Waiting on the VSC to make a decision?

[psiprez 3]

No, definitely *NOT* an excuse!!!

I agree with clearing up the backlog. Ignoring petitions will not make them go away, no matter what the reason for the holdup. It only creates a bigger problem. And these are not 'phone numbers'. These are PEOPLE'S LIVES. I like to think there is some sense of urgency on their part, but it's hard to believe that sometimes. Sad to think that even in hospital emergency waiting rooms, there have been patients who have gone ignored and the worst has happened. And if a hospital can treat people like that, it can certainly happen in a government agency.

Let's just hope they keep making headway in clearing up the mess they've created and get those earliest filers approved.

[Bill y Bella 0]

Let's just hope they keep making headway in clearing up the mess they've created and get those earliest filers approved.

I noticed you were touched on 2/17. That seems very strange unless you called and made an inquiry. I wonder what is going on. It is not normal that a January petition should be touched at this point. But then again... it is hard to identify what is "normal" at USCIS.

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

I noticed you were touched on 2/17. That seems very strange unless you called and made an inquiry. I wonder what is going on. It is not normal that a January petition should be touched at this point. But then again... it is hard to identify what is "normal" at USCIS.

It is super weird...there were a bunch of us touched on the 17th. I'm thinking we were just moved into a box or something..lol

January filers getting touched? What is up?

I feel so horrible for the filers from months ago still waiting and waiting..it breaks my heart....

[OsLoraTamm 0]

No, definitely *NOT* an excuse!!!

I agree with clearing up the backlog. Ignoring petitions will not make them go away, no matter what the reason for the holdup. It only creates a bigger problem. And these are not 'phone numbers'. These are PEOPLE'S LIVES. I like to think there is some sense of urgency on their part, but it's hard to believe that sometimes. Sad to think that even in hospital emergency waiting rooms, there have been patients who have gone ignored and the worst has happened. And if a hospital can treat people like that, it can certainly happen in a government agency.

Let's just hope they keep making headway in clearing up the mess they've created and get those earliest filers approved.

I am not jumping on you at all......forgive me if it sounds that way.....not my intent........It is just after waiting myself for 8 months for an approval and seeing 2 people who filed within days of me still waiting I have little or no acceptance for USCIS/VSC/CSC stupidity in reguards to this situation......I also can not be overly excited....knowing the anguish of these couples to be excited about 60 days or less approvals....sorry for offending anyone but this sucks for so many Not that I wish long waits on anyone.....I do not....but it is unbelieveable and cruel to them to be this screwed up

[sophee_ya 0]

BOooo! VSC!! just kidding! Im jealous to all of you guys...i filed mine on CSC.

Congratulations to all those who already received their NOA2.

CHEERS!

[KimandRuss 0]

Lora, how are you? Forgive my ignorance..or laziness for not surfing to find the info...but have you heard from Peru yet??? Any more news for you???

When I started coming here to VJ in September so many people had already been waiting so long. Some of those same people are STILL waiting 5 months later while others are being approved in 60 days. Not to begrudge anyone else's approval because I certainly am happy for those couples and can only dream of a 60 day approval, but it really does seem so unfair and it makes you wonder what exactly is going on over there!

[OsLoraTamm 0]

Lora, how are you? Forgive my ignorance..or laziness for not surfing to find the info...but have you heard from Peru yet??? Any more news for you???

When I started coming here to VJ in September so many people had already been waiting so long. Some of those same people are STILL waiting 5 months later while others are being approved in 60 days. Not to begrudge anyone else's approval because I certainly am happy for those couples and can only dream of a 60 day approval, but it really does seem so unfair and it makes you wonder what exactly is going on over there!

Well Kim thanks for asking.....A funny thing happened on the way to the embassy........they sent only half of the info.........and instead of sending the other half down they had to send the other half up to be reassembled and send it back.......I guess that is why I have NO warm fuzzies or good feelings these days......The embassy in Lima has been great but they told me they could not accept an incomplete or 1/2 of a packet.......Luckily they called NVC and it was located quickily but it is yet another delay in this process from hell......It still has not left NVC for the second time.....I can not get an explaination as to why but it is still sitting.....at least complete now......in New Hampshire I hope not gathering dust again.......I call every day and they are all so nice but it is just a kinder version of USCIS to me at this point.....No info....no reason.....just check back in a couple of days......OMG I just want to choke something.........So you can see this is why I am in such a horrific mood

[charlene 0]

Lora, how are you? Forgive my ignorance..or laziness for not surfing to find the info...but have you heard from Peru yet??? Any more news for you???

When I started coming here to VJ in September so many people had already been waiting so long. Some of those same people are STILL waiting 5 months later while others are being approved in 60 days. Not to begrudge anyone else's approval because I certainly am happy for those couples and can only dream of a 60 day approval, but it really does seem so unfair and it makes you wonder what exactly is going on over there!

Well Kim thanks for asking.....A funny thing happened on the way to the embassy........they sent only half of the info.........and instead of sending the other half down they had to send the other half up to be reassembled and send it back.......I guess that is why I have NO warm fuzzies or good feelings these days......The embassy in Lima has been great but they told me they could not accept an incomplete or 1/2 of a packet.......Luckily they called NVC and it was located quickily but it is yet another delay in this process from hell......It still has not left NVC for the second time.....I can not get an explaination as to why but it is still sitting.....at least complete now......in New Hampshire I hope not gathering dust again.......I call every day and they are all so nice but it is just a kinder version of USCIS to me at this point.....No info....no reason.....just check back in a couple of days......OMG I just want to choke something.........So you can see this is why I am in such a horrific mood

Lora...I can believe this since ours left the NVC center feb 13 and I was so excited until the guy said..."yeah it left for Montreal....and I almost chocked because that is the wrong embassy for us...it was supposed to go to VanCouver.....so we are in the process of trying to locate and get it moved....I hate this for you...this whole ordeal has been just that.....an ORDEAL!!!!!!!!!! kEEP US POSTED AND WE WILL DO THE SAME!!!!!!

[OsLoraTamm 0]

Lora, how are you? Forgive my ignorance..or laziness for not surfing to find the info...but have you heard from Peru yet??? Any more news for you???

When I started coming here to VJ in September so many people had already been waiting so long. Some of those same people are STILL waiting 5 months later while others are being approved in 60 days. Not to begrudge anyone else's approval because I certainly am happy for those couples and can only dream of a 60 day approval, but it really does seem so unfair and it makes you wonder what exactly is going on over there!

Well Kim thanks for asking.....A funny thing happened on the way to the embassy........they sent only half of the info.........and instead of sending the other half down they had to send the other half up to be reassembled and send it back.......I guess that is why I have NO warm fuzzies or good feelings these days......The embassy in Lima has been great but they told me they could not accept an incomplete or 1/2 of a packet.......Luckily they called NVC and it was located quickily but it is yet another delay in this process from hell......It still has not left NVC for the second time.....I can not get an explaination as to why but it is still sitting.....at least complete now......in New Hampshire I hope not gathering dust again.......I call every day and they are all so nice but it is just a kinder version of USCIS to me at this point.....No info....no reason.....just check back in a couple of days......OMG I just want to choke something.........So you can see this is why I am in such a horrific mood

Lora...I can believe this since ours left the NVC center feb 13 and I was so excited until the guy said..."yeah it left for Montreal....and I almost chocked because that is the wrong embassy for us...it was supposed to go to VanCouver.....so we are in the process of trying to locate and get it moved....I hate this for you...this whole ordeal has been just that.....an ORDEAL!!!!!!!!!! kEEP US POSTED AND WE WILL DO THE SAME!!!!!!

Oh Charlene....wow I am sorry.......I am feeling like I have a mark on my petition that says screw up as much as possible....and a sign on my back that says kick me.......We will over come this too but Gosh this is hard to endure....I saw a post by Ric....my heart just ache's for her and Virgil

[psiprez 3]

Found this old post in a thread titled "1st post former NSC adjudicator now petitioner".

OP was a Applications Adjudicator at NSC (Nebraska) back in 2003.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=55762&st=0

Here he describes his personal process for approving petitions(it's long, but I thought it was worth posting in it's entirety for new people to read):

------------------------

posted by HUSKERKIEV, 2/21/07, http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=55762&st=0

Well lets see how much I remember...

Maybe it might be easier if I just described what I would do to approve a petition - my process.

First, I would select a case file/folder. All petitions/files are kept in folders that a have a scanable bar code identifier. This folder has everything that a person submits on the left side of the folder and all the agency generated documents on the right side. They should be in date order, Petition and then most recent from top to bottom. The left side has the pictures on top.

You begin by looking at the petition for correctness by checking the information via several databases depending upon what type of petition you are adjudicating. Also if the form was complete and everything was in order. Descrepancies in peoples names from what the database had vs. what the petition said, birth dates, things like that all had to be resolved and could generate a RFE if the adjudicator couldn't figure it out with the tools he had.

There were some standard criminal and background type databases that were required for all petitions. A "hit" in any of these databases would flag the petition and it would be sent to a special group who worked to resolve why the "hit" occurred. Sometimes it could be something simple as a similar name of a bad guy, but every hit had to be resolved.

I remember that certain surnames would invariably cause a hit, but they could be resolved rather quickly by comparing the applicants background information with those of the "hit" name. There were various ways to do this of course, and it took time. Thats why some applications take longer to process because there are stumbling blocks along the way that must be worked through before approval. Consequently, all the other petitions that the officer was working get set to the side. or, the adjudicator/officer might set the difficult one to the side and work on less complicated ones. Remember it was a production environment where you had to be accurate but fast. Getting a petition kicked back for mistakes to be re-worked hurt your overall stats, so, you tried to be a thorough as you could, but also as quick as you could.

After clearing a applicant through the various mandatory database searches, then you could begin to review the various information on the petition. Sometimes there would be stupid mistakes like forgetting to sign it, or using a copy when an original signature was required etc... Kinda careless mistakes or from not really understanding the instructions type of thing. Anyway, these would generate an RFE, and the file's staus would be update in the computer as awaiting repsonse to RFE or something like that, I don't recall the exact terminology.

Anyway, instead of sending the newly RFE'd file back to the large file storage area, it would be kept at the officers desk in a holding cue. Then when an RFE reply would come in, I wpuld pull it (the file) off the shelf and rework it. I tried to clear all my answered RFE's out first thing every morning because it was "old" work as compared to the dates I was working at the time. If the RFE had the required information, it would continue to be processed and/or approved and sent on its way. If the RFE did not address the item, then another RFE would be generated and back on the shelf it would go.

A word about RFE's. It was my experience that no two officers would always see eye to eye on if an RFE was required. Some officers could or would spend some more time digging around the file or a database to find the information (if they thought it could be found) and others would just as soon rip off an RFE. So it varied. Then there were some times that an RFE was required because of the situation. Again, it depends a lot on who was looking at your case and what the question was / what information was needed. No hard and fast rule.

Also, each adjudicator/officer had a master list of RFE "phrases that they could pull off thier computer and plug into a standard RFE form depending upon the situation. Each of these "phrases" could be further "wordsmithed" to suit a particular situation. Again depends on the officer. Thats why you may see some RFE's that are similar but not exact. We would borrow each others RFE phrases to add to our list as we came across one that fit a particular situation.

It would be like "Hey, cube mate. I've got this situation, do you have anything in your RFE library that might fit?" answer "Sure, try this one. I'll email it to you". And thats how that worked.

You asked about country of birth etc.. Yes and no. There were "watch lists" of certain countries that meant that certain procedures had to be followed when processing petitions from these countries, but it was just a couple more things to check/verify along the approval process. It didn't slow things down dramatically. So, I wouldn't worry about that being a big factor.

Additional review. Mainly if you came up as a "hit" for a surname of a bad guy (or gal) that would have to be resolved. Marriage Fraud. Overstaying your visit. Lying. Criminal activity/organized crime, police reports, things that would be outside of a "normal" person's life you might say.

So back to the approval process. So if no RFE was needed then i would "approve' the petition, affix my stamp with my identifier # , sign and date it. I would then scan the file, update the status and send it on its wayto the next stop wherever that was. Actually, all the approved petitions/files were placed in a separate box and those were collected as you went along and taken for final disposition/processing.

Then you start all over again with the next case...

[psiprez 3]

Just read something else he posted in that thread, about how much time they spent on each petition (or as he called them, "hunny-bunnies" LOL!!):

Before I answer your question, I need to say this because I haven't said it already and I wouldn't want to mislead people. I worked other petitions besides the I-129's or (hunny-bunnies as they were affectionately referred to). But the process is the same, same databases, same checks etc... Everything in the system works the same as far as the processes and the flow of work. If you walked through the NSC it's a maze of cubes and everyone has the same type stuff in thier cubes, the same file folders etc.... It's just whats inside the folders that's different.

But everything is scanned and routed around the various Service Centers the same. So, Nebraska does itthe same way Vermont does or California or wherever. I can't speak to the District Offices or the Consulates. They may have thier own way of doing things, but as an organization/agency there were standard operating procedures for handling and processing cases. We all use basically the same "system" and "tools".

That having been said... I could crank out an "approval" in about 15 minutes depending upon the complexity of the petition. I recall that we'd love to see those large family petitions with the little kids. Why? Because once you clear the mom and dad, the kids went really fast and you could get several "credits" very quickly that way instead of having to do the equal number of "individual" petitions for the same amount of "credits". But you have to be fast and thorough, because its your job to be fast and thorough you might say...

Edited February 19, 2008 by psiprez

[psiprez 3]

Even more goodness...

Thanks. There are storage shelves in each section of the building that house the boxes full of applicants files. These shelves are continuosly replenished as boxes are removed by the officers to be worked or turned in to be further processed after being approved. This resupply as it were is handled by the CIS contract employees.

So as a Adjudicator/officer I would go and get a box of case files every morning, scan/wand each file into the sytem under my user ID # (so people could track who had it) and then begin to adjudicate the cases. A box might hold 50 case or so.

They also had a rack for "expedites" which were cases whose petitioners had selected/paid for "premium processing". You were slected on a rotating bais to do "expedites". But the process was the same for these they just were staged diferently in the overall que of things, so to speak. MOved further ahead in line or something. Congressionals were pulled by the congressional office and routed to the appropriate supervisor for dissemination to his employee's to work with a short turn around time.

So, your number of files vary at any given time during the day. Officers who did the work form home I spoek about earlier would come in to the office maybe once or twice a week, scan in all thier new files (to their ID), then scan in all the approved files they were returning back into the system (from thier ID) and take the multiple boxes back home with them to work. Enough to last a few days or so.

The reason for some hanging so long could be several. One could be an RFE and while the officer is waiting for the response he is working more current dates. In other words more and more applications are getting in front of the RFE'd application. Another reason could be that the boxes that are staged on the shelves are chosen at random by the officers. For some reason a box of files might sit longer on the shelf than another. Usually not more than a day at the most though. Or the officer could be hording a box at his desk (for some strange reason) and then goes on vacation and deoesn't scan them out of his name and back into (return) them to the system so they can be picked up by someone else to work. So it sits for awhile.

Usually unless a file gets misplaced, applications are always kept in date groupings and date order. If you look in a box of files, they will all have been initially entered into the system either on the same day or within a day. That way they can work from oldest to newest in a organized fashion. They are kept that way so it will be fair to everyone waiting in line for approval.

On the rare occurance a file will be mistakenly sent to district office or other Service Center, the error will be caught when a file search is done and it shows the location of the file (there is a system code showing its physical location). The the file is recalled to its proper center or office. Very rare though.

[Bill y Bella 0]

Well Kim thanks for asking.....A funny thing happened on the way to the embassy........they sent only half of the info.........and instead of sending the other half down they had to send the other half up to be reassembled and send it back.......I guess that is why I have NO warm fuzzies or good feelings these days......The embassy in Lima has been great but they told me they could not accept an incomplete or 1/2 of a packet.......Luckily they called NVC and it was located quickily but it is yet another delay in this process from hell......It still has not left NVC for the second time.....I can not get an explaination as to why but it is still sitting.....at least complete now......in New Hampshire I hope not gathering dust again.......I call every day and they are all so nice but it is just a kinder version of USCIS to me at this point.....No info....no reason.....just check back in a couple of days......OMG I just want to choke something.........So you can see this is why I am in such a horrific mood

Lora...I can believe this since ours left the NVC center feb 13 and I was so excited until the guy said..."yeah it left for Montreal....and I almost chocked because that is the wrong embassy for us...it was supposed to go to VanCouver.....so we are in the process of trying to locate and get it moved....I hate this for you...this whole ordeal has been just that.....an ORDEAL!!!!!!!!!! kEEP US POSTED AND WE WILL DO THE SAME!!!!!!

This is just simply unbelievable! I do not think I have ever seen such a group of incompetent fools as these clowns at USCIS and NVC.

[Bill y Bella 0]

Found this old post in a thread titled "1st post former NSC adjudicator now petitioner".

OP was a Applications Adjudicator at NSC (Nebraska) back in 2003.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=55762&st=0

Would that be the same huskerkiev thread that I have had linked in my signature for 6 months?

Actually I am glad you brought it to people's attention again. That thread should be required reading for everyone.

[OsLoraTamm 0]

Well Kim thanks for asking.....A funny thing happened on the way to the embassy........they sent only half of the info.........and instead of sending the other half down they had to send the other half up to be reassembled and send it back.......I guess that is why I have NO warm fuzzies or good feelings these days......The embassy in Lima has been great but they told me they could not accept an incomplete or 1/2 of a packet.......Luckily they called NVC and it was located quickily but it is yet another delay in this process from hell......It still has not left NVC for the second time.....I can not get an explaination as to why but it is still sitting.....at least complete now......in New Hampshire I hope not gathering dust again.......I call every day and they are all so nice but it is just a kinder version of USCIS to me at this point.....No info....no reason.....just check back in a couple of days......OMG I just want to choke something.........So you can see this is why I am in such a horrific mood

Lora...I can believe this since ours left the NVC center feb 13 and I was so excited until the guy said..."yeah it left for Montreal....and I almost chocked because that is the wrong embassy for us...it was supposed to go to VanCouver.....so we are in the process of trying to locate and get it moved....I hate this for you...this whole ordeal has been just that.....an ORDEAL!!!!!!!!!! kEEP US POSTED AND WE WILL DO THE SAME!!!!!!

This is just simply unbelievable! I do not think I have ever seen such a group of incompetent fools as these clowns at USCIS and NVC.

I had thought we had made it when we got out of the hell hole called VSC but I was wrong we just dropped into another hell hole called NVC......Can we please just get to Lima in one piece and let Oscar and I get on with our lives........PLEASE....... On the 26th it will be 9 months of this bullsh*t........I am beyond frustrated...I am furious.....Lora