NOT FAIR! California vs. Texas Service Center

[ZA_35 48]

What's going on in TSC? I was expecting a 5 month wait and ended up being 6 months. Fair enough.

But when you see many people flying through CSC in a month or LESS? Come on, that's just plain ridiculous. Imagine a private company operating with such huge variances across centers? They would be out of business in no time, especially considering everyone is paying the same fees for the same service.

TSC must've known they had an enormous backlog problem, that's bad management and incompetence. Are any of these centers ever audited by the US Govt? Or do they operate above the Govt without impunity and are free to do whatever they please?

[av8or1 246]

My Petition is on its way to the USCIS in Texas. I live in California. Can I assume that the CSC will process my petition or will it depend on other factors?

Yes, but don't confuse the lockbox facility in Dallas for the TSC in Mesquite. They entirely different animals/facilities. Your petition is going to the lockbox, where it will be routed to the CSC. Your petition will never go to the TSC. So many filers confuse this issue.

What's going on in TSC? I was expecting a 5 month wait and ended up being 6 months. Fair enough.

But when you see many people flying through CSC in a month or LESS? Come on, that's just plain ridiculous. Imagine a private company operating with such huge variances across centers? They would be out of business in no time, especially considering everyone is paying the same fees for the same service.

TSC must've known they had an enormous backlog problem, that's bad management and incompetence. Are any of these centers ever audited by the US Govt? Or do they operate above the Govt without impunity and are free to do whatever they please?

Yeah, more of the latter. We've been fighting and fighting this processing time imbalance for months now. The USCIS simply refuses that such an imbalance exists, outright. We've asked for help from the CSC filers to send us pictures of their NOA1 and NOA2 so that we could send it back to federal reps to prove our case, but so far nothing.

[Nicole_1228 5]

someone had posted this handy link: scroll to the bottom to see the total for each service center: (this is as of Dec 2014)

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Family-Based/I130_performancedata_fy2015_qtr1.pdf

it looks as though the CSC services a lot more i-130's for relatives and not spouses compared to other servicing centers. Makes sense now - only a few of the cases for spouses are sent to CSC soo you basically hit the lottery if you get sent there. Its amazing to see the number of petitions that get sent in!

It almost helps me feel better about this whole process... almost.

[GMLove 18]

someone had posted this handy link: scroll to the bottom to see the total for each service center: (this is as of Dec 2014)

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Family-Based/I130_performancedata_fy2015_qtr1.pdf

it looks as though the CSC services a lot more i-130's for relatives and not spouses compared to other servicing centers. Makes sense now - only a few of the cases for spouses are sent to CSC soo you basically hit the lottery if you get sent there. Its amazing to see the number of petitions that get sent in!

It almost helps me feel better about this whole process... almost.

If I wanted to play the lottery I would enter the DV lottery LOL

[ncarson008 3]

Well I live in Dallas, TX and my 129f just got routed to California today, so maybe they are getting better about rebalancing workloads? Or is this just random luck?

[TabeaK 517]

All new cases have been routed to CSC as of March 27th. Congrats, you'll have your approval in no time.

Meanwhile, back in TSC No-Mans-Land - 156 days and waiting.

[ncarson008 3]

Jeez, sorry to hear. Everything is bigger in Texas...even the backlogs. Wish you all the best!

Edited June 3, 2015 by ncarson008

[Karo&Fer 10]

I am now on my ninth month. After waiting 8 months, they suspended my case due to an RFE but have not sent a written notice and they will not tell me what I need to send. Im expecting my letter to intent to marry has expired since it was completed in late June of 2014. So while it takes weeks for someone at the CSC, new cases to TSC are rerouted and if your a gay couple it also takes merely weeks as well. Yet if your a heterosexual, sent to TSC months ago, US born with no children or criminal record, meet the financial requirements, met your spouse and been together for a year living in Medellin - sorry you will have to wait a year and suffer severe economic loss and waste your time calling, writting etc and no one at USCIS cares.

[CG&LGG 27]

I am now on my ninth month. After waiting 8 months, they suspended my case due to an RFE but have not sent a written notice and they will not tell me what I need to send. Im expecting my letter to intent to marry has expired since it was completed in late June of 2014. So while it takes weeks for someone at the CSC, new cases to TSC are rerouted and if your a gay couple it also takes merely weeks as well. Yet if your a heterosexual, sent to TSC months ago, US born with no children or criminal record, meet the financial requirements, met your spouse and been together for a year living in Medellin - sorry you will have to wait a year and suffer severe economic loss and waste your time calling, writting etc and no one at USCIS cares.

My fiancé and I are same-sex, he is from Colombia, we are at the TSC and we are in our 4th month of waiting. So it hasn't been "merely weeks" for us. We are still waiting....

[TabeaK 517]

That's kind of the point though. Your case, like mine, is one of the old ones stuck in TSC purgatory. The new ones all go to CSC and are worked on promptly, usually in max 2 months.

[CG&LGG 27]

You are correct. I just wanted it to be known that same-sex couples get no preferential treatment.

The post above mine says "all TSC cases are rerouted to CSC AND if you're a gay couple it takes merely weeks".

I can see the light at the end. We've waited 4 months and even though its difficult, we are strong enough to make it to the end.

[Karo&Fer 10]

My fiancé and I are same-sex, he is from Colombia, we are at the TSC and we are in our 4th month of waiting. So it hasn't been "merely weeks" for us. We are still waiting....

This thread is titled: NOT FAIR! California vs. Texas Service Center. California takes only weeks while TSC takes months. Your case is at the TSC and not CSC which makes a big difference. And I do believe their giving gay couples preferrences through internal directives. Im glad gays have the same opportunity and Im supportive. My issue is in regards to this thread and the practice of the USCIS to handle some cases in weeks, to treat people for whatever reason selectively. We all pay the same fees and fill out the same forms but experiences are incredibly different. The range among applicants has a wide gap. I think USCIS and immigration law in general is innefficient, incompetent and inconsistent to their stated mission.

[Pennycat 880]

This thread is titled: NOT FAIR! California vs. Texas Service Center. California takes only weeks while TSC takes months. Your case is at the TSC and not CSC which makes a big difference. And I do believe their giving gay couples preferrences through internal directives. Im glad gays have the same opportunity and Im supportive. My issue is in regards to this thread and the practice of the USCIS to handle some cases in weeks, to treat people for whatever reason selectively. We all pay the same fees and fill out the same forms but experiences are incredibly different. The range among applicants has a wide gap. I think USCIS and immigration law in general is innefficient, incompetent and inconsistent to their stated mission.

Based on what evidence? Any evidence? Or just a personal belief that you decided to originally state as fact? Because people were routed to TSC or CSC based on what state the petitioner lives in. Gay people live in all 50 states in the union last I checked. And gay couples certainly aren't ushered through TSC any faster than any of the rest of us stuck in this hellhole, that you can see plain as day if you spend just 5 minutes browsing timelines here on Visajourney.

In fact, a lot of gay couples, particularly those who were assigned to TSC are doubly screwed over by the system. Because for many, a spousal visa isn't an option. Why? Because gay marriage isn't recognized in many other countries---so they can't get married first and apply for a spousal visa. So there, one choice taken away right off the bat. Stuck with the more expensive option of a fiance visa but hey, at least it's faster right? NOPE. Not if you're assigned to TSC. And, also, NO family-based US immigration for gay couples wasn't even on the table at all until 2012. Before then you had to get lucky with a diversity visa, a work visa or have a commuter marriage. Or, you know, decide to live in the foreign national's country. Many of which don't exactly allow you to live as an openly gay person and still live. So you know.... cut out the imaginary persecution of heterosexuals in the US immigration. It's not happening.

[UB3R 0]

Why did God chose me to get sent to TSC? I am already so emotionally unstable that now I get sent to the slowest processing, flood having, disaster facing state. Why God why? Having to wait longer than I really have to will definitely put me in the state of depression and anxiety. All because of USCIS processing times being delayed for Texas. I wonder how many else are suffering from this condition.

[Clawren86 5]

Why did God chose me to get sent to TSC? I am already so emotionally unstable that now I get sent to the slowest processing, flood having, disaster facing state. Why God why? Having to wait longer than I really have to will definitely put me in the state of depression and anxiety. All because of USCIS processing times being delayed for Texas. I wonder how many else are suffering from this condition.

I am right there with you. This has been the biggest headache ever.