Who is the best person to call / write?

[Andie 147]

Having read different opinions from time to time on the 'Go to' person when all else fails... can I just ask for those with experience of contacting a Senator (or otherwise) to have their case resolved - what is the best procedure? Write or call, what information do they need to proceed and who is the most effective person to contact?

We have been through the mill already and been told over and over that they have all the information, and will proceed with our case - talked to Tier 2 supervisors etc, had Infopass meetings ... still no action. So any good advice on this would be much appreciated.

[Caryh 5,206]

You can try your senators or your congress person. I went to both a senator and my congress woman. With the senator I followed the procedure outlines on their web page. Filled out an authorization form and faxed it in. I received a written response that came after my wife's green card was approved. They were pretty slow. With the representative I faxed in their authorization form and talked with her immigration liaison. He got right on it and had an answer to us very shortly. More than likely, your rep is going to have less people coming to them, and may be able to act faster. The senators have an entire state making requests for help. The next thing to consider is some elected officials will not get involved in immigration issues.

Your first stop should be their web site to see what form they may want you to fill out. Next I recommend calling and finding out who to talk with, then talking directly if possible. I wouldn't reply on just one rep or senator, like in our case, I went to our rep and one senator. Both worked on the case, but one got on it much faster. Both were known for being helpful to citizens requesting help. If you're not over the currently posted time frame for processing, their not going to be able to help much. But if you are, USCIS coming under the scrutiny of elected officials seems to get their butt in gear normally.

[Villanelle 4,122]

Its very easy to get help from your representatives with help dealing with the USCIS.

I can walk you through the process:

First you need to know who your representatives are- If you dont know use this link to find out-

http://whoismyrepresentative.com/home

You may have to enter your zip+4 on the next page. You can find your zip+4 from the USPS site or by looking at a piece of mail at home with it on it.

Tip- start with your LOCAL rep, not the senators. The local reps, represent smaller districts then the senators and often give better attention then the senators offices do.

Click on the representatives name on the above site. It will bring up their info along with a link to their website. Look for the tab on their website that describes "constituent services". That is what you are seeking. Help with the USCIS (a federal agency) is a constituent service your local rep can assist you with. Following the links on their website should provide you with an guide on how they handle such requests. They must have a signed authorization form from you in order to inquire on your case. You can typically download the form from their website. You can either download the form and return it along with your request for assistance via email, or print it out and bring it in with you in person to the office, or fill out a form in person at their office. You do not need an appointment to come in and ask for assistance. They typically have several offices in the area, however you may want to call and ask where you should go, ask there is usually one person on the staff who is the 'best' or most knowledgeable person when it comes to dealing with such requests and if they have multiple locations- obviously the person is only going to be at one place- so youre going to want to go to the place they are at the time theyre going to be there.

They will take your request for assistance, review it, help you add to it if necessary and forward it to their liaison at USCIS to find out what the heck is going on. Your response time from USCIS will vary. Your results will vary. Like Caryh said you can contact more then 1 rep, and sometimes all it can take is just the inquiry from a liaison to get someone in USCIS looking at your paperwork again or moving.

According to your timeline you seem to be having trouble getting a case # (?) Although you filed your 129f in March 2012 ?? this is not acceptable.

[Andie 147]

Thank you Caryh and Capri - great information and advice.

And no, still no case number.

Well, we can get onto this now and hopefully get some action !! Thanks again for all your help.

Andie

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

I can't recommend the senator option enough, it has been completely invaluable to us. Within 2 working days we got a response back and found out that USCIS had screwed up our petition. Without the congressional inquiry we would have known nothing.