the new process time

[abdoallah 0]

Is it real that the Vermont service center has changed the processing time for reviewing the petitions? in the USCIS website there is a change of the time for the vermont center. hope someone can clear this for us.

[unlockingsky 94]

i am afraid so that the vsc processing time has changed. furthermore the thread that was discussing that was closed at op's request. i think this just raise further suspicion.

[abdelnish83 6]

it really doesn't matter. either way we still have to wait a long time.

[Ryan H 3,818]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to USCIS Service Centers forum.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Why in heavens would this raise further suspicions? Changes in processing times happen all the time. They increase, sometimes they decrease, sometimes they even stay the same - but not very often. Every one who has ever been through any of the stages of the immigration processes will tell you this.

There are many things that affect the time frames involved from the volume of petitions received to what is the priority at the time. Please remember that all of the service centers handle many other types of petitions and applications than just the spousal and family based ones. Family based petitions is one of the smaller percentage of the actual work done by USCIS.

USCIS generally tends to focus its personal in any given service center on the petitions and applications which have the most petitions waiting or back-logged. Some petitions have a deadline date involved and there can be a sudden influx of petitions trying to arrive before the deadline. USCIS doesn't seem to work on all petition types at all times - they tend to work on getting the backlog reduced in one area, and then move on to another type of petition. When a service center is working on, for example, Adjustment of Status requests, then the K-1 and the CR-1 petitions get put on the back burner while agents focus on AOS. The time frames for processing K-1s and CR-1s then change to reflect that these petitions are beginning to accumulate, and that USCIS won't be working on those types of petitions until after they catch up with the back log on the AOS petitions in several weeks. The expected time for processing those petitions then increases. When the service center then starts processing IR-1 petitions, the time frame on them will decrease as they start to make headway into the backlog.

There really is no conspiracy and no reason to be suspicious. When you have been around the immigration process as long as I have, you will realize that nothing is carved in stone time wise. USCIS works at their own pace, is understaffed and overworked, and nothing more than that.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Kathryn41

[unlockingsky 94]

thank you for understanding my statement and explaining the situation.

this leads me to why they didn't hire temporary staff or contract out for load sharing. every time a employee works overtime, they get paid more and more stress.

if this is a known chronic issue, why didn't they hire i.t. consultants? i think e-filing would have been great because it reduces data entry burden on uscis and the applicant/petitioner would just send in the evidence. the clerk would then identify the evidence package and put a bar code or id tag on that. once the application has been verified it has been paid, the clerk can transfer the application to another database. this database would automate/auto-retrieve background and security check. the immigration officer pulls up that application with 2/3 of the task done and leaving them the job to check on the validity of the relationship/evidence. the immigration officer would then click to print the approval letter or rfe form.

for applicants/petitioners on paper trail age, they can still submit it using paper and the clerk will enter the data upon receiving the application.

the initial cost for this i.t. project is very expensive. this i.t. solution would pay for self after 10 years and uscis would have extra funds for further improvements.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

thank you for understanding my statement and explaining the situation.

this leads me to why they didn't hire temporary staff or contract out for load sharing. every time a employee works overtime, they get paid more and more stress.

if this is a known chronic issue, why didn't they hire i.t. consultants? i think e-filing would have been great because it reduces data entry burden on uscis and the applicant/petitioner would just send in the evidence. the clerk would then identify the evidence package and put a bar code or id tag on that. once the application has been verified it has been paid, the clerk can transfer the application to another database. this database would automate/auto-retrieve background and security check. the immigration officer pulls up that application with 2/3 of the task done and leaving them the job to check on the validity of the relationship/evidence. the immigration officer would then click to print the approval letter or rfe form.

for applicants/petitioners on paper trail age, they can still submit it using paper and the clerk will enter the data upon receiving the application.

the initial cost for this i.t. project is very expensive. this i.t. solution would pay for self after 10 years and uscis would have extra funds for further improvements.

You raise some very good points and most businesses would certainly follow the above procedure for dealing with large amounts of information. Unfortunately, for USCIS the procedures are anything but straight forward.

A lot of the problems developed after USCIS was placed under the auspice of Homeland Security. The focus shifted from assisting immigrants to trying to protect the American borders with immigration seen as one more avenue of risk. There was an inherent conflict in the motivation between the two separate entities that was not taken into consideration when they were 'thrown' into the same pot, so to speak. Add into that the fact that many different departments have different technological abilities - not all of them use the same systems (hardware or software) and often things developed because departments didn't have the ability to share information or speak with each other, creating unnecessary levels of duplication.

The general environment after September 11 was also much less interested in 'sharing' information for fear it fell into the wrong hands. Secrecy about anything that could impact public security became the by-word. WIth their focus now on finding criminal immigrants, FBI security checks became more detailed, and took longer times, and many organizations who had never requested security checks in the past now insisted on them, creating an additional level of backlog. In 2005 or 2006 (don't remember exactly when), USCIS recognized that they didn't have the staff to handle the immensely increased work load now put on them as part of Homeland Security. They imposed huge fee increases - in some cases several hundred percents - on immigration related fees, expecting to use the additional money to hire and train new staff. The unanticipated result (which should have been anticipated) was that everyone who was ever thinking of filing for any sort of immigration benefit filed applications in order to beat the new fee deadline. USCIS was swamped - literally. There are horror stores of transport trailer loads of applications sitting in parking lots while USCIS tried to deal with them.

USCIS officers don't just appear overnight. There is a lot of training involved, not just in processing paperwork, but also in the new immigration 'mind-set' and the focus on 'security' and 'preventing terrorism'. Those of us caught up in this nightmare remember applications taking years to be processed, instead of months. Add into that Congress' requirement that no taxpayer money be used to pay for immigration related costs, USCIS did not have the resources to deal with the massive work load and backlogs. It has taken a number of years for them to get caught up - which only happened, I believe, last year. Part of the increased fees were supposed to be used to develop a technology system that would integrate all of the aspects of the immigration process, but from my understanding this has still not happened because of the emergency crisis management that was needed.

The problem with e-filing - and USCIS does do a lot of e-filing - goes back to the concern about security and preventing terrorism. That has been the main official focus on immigration officers for some time now, rather than on processing legal immigrants efficiently. They are so worried that someone will slip through the cracks that things get subjected to microscopic levels on 'inspection'. And, unfortunately, people do still slip through the cracks, although apparently not terrorists so it appears that aspect of their focus has been successful. In the meantime, a lot of innocent and valid immigrants and their sponsors have also got caught up in this 'dam'.

So, the real problem is really a combination of factors - some logistical, some political, some financial and some ideological, with a little bit of paranoia thrown in for good measure. Until all of those issues are addressed it is unlikely that the immigration process is going to improve significantly for some time to come.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Kathryn41