Does filing online makes for a quicker process?

[OnAJourney 3]

7 minutes ago, INF said:

Thank you so much. Did you also put in your current address as part of petitioner 5 year address history?

I've been living in the same place for over 20 years so I just put my current address. for the current address, it does ask for start and end date too so it doesn't require the 5 year history. 

[INF 96]

1 minute ago, OnAJourney said:

I've been living in the same place for over 20 years so I just put my current address. for the current address, it does ask for start and end date too so it doesn't require the 5 year history. 

Perfect, thank you!

[LilyJ 1,258]

7 hours ago, OnAJourney said:

That's interesting because my sister had sent her husband's to Vermont lockbox (few years ago) and her service center was also Vermont. 

Service centers used to be assigned based on where the petitioner lives. However, that is not the case anymore and hasn’t been for a long time. Nowadays, like Jorgedig said, it’s luck of the draw where your petition is assigned. Many from Texas get sent to Nebraska, many in Maryland to Texas, etc.

[INF 96]

On ‎11‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 11:13 AM, OnAJourney said:

I did not. 

 

Also, just a quick update - I saw the Receipt notice online just now and the case is assigned to Potomac Service Center. 

How long did it take you to get this?

[darth vader 133]

On 11/18/2019 at 12:28 PM, Deagle said:

Look at it this way: There is a concert but there is an unbelievably long line. People are coming with cars and there is a fast train. The only benefit of taking the train is that you will get in line faster to buy a ticket, but you will not get in any faster. 

 

Or you can sum it up by "hurry up and wait".

I disagree with this. Unless you have some evidence other than your hunch on this matter.

 

Thinking about this from an organization's point of view - people have been receiving and scanning and adjudicating paper applications. Now, the new e-filing has to adjudicated differently on a new system. Ideally, some select employees would receive training and be moved over to the e-filing processing, with more and more employees being trained and transferred over time depending upon the volume of e-filings.

 

Now this could fast-track things for e-filers, since now they can directly be sent to a special "e-filing" line with some folks working on adjudicating e-filings only. Hence, making the process fast.

 

My theory can be verified by checking if any filers have been sent to Nebraska yet? My guess is it is the slowest center so it has the least people it can spare to go to trainings and be moved over to e-filing.

Edited November 28, 2019 by darth vader

[darth vader 133]

On 11/20/2019 at 12:45 PM, OnAJourney said:

I don't know how the other centers are doing but Potomac processing time is 7 to 9 months - which is anyway average if there aren't any RFE's etc. 

 

I was reading yesterday that people with Receipt number starting with IOE are getting approved much quicker than even the processing time listed online. 

Where did you read this? Didn't IOE filings just start recently (as in e-filing?), how come folks are already getting approved? I'm curious to know if this is true?

[Deagle 508]

2 hours ago, darth vader said:

I disagree with this. Unless you have some evidence other than your hunch on this matter.

 

Thinking about this from an organization's point of view - people have been receiving and scanning and adjudicating paper applications. Now, the new e-filing has to adjudicated differently on a new system. Ideally, some select employees would receive training and be moved over to the e-filing processing, with more and more employees being trained and transferred over time depending upon the volume of e-filings.

 

Now this could fast-track things for e-filers, since now they can directly be sent to a special "e-filing" line with some folks working on adjudicating e-filings only. Hence, making the process fast.

 

My theory can be verified by checking if any filers have been sent to Nebraska yet? My guess is it is the slowest center so it has the least people it can spare to go to trainings and be moved over to e-filing.

Instead of USCIS receiving and scanning papers, now with online processing, they will have to print and file probably. I find it hard to believe that USCIS only store the information and documents on servers and no hard copy. 

[LilyJ 1,258]

8 hours ago, darth vader said:

Where did you read this? Didn't IOE filings just start recently (as in e-filing?), how come folks are already getting approved? I'm curious to know if this is true?

During around June, when IOE was launched, those with IOE receipts that petitioned during the pilot program received a very fast I130 approval as they were testing the IOE program out. Now, IOE is processed the same as any other petition, and is no longer processed any faster than a non-IOE petition. Also, those who were approved with IOE during the pilot program, have been stuck in limbo between USCIS and NVC for months now, with their cases not being forwarded to NVC for quite some time. So the quick approval at USCIS did not really help them all that much

[Inita 44]

On 11/20/2019 at 7:19 PM, OnAJourney said:

lol, don't you love that? 

 

For employment - I used the date of filing so it's "current" as you can't put "Present" or anything as such online, which you can on the paper form. 

same here....

 

[Ramona M 23]

On 11/20/2019 at 12:16 PM, MJY said:

Good or bad?

Instead of writing on the pictures,  I "renamed" the pictures (file) to the date and location where the pictures was taken saved and uploaded them if that helps.

[Quarknase 1,072]

On 11/28/2019 at 12:33 PM, darth vader said:

Where did you read this? Didn't IOE filings just start recently (as in e-filing?), how come folks are already getting approved? I'm curious to know if this is true?

I don't believe that anyone can know anything about this at this point in time. Online filing was opened to the public I believe on 10/31 and I have not seen any approvals (which would underline faster processing). 

Since June, most petitions (paper filed) received IOE numbers which indicates that they all enter the same line. Based on this theory, the online filer saves a couple of days compared to paper filing (snail mail to lockbox, scanning of documents to enter the system) and from there it's the same for everyone.

But then again, it's all assumption and we have no knowledge really about what happens with any petition after they pass (=received case number) the Great Wall of USCIS

 

What puzzles me is, that indeed it appears that all IOE numbers have been assigned to service centers the moment a case number gets issued. In my little ignorant world it would make so much sense to generate a ticketing system and have the centers pull from a central pool the moment they intend to adjucate/process a case...

[Brandon1990 5]

Depends, field on Nov 27, 2019 got NOA1 immediately. 
 

Today Dec 6, 2019 I received NOA2 and my I130 was sent to NVC. I did call and request expedite and never received an answer ( Dec 4, 2019) 

[Quarknase 1,072]

17 minutes ago, Brandon1990 said:

Depends, field on Nov 27, 2019 got NOA1 immediately. 
 

Today Dec 6, 2019 I received NOA2 and my I130 was sent to NVC. I did call and request expedite and never received an answer ( Dec 4, 2019) 

Are you saying your petition got approved within 9 days? Holy moly. May I ask how you requested to expedite?

This is something I have never seen before - and you might very well be the first online filer to be approved. Ever

Congrats!

[Brandon1990 5]

10 minutes ago, Quarknase said:

Are you saying your petition got approved within 9 days? Holy moly. May I ask how you requested to expedite?

This is something I have never seen before - and you might very well be the first online filer to be approved. Ever

Congrats!

Yes I filed late afternoon the day before thanksgiving. I am military and asked to be expedited because of my job. The customer service is hit or miss with being helpful, I think I talked to everyone in the office lol. But they act on expedite request very fast. 

[SalishSea 17,751]

14 minutes ago, Quarknase said:

Are you saying your petition got approved within 9 days? Holy moly. May I ask how you requested to expedite?

This is something I have never seen before - and you might very well be the first online filer to be approved. Ever

Congrats!

There are specific criteria for expediting petitions.