process involves is submitting documents and having them checked off against a list. A better understanding of the process would show you that this is not the case. The documents submitted are analyzed and assessed to ensure eligibility requirements are met. They don't just look at the quantity of documents submitted - they review the quality of information contained within those documents - in other words this is an analysis and decision making process. You would need a 'thinking' computer that was able to differentiate between the various ways information is listed on original documents - all of which are issued by many different, non-standardized State departments for anything issued within the US - and then add in documents that are issued outside of the country and you add a whole other degree of complexity.

For example - these are the basic documents requested for submission with the I-129f and the I-130 petitions - the process that is done in the US and which you state can easily be processed completely by technology without human involvement: All of the documents that are listed as 'non-standardized' need to be evaluated to determine if they satisfy the mandatory requirements This must be done by a human who can analyze the information, not a computer checking off that a document was submitted:

I-129f:

Things that can be standardized: I-129f petition; G-235a form; letter of intent to marry (a new form can be created); Proof of US citizenship -a) certificate (although there are many different versions of the certificate over the years) b) US passport; proof of parental consent if necessary (new form can be created); passport photos

Things that cannot be standardized: proof of having met in person over the last 2 years -( too many variables requiring analysis and a decision that requirement met); declaration of meeting (too many variables to standardize based upon different cultural traditions around the world); Proof of US citizenship - birth certificates (at least 50 different styles of documents plus many versions over the years from different states); Proof of eligibility to marry - divorce documents, death documents, annulment documents for both parties - (even greater degree of variability than proof of US citizenship as you have variables of 50 states plus every country in the world); proof of legal name change - (infinite variability depending on method of process involved in US and around the world); IMBRA requirements - require certified copies of court and police records -( infinite variability from US and around the world) ; Request for IMBRA waiver -( infinite variability of evidence and circumstances);

I-130

Things that can be standardized: I-130 petition; G-235a form; Proof of US Citizenship - a) certificate b) passport; or Proof of PR status; passport photos

Things that cannot be standardized: Marriage certificate (differs in all 50 states and every country in the world); Proof of eligibility to marry- divorce documents, death documents, annulment documents for both parties -( variable in US and around the world); Bonafides of marriage - leases joint financial records, property ownership, children, affidavits, etc., (high degree of variability); Proof of familial relationships - birth certificates,judicial statements -( variable for around the world and US; proof of name changes (variable options and differing formats around the world).

It is not a matter of checking off that someone has submitted any of the items listed in the second list of each of the above petitions - all of these documents have to be examined to determine that yes, they are what they are said to be, and yes,they do contain the information that is requested, and yes, they satisfy the requirements that they are submitted to satisfy.

Until you can get a computer that can think, analyze non-hierarchical information, verify legitimacy of evidence and 'understand' how the evidence fits the situation, it will NOT be a simple matter to computerize phase one, no matter how much technology you bring to the plate.

I appreciate your frustration with the process but you are not clicking off options for your new sports car from a finite set of variables; you are asking for a human relationship between two individuals with widely variable possibilities to be evaluated as 'real' and approved on its merits in order to qualify for a future immigration benefit, which is decided at the Consulate level.

One other comment - the reference to 'Good" service does not necessarily include your definition of 'timely' service. USCIS generally states it takes a certain amount of time to process the necessary documents. The high degree of variability of documents to be analyzed as well as the high volume of traffic and the necessity for the USCIS staff to work on other petitions as well as fiancee and spousal petitions means that their definition of good and timely may be vastly different than yours. Historically, they are providing the same level of service now as they have for at least the eight years with which I have been involved in the process. They have never promised more than that so they are not violating a 'contract' to make a decision about your petition on your time schedule. Yes, I absolutely understand this is frustrating and appreciate the need to try and find a solution, but the one you are proposing is not the one that will work, at least not with the level of technology that we currently have available to us.

Also - USCIS is not a private entity -it is a division of the Department of Homeland Security that is mandated to fund its activities through user fees of those using its services and not through the general tax base of the US citizens. Its funding mandate does not negate its position as a department within the Federal Government .

The co at the interview would do this hands on evaluation of the documents. All other checks would be done prior to the interview to include collection of documents. The background checks would be done automatically and DOS would notify USCIS if a petition looks suspicious and only if they receive a hit. Move most of the USCIS staff to the embassies who have the highest traffic. They don't need multiple documents as part of the petition. Everything can be done on one downloadable document. at the end of each Federal Document you complete it states that the govt is in a paperwork reduction trend and they also state how long it should take to fill out. Lets help them. I like to think outside the box. I know that change is hard. Every company in the US is going through change. USCIS, which is also a corporation, must go through those same changes, whether they like it or not. Corporation equals fees for services rendered. I say withhold fees until services are rendered as an interim fix.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

The co at the interview would do this hands on evaluation of the documents. All other checks would be done prior to the interview to include collection of documents. The background checks would be done automatically and DOS would notify USCIS if a petition looks suspicious and only if they receive a hit. Move most of the USCIS staff to the embassies who have the highest traffic. They don't need multiple documents as part of the petition. Everything can be done on one downloadable document. at the end of each Federal Document you complete it states that the govt is in a paperwork reduction trend and they also state how long it should take to fill out. Lets help them. I like to think outside the box. I know that change is hard. Every company in the US is going through change. USCIS, which is also a corporation, must go through those same changes, whether they like it or not. Corporation equals fees for services rendered. I say withhold fees until services are rendered as an interim fix.

You don't really understand the process, do you? This check is done long before it gets to the Interview stage. This determines whether you as the applicant/sponsor even has the right to request this immigration benefit. This stage determines eligibility. This provides the qualification for you to receive permission for an actual immigration benefit to be requested. You really have never seen all of the variety of evidence that is requested or submitted, have you?

It isn't a matter of change or thinking outside of the box - it is a matter of understanding what the process is. The objective is NOT to get immigrants into the US as quickly as possible. The objective is to allow only those individuals who are qualified and who have a basis for an immigration petition to enter the US. If you as a petitioner are not even eligible to file, that needs to be decided LONG before it reaches the interview stage overseas. If your relationship does not satisfy the bare minimum requirements, then that needs to be established long before it reaches the interview stage overseas. Why do a security check if someone isn't even eligible to apply for a benefit? Establish the eligibility first - then proceed with the immigration paperwork. That is what is done in the I-129f phase of the Fiancee K-1 process and that is what is done with the I-130 petition for a family based petition. This is before it even reaches the stage of the beneficiary. You are saying move everything to the stage of the Beneficiary even before it has been established that the petitioner is eligible to sponsor the beneficiary. Cumbersome, ineffective and a waste of time and resources since every single petition goes through the full process before the person at the very end of the process eliminates those that should never have gone past the first stage.

I think you need to try to broaden your horizons somewhat as well. You are looking down a very narrow passage way and making the assumption that the image you see at the end of that passageway is the only thing that there is and the only process involved and the only steps to take. Immigration is not and never has been the 'one size fits all' that you are trying to pretend that it is.

Edited February 21, 2011 by Kathryn41

[rsn 135]

The co at the interview would do this hands on evaluation of the documents. All other checks would be done prior to the interview to include collection of documents. The background checks would be done automatically and DOS would notify USCIS if a petition looks suspicious and only if they receive a hit. Move most of the USCIS staff to the embassies who have the highest traffic. They don't need multiple documents as part of the petition. Everything can be done on one downloadable document. at the end of each Federal Document you complete it states that the govt is in a paperwork reduction trend and they also state how long it should take to fill out. Lets help them. I like to think outside the box. I know that change is hard. Every company in the US is going through change. USCIS, which is also a corporation, must go through those same changes, whether they like it or not. Corporation equals fees for services rendered. I say withhold fees until services are rendered as an interim fix.

You have some good thoughts, but nothing changes quickly at the federal level. Once you get your NOA2 this will be a distant memory, so no use getting all worked up over it. Your energy would be better spent preparing for the rest of your journey.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

The co at the interview would do this hands on evaluation of the documents. All other checks would be done prior to the interview to include collection of documents. The background checks would be done automatically and DOS would notify USCIS if a petition looks suspicious and only if they receive a hit. Move most of the USCIS staff to the embassies who have the highest traffic. They don't need multiple documents as part of the petition. Everything can be done on one downloadable document. at the end of each Federal Document you complete it states that the govt is in a paperwork reduction trend and they also state how long it should take to fill out. Lets help them. I like to think outside the box. I know that change is hard. Every company in the US is going through change. USCIS, which is also a corporation, must go through those same changes, whether they like it or not. Corporation equals fees for services rendered. I say withhold fees until services are rendered as an interim fix.

Move the staff to the embassies? You are aware that visa petitions are only a portion of what USCIS does, right? They also handle citizenship applications, green card applications, work authorization applications, and humanitarian applications (asylum and refugee status). The bulk of these services must necessarily be performed within the United States because the people applying for them are in the United States. I, for one, would not appreciate having to send my wife back to Vietnam to apply for US citizenship when the time comes.

USCIS is not a corporation, nor are they any sort of private entity. They are an agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Everyone who works for USCIS is a federal employee, and some of them are even classified as federal law enforcement officers. They DO receive tax dollars for services which cannot be directly paid by a customer, such as humanitarian applications. Family immigration is paid for by the people who use this service because the law forbids imposing on the taxpayers to fund it.

You have the same recourse with USCIS that you have with any agency of the federal government. If you don't like the service they provide then appeal to your elected representatives to put pressure on the executive branch to change the operating policies of the agency. If they can't change those policies without running afoul of the immigration law then appeal to those elected representatives to change the law. If you still don't get any satisfaction then file a suit against the agency in a federal court.

Aside from all of the practical and philosophical arguments that might exist for not doing what you want, the most compelling argument is that immigration law, as it is currently written, simply doesn't allow it. The law specifically gives discretion at each step in the process to an employee of a federal agency, either USCIS or Department of State. As long as humans are granted this statutory discretion, the process can never be completely automated.

[extremerecluse 32]

Move the staff to the embassies? You are aware that visa petitions are only a portion of what USCIS does, right? They also handle citizenship applications, green card applications, work authorization applications, and humanitarian applications (asylum and refugee status). The bulk of these services must necessarily be performed within the United States because the people applying for them are in the United States. I, for one, would not appreciate having to send my wife back to Vietnam to apply for US citizenship when the time comes.

USCIS is not a corporation, nor are they any sort of private entity. They are an agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Everyone who works for USCIS is a federal employee, and some of them are even classified as federal law enforcement officers. They DO receive tax dollars for services which cannot be directly paid by a customer, such as humanitarian applications. Family immigration is paid for by the people who use this service because the law forbids imposing on the taxpayers to fund it.

You have the same recourse with USCIS that you have with any agency of the federal government. If you don't like the service they provide then appeal to your elected representatives to put pressure on the executive branch to change the operating policies of the agency. If they can't change those policies without running afoul of the immigration law then appeal to those elected representatives to change the law. If you still don't get any satisfaction then file a suit against the agency in a federal court.

Aside from all of the practical and philosophical arguments that might exist for not doing what you want, the most compelling argument is that immigration law, as it is currently written, simply doesn't allow it. The law specifically gives discretion at each step in the process to an employee of a federal agency, either USCIS or Department of State. As long as humans are granted this statutory discretion, the process can never be completely automated.

Ok then, I make this recommendation. We all withhold our fee until our petition is removed from the pile and it is reviewed. That is fair, don't you think?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Ok then, I make this recommendation. We all withhold our fee until our petition is removed from the pile and it is reviewed. That is fair, don't you think?

Sure , once they complete all the paid for petitions from the line they can they contact the ones with incomplete payments and send a bill to the address on the petition. Once the funds have arrived and cleared then can start work.

Believe me I am going to be in the paid for pile,

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Ok then, I make this recommendation. We all withhold our fee until our petition is removed from the pile and it is reviewed. That is fair, don't you think?

Current policy is that immigration services must be prepaid. This is not unreasonable since you're paying for the costs of processing the petition or application, whether or not it's approved. There is currently no "bill me later" option. If you send a petition without including the required payment then the petition or application will be rejected and returned to you.

This would also not accomplish what you're trying to accomplish, which is to improve service. USCIS doesn't try to operate at a profit, so they have no motive to get to your petition faster just so they can bill you for the costs.

Automation would have little effect on improving processing times because paperwork processing is not the log jam - the discretion of a human being is what causes things to slow down. You could get a much bigger improvement in processing times if USCIS were to hire and train a lot more adjudicators and immigration officers, and that consulates hire and train a lot more foreign service officers to serve as consular officers. The argument against doing that is that workloads fluctuate - a lot. An immigration officer or consular officer's job is not like a job at Wal-Mart where a new employee can be trained in an afternoon. Take a look through the Adjudicators Field Manual or the Foreign Affairs Manual to get an idea what one of these people needs to learn in order to do their job. It takes months to train someone to understand the laws and the departmental policies well enough to work as an immigration or consular officer. They can't just hire these people like seasonal workers, and furlough them when the workload subsides.

[rsn 135]

What I took from the OP's initial comment was a suggestion to replace using the USPS with electronic filing of evidence, forms, etc. I still maintain that this would not be difficult and it certainly achievable. Anything other than additional convenience is likely not easily achievable.

[extremerecluse 32]

Current policy is that immigration services must be prepaid. This is not unreasonable since you're paying for the costs of processing the petition or application, whether or not it's approved. There is currently no "bill me later" option. If you send a petition without including the required payment then the petition or application will be rejected and returned to you.

This would also not accomplish what you're trying to accomplish, which is to improve service. USCIS doesn't try to operate at a profit, so they have no motive to get to your petition faster just so they can bill you for the costs.

Automation would have little effect on improving processing times because paperwork processing is not the log jam - the discretion of a human being is what causes things to slow down. You could get a much bigger improvement in processing times if USCIS were to hire and train a lot more adjudicators and immigration officers, and that consulates hire and train a lot more foreign service officers to serve as consular officers. The argument against doing that is that workloads fluctuate - a lot. An immigration officer or consular officer's job is not like a job at Wal-Mart where a new employee can be trained in an afternoon. Take a look through the Adjudicators Field Manual or the Foreign Affairs Manual to get an idea what one of these people needs to learn in order to do their job. It takes months to train someone to understand the laws and the departmental policies well enough to work as an immigration or consular officer. They can't just hire these people like seasonal workers, and furlough them when the workload subsides.

I think the opposite would occur. The senior policy makers would be forced to improve the old and out-dated system. They are able to maintain the current system because we prepay. They have no pressing concern to improve. But if a new law were to be passed or new policy were to be implemented that would require us to send in payment only after our individual petition was reviewed they would be required to speed up the process by what ever means necessary. In essence all the funding of work reviewing petitions today are paid for by individuals who sent in their petition two weeks ago. That is not fair. If you pay for a service, that service should be in a timely manner. Automation is the key. We have the technology right now. Remember; DOS will receive the petitions that have been flagged. Background checks will be performed automatically by FBI. Criminals would be caught quickly within the system. So you eliminate bad guys right from the start. Now you need to eliminate the ones who just want to abuse the system through the final interview at the embassy. I don't know why all of us just become complacent in the notion that "That is just the way it is and nothing will ever change it". I know that CHANGE is difficult. Immigration Services has been around for a long time. I petitioned my own kids of my ex 25 years ago and have assisted many of my in-laws in petitioning their loved ones. Now, I am using that same system and I am shocked to see that essentially it has not changed. This is a big operation, just like any other large corporation. Other corporations have gone through massive change in order to improve efficiency. USCIS MUST do the same. It is not the good hard working Americans that are grinding away with our petitions that are the problem. The policy makers need to make this happen. The system is dysfunctional and needs to be revamped. This is not rocket science as USCIS would lead us to believe. This could be fixed so easily and we all know it.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

You obviously have no experience in the laws regaurding the protection of privite information. As recently as 2 years ago USCIS had a request for quote out and what you have now is what came in with the cost and regulatory restrictions in place. Would you be will to pay 2-3 thousand dollars just for the verification process to give you an login ID to start your application ?