April 2015 Filers

[mhavermans 2]

One of the things that really gets me - and I haven't really seen much about it on this particular thread - is the fact that people going through Texas have to wait so long. While I was expecting to go through Texas, we made arrangements to see each other based off the fact that we were going to have to wait 6-9 months if everything went through on time.

So when we got routed to CSC, it was a big surprise and we were so excited to only have to wait a fraction of the time. So then we decided to save our money and not have any visits between US/Brazil until the visa process was over. There's a lot of posts I see on this site saying "at least you don't have to go through Texas", and as much as I hate to say it, they went into the process expecting the wait. It really does suck expecting a certain amount of time, and then waiting longer, and longer, and then just sort of giving up on waiting for the text or email.

We have drones, cell phones that we can talk face-to-face with people on the other side of the world, we've put people on the moon, but we don't have a way to track a couple pieces of paper throughout an office. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to bring my fiancee here, but I feel that the lack of updates and tracking and the phone calls that lead to "just keep waiting" take advantage of our desperation to be together sometimes.

Just my late night thoughts!

I know exactly what you mean... If I had know to being routed to CSC I would have made differtent plans (like not planning another stay,...) now it means that I need to hold up the interview, medical etc until after my next visit, 'cause I kinda have a feeling that I would be able to get the visa before it. Which would cause problems with my job & appartment :-S

Not that I'm not gratefull for it, but still. I could be moving sooner...

[shellymarie 24]

One of the things that really gets me - and I haven't really seen much about it on this particular thread - is the fact that people going through Texas have to wait so long. While I was expecting to go through Texas, we made arrangements to see each other based off the fact that we were going to have to wait 6-9 months if everything went through on time.

So when we got routed to CSC, it was a big surprise and we were so excited to only have to wait a fraction of the time. So then we decided to save our money and not have any visits between US/Brazil until the visa process was over. There's a lot of posts I see on this site saying "at least you don't have to go through Texas", and as much as I hate to say it, they went into the process expecting the wait. It really does suck expecting a certain amount of time, and then waiting longer, and longer, and then just sort of giving up on waiting for the text or email.

We have drones, cell phones that we can talk face-to-face with people on the other side of the world, we've put people on the moon, but we don't have a way to track a couple pieces of paper throughout an office. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to bring my fiancee here, but I feel that the lack of updates and tracking and the phone calls that lead to "just keep waiting" take advantage of our desperation to be together sometimes.

Just my late night thoughts!

Hey neighbor! lol. I'm from CT, and my fiance is in Brazil too! :) I agre with you. When I got the email saying I was routed to CSC I had to read it like three times, and I almost passed out (because previous to submitting I saw the loooong wait times at TSC and the "only" 5 month wait time at CSC) I just couldn't believe it. I had no idea they were routing new applications to CSC.

Then right after reality set in, and I researched on here to find out why my application was routed to CSC, my next reaction was that I felt so bad that all of the new people were getting routed to CSC, while everyone in TSC and (at the time) VSC were sitting there for months! Don't get me wrong, I'm completely grateful, but I really believe they should have transferred the TSC and VSC apps with the longest wait times to CSC to work on them first.

This whole process is draining in every way possible, yet, like you, I am extremely grateful that we even have this opportunity. I try to put everything into perspective and try to understand their (the workers at the SCs) end...but when you're this emotionally invested, it's hard to just sit here and wait..........and wait..............and wait. At this point, I'd be happy for an RFE just to know that my file is physically being worked on. I know we will all get there eventually, and there are people who have waited A LOT longer than us...but really, even one day away from your love is torture. So whether we get approved in 2 months or 8 or 10, the time apart is extremely difficult when all we want to do is start our lives together.

Edited May 28, 2015 by shellymarie

[asdf123 7]

Many times I wish I never found this site .... The estimates and timelines cause even more stress by incorrectly getting our hopes up combined with seeing people that submitted after us get approved first. If I never found VJ I would have assumed 5 months then planned accordingly and been pleasantly surprised if the NOA2 came sooner instead of getting frustrated every day.

Since you mentioned TSC I am going to share some thoughts which probably will get me flamed on VJ but who cares at this point. The USCIS and this VISA processing is royally jacked up in IMHO and I feel bad for all us that has to wait because this process is brutal knowing what I know now and cost involved I may not have even went down this path .... .Some of the TSC people are not addressing the root problems of the USCIS their only goal is to transfer work to CSC which slows down CSC and moves the problem to another service center. Come on who at CSC is going to support that notion ! ... I would fully support the efforts of TSC if they were trying to improve the system by getting premium processing for K-1 VISA applications like what is already available for HB-1 VISAS. Or with all the lip service coming from Washington about family unification why do all employment based visa categories get faster processing (2 weeks - 2 months) over family based VISAS (5 MONTHS) ??? (The answer to this is simple - Special Interest groups) Regardless how bad those are the one thing that is going on at USCIS that really torques me is that "ILLEGAL" IMMIGRANTS get faster processing then US citizens at the USCIS, not to mention the free flights that are being given away on OBAMA-AIR that we, the US tax payers, are paying for. These people are illegally in the country and they should have to go through the same b@lllsh@t with the USCIS, NVC and embassy that we have to. Lastly I read somewhere on VJ the USCIS is UNION and an officer only has to process 10 applications a day what kind of BS is that the USCIS officers should be on salary and working overtime. I am on freaking salary and 50-60 work weeks are fairly common.

Well that is my rant for the day... Good Luck to everyone and may we all get touched tonight lol ...

Edited May 28, 2015 by asdf123

[shellymarie 24]

Many times I wish I never found this site .... The estimates and timelines cause even more stress by incorrectly getting our hopes up combined with seeing people that submitted after us get approved first. If I never found VJ I would have assumed 5 months then planned accordingly and been pleasantly surprised if the NOA2 came sooner instead of getting frustrated every day.

Since you mentioned TSC I am going to share some thoughts which probably will get me flamed on VJ but who cares at this point. The USCIS and this VISA processing is royally jacked up in IMHO and I feel bad for all us that has to wait because this process is brutal. Some of the TSC people are not addressing the root problems of the USCIS their only goal is to transfer work to CSC which slows down CSC and moves the problem to another service center. Come on who at CSC is going to support that notion ! ... I would fully support the efforts of TSC if they were trying to improve the system by getting premium processing for K-1 VISA applications like what is already available for HB-1 VISAS. Or with all the lip service coming from Washington about family unification why do all employment based visa categories get faster processing (2 weeks - 2 months) over family based VISAS (5 MONTHS) ??? (The answer to this is simple - Special Interest groups) Regardless how bad those are the one thing that is going on at USCIS that really torques me is that "ILLEGAL" IMMIGRANTS get faster processing then US citizens at the USCIS, not to mention the free flights that are being given away on OBAMA-AIR that we the US tax payers are paying for. These people are illegally in the country and they should have to go through the same b@lllsh@t with the USCIS, NVC and embassy that we have to.

Well that is my rant for the day... Good Luck to everyone and maybe tonight we will get touched lol ...

I agree with you, definitely. My point in saying that I think they should have transferred older dated cases to CSC, was only because I know the other (good) ideas you suggested for faster processing are never gonna happen. No matter what, the CSC is getting bombarded (now with new applications as opposed to old applications) which is causing all the new applications to get back logged too lol. It's literally a never-ending, vicious cycle and I truly think the whole set up/system needs to be revisited. I just think, in all fairness, it should have been the older applications who were given a chance to be processed faster at CSC. Just think if we were in their shoes...some people waiting 240+ days just to get an RFE! It's really sad.

Finding this site is definitely bittersweet. On one hand, it did help me to make sure that I had everything I needed in order to submit my application (since the instructions on the application are pretty vague, even for the SIX pages of instructions they give you lol). On the other hand...yes...AS HAPPY AS I AM FOR EVERYONE, AND YES I KNOW, I'M STILL "NEW" so I "shouldn't" get upset this early on...it's still really really really hard to see approvals only to go on USCIS and see mine hasn't even been touched. The whole process in general is just really difficult.

And yes...I agree 100%. I won't go in too much detail with the "illegal" immigrants thing because my intention is never to offend anyone...................but yeah...it's pretty craptastic!

But at the end of the day, we are at their mercy...and as much as I hate that...we know this is how it's gonna be for as long as we are on this journey. And when we all look back at the end of this, we will realize it was all worth it. But until then........

Edited May 28, 2015 by shellymarie

[TabeaK 517]

Guys, relax. So far, there is no evidence of CSC slowing down. They still approve in less than 2 months in general. And this is despite all new I-129Fs getting routed there, which has been happening for 2 months now. The I-129F category is small (about 12000 case per quarter). If CSC only gets these, it will not slow them significantly

Count your blessings. Meanwhile, I am hitting 5 months waiting time in TSC tomorrow and have probably another 3 months to go.

[shellymarie 24]

Guys, relax. So far, there is no evidence of CSC slowing down. They still approve in less than 2 months in general. And this is despite all new I-129Fs getting routed there, which has been happening for 2 months now. The I-129F category is small (about 12000 case per quarter). If CSC only gets these, it will not slow them significantly

Count your blessings. Meanwhile, I am hitting 5 months waiting time in TSC tomorrow and have probably another 3 months to go.

Apologies if it came off that I'm ungrateful for being routed to CSC. I tried to make it pretty clear that I'm aware that I was really lucky to get routed there, and how terrible I feel for all the people with long waits at the other SCs. Regardless of the time, a wait is a wait, and time away from our loved one, and it's disheartening. I know that some will get approved sooner than others, and there's no logic to the approval method. And I'm truly sorry to hear about your wait time, I know it can't be easy. I don't think anyone was trying to lessen what you all are going through at TSC, just that it's hard for all of us regardless of the wait time. Best of luck to everyone.

[asdf123 7]

Thank you Shellymarie for the reply I am happy for you that you got transferred.... I just stumbled across this site doing research and afterwards we actually used a processing company to handle getting everything together and submitting the paperwork. Which I think was very much worth it as it would be even more stressful wondering if everything was filled out correctly. They actually made several adjustments to items in our petition so I hope we will not get an RFE, if and when hell freezes over and our petition gets looked at haha ....

I agree with you I would be not be happy with a 200 day wait but if there was a definite date we could plan and budget around that would be a lot better then this nonsense as no knowing anything is very frustrating. I want to take another trip in June to see my fiance since it has been months but the cost is 3k-5k per visit and then if we do get approved and get an interview in July coming up with another 5k in 4-6 weeks later is a bit rough. Not to mention planning a wedding in 6 weeks is ridiculous as well.

I guess my stress is starting to show LOL ...

[asdf123 7]

Guys, relax. So far, there is no evidence of CSC slowing down. They still approve in less than 2 months in general. And this is despite all new I-129Fs getting routed there, which has been happening for 2 months now. The I-129F category is small (about 12000 case per quarter). If CSC only gets these, it will not slow them significantly

Count your blessings. Meanwhile, I am hitting 5 months waiting time in TSC tomorrow and have probably another 3 months to go.

It is so sad you are 5 months .. I am not sure how you are doing it?

I am basing the slow down by looking at the March approvals compared to April moreover VJ originally had my approval estimate date set to the 14th which is constantly being pushed back ... I am pretty new to this site compared to others so maybe my thought process is flawed ...

There is a lot more then I-29F'S being transferred here is the list from the USCIS website ... So GOD only know how many cases they are actually receiving ...

Effective March 27, 2015, USCIS will transfer the adjudication of some cases to balance our overall workload. The affected cases include those filed with the following forms:

• I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)
• I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
• I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (employment and asylum-based only)
• I-821D/I-765, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals/ Application for Employment Authorization (initial and renewal requests)

http://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/workload-transfer-within-service-center-operations

Edited May 28, 2015 by asdf123

[TabeaK 517]

It is so sad you are 5 months .. I am not sure how you are doing it?

Lol. Well, it is not like us TSCers have a choice. I appreciate the sentiment. We just gotta deal with the unfairness...

[Ash.1101 1,756]

They probably are slowing down because they're getting more, and yes they do more than I-129F's. When I go through WAC receipt numbers there's a lot of premissions to work, change in status, etc.

Personally though, even if they aren't slowing down, I had prepared for an upwards to a year wait. Finding out that CSC was so fast was a shock and very welcome because I'm from Texas so I was planning on TSC. But at the end of the day, I knew this would be a long process, so I guess I don't mind if it slows down since I had prepared for a much longer time.

[clarkthegiraffe 10]

A little past 4:30 California time, any NOA2s or RFE's today?

[Ash.1101 1,756]

I don't believe so.

[KJMAZO 2]

I got my NOA2 notice just minutes ago! Now just waiting for the hard copy! Immmmm so happy!!! ~~~ What a sigh of relief!

[marriedtothesea 1]

we just got our NOA2 too! at exactly 11:00 pm EST! ahhhhh!

[KJMAZO 2]

we just got our NOA2 too! at exactly 11:00 pm EST! ahhhhh!

Congrats! I guess we were on the same batch!