Calling my senator for help

[K&T19 1]

I know the uscis site says 5.5 months but I see some April and March filers are getting approved. It's just so unfair!!!!! It pisses me off don't get me wrong I'm happy for them but it's hard to wait!!

Anyway my question is does anybody here ever call their congressman?? How did it go? I called my senator office they ask me to release a privacy form. Any suggestions

Hi there, my senator was able to get our file expedited from NVC and sent directly to the consulate. It is worth a try. All they can say is no. Good luck!

[Fishandchips78 38]

It totally depends on who you get dealing with your case. When we called our congresswoman's office, the person helping us just reeled off the same stuff that USCIS tell you when you call them. She told me 6 months is not really what you should be looking at when you say that you are past normal processing times, but rather the December 31st processing date that you can find here https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processingTimesDisplay.do and she cannot help us and jump our case 'ahead of the line without a valid reason'.

I said are you trying to tell me that you won't help us until they change the December 31st processing date to March 10th (my NOA1 date) which at their rate will be months away and she said basically yes. She also said a bunch of stuff about not to trust the VJ website, the stuff you see there isn't true etc etc. I think it makes their lives more difficult when we are so informed about what is going on. You'd think they were in office to help us but they're not always willing to help. I was so angry and frustrated.

That same evening I got my NOA2 and wished I never bothered calling that woman and getting myself so frustrated.

My point is, sometimes you get lucky with the senators/congressmen, often times you don't. But it's worth a try at least. Got nothing to lose (except maybe your sanity!)

[Mariana M. 18]

Hi there, my senator was able to get our file expedited from NVC and sent directly to the consulate. It is worth a try. All they can say is no. Good luck!

Wow, how was that? Did you contact them after NOA2 and ask for that? Did you have a specific reason?

[K&T19 1]

Wow, how was that? Did you contact them after NOA2 and ask for that? Did you have a specific reason?

I wrote a letter of complaint regarding the NVC process (due to the long wait time, misinformation provided, etc.) to both my senators and was fortunate enough that one took the time to look into our case. I did not request an expedite directly but that was the outcome of our letter.

[caiti92 23]

I wrote a letter of complaint regarding the NVC process (due to the long wait time, misinformation provided, etc.) to both my senators and was fortunate enough that one took the time to look into our case. I did not request an expedite directly but that was the outcome of our letter.

You are applying for a different Visa type, though, and the CR-1 takes a lot longer to process at NVC than a K-1 because all the NVC does for the K-1 is assign a case number and send it off to the consulate abroad. The NVC can take as little as 2 weeks to process some K-1 cases, so I doubt a senator would be as much help at the NVC level for K-1 filers.

Edited August 22, 2014 by caiti92

[K&T19 1]

You are applying for a different Visa type, though, and the CR-1 takes a lot longer to process at NVC than a K-1 because all the NVC does for the K-1 is assign a case number and send it off to the consulate abroad. The NVC can take as little as 2 weeks to process some K-1 cases, so I doubt a senator would be as much help at the NVC level for K-1 filers.

This is true, as many people in the IR-1/CR-1 category have been waiting at NVC for 5+ months. But senators are there to assist their constituents with any issues so if you are having problems at NVC, I don't think it would hurt to contact your senator. You're obviously not guaranteed any certain outcome but raising awareness and advocating for yourself is never a bad thing!

[lasiren7174 4]

I wouldn't call them, but I would go to the "How Can I Help You" sections on their websites, look under "immigration" and find the privacy waiver and the addresses to send the completed privacy waiver for each of them to (for both your senators AND for your congressman). I typed up a professional-sounding cover letter with all my case/personal info on it, described the situation and why I thought it was unfair, attached it to the privacy waivers and mailed ALL of them out the day before my case hit 5.5 months so that they would get it on the day it hit 5.5 months (even though the wait time had changed to 6 months the day before that). I received typed responses from each of them stating that they all inquired as to the status of my case on the 11th of August and on the 12th of August I received my NOA2. There's a chance this could be a coincidence, as many people inquire and don't receive approval for weeks or even months, but I have feeling it's not.

I feel you, the wait is definitely unfair and the immigration system is very flawed, but you'll get through it. I know it's hard to stay positive when you're so nervous about receiving approval. Keep in mind many of those being approved so quickly are either expedited cases (such as those where the beneficiary is from the Philippines) or their cases are at the California Service Center. There is a backlog at the Texas Service center for a number of reasons. One of them, of course, is political in nature. But it also has to do with the uneven spatial distribution of population and the geographic regions assigned to the service centers. From sheer population alone, Texas has a larger case load to deal with. It's ridiculous, but it's just the way it is.

You're not even at 5 months yet according to your timeline, so hang on a bit longer before contacting anyone. They won't be able to do anything for you if your case isn't beyond the average processing time. The good news is many of the April & May petitions have been transferred away from the TSC, so you may receive approval more quickly than those before you (many at 7 months and even I was at more than 5.5 months). You'll probably hear something very soon! Good luck!

Caiti92 -

Ok, so I have some time before I start contacting my senator/congressman, etc...but I found your reply very helpful and thought I would look into it should I need to contact them regarding my case. Is the privacy waiver called ICE Form 60-001? It is what I found when googling because I did not see a "How I Can Help" section nor a Privacy Waiver on my senators web page.

Did you mail or email your senator/congressman? I plan on sending it the day before 5.5 months as well

Thanks!

[caiti92 23]

Caiti92 -

Ok, so I have some time before I start contacting my senator/congressman, etc...but I found your reply very helpful and thought I would look into it should I need to contact them regarding my case. Is the privacy waiver called ICE Form 60-001? It is what I found when googling because I did not see a "How I Can Help" section nor a Privacy Waiver on my senators web page.

Did you mail or email your senator/congressman? I plan on sending it the day before 5.5 months as well

Thanks!

I sent my inquiries through the post because I felt like having a physical letter in their hand would be more difficult to ignore and overlook than a digital e-mail. Also, some of them will require you post it rather than email it. The ICE form is something completely different. Each congressman will most likely possess a different privacy release form with a different layout which can be found on their websites.

Here is the link to NY Senator Kristen Gillibrand's website with details for requesting assistance with a government agency:

http://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/services/casework/

Here is the link to NY Senator Charles E. Schumer's website with details for requesting help with a government agency:

http://www.schumer.senate.gov/Services%20for%20New%20Yorkers/constituent_services.htm

I would give you info for your local representative, but that is dependent upon what district you reside in. Honestly, the representative is more likely to be of greater assistance to you than the senators because they have a smaller constituency. If you need help figuring out who your representative is and where the info on their website is, just let me know. Here is a link to the 27 congressional districts in New York that may help you figure out who you need to be contacting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_congressional_districts

[lasiren7174 4]

THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!

I have found the most amazing people on this site whose generosity never ceases to amaze me!

[kehills 217]

Use the phone. (Our congressional aid accepted scanned, emailed documents, which made the entire process much faster.)

[lasiren7174 4]

I am about to draft my letters to my congressmen as my date is approaching next week and want to know what the letter should state:

1. Our names (Should I include a brief history of our relationship?

2. Our case #

3. How long we have been waiting without a response

Anything else??

Thanks!!