Has a Senator or Congressman helped you?

[MrMrsKnight 0]

If so, were they efficient? How long after filling did you decide to ask for their help and how long after that did you see the results you were hoping for?

I think I'll have Dave write to his Congressman and I wanted to know about other people's experiences.... is it to early to ask for their help? I just feel that I could've been doing something instead of just sitting here.

Let me know what you think!

[Rob and Melinda 0]

Just curious, what would be the reason that you would ask for the help of a Senator? There are some very valid reasons for asking for their help, I know from personal experience, but why are you thinking of asking for their help?

Rob and Melinda

[samir_shannon 0]

i contacted senator dole and was approved like 10 days later.

[MrMrsKnight 0]

Just curious, what would be the reason that you would ask for the help of a Senator? There are some very valid reasons for asking for their help, I know from personal experience, but why are you thinking of asking for their help?

Rob and Melinda

I read some people here asked for their help to see what was going on with their petitions, why it was taking so long etc and some of them got approved soon after allowing them to get involved. Actually the help I read about a few times was from Congressmen.... but I included Senators too in case someone had an experience to share.

[texasseoul 0]

I sent my inquiry today to my congressman. I contacted them back on July 11 and they asked me wait another 30days.

I also asked them to inquire about the random dates of approval. Their is not much they can do but ascertain the status from making the inquiry. However, from all the previous cases I have read on VJ. The petitions were at least picked up at that point and processed with the approval coming soon after.

I think it forces them to look at your file and since they have it front of them, they finish it.

I am hoping for some kind of positive response. My rfe was received back on July 11 and they sent the RFE email 7-19 so who knows.....

You are even a couple of weeks earlier than me. Geeessshhhh.... how long should you have to wait and June 15 NOA1 has been approved.

#######!!!!!

[lt&gh 0]

I contacted my senator and found that they're inquiries slowed me down...the RFE's that were sent out on July 3th...I was sent a email that I was in that bunch...but 15 days later I received another email stating that the just sent it out. I was wondering what happened...then a few days later a letter from my senator came in the mail telling me he had been in constant contact with the CSC and will now send out my RFE. My RFE didn’t show up until the 28th of July…when no one else was receiving RFE’s So my conclusion is that my RFE was delayed till the 18th because of my senator contacting them in regards to my case.

[TomLena 0]

I contacted my senator and found that they're inquiries slowed me down...the RFE's that were sent out on July 3th...I was sent a email that I was in that bunch...but 15 days later I received another email stating that the just sent it out. I was wondering what happened...then a few days later a letter from my senator came in the mail telling me he had been in constant contact with the CSC and will now send out my RFE. My RFE didn’t show up until the 28th of July…when no one else was receiving RFE’s So my conclusion is that my RFE was delayed till the 18th because of my senator contacting them in regards to my case.

My attorney advised me against contacting my congressman. He said that in some cases it can speed up the process a little bit, but most times it just slows it down because once it is flagged as having a senator or congressman involved, it goes into a different queue, which can often times be even more congested than the normal queues. I don't know how accurate this is, but it is coming from one of the better regarded immigration law firms in my area.

[iceyspots 0]

Congressman = No.

[texasseoul 0]

Know one really knows, it could go either way. I have a good friend who has been in DHS as an attorney and has been a practicing Immigration Attorney for 10+ years and his advice is that if you are this far out, it can not hurt you. They don't get vindictive and they don't change que's. Cases are assigned by the adjudicators as they come up and in this situation it is all random. He has seen the random date processing before and it is when situations like IMBRA have caused a significant backlog. They are just processing to get them out in order. If they actually pick up your file they will process it. My 2 cents for what it is worth.

His comment was "no attorney can know what they are doing unless they have been there to see how they are managing the process and if the procedures have changed. In times like these, it is a toss up."

[kitkat1 5]

If so, were they efficient? How long after filling did you decide to ask for their help and how long after that did you see the results you were hoping for?

I think I'll have Dave write to his Congressman and I wanted to know about other people's experiences.... is it to early to ask for their help? I just feel that I could've been doing something instead of just sitting here.

Let me know what you think!

It's not too early for you to contact your congressman to ask about your status and this delay. It will not cause your file to go into another place or delay any communication from the service center. Due to IMBRA, CSC has not processed in order of NOA1 date or RFE return date. When you see people who filed in June/July while you are still waiting from March, you have every right to ask your elected official to make any inquiry on your behalf. Several cases of VJ members were lost in black holes until the congressman made an inquiry and got things moving. No reason whatsoever for you not to do it since you filed in March. In fact, I spoke with my senator's office today - he told me his office is sick and tired of being lied to by CSC regarding processing order and that they are going to contact the director of CSC on behalf of 6 or 7 constituents who have contacted him to get things moving and to get some straight answers.

Don't send an email - download the privacy form from their website in the constituent's service section, fill it out with your case info, fax to their office and call to follow up. Get the name, direct phone number and email address of the contact person if you can so you know who to follow up with.

Good luck.

[yassmine2878 1]

I contacted Congressman Edwards last week and he sent me a reply this week stating he was in contact the CSC and would report back to me shortly. So as far as communication goes, Im pleased. I was ambivalent about involving a state rep because there is so much confusion as to whether or not it will help or hinder. I know some folks have gone from bad to worse by involving a state rep, and some have had fantastic results. I suppose its dependent on who the state rep is and whats going on in his/her office. I decided it was worth a shot because nothing else is working.

[Yodrak 7]

MrMrsKnight,

What do you mean by efficient? In my case it took several weeks for an initial response from the Congressman, which consisted of a release I had to sign authorizing him to inquire on my behalf (there are laws protecting my personal privacy, you know - not even a Congressman or Senator can go around enquiring about me, even though I've asked them to, without my giving my express permission). Several more weeks for an answer. I wouldn't call close to 2 months efficient, but they did come up with an answer.

I waited until I had not received a decision about 3x the normal amount of time for a decision from the particular USCIS facility.

The answer was not the result I was hoping for, but it did tell me what I needed to know.

One thing a friend experienced is that the USCIS facility he questioned notified him that as a result of his inquiry to his Congressman they were going to have to be rigorous about going 'by the book' on his case to ensure that everything was done right. Normal processing time was about 2 years for that facility, the processing time for it was more than 3 years. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not. My friend believes not and will never again make a Congressional inquiry.

Another thing I've heard - from an authoritative source - is that when a Congressional inquiry comes in the case gets pulled aside to investigate and find the answer. If true this means that an inquiry can be counter-productive if the case is active.

In line with that, my sense is that most people initiate an inquiry when they have reached or just passed the normal processing time, which means that their case has already reached the active stage if it hasn't been misplaced. When a decision quickly follows they credit the Congressional inquiry for having worked miracles. A former poster points out the interesting timing coindidence, and observes that it doesn't take a Congressional miracle to get a decision on a case that is ready to be decided anyway. I think he's got a point there. But cases do get misplaced from time to time and a Congressional inquiry can be what it takes to get them found and back on track.

Yodrak

If so, were they efficient? How long after filling did you decide to ask for their help and how long after that did you see the results you were hoping for?

I think I'll have Dave write to his Congressman and I wanted to know about other people's experiences.... is it to early to ask for their help? I just feel that I could've been doing something instead of just sitting here.

Let me know what you think!

Edited August 16, 2006 by Yodrak

[neonmikey 0]

If so, were they efficient? How long after filling did you decide to ask for their help and how long after that did you see the results you were hoping for?

I think I'll have Dave write to his Congressman and I wanted to know about other people's experiences.... is it to early to ask for their help? I just feel that I could've been doing something instead of just sitting here.

Let me know what you think!

It's not too early for you to contact your congressman to ask about your status and this delay. It will not cause your file to go into another place or delay any communication from the service center. Due to IMBRA, CSC has not processed in order of NOA1 date or RFE return date. When you see people who filed in June/July while you are still waiting from March, you have every right to ask your elected official to make any inquiry on your behalf. Several cases of VJ members were lost in black holes until the congressman made an inquiry and got things moving. No reason whatsoever for you not to do it since you filed in March. In fact, I spoke with my senator's office today - he told me his office is sick and tired of being lied to by CSC regarding processing order and that they are going to contact the director of CSC on behalf of 6 or 7 constituents who have contacted him to get things moving and to get some straight answers.

Don't send an email - download the privacy form from their website in the constituent's service section, fill it out with your case info, fax to their office and call to follow up. Get the name, direct phone number and email address of the contact person if you can so you know who to follow up with.

Good luck.

very good advice...thanks

[Craig2006 0]

I wrote my Senator almost 4 months after approval but still did not receive the NOA2. When the case was approved, someone sent the case to the NVC without updating the computer. Eliana actually received her visa, while the according to the USCIS, our case was still pending. I received a phone call 3 weeks after sending all my information to the Senators office (told I should hear from USCIS soon) and 1 week later I received my NOA2. Than, 2 weeks later, I received another NOA2 (same as the first but with a different issue date). I assume that the Senator's office helped in some way, but after calling weekly for 2 months, I knew sometime had to happen at some point.

[stevea 0]

Although I do not really know for certain, I have to think that contacting both of my Senators helped me because as far as I know the week of August 7th there were few cases processed, ours being one of them. Honestly, I have no idea but I would like to think that my representatives in Washington, D.C. are good for something!! Juuuuuust kidding, Senators.....