I'm going to local CIS office, anyone have any experience with CIS?

[captainButch 0]

I finally got through to someone at our local CIS office in Honduras to ask about the progress of our visa re-approvals. I hope the person I talked to was just a low level employee who doesn't know what is really going on and just answers the phone. She said to the best of her knowledge all the information was just sitting there, no one is processing any names or anything. Nothing is being done, everything is just sitting there. In her words, "we are waiting for instructions"

That was a real blow to me, I have been checking my email several times a day hoping to get news from the Embassy about an interview date. I assumed our local CIS office, like others CIS offices I have been reading about in this forum were processing people, soon they would get to my name and the wait would be over. The wait hasn't even started yet!

Next week I am going to Honduras, it's a 5 hour $40 round trip bus ride from Granada, Nicaragua to the Tegucigalpa CIS office in Honduras. I don't know what I'm going to do, or what I'm going to say. I will keep my cool and talk to someone face to face to see if I can get our petition moving. At the very least, I'm going to try my damndest to get some solid information as to how much longer is this going to take? Does anyone have any experience dealing with CIS? If so, any advise or information would be appreciated.

CaptainButch

[hmm 0]

I finally got through to someone at our local CIS office in Honduras to ask about the progress of our visa re-approvals. I hope the person I talked to was just a low level employee who doesn't know what is really going on and just answers the phone. She said to the best of her knowledge all the information was just sitting there, no one is processing any names or anything. Nothing is being done, everything is just sitting there. In her words, "we are waiting for instructions"

That was a real blow to me, I have been checking my email several times a day hoping to get news from the Embassy about an interview date. I assumed our local CIS office, like others CIS offices I have been reading about in this forum were processing people, soon they would get to my name and the wait would be over. The wait hasn't even started yet!

Next week I am going to Honduras, it's a 5 hour $40 round trip bus ride from Granada, Nicaragua to the Tegucigalpa CIS office in Honduras. I don't know what I'm going to do, or what I'm going to say. I will keep my cool and talk to someone face to face to see if I can get our petition moving. At the very least, I'm going to try my damndest to get some solid information as to how much longer is this going to take? Does anyone have any experience dealing with CIS? If so, any advise or information would be appreciated.

CaptainButch

i wish you good luck

[meauxna 15]

I finally got through to someone at our local CIS office in Honduras to ask about the progress of our visa re-approvals. I hope the person I talked to was just a low level employee who doesn't know what is really going on and just answers the phone. She said to the best of her knowledge all the information was just sitting there, no one is processing any names or anything. Nothing is being done, everything is just sitting there. In her words, "we are waiting for instructions"

That was a real blow to me, I have been checking my email several times a day hoping to get news from the Embassy about an interview date. I assumed our local CIS office, like others CIS offices I have been reading about in this forum were processing people, soon they would get to my name and the wait would be over. The wait hasn't even started yet!

Next week I am going to Honduras, it's a 5 hour $40 round trip bus ride from Granada, Nicaragua to the Tegucigalpa CIS office in Honduras. I don't know what I'm going to do, or what I'm going to say. I will keep my cool and talk to someone face to face to see if I can get our petition moving. At the very least, I'm going to try my damndest to get some solid information as to how much longer is this going to take? Does anyone have any experience dealing with CIS? If so, any advise or information would be appreciated.

CaptainButch

Butch,

Have you tried any other methods of contacting Tegus? http://tinyurl.com/2xhsre shows a couple of email addys for them. While that's not a bad bus trip, it might be a bit premature unless you've got some other business over there.

My suspicion (and only made up) is that they are processing by country--a couple of posts here led me to suspect that--and that you are in a small, less demanding pile at the moment.

It might not be a bad time to get your Congressional Rep on board.. you've got my empathy, for sure.

My experience in dealing with the overseas CIS (then INS) is that there are one or two local citizen employees who handle the phone, mail and administrative duties. Then there is a USC officer assigned to the office and s/he may have a back up worker. I found the local admin to be officious and hard to work with, but she came through for us in the end. I never did get through to the USC worker (had no need).

I did work with several of the Consular staff (same room of the building as INS) and have talked with others over the years since--I think it would be really neat to work in the Foreign Service--and they are like people anywhere else. If you are respectful of the fact that there is information that you will *never* know, you appreciate that they themselves are operating blind about this change and if you demonstrate that you have some knowledge of the process, you'll probably find them like I did: helpful to the extent they can and perhaps willing to stay in more personal contact with you as they learn something new.

I do think that it's too early to go banging down the door. But whatever you do, think about how you'd like one of your customers with a complaint to get results from you. I'm in the more honey, less vinegar camp.

[captainButch 0]

Meauxna

Once again I find your words and advice illuminating. Thanks so much for your understanding and input. I agree, if you go blasting in the CIS office with the "I'm an American and I know my rights" What I call the McDonalds Mentality, I want it my way, I want it now, and I want it to go. I don't think you're going to get very far. I have good relation with one of the worker at the embassy in Managua, she feeds me as much information as she can. I told her from the beginning that I understood she didn't have all the answers and if I found any useful information I would pass it on to her. it pays huge dividends to try to kind and try to understand these people. Rarely have I spoken to a USC working at the embassy. I was planning to use the same approach with the CIS people, trying get an ally, not a whipping boy to take out my frustrations on.

My problem is getting back to the States before the lease is up on my house, I have it rented out while I'm down here. if I have to sign a new lease, I won't have a place to stay when we finally get the visa re-approved. I have had time to re-think going to the CIS office in Honduras. Your advice helped. I'm thinking about returning to the embassy and getting a tourist visa instead. However, I won't be leaving until the end of May, that's when the lease is up on my house. I was planning to use the argument I read about in this forum, how stupid it would be for us not to return because the immigration visa will be soon be re-approved and we'd be insane not to return for that. Also, in all likelihood the visa will be re-approved before May anyway and there won't be any need for it. I just need the tourist visa as a backup so I can set a firm date to buy the ticket and be back in the States when the lease is up on my house. Being stuck in limbo, you can't make any plans and time is running out for us.

again thanks........Butch

Butch,

Have you tried any other methods of contacting Tegus? http://tinyurl.com/2xhsre shows a couple of email addys for them. While that's not a bad bus trip, it might be a bit premature unless you've got some other business over there.

My suspicion (and only made up) is that they are processing by country--a couple of posts here led me to suspect that--and that you are in a small, less demanding pile at the moment.

It might not be a bad time to get your Congressional Rep on board.. you've got my empathy, for sure.

My experience in dealing with the overseas CIS (then INS) is that there are one or two local citizen employees who handle the phone, mail and administrative duties. Then there is a USC officer assigned to the office and s/he may have a back up worker. I found the local admin to be officious and hard to work with, but she came through for us in the end. I never did get through to the USC worker (had no need).

I did work with several of the Consular staff (same room of the building as INS) and have talked with others over the years since--I think it would be really neat to work in the Foreign Service--and they are like people anywhere else. If you are respectful of the fact that there is information that you will *never* know, you appreciate that they themselves are operating blind about this change and if you demonstrate that you have some knowledge of the process, you'll probably find them like I did: helpful to the extent they can and perhaps willing to stay in more personal contact with you as they learn something new.

I do think that it's too early to go banging down the door. But whatever you do, think about how you'd like one of your customers with a complaint to get results from you. I'm in the more honey, less vinegar camp.

[meauxna 15]

My problem is getting back to the States before the lease is up on my house, I have it rented out while I'm down here. if I have to sign a new lease, I won't have a place to stay when we finally get the visa re-approved. I have had time to re-think going to the CIS office in Honduras. Your advice helped. I'm thinking about returning to the embassy and getting a tourist visa instead. However, I won't be leaving until the end of May, that's when the lease is up on my house. I was planning to use the argument I read about in this forum, how stupid it would be for us not to return because the immigration visa will be soon be re-approved and we'd be insane not to return for that. Also, in all likelihood the visa will be re-approved before May anyway and there won't be any need for it. I just need the tourist visa as a backup so I can set a firm date to buy the ticket and be back in the States when the lease is up on my house. Being stuck in limbo, you can't make any plans and time is running out for us.

again thanks........Butch

Ahh Butch, you're a good sensible guy

hmm, the hosue, that *is* another wrinkle. But, I don't understand it. Is it your house that you want to keep rented, or your accomodation that is empty of you at the moment but will require signing a new lease to keep?

I did keep my hosue leased out while I was away, so let me know. I may have some thoughts that would help you.

The B visa plan sounds good.. you have seen some successful strategies here, your point is well made, and it's "only" $100 to find out. AND your own case will probably be settled by May (to god's ears, eh?). Worst comes to worst, it costs you one ticket for you to fly up to the US & do what you need to do.

It's the damn not knowing, I'm sure. Hang in there!

[captainButch 0]

Meauxna

Sorry I wasn't too clear on what I was saying, I know what I mean, what I'm thinking that is. If we were all a little better at reading each other's mind, communicating would be a breeze. Sorry, I forgot you can't read my mind.

I own a house in New Mexico that I am renting out. Here, in Nicaragua we are renting the place where we are staying at, month to month, no lease...

I have a friend in New Mexico who lives across the street from me and owns a property management company, he's taking care of my house while I'm away. There are people living there now and the lease is ending soon. I can easily re-rent it, but I was hoping to "time" everything so when the lease was up, June 1st, we could just move right in.

I have a lot of other business that needs my attention in the States, I'm an artist and I have commissions stacking up. Also, I want to get my wife signed up on my benefit package and that can only be done in the States, she needs to be a legal resident, or, in the process of becoming one. SSN and so on.

I need to start making solid moves by the end of March, A date for the final interview would be nice. As a back up, we could use a Tourist Visa instead, with a departure date sometime at the end of May. With any luck at all, we'll get the final interview before then and won't need the tourist visa. I would rather get one and not need it, rather than to need one and not have it. However, something solid needs to be started by the end of March, one way or another. Something's just can't be done at the drop of a hat. Or, as Emerson said, "All the virtues range themselves on the side of prudence in the art of securing a present well being". Simply put, plan ahead. I don't even want to think about going back alone.

Butch

Ahh Butch, you're a good sensible guy

hmm, the hosue, that *is* another wrinkle. But, I don't understand it. Is it your house that you want to keep rented, or your accomodation that is empty of you at the moment but will require signing a new lease to keep?

I did keep my hosue leased out while I was away, so let me know. I may have some thoughts that would help you.

The B visa plan sounds good.. you have seen some successful strategies here, your point is well made, and it's "only" $100 to find out. AND your own case will probably be settled by May (to god's ears, eh?). Worst comes to worst, it costs you one ticket for you to fly up to the US & do what you need to do.

It's the damn not knowing, I'm sure. Hang in there!