USCIS National Customer Service Center

[Lesigh 3]

Hello,I work for the USCIS customer service center. I've created this topic to answer any questions you may have about what to expect when calling customer service. I can provide information about what kinds of services we (myself and other service reps) can and cannot provide. I will answer each of your questions with the utmost honesty (as I'm not restricted by company policies on this website). So please, feel free to ask anything you would like. I will answer to the best of my ability.

[Anh map 2,098]

[Zharren Young 32]

hmmmmm...is this for real???

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Thank you Lesigh, and welcome to Visa Journey.

I will remind our members that the Customer Service Center is the first line of approach for dealing with USCIS and questions should relate to what this level of service can and cannot provide. Please do not post petition or visa specific questions with regards to your individual circumstances here as these are questions that would not be addressed by the Service Center but referred to an Immigration officer. It is best to continue posting specific questions related to your own individual visa journeys in the relevant forums and let Lesigh address the questions and concerns you have with accessing USCIS through the Information Line instead.

Lesigh - prepare to be innundated!

Edited June 25, 2011 by Kathryn41

[Wanda and Amel 17]

Can a CSR "see" the status of a petition and whether a particular petition has been touched or worked? Thanks for your answer.

[together4evr 360]

Hello,I work for the USCIS customer service center. I've created this topic to answer any questions you may have about what to expect when calling customer service. I can provide information about what kinds of services we (myself and other service reps) can and cannot provide. I will answer each of your questions with the utmost honesty (as I'm not restricted by company policies on this website). So please, feel free to ask anything you would like. I will answer to the best of my ability.

1. What does the CSR see when I give my receipt number?

2. Why only 1 service request every 30 day

3. Do they teach you to just read a script?

4. What training does a CSR get for this CSR postion?

5. Is there always a supervisor available to speak to? Or are they sometimes unavailable?

6. Does the CSR have ability to change anything in the system?

7. When you create a service request what is your process and where does it go from there?

Thank you

[Lesigh 3]

1. What does the CSR see when I give my receipt number?

The same information you see yourself in the case status online tool, nothing more, nothing less.

2. Why only 1 service request every 30 day

The service request management system will simply not allow a service request of the same type to be submitted within 30 days of each other. You can have more than one service request at a time, as long as they are of different types, i.e, address change, expedite, ONPT (outside normal processing times), etc.

3. Do they teach you to just read a script?

I feel the need to emphasize that CSRs are not IIOs and thus do not have the training that IIOs receive. Bluntly, yes. We're provided with scripted responses that cover most 'general' aspects of immigration.

4. What training does a CSR get for this CSR postion?

Basically, it's 2 months in a classroom-type setup learning the information in our database.

5. Is there always a supervisor available to speak to? Or are they sometimes unavailable?

There are always Tier 1 supervisors available. If you're referring to IIOs, they're hours of operation differ from ours.

6. Does the CSR have ability to change anything in the system?

No, a CSR cannot touch your case. A CSR can simply submit a request (a service request) to an officer than can do so.

7. When you create a service request what is your process and where does it go from there?

The process? It involves collecting information (enough so that an officer that will see the request can verify the information provided), providing a few detailed comments pertaining to what the request is concerning.

Thank you

[Lesigh 3]

Can a CSR "see" the status of a petition and whether a particular petition has been touched or worked? Thanks for your answer.

No, all a CSR can see is the case status online information.

[Lesigh 3]

Keep them coming all. I'd love to put to rest any myths about customer service.

[Lesigh 3]

Thank you Lesigh, and welcome to Visa Journey.

I will remind our members that the Customer Service Center is the first line of approach for dealing with USCIS and questions should relate to what this level of service can and cannot provide. Please do not post petition or visa specific questions with regards to your individual circumstances here as these are questions that would not be addressed by the Service Center but referred to an Immigration officer. It is best to continue posting specific questions related to your own individual visa journeys in the relevant forums and let Lesigh address the questions and concerns you have with accessing USCIS through the Information Line instead.

Lesigh - prepare to be innundated!

Very professional. Thank you for reiterating the purpose of this thread. It's very much appreciated.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Thank you Lesigh! We have been fortunate enough in the past to have had individuals who worked on case review in USCIS, access to a Director of one of the Service Centers as well as one of the border services guard who have been willing to share their expertise here. It has always been very useful as there are so many questions we have about what goes on behind those big closed doors. We very much appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge as well.

[Max1gk 68]

Edited June 26, 2011 by Max1gk

[monil622 1]

tell them to spped up the process for all of us make that happen please it is long wait i cannot tolerate anymore

[Lesigh 3]

tell them to spped up the process for all of us make that happen please it is long wait i cannot tolerate anymore

CSRs have no control over any cases filed with USCIS unfortunately.

If you're having an emergency or dealing with some other urgent circumstance, you can always request your case to be expedited. However approval of an expedite is not guaranteed and is made by the Office Director at each service center (CA, VT, NE, TX). Expedite criteria can be found at the link provided below.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=16a6b1be1ce85210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

[Zharren Young 32]

so what question actually can be asked here concerning our petitions/applications that can have an answer? if all the info available to a customer service is the same info we can access thru online status check so whats the use of CSR and whats the use of this thread?

I have given up calling customer service, theyre kind of useless, they give you all different answers every time. one says call us after 10, the next will say standard is after 30 days. UPS/FEDEX says its delivered and signed by this person yet no one from USCIS can tell if they have the package or not so why bother calling when all you hear from them after a long wait to get connected is all nonsense useless answer???