The RFE Master List

[Predilecta10 1]

I received an RFE for not providing a letter of intend to marry from both of us,im hoping I get approved very soon we mailed letter the same week and it was received Oct.07

I received an RFE for not providing a letter of intend to marry from both of us,im hoping I get approved very soon we mailed letter the same week and it was received Oct.07

[camden 20]

Source: http://www.scottimmigration.net/content/chat-transcript-may-8-2013

Laurel(A) I just got one for one of my cases. It's

a bull**** RFE. I've seen these before. So have

all immigration attorneys. The letter is a

standard, boilerplate RFE with no indication

that the adjudicator is even looking at the right

case. The adjudicator has a database that lets

him select the alien and select the type of letter

to print. It then automatically generates a letter

with the foreign national's name and address,

various case numbers, attorney name and

address, date letter is sent, and due date based

on date letter is sent. All that information is in

the database and the letter can be generated in

about 10 seconds. That looks like about how

much time the adjudicator spent on this. Why

would an adjudicator do this? Their evaluations

are based on how fast they complete cases, sort

of like how fast food workers are evaluated

based on how fast they complete orders. But, if

he sends an RFE, the case is removed from the

calculations, sort of like a fast food worker at

the drive through telling you to pull forward

because your order isn't ready yet. Since a case

is removed from calculations when an RFE is

sent, there is a strong incentive for an

adjudicator to send an unnecessary RFE and no

penalty for doing so. Unfortunately this type of

thing has become increasingly commonplace in

waiver cases. This has been happening with

employment-based petitions for about five

years. They started doing this for regular

waiver cases about six months ago. I was

hoping they wouldn't start doing this for PW

cases, but they have. Despite what the RFE

implies, most of these cases will probably be

approved if you do nothing. And in fact for

other types of waiver cases the client failed to

get me requested documents in time and the

case was approved without replying to the RFE.

But I'm not comfortable with doing nothing.

Send "something" in response.

Source: http://www.scottimmigration.net/content/chat-transcript-may-8-2013

Laurel(A) I just got one for one of my cases. It's

a bull**** RFE. I've seen these before. So have

all immigration attorneys. The letter is a

standard, boilerplate RFE with no indication

that the adjudicator is even looking at the right

case. The adjudicator has a database that lets

him select the alien and select the type of letter

to print. It then automatically generates a letter

with the foreign national's name and address,

various case numbers, attorney name and

address, date letter is sent, and due date based

on date letter is sent. All that information is in

the database and the letter can be generated in

about 10 seconds. That looks like about how

much time the adjudicator spent on this. Why

would an adjudicator do this? Their evaluations

are based on how fast they complete cases, sort

of like how fast food workers are evaluated

based on how fast they complete orders. But, if

he sends an RFE, the case is removed from the

calculations, sort of like a fast food worker at

the drive through telling you to pull forward

because your order isn't ready yet. Since a case

is removed from calculations when an RFE is

sent, there is a strong incentive for an

adjudicator to send an unnecessary RFE and no

penalty for doing so. Unfortunately this type of

thing has become increasingly commonplace in

waiver cases. This has been happening with

employment-based petitions for about five

years. They started doing this for regular

waiver cases about six months ago. I was

hoping they wouldn't start doing this for PW

cases, but they have. Despite what the RFE

implies, most of these cases will probably be

approved if you do nothing. And in fact for

other types of waiver cases the client failed to

get me requested documents in time and the

case was approved without replying to the RFE.

But I'm not comfortable with doing nothing.

Send "something" in response.

[camden 20]

Laurel(A) The individual adjudicators are

evaluated on how fast they complete cases. That

is unrelated to the standard, posted processing

time or the goal processing time for the office.

In other words, the guy who usually finishes his

cases in three months get a bonus or maybe a

promotion while the guy who is taking seven

months does not. The problem is the guy

finishing his cases in three months really

doesn't take three months, it's just that he sends

RFEs on half his cases, which then take much

longer and the ones where he doesn't send an

RFE he can finish in three months because he

sent half his cases awy.

[geff44 30]

Thanks for the help!

That is exactly what I received. Just check mark/X mark the appropriate answer, and then just send back that RFE letter along with the yellow (or was it orange? i don't remember) letter on top.

Thanks. TSC recieved the RFE on Oct. 16. Hopefully they will make a decision soon.

[ChrisJean 1]

Our RFE stated that I sent boarding passes that had Day and Month on them but no year. I'm not sure why they didn't look at the date on the 20+ receipts I copied and sent as part of the proof of having met. I resent a (1) copy of boarding passes front and back (on the back the baggage claim tickets had day/month/year) (2) Copy of the flight confirmation email (3) Copy of the paid receipt email from the booking agency. (4) Copy of all pages, including front and back of my passport. I figured it is better to send too much than to receive another RFE.

[haybee 1]

Hello VJ Friends. Saw an RFE status on the USCIS page after tracking my status yesterday with my receipt no. The notice read we sent you a mail on the 24th October 2013....etc. unfortunately when I checked my email I didn't see anything yesterday and today from uscis that suggests that. Do you think they are talking about e-mail or mailing a paper containing what I need to do to my address. Appreciate you all.

[SparklePony 238]

You always receive an actual packet in the mail explaining what the RFE is for and what you need to provide to continue the process.

[Jorolove 1]

oops! I just saw on my G325a hard copy that I did not answer the question "Current husband or wife (if none, so state)"; and also "Former husband or wife (if none, so sate)". I guess that will definitely put me to an RFE. This will take much more longer than it should. Oh God!

[jmwinderl9 0]

Our application was held up for months on an RFE, which they NEVER told us about. I only found out 6 months after our NOA 1 that they were planning to deny our application because I hadn't submitted anything really with our original application. After I scrambled to get our photos, declaration of intention to marry, a more thourough description of our relationship, etc., it went really quickly, maybe a month. I knew we had to send that stuff in, but I thought it was later in the process, not with the initial application. Funny that for those 6 months I kept calling the CSC to get an update, they never thought to tell me I didn't send in all the info. I am a government employee, and deal with red tape all the time, so I thought I had this process dialed. WRONG.

PIECE OF ADVICE: Google instruction sheets for every form you fill out. They often keep the instruction forms in a seperate area/location from the actual form.

[haybee 1]

You always receive an actual packet in the mail explaining what the RFE is for and what you need to provide to continue the process.

Alright. Thanks I already got it and sent it back to them.

[Jorolove 1]

Our application was held up for months on an RFE, which they NEVER told us about. I only found out 6 months after our NOA 1 that they were planning to deny our application because I hadn't submitted anything really with our original application. After I scrambled to get our photos, declaration of intention to marry, a more thourough description of our relationship, etc., it went really quickly, maybe a month. I knew we had to send that stuff in, but I thought it was later in the process, not with the initial application. Funny that for those 6 months I kept calling the CSC to get an update, they never thought to tell me I didn't send in all the info. I am a government employee, and deal with red tape all the time, so I thought I had this process dialed. WRONG.

PIECE OF ADVICE: Google instruction sheets for every form you fill out. They often keep the instruction forms in a seperate area/location from the actual form.

Really!!! This is way too long. it's beyond normal process. Get a lawyer

[luckigrrl 0]

thank you for this list. I'm a quiet member but reading the forums and pages of this site have helped me a great deal, and the facebook updates during the government shut down helped me feel better, too.

[Jnawaree 1]

hi , Everyone : )

I got REF on 23 October from CSC and I got hard copy on 30 October.

My bf send an evidence back to them on 7 November but my bf send just normal mail , no tracking number , now it been 8 days and CSC hasn't updated anything that should says they receive mine. I'm so worry that I will be lose somewhere : (

So, my question is about Checking status by receive number (that i got from Noa1 letter) now it's at REQUEST FOR EVIDENCE button.

Was your status change when they receive your case ? And how long did it take after you sent them back an evidence ?

I'm really worry that mail will be lose because it's been 8 days and I can't check by tracking number.

Thank you so much , : )

[kryzkyle 0]

RFE asking for Letter of Intent to Marry....NOTE: for same sex filers out there, make sure you indicate which State in the U.S. you are planning on marrying since not all are Marriage Equality States!!!

[djv-tco 29]

RFE asking for Letter of Intent to Marry....NOTE: for same sex filers out there, make sure you indicate which State in the U.S. you are planning on marrying since not all are Marriage Equality States!!!

I've seen quite a few same-sex K-1 filers who were sent an RFE to provide a letter of intent declaring in which state you plan to marry. Though I am not sure what the basis of this is because my fiancée and I used the VJ letter of intent sample without providing this info and we did not get an RFE. It was a straightforward declaration of our intent to marry each other within 90 days of my arrival in the US. We received our NOA2 38 days after NOA1.

That being said, it's probably best for same-sex filers to provide the state of where you plan to marry instead of otherwise. This information can't hurt your application, after all.

Good luck everyone!