April 2013 I-130 Filers

[lucybelle 453]

I'm also worried about NVC. I honestly think those of us who get approvals this month and the month of December will probably NOT have to deal with the bottleneck. But I bet those who filed in May on, will. (well that's assuming they give approvals in chronological order, which we know is not necessarily true)

[STACEY&MISHO 103]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site but I've learned so much already. I was also transferred on Nov 15th. Don't know where yet. Is anyone from or petitioning for someone from Bulgaria? Just curious. Haven't seen anyone. I feel like we're the only ones. Best of luck to everyone!!!

[LoveMyTico 999]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site but I've learned so much already. I was also transferred on Nov 15th. Don't know where yet. Is anyone from or petitioning for someone from Bulgaria? Just curious. Haven't seen anyone. I feel like we're the only ones. Best of luck to everyone!!!

HELLO !

If you hit the PORTALS link at the very top, then look for the QUICK LINKS where you can search for other Bulgaria members.

Also, fill in your timeline. There is also a google doc spread sheet going around where you can add you information to track all the transfers and approvals.

https://docs.google....p=sharing#gid=0

Edited November 17, 2013 by LoveMyTico

[STACEY&MISHO 103]

Thanks:)

[lucybelle 453]

Remember I-130 filers to send emails THIS TUESDAY http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/464330-letter-to-house-judiciary-committee-on-delays-of-i-130/page-6 You will find the letter written there, and on page 3 of the thread the emails.

[naam_2013 72]

Remember I-130 filers to send emails THIS TUESDAY http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/464330-letter-to-house-judiciary-committee-on-delays-of-i-130/page-6 You will find the letter written there, and on page 3 of the thread the emails.

Thanks lucybelle .

[Sad.wasi 32]

To: The Honorable Bob Goodlatte – Chairman House Judiciary Committee

Subject: Failure of the USCIS Executive Leadership - Separation of US citizens from their foreign spouses for almost 1.5 years

Date: November 19, 2013

Mr. Chairman:

Due to the failure of executive leadership at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the average national processing time for I-130 petitions for immediate relatives of US Citizens has increased to 13 months. I have found that contrary to its stated core values of Integrity, Respect, and Ingenuity, USCIS is ignoring delegated legal responsibilities, mistreating US citizen families, and purposely accruing case backlogs. I am writing you with the hope that the House Judiciary Committee will realize the need to take swift action to remedy the failures of leadership at USCIS.

The form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, is the first step immediate relatives of US Citizens must complete in order to obtain legal resident visas. Approved beneficiaries still must be vetted by the National Visa Center as well as embassies and consulates around the world before a visa is issued. Bureaucratic delays have directly affected adjudication of petitions for which there is no statutory limitation. 201(b)(2)(A)(i) [8 U.S.C. 1151] Working for family unification should be the first priority of all USCIS decisions.

Despite pilot programs and workload transfers tried in the past, USCIS has never been able to provide I-130 petitioners a transparent process or definite processing times for immediate relative petitions. Documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request show that since September 17, 2012 USCIS has taken adjudicators off the processing of I-130 petitions at USCIS service centers (California, Texas, Vermont) and designated all petitions to be routed through the National Benefits Center1. This decision was made knowing that the National Benefits Center was not properly staffed to adjudicate I-130 petitions and was made without a definite timeframe to resume work. Multiple requests for assistance made to Congressmen and Senators by petitioners have shown that USCIS still has no definite timeframe for adjudication of pending I-130 petitions.

According to the most recent USCIS I-130 Petition Performance report, the National Benefits Center completed the processing of only 2,755 petitions in the first two quarters of the 2013 Fiscal Year (October 2012-March 2013). In the same reporting period, the National Benefits Center received 254,890 petitions and has now accrued a backlog of 523,874 pending cases2. I believe the few petitions that the National Benefits managed to process to be limited to expedited cases. Despite announcements of USCIS efforts to dedicate staff to process I-130 petitions in Overland Park, KS, USCIS has failed to train or re-assign staff needed to process this caseload in a timely manner3. After a year of indecision, the I-130 workload is only now being transferred from the National Benefits Center to regional service centers4.

If USCIS Processing tables are correct, there are pending I-130 petitions with priority dates as old as October 1, 2012 which have yet to be processed5. As far back as 2006, the USCIS Ombudsman advised against the accrual of backlogs as “...there are substantial costs involved in storing and retrieving applications as well as the resources expended for follow-ups, customer inquiries, address changes, etc." 6. These financial costs, however, will never compare to the human cost of lost time with loved ones separated by USCIS' continuing inefficiency.

I request that the House Judiciary Committee investigates the needless backlog of pending I-130 Immediate Relative Petitions and direct USCIS to re-evaluate its current adjudication priorities.

Sincerely,

_________________

First Name Last Name

CC:

Alejandro Mayorkas - Director USCIS

Lori Scialabba - Deputy Director USCIS

Maria M. Odom - Ombudsman USCIS

Brandi Blackburn, Assistant Center Director for NBC Division 8 in Overland Park, KS

Nancy W. Guilliams – Director Office of Administration-USCIS

Randy Beers - Secretary DHS

Washington Post

AILA

Fox News (Sean Hannity)

1http://www.scribd.com/doc/145514197/2013-HQFO-00304-Combined-Redacted-Part1

2http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Employment-based/I130_performancedata_fy2013_qtr2.pdf

3http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes%20from%20Previous%20Engagements/2013/May%202013/NBC-AILA-QA-2013-05-01.pdf

4http://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/workload-transfer-national-benefits-center-service-centers

5https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processingTimesDisplay.do

6http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/CISOmbudsman_AnnualReport_2006.pdf

Here are the POCs:

1.The Honorable Bob Goodlatte - Chairman House Judiciary Committee

Fax#1: 202-225-7680

Fax #2: 202-225-9681

Phone: 202-225-3951

Email: http://goodlatte.house.gov/contacts/new

Postal: 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515

2. Director USCIS: Alejandro Mayorkas

Fax: 202-272-8118

Email: alejandro.mayorkas@dhs.gov and alejandro.mayorkas@hq.dhs.gov and uscisfrcomments@dhs.gov

Postal: 20 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20529

3. Deputy Director USCIS: Lori Scialabba

Fax: 202-272-8118

Email: Lori.Scialabba@dhs.gov and Lori.Scialabba@hq.dhs.gov

4. Maria M. Odom - Ombudsman USCIS

Fax: 202-357-0042

Email: cisombudsman@dhs.gov; maria.m.odom@dhs.gov and maria.m.odom@hq.dhs.gov

5. Brandi Blackburn, Assistant Center Director for NBC Division 8 in Overland Park, KS

Fax: 816-350-5785

Email: a. brandi.blackburn@uscis.dhs.gov; b. brandi.a.blackburn@uscis.dhs.gov (http://www.zoominfo....burn/1845657423)

c. brandi.blackburn@dhs.gov; d. brandi.a.blackburn@dhs.gov

6. Director: Nancy W. Guilliams - Office of Administration-USCIS

Fax: 202-272-1553

7. Secretary DHS: Mr. Randy Beers

Fax: 202-295-0870

Email: rand.beers@hq.dhs.gov

8. Washington Post - Letter to Editor

Email: letters@washpost.com

9. AILA

Email: executive@aila.org and newsroom@aila.org

10. Sean Hannity - Fox News

Email: http://www.hannity.com/contact

[Steven.Plant 11]

Wow, Got my first Transfer emails on Nov. 15 (April 22 NOA1 for the I-130's and June 24 for the I-129f). Not sure where they are going to yet. One for the wife another for the son and one for the 129F all the same day.

[LoveMyTico 999]

Wow, Got my first Transfer emails on Nov. 15 (April 22 NOA1 for the I-130's and June 24 for the I-129f). Not sure where they are going to yet. One for the wife another for the son and one for the 129F all the same day.

WOW, so happy for you !! My NOA1 is April 12th, I HOPE HOPE HOPE I hear something this coming week.

CONGRATS !!!

[Steven.Plant 11]

WOW, so happy for you !! My NOA1 is April 12th, I HOPE HOPE HOPE I hear something this coming week.

CONGRATS !!!

I hope and hope for you too dear lady and everyone else too. I am very surprised. The I-129f may have helped or not but it did not hurt us I think.

[anuspras 65]

Congrats for 22nd.April transfer!!!! Mine is 30th.April and expecting this week.

[etrangais 947]

WOW, so happy for you !! My NOA1 is April 12th, I HOPE HOPE HOPE I hear something this coming week.

CONGRATS !!!

Good luck

[LoveMyTico 999]

Good luck

Thanks ! ! ! I NEED IT...

[Natsukiii 35]

Awesome!!! Here's hoping that May will be next within the next month or two!

[zamsha 10]

I am still hanging there 25th April. I hope we hear it before end of dec. Good luck to April filers.