Why Can't I Submit A Case Inquiry?

[BlackBee 3]

I am a January Filer for the I-129F (K1) Visa through the TSC.

Today i was browsing the "amazing" (sarcastic) USCIS site and found the "outside normal processing case inquiry" page. It says on the page:

NOTE: We are actively processing your case if, in the past 60 days, you:

• Received a notice from us about your case,
• Responded to a request for evidence, OR
• Received an online update to your case status.

If your application type is not listed in the processing time table on our website, our goal is to make a decision on your application within 6 months of filing. Please wait six months before submitting an inquiry

Well.... based on the first part, it has been WAY more than 60 days since we have received notice about our case, and/or an online update to our case status. This means in my mind that it is "not" actively processing based on the verbiage used by USCIS.

Also, the bottom paragraph states "our goal is to make a decision within 6 months of filing. Please wait six months before submitting an inquiry". Well, as of today, it is almost 7 months since we filed, which means that we should be able to file an inquiry.

I called the ever so helpful folk at USCIS to see if i could make a case inquiry since i met ALL the above criteria, as the website wouldn't allow me. The guy on the phone at USCIS said that we are still in the normal processing timeframe. I read the above items to him, and he agreed, but he said the only way to submit an inquiry is when the page updates to reflect a "working on file date of XX/XX/XXXX" and our file is before that date.

I was so angry! That date hasn't been updated in 2.5 months!!! I hate when they say "oh they are working on files from November 10th". I just want to scream and say "no you aren't!! there are so many applicants from January and now February from TSC seeing approvals".

I don't understand why we can't file an inquiry now having met the criteria on their website. What if the dates update and ours is the day after "files being worked on". Does that mean we need to wait another 2-3 months before submitting an inquiry??

This is all so frustrating. I'm sorry all... What makes me even angrier is a post i saw on here yesterday about a guy wanting to slow his visa process down since it moved so fast. I would give everything i have to be in that guys shoes. Some people are so lucky that they were sent to CSC and didn't have to endure all these heartaches and hardships. It has been 9 months since i proposed and 7 months since we files the I-129F. I just want to start life together with my love =(

Anyone else a January filer in TSC? Any thoughts? Thanks!

[waiting4areason 13]

I understand how you are feeling. I am a dec filer and yup still waiting. I got an RFE now I wonder how long before I receive No2. I've been through that, and I was not able to file an inquiries either, not until the site changed to show a date past my No1 date. I have tried multiple times. Hang in there, not that we have any other choice

[Ash.1101 1,756]

Tbqh the file process seems to be less "working on people from X time" and "the people who are getting worked on just happened to be plopped on some guys desk". I don't believe it's done in order received as it would be too hard and even more time consuming to have them do it that way. Pretty sure some of the "first received" get put down at the bottom of the paper box then more piled on top of it then finally given to some guy to process.


With that said, I planned on waiting more than a year if not two because of seeing the TSC times, I was absolutely prepared to not be with him for a couple of years and I was okay with that. I got lucky and filed in April which put me in the second or third round of CSC.

But saying we don't have to endure all those heartaches and hardships, clearly out of irritation and not realizing that not everyone case is roses and sugar, but There are people who have have waited over 6 years for their visa and to be with their loved one. Yes it's frustration and yes some people need to express their feelings to feel better, BUT please remember we're all going through the same process, yes time varies, but we're all away from our loved one. Some have been away for their loved ones for years before they even started the process, some will be away from their loved ones for years after the process starts, and some can't even handle the stress of this and end up not having a relationship at all.

Be prepared though because you will find support, but you will also find people that, I guess for a better lack of words, not understand why you're so upset as it does show they're being worked on from November, technically you should expect to wait another couple of months before your file is touched. I'm sure those who got their files approved expected the same thing and got lucky, maybe you'll get lucky too.


One thing that's commonly said here on VJ is, focus less on other peoples visa times. It's seemingly random and doesn't help you emotionally. Spend less time on the forums if you need too, never look at others dates if you don't have too. Go as far as marking a date on your calendar as your "First date I can contact them" and don't do anything about it until then. In this case, they won't consider you having an issue until they're working on Jan's consistently and it's marked on their info as working on Jan files.


You also have to remember, VJ are the minority of visa filers. They could easily be working on peoples cases from Nov.


As for your next update date wise when you can do an inquiry, it won't be until you get assigned an alien number if you haven't already and/or the next time they touch your papers, but by that point that means they're touching your file and you'll most likely get an RFE or NOA2 notice within a month or so of that.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Ash.1101

[BlackBee 3]

Thanks. I wish i knew how they processed cases. I see other files from her country filed after us at TSC getting approval and it bothers the heck out of me. Our file is very clean. I have a stable job and owned my home for many years. She has a good job in her country and the file was very clean. Lots of evidence of our relationship, etc... My attorney(s) who reviewed our file even commented that it was so nicely put together and organized the way USCIS wants it... Ugh!!!

[Ash.1101 1,756]

Again it seems random. I think they simply process it as the person at the desk gets it, I don't think it's any more complicated than that, but because of that, people who did theirs recently might get theirs approved before someone who's waited a while simply because their file got plopped at the top of a workers files.

As for everything being nice and clean and done. They don't really care about any of that for this part of the process, all of that is important at the interview, but all USCIS cares about is that the documents are filled out and there, they only ask for more info if the papers arent' filled correctly or you miss a step or there's something questionable in your answers. We're all just a bunch of papers to them, we barely even become people at the interview.

I've seen some clean cut cases get scrutinzed at consulate simply because (imo) the consulate was having a bad mood day. Depending on what your consulate is, it could be easier or harder simply based on the country your fiance is from.


Also if you edit your time line and fill in information, it could give you a good idea of when you'll be approved/hear something based on people with the same dates as you. But remember, not every visa filer is on VJ and not every case that the service centers deal with are fiance visas.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Ash.1101

[TBoneTX 45,294]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the K-1 Case Progress subforum. ***

[Pennycat 880]

Tbqh the file process seems to be less "working on people from X time" and "the people who are getting worked on just happened to be plopped on some guys desk". I don't believe it's done in order received as it would be too hard and even more time consuming to have them do it that way. Pretty sure some of the "first received" get put down at the bottom of the paper box then more piled on top of it then finally given to some guy to process.

With that said, I planned on waiting more than a year if not two because of seeing the TSC times, I was absolutely prepared to not be with him for a couple of years and I was okay with that. I got lucky and filed in April which put me in the second or third round of CSC.

But saying we don't have to endure all those heartaches and hardships, clearly out of irritation and not realizing that not everyone case is roses and sugar, but There are people who have have waited over 6 years for their visa and to be with their loved one. Yes it's frustration and yes some people need to express their feelings to feel better, BUT please remember we're all going through the same process, yes time varies, but we're all away from our loved one. Some have been away for their loved ones for years before they even started the process, some will be away from their loved ones for years after the process starts, and some can't even handle the stress of this and end up not having a relationship at all.

Be prepared though because you will find support, but you will also find people that, I guess for a better lack of words, not understand why you're so upset as it does show they're being worked on from November, technically you should expect to wait another couple of months before your file is touched. I'm sure those who got their files approved expected the same thing and got lucky, maybe you'll get lucky too.

One thing that's commonly said here on VJ is, focus less on other peoples visa times. It's seemingly random and doesn't help you emotionally. Spend less time on the forums if you need too, never look at others dates if you don't have too. Go as far as marking a date on your calendar as your "First date I can contact them" and don't do anything about it until then. In this case, they won't consider you having an issue until they're working on Jan's consistently and it's marked on their info as working on Jan files.

You also have to remember, VJ are the minority of visa filers. They could easily be working on peoples cases from Nov.

As for your next update date wise when you can do an inquiry, it won't be until you get assigned an alien number if you haven't already and/or the next time they touch your papers, but by that point that means they're touching your file and you'll most likely get an RFE or NOA2 notice within a month or so of that.

Literally none of that answers the OPs question about why can't they submit an inquiry nor does it justify the fact that USCIS hasn't changed the "as of" date in 2.5 months. Do you even understand the repercussions of that? If that is the cutoff date on being allowed to ask a question about your case....and they don't keep it current? Probably specifically to prevent you from getting an inquiry?

It's great that you planned for this to take years. I doubt you'd be so rosy about it if you weren't on the fast track, but I'll take you at your word. The issue is that not everyone was given an accurate time frame (I was told by USCIS I'd be at VSC.....which turns out hadn't done K1s in years but still has processing times which is what I went by). Not everyone has the luxury to be able travel to the US to visit, because yay vias (time and money is different as it's still *possible * vs flat out not even an option even if you had the money ). I do my best to not dwell on CSC timelines because there's nothing that can be done now....but stuff comes through anyway. Stay off the forums? Maybe, and I have at times. But I like helping people and I like the support (when not cannonballed by someone who doesn't get it), and I have questions sometkmes. And just need to point out... the folks who were supposed to he assigned to TSC but went to CSC after "the change" have us TSC filers to thank for that. Verified by a White House contact, our advocacy made that change happen. They acknowledged that the complaint was valid, "fixed " it but left us all in line anyway). It wasn't luck. It was us. That's who you're leapfrogging over (not by your own actions, yes...you're not doing anything wrong ) and telling to calm down and "it's just the process". A little empathy would be kind.

Also, yes. Many people were apart for years before starting the process. That, frankly, is a personal choice. Maybe a necessary one for school, jobs, whatever. But still a choice. There's "can't apply now " because the timing isn't right or priorities are elsewhere but that's the same as my "can't move to Costa Rica". I CAN, but for various personal and logistic issues, have chosen for him to move. What I have NOT chosen and have had no control over, is the length of this separation. That's fundamentally different from the 1.5 years we chose to live apart before starting this process. As someone who has done both (chosen to live apart and now being forced to ) I can 100% tell you that they are nowhere near the same and i find it insulting that so many people who haven't experienced this end of it suggest that they are.

[Pennycat 880]

I am a January Filer for the I-129F (K1) Visa through the TSC.

Today i was browsing the "amazing" (sarcastic) USCIS site and found the "outside normal processing case inquiry" page. It says on the page:

Well.... based on the first part, it has been WAY more than 60 days since we have received notice about our case, and/or an online update to our case status. This means in my mind that it is "not" actively processing based on the verbiage used by USCIS.

Also, the bottom paragraph states "our goal is to make a decision within 6 months of filing. Please wait six months before submitting an inquiry". Well, as of today, it is almost 7 months since we filed, which means that we should be able to file an inquiry.

I called the ever so helpful folk at USCIS to see if i could make a case inquiry since i met ALL the above criteria, as the website wouldn't allow me. The guy on the phone at USCIS said that we are still in the normal processing timeframe. I read the above items to him, and he agreed, but he said the only way to submit an inquiry is when the page updates to reflect a "working on file date of XX/XX/XXXX" and our file is before that date.

I was so angry! That date hasn't been updated in 2.5 months!!! I hate when they say "oh they are working on files from November 10th". I just want to scream and say "no you aren't!! there are so many applicants from January and now February from TSC seeing approvals".

I don't understand why we can't file an inquiry now having met the criteria on their website. What if the dates update and ours is the day after "files being worked on". Does that mean we need to wait another 2-3 months before submitting an inquiry??

This is all so frustrating. I'm sorry all... What makes me even angrier is a post i saw on here yesterday about a guy wanting to slow his visa process down since it moved so fast. I would give everything i have to be in that guys shoes. Some people are so lucky that they were sent to CSC and didn't have to endure all these heartaches and hardships. It has been 9 months since i proposed and 7 months since we files the I-129F. I just want to start life together with my love =(

Anyone else a January filer in TSC? Any thoughts? Thanks!

The "goal" is 6 months. But sometimes they fall short of that goal, so they publish those dates instead and make that the cutoff. Basically, as much as it stinks, when they're behind, if they stuck to allowing anyone out of "goal" to submit an inquiry, then 100% of the backlog would be eligible for an expedite....end result is no one is expedited.

Now, the crime here is the manipulation of the dates. Historically, they have released on the first of the month, the "as of" info from 4 weeks previous (May 1 update is "as of " March 31). Those dates are always really far in the past....basically anyone outside of them is having an unusual problem like a lost file or something ....not just standard (sh!tty) service from TSC. That's really what the inquiries are for.

But you've noticed the trick. They have been releasing them so late or not updating at all or updating wirh identical information fromantic thr month before. ..even if you ARE outside the "norm" (and you're getting close...I think that 80% of Jan is done according to Immifairy ....but there's still some December folks who are being really screwed), they actively obscure that fact, don't "admit" it (through the processing time reports ) so you can't call. What service, right?

What you CAN do, because the August update is an exact copy of thr July update, "as of" date and all is call your congressman's local office (that's where the constituent service reps work ). You can't open an inquiry but you can put pressure on USCIS to properly update the table. Explain VERY BRIEFLY what the situation is, and say that you believe that this has been solved by calling the liaison office at TSC.

Tell them: Im applying for a K1 visa. Were at Texas Service Center, which is backlogged. We are not yet outside the normal processing times, so I know that theres not much you can do for our specific case. But, Ive been keeping a close eye on those dates so that I can know when I may open an inquiry.

However, I think that it is important to point out that they seem to not be changing the information. For example, they released a new update on August 3rd. Not only has the current processing date not changed from the July updatebut the as of date has not changed from May 31, either. I think that they may have uploaded last months update in error.

From my visa applicant community, I know that this has happened a few months in a row now, and there are people whose Congressional reps have called the TSC liaison and had this issue addressed with no problem. Would you be able to get in contact with the TSC congressional liaison office and tell them that they updated with last months information?