What is vermonts problem

[NC&LEYTE 1]

Hello everyone,

Like so many of you stuck with VSC we are filing K-1 and waiting for our NOA2. I recently contacted the NVC and only got automated system ( NEVER GOT TO A REAL PERSON). It told me nothing that we already didn't know. I also notice that Vermont posted its monthly update and it is still boasting 5 months. We are currently at 163 day and counting I realize there are a lot of people ahead of us that have not been approved also. So I plan to at least attempt to do something about it by contacted my state senator. If any of you have any website to anyone higher than that please send it my way. I would like so much to help all of us out not just me if CSC can get it done in 116 why cant VSC. What is really getting to me is that they are still posting the 5 months and that is just not the case for many of us........ Thanks for reading

[sunayana 3]

looks to me there are low on budgets and no money to pay salaries. the fees we are paying are pretty much there are living on.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

They don't like you.

[falburq 4]

Hello everyone,

Like so many of you stuck with VSC we are filing K-1 and waiting for our NOA2. I recently contacted the NVC and only got automated system ( NEVER GOT TO A REAL PERSON). It told me nothing that we already didn't know. I also notice that Vermont posted its monthly update and it is still boasting 5 months. We are currently at 163 day and counting I realize there are a lot of people ahead of us that have not been approved also.

If you want to talk to a real person call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 M-F 8am - 8pm or Sat 9am - 5pm. Go through the prompts until you get to the option to check on status, then don't enter your receipt number (otherwise all you get is the automated notification) and an agent will get on the line with you. They will check the status of your case and then will verify what date is the VSC working on. If the VSC date is past your filling date they will enter a service request for you.

As of last Friday, VSC was working on cases with NOA1 of February 6.

[squirrelisan 23]

Below are snippets of my exchange with the USCIS Ombudsman, regarding this same question.

____________________________________________________________________________

To: OLUInquiries

Hello,

I submitted an application for a CR-1 visa for my wife in June of 2012. I am writing to let you know I am not happy with the different service centers have dramatically different turnaround times for processing CR-1/K-1 applications. It doesn't seem very fair to say to the least, that if I had an address in California, my case would be processed 250% faster. I understand there is a wait, but I completely do not understand why the case load cannot be shared between the service centers, to be more equitable.....etc etc

____________________________________________________________________________

Their response after some back and forth

____________________________________________________________________________ Good morning,

The times posted to the USCIS website are official. You will need to refer to them to determine whether your case is within normal processing times. When you look at the USCIS website, you will see two dates – a "posted" date and an accurate "as of" date. New processing times are posted to the USCIS website on the 15^th (approx.) of each month. However, because it takes time for us to collect and validate the data, the processing times are 45 days old (approx.) by the time they are posted. We are working to develop a system that should minimize the lag time to 7 days (approx.). We are currently in the testing phase and hope to have it operational before the end of the calendar year.

____________________________________________________________________________

...and then I said "you didn't answer my question" regarding the differences in processing times between service centers. a week later I got...

____________________________________________________________________________

The processing times posted to the USCIS website are goals. There are certainly spikes and drops in processing times at the individual field offices and service centers throughout the year. The Service Center Operations Directorate monitors the processing times for each form-type. If sister service centers (like the VSC and CSC) are processing cases at different rates, we may look to shift workloads (but this may not always be operationally practical as the offices do not have identical staffing or workloads – e.g., VAWA, T, and U cases are processed exclusively at the VSC). In some instances, we may decide it is more practical for an office to keep its workload but devote more resources to it.

If an office consistently exceeds a processing time goal, we will look to revise that goal to reflect the actual processing times.

____________________________________________________________________________

So in the end...I didn't get very far. Anybody ever fill out an FOIA request before? How long do they take?

____________________________________________________________________________

Edited August 22, 2012 by squirrelisan

[Ryan H 3,834]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Progress Reports to USCIS Service Centers forum; topic is about VSC operations.

[mrettercap 24]

What exactly do you want? Do you want them to say "oh, you're right, we see the error of our ways now -- let us just process your visa petition ahead of everybody else's"?

Guys, everyone at VSC is in the same boat. Moaning at them, railing at them, making a nuisance of yourself isn't going to change that. They're slow because of reasons that a moany phone call or e-mail cannot fix.

You just have to be patient, like all of the rest of us, suck it up, deal with the #### and realize that when this is all over, you won't have legal or time restrictions on how long you can spend with your loved one.

Be thankful that you're applying to a country that even has the option to allow you to immigrate, and is a relatively simple process, at that.

Edited August 23, 2012 by mrettercap

[squirrelisan 23]

What exactly do you want? Do you want them to say "oh, you're right, we see the error of our ways now -- let us just process your visa petition ahead of everybody else's"?

Guys, everyone at VSC is in the same boat. Moaning at them, railing at them, making a nuisance of yourself isn't going to change that. They're slow because of reasons that a moany phone call or e-mail cannot fix.

You just have to be patient, like all of the rest of us, suck it up, deal with the #### and realize that when this is all over, you won't have legal or time restrictions on how long you can spend with your loved one.

Be thankful that you're applying to a country that even has the option to allow you to immigrate, and is a relatively simple process, at that.

I think the OP is just observing how "unfair" the process is...particularly how CSC is flying by. From the outside looking in, it would be reasonable to ask why one SC is faster. Like if one line in the supermarket is longer, the load is able to be balanced quickly. Of course for a large scale, administrative organization like the USCIS, it's never that simple. But I think if the service centers were better able to take ownership, it would help a lot. Right now, when everyone calls in, they get basically computer scripted replies...except its actual people saying the scripts. And in my opinion, stating policy as a reason why things aren't getting done, is a bad strategy. "...well 5 months is our established goal/guideline" is absolute garbage of a response, and frankly a bit lazy. But I think that's just a symptom, of an organization that is way beyond its ability to keep up with the workload.

*shrug*

[unlockingsky 94]

none of this would help.

my recommendation is to familiarize yourself with senator&congressman. once it is pass your priority date, contact your senator&congressman.

[islandgal 74]

Sign the petition: http://signon.org/sign/help-keep-legal-immigrants?source=c.url&r_by=5349797

[cdneh 3,112]

VSC is processing a great many petitions other than K1's. They are, for example, processing all of the Temporary Protected Status for Syrians. They are about to be inundated with about 1.8 millions applications of the Dream Act, Obama's latest act of Executive Order. There are the spousal visas, the AOS and ROC applications.

VSC also not only serves as the service center for more states than CSC, they are also responsible for more heavily populated states as well.

It takes time. Ask me. I'm heading into month 11 waiting on my ROC.

[Natureboy 1]

We paid fees for services that we expect to be rendered. If VSC hired one of us a a private contractor and we did not deliver as per contract we not only would not get paid we would be fired. VSC has been dealing with the same variables for years and have consistantly processed those applicants that have paid money and filed the necessary forms. The Dream Act and the Syrians should get in line just like the rest of the world population. Usually it is an American citizen that is petitioning VSC, paying the fees, filing necessary paperwork because we speak English, and now we have lost thousands of dollars in plane fares planning our ahead to be lied to by our own government. We have agreed to provide support financially, we have agreed to marry on a K-1 so the US government does not have a foreign immigrant on the welfare rolls. Do they require any of this in the Dream Act or the Syrian immigrants? I think both VSC and us as US citizens have been ignored by our current administration in favor of political pandering. How do you plan ahead when one center is over 40 percent ahead in processing time and one center has for all practical purposes stopped processing and have given the same processing date for a month now. That date is Feb 6, 2012. The American way.... If we are here now with processing what will be the processing times when the volume of work increases 50 times with the Dream Act applicants. When we applied we were told they would be processsed in the order they were received. How did that change for those who do not follow the same path of immigration as we have been required to follow. How did we get at the end of the line after all the work and money we have spent???? Is there a process for getting refunds and punitive damage? I am 66 now and if it takes years to get these processed I will need a nurse not a companion.

[Andie 147]

They don't like you.

That's helpful