Sent out complaint letter to Senator's and congress rep's

[midalake 0]

Here is my letter, PLEASE Contact your Senator's and Congress Rep's give them feed back with the system the way it is it can not hurt.

7-17-07

Dear Honorable

I find this letter hard to write as a retired Fire Fighter/Paramedic and Member/Past President of my local Kiwanis Club as I am more incline to give help than ask for it. It is a problem with the Immigration Process. I know there are many different areas of this process, but mine entails requesting permanent residency for my spouse.

My complaint is as follows: I am requesting an inquiry for the reason there is a wait of possibly up to 6 months for an interview at the American Consulate in Montreal. To satisfy my complaint I would like this request to be part of the solution not the problem. I personally do not care to hear a reason I would just like to see a fix. It may be too late for me, but maybe not for the next person in the future.

I would like to add the following information: We were married August 29, 2006, started the application process October 3, 2006, received National Visa Center approval May 15 2007 and are currently waiting for interview and approval in Montreal.

With the up coming anniversary of our marriage I find it disgusting and disheartening that I have not been allowed to start my life with my wife. In my opinion the whole system could not be more broke. As a proud American I could not be more embarrassed about this process. I do expect more from my country. I would like to extend kudos to XXXXXXXX who is one of Mr. Bart Stupak’s representatives. She has answered questions and helped through this arduous process. One other point of information about Montreal is that it seems that in

April they were running about 1 /12 months for an interview, then went to three months and then we received this response from Montreal [via XXXXXXXX] This is the response retyped word for word:

“Dear XXXXXX: On May 15th 2007, the National Visa Center received the completed forms and notification necessary from XXXXXXX to classify her case as ready for an interview. Unfortunately, the consulate in Montreal has a backlog of at least six months on appointments for immigrant and fiancée applicants, and so NVC is unable to accommodate her case at this time. NVC will retain XXXXXXXX file until they can schedule an appointment for her. Because scheduling is done on a month-by-month basis, I cannot say with any precision when an appointment will be available for her. But based on current wait times it is unlikely she will receive an appointment date anytime before November at the earliest. While I understand XXXXXXXXX reason for requesting an earlier interview date, we process close to 9,000 immigrant and fiancées cases a year, all with equally compelling reasons to need rapid appointments. It is simply impossible to accommodate everyone. In an effort to be fair to all of your applicants, we expedite appointments only in cases with medical urgency or significant humanitarian circumstances.

I hope this information is helpful. Sincerely, Gary Sheaffer US Consulate General Montreal.”

In closing I find going from waiting a possible time period from about 2 months to 6 months for an interview not acceptable. I hope whatever the problem is in Montreal, it can be fixed and they get the resources they need. If you need more information please contact me, I am willing to help anytime.

Sincerely,

CC. Honorable Bart Stupak

CC. Honorable Debbie Stabenow

CC. Honorable Carl Levin

[trailmix 77]

Hi Midalake,

As I have always lived in Canada I have no one to contact, however I commend you for making the effort to try to change this!

[Jeremy + Kristy 0]

Apparently you live near me. I've may soon be writing a similar letter to Stabenow and Levin. However, I'm still waiting for even the NVC letter or Packet 3, or some sort of response other than my telephone conversation with NVC that they have my case, so I can have some evidence that this is ridiculous. If Montreal has to process that many IV casees, well, then they should open more of the consulates as IV processing posts. Canada is a large country, and traveling to one particular consulate is a heavy burden for many.

[midalake 0]

You may not be able to but your petioner is able to write. Even if this is acted upon now it will take two months min. get help. Mean time if we sit and do nothing, who knows maybe the next step is an 8 month wait.

Good luck to all.

Hi Midalake,

As I have always lived in Canada I have no one to contact, however I commend you for making the effort to try to change this!

[trailmix 77]

You may not be able to but your petioner is able to write. Even if this is acted upon now it will take two months min. get help. Mean time if we sit and do nothing, who knows maybe the next step is an 8 month wait.

I am the petitioner. I agree that the next step may be an 8 month wait. Funnily (or not so funny), I was reading a post on the British Ex-Pats website the other day from like 2001, they were complaining because it was taking up to a month to get an interview in Montreal.

[Melyssa 0]

You may not be able to but your petioner is able to write. Even if this is acted upon now it will take two months min. get help. Mean time if we sit and do nothing, who knows maybe the next step is an 8 month wait.

I am the petitioner. I agree that the next step may be an 8 month wait. Funnily (or not so funny), I was reading a post on the British Ex-Pats website the other day from like 2001, they were complaining because it was taking up to a month to get an interview in Montreal.

LOL. That did make me laugh. But then, back then I probably would have felt the same way... that one month was too long. It only seems like nothing now that the wait is so much longer.

[djc 0]

Don't hold your breath!!! I live in Michigan and already wrote letters as well.

I won't disclose which rep's office I dealt with, but I will tell you that I have never felt like such a common idiot, the way they treated me.

Sen. Levin's office sent me a reply letter right away saying that he wouldn't help because I already contacted my rep's office first.

Sen. Stabenow's office? No reply whatsoever. NONE. Not a peep.

Who am I voting for next election???

Our anniversary has come and gone. They do not care one bit about our little sad lives.

We filed in early September and case complete April 16. I am SICK OF IT!!!

[thermophile 0]

of course nothing major is going to change when just one person contacts their senator/reps but if enough people do, who knows? My senator has been really helpful when specific problems come up-app. lost at least twice. But the basic response that I've gotten when I've complained about the length of the wait is "sorry but we can't help".

the people that should really hear this complaint are members of the immigration committees. If your rep/senator isn't on one of these committees then copy the committee chair on the letter to you reps/senators. the chairs of the committees will have staff dedicated to just immigration complaints and on something that is as systemic as this should be interested in hearing from us. I have to hope that if they hear the same complaint from enough people something will happen.

http://judiciary.house.gov/committeestruct...spx?committee=4

http://judiciary.senate.gov/subcommittees/...igration110.cfm

[bowflex 0]

Unfortunately letters like these go largely ignored because there's simply nothing that can be changed with the current administration that is running everything. They don't give enough funding to immigration services or the Consulates, so they're understaffed and back-logged up the wazoo. I've often told my wife that I'd enjoy having anyone who voted for Bush have to go through the immigration process and then watch the attempted push to give illegal immigrants amnesty and see how life treats them haha

I do wish you luck with your request to get things sped up and run more efficiently, but you'll most likely hear what we did after my wife's case was originally denied during our interview: "You'll have to wait your turn just as everyone else did." It ended up taking us an extra two months just to get them to review 32 pages of documentation showing that the Consul was an idiot in the first place, so we can definitely feel your pain.

Good luck with attempting to get the process fixed, but I fear that the majority of the American population just doesn't care, which is awful but very true.

[bowflex 0]

Don't hold your breath!!! I live in Michigan and already wrote letters as well.

I won't disclose which rep's office I dealt with, but I will tell you that I have never felt like such a common idiot, the way they treated me.

Sen. Levin's office sent me a reply letter right away saying that he wouldn't help because I already contacted my rep's office first.

Sen. Stabenow's office? No reply whatsoever. NONE. Not a peep.

Who am I voting for next election???

Our anniversary has come and gone. They do not care one bit about our little sad lives.

We filed in early September and case complete April 16. I am SICK OF IT!!!

This just shows to research every bit of the immigration process, as we used Senator Levin's office and they were extraordinary with the amount of help they offered. Senator Levin is on an immigration board and really has some contacts, so perhaps try to call Levin's office in Detroit and explain that you weren't aware you could only use one representative. His office was incredible, good luck!

[djc 0]

Don't hold your breath!!! I live in Michigan and already wrote letters as well.

I won't disclose which rep's office I dealt with, but I will tell you that I have never felt like such a common idiot, the way they treated me.

Sen. Levin's office sent me a reply letter right away saying that he wouldn't help because I already contacted my rep's office first.

Sen. Stabenow's office? No reply whatsoever. NONE. Not a peep.

Who am I voting for next election???

Our anniversary has come and gone. They do not care one bit about our little sad lives.

We filed in early September and case complete April 16. I am SICK OF IT!!!

This just shows to research every bit of the immigration process, as we used Senator Levin's office and they were extraordinary with the amount of help they offered. Senator Levin is on an immigration board and really has some contacts, so perhaps try to call Levin's office in Detroit and explain that you weren't aware you could only use one representative. His office was incredible, good luck!

I was impressed that I received a letter from Sen. Levin within the week! If I were to write another letter, I would send it to his office.

I can't see how they could help me now. I am apparently just in line and waiting like the rest of us here.

I just don't see how people from just a few months ago were waiting for about 2 months and now the wait is over four. It's like they stopped working. (I'm sure that's not true. I'm just ranting.)

Bowflex, I've read your story and wanted to congratulate you and your wife on your success and patience!

[thermophile 0]

djc-why not give Levin's office a call. you're lucky to have a senator that is on one of the committees, so why not use it. I'd just call and ask that exact question: why was the wait 1.5-2 months in the spring but is now 4-6 months? When you call ask to talk to one of the LA's that works on immigration, get that persons name and email and just keep the contact going.

also could you throw your timeline into the CR1 waiting list that Comelly put together? thanks

[Starr 0]

It infuriates me that so much attention is being given to the "problem" of illegal immigrants right now when American citizens who want to be legally reunited with their spouses are being jerked around and being treated like criminals. How many of us here have been harassed at a border? How many of us have waited and waited and watched the wait time for an interview get longer and longer? How many of us have read one thing in a guide, been told another thing by an officer at a port of entry, and been told yet another thing by someone at the consulate? I could not possibly care less about illegal immigrants in America right now. Stop trying to figure that out and figure out how to give support to the people who are trying to immigrate legally. I am an American citizen and I feel like my government cares more about the fate of illegal immigrants than about helping me and the thousands of others in the same situation. They need to streamline the process - not relax the requirements, but streamline the bureaucracy out of this. Officers at the ports of entry and consulate workers aren't informed and consistent in their understanding of the laws and requirements and they need to be. We need to be supported by those we elect and those who are hired to work for our government.

I in no way support immigrating illegally, which is why I'm putting up with the utter BS of this process. I would never want to break any laws or circumvent any system. But anyone who has ever gone through this can surely see why, in the short run, illegal immigration could seem attractive.

I've contacted my congressman (John Culberson, R-TX), who said he would make an inquiry into the problem for me, and have contacted a few presidential candidates as well, just to let them know that this issue ought to be on the table. Sorry for ranting up there, but I'm really passionate about fixing the immigration process for everyone, not just for me (because I've lost hope that it can be fixed in a timely enough fashion to benefit me at all).