For Optimists Who May Feel Like Giving Up

[Amor1 0]

Narina--I was checking this strand when I read your post. Both of us are optmists, I think. After waiting 7 1/2 months and calling day after day, getting depressed, frustrated, discouraged, and nowhere, I wrote and sent a letter to the 9 members of the US Judiciary Subcommittee (all senators), my House of Rep members, and the Ombudsman and posted it here at VJ, so others could do the same. These nine members oversee USCIS. Did you read this letter? Did you send it, too? Well, two weeks later, our petitions were approved. Strongly, I believe the letters helped, no matter what anyone else here thinks. It was such a huge blessing--miracle, really b/c I was getting nothing from the phone reps. I sent all confirmed receipts with the letters to have a record.

My motivation was to get help for my husband and me and so many others like us who follow procedures, put in long hours to get our petitions done correctly, and wait endlessly for an approval. I wanted the senators to know just how much it hurts to be separated and how long this process is taking. I don't believe they really knew. Also, I sent the tracking sheets, just so they'd see many others are not getting notices by the dates posted on the website (the regular processing time ). There is hope when we take positive measures to change our situations.

Perhaps it's my spirit of optimism that refused to give in to my frustrations and pushed me to think out of the box. Of course, my enduring love for my husband is the biggest factor of all. I wish you the best and encourage you to check my posts; the letter to the senators is there somewhere. All the best--Amor1

[Y's_habibitk 2]

I havent heard anything yet from the letters (

Lisa

[SA-&-BA 0]

MM - I did see your letter and to my surprise one of the senetors in the committee is our senator also (John Cronin). Anyway I am thinking of sending them the letter but stuggling with addresses for the committee. Please help.

Narina--I was checking this strand when I read your post. Both of us are optmists, I think. After waiting 7 1/2 months and calling day after day, getting depressed, frustrated, discouraged, and nowhere, I wrote and sent a letter to the 9 members of the US Judiciary Subcommittee (all senators), my House of Rep members, and the Ombudsman and posted it here at VJ, so others could do the same. These nine members oversee USCIS. Did you read this letter? Did you send it, too? Well, two weeks later, our petitions were approved. Strongly, I believe the letters helped, no matter what anyone else here thinks. It was such a huge blessing--miracle, really b/c I was getting nothing from the phone reps. I sent all confirmed receipts with the letters to have a record.

My motivation was to get help for my husband and me and so many others like us who follow procedures, put in long hours to get our petitions done correctly, and wait endlessly for an approval. I wanted the senators to know just how much it hurts to be separated and how long this process is taking. I don't believe they really knew. Also, I sent the tracking sheets, just so they'd see many others are not getting notices by the dates posted on the website (the regular processing time ). There is hope when we take positive measures to change our situations.

Perhaps it's my spirit of optimism that refused to give in to my frustrations and pushed me to think out of the box. Of course, my enduring love for my husband is the biggest factor of all. I wish you the best and encourage you to check my posts; the letter to the senators is there somewhere. All the best--Amor1

[Amor1 0]

Hello. See the letter below and just insert your home address with your receipt number(s). I added my email address, too, which is how most of the senators responded. *I addressed the envelopes dirrently with the name & title of the Congressional Rep but address was the same. Wishing you both the best--Amor1

*************************LETTER*************************************************

Your Street Address (here)

City, State and zip code (here)

October 20, 2008

United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee

on Immigration, Refugees, & Border Security

224 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

To the Honorable Members of this Subcommittee:

As a law-abiding US citizen, I, along with my fellow members of visajourney.com, request your assistance with our USCIS petitions. At present, the time frame for reviewing cases is nine months or longer. Despite published announcements to the contrary, many of us have been separated from our spouses and children (on whose behalf we filed I-130 and I-129F petitions) for a painful amount of time, time which cannot be recovered. After following the guidelines posted on the USCIS website and paying all applicable fees, we are waiting in suspense for an approval (the Notice of Action 2 – NOA2), and this is the source of our dilemma—an inordinate amount of waiting time and no clear explanations for delays. Hence, we ask you, Honorable Members of the US Senate, to investigate these seemingly negligent periods of inaction.

The first step for our family members is to submit the petitions to establish the existence of a relationship. Then, once approved, our petitions and all documents submitted are forwarded to the National Visa Center for further processing. As you are aware, the next phase is the embassy approval with required medical examination and interviews. Unfortunately, many of us have not moved past the first step because there have been no updates sent to us. In particular, many of us are still waiting for NOA2 from the Vermont Service Center (VSC). Please see attached spreadsheets. While the California Service Center seems to be processing petitions at an increasingly rapid rate, VSC is months behind. Why is there such a major difference between these two processing centers? Are there more adjudicators at CSC? Moreover, some petitions that are received months after others are processed faster. When questioned about this inequity, telephone operators at the USCIS give a standard response: “It depends on the case; each case is adjudicated differently.” Then when we ask about our individual petitions on behalf of our qualifying relatives, we receive the generic, “We’re within our processing time.”

For many of us, the entire process thus far has proven to be quite discouraging. We cannot get accurate, specific responses to our inquiries, nor do we receive the “first in, first out” treatment we were promised. Hence, we need and request your assistance. Perhaps an inquiry from your committee will garner more substantive, more accurate responses. Perhaps there is a way to change the process, so national security is not comprised, and families are not unnecessarily separated from their loved ones indefinitely. Attached, please find a copy of NOA 1 for our petitions (I-130 and I-129F). Below, see our receipt numbers given by USCIS. It is with great respect for your charge on this committee that I, along with many others, request your inquiry into this matter. Hopefully, all of us will receive the NOA2 and continue positively on the path of reunification with our family members. Equally, we hope that others will benefit from our proactive measures and their processing time will be much shorter and more humane.

Respectfully yours,

Name (full)

Receipt Number for Petition __________

_________________________________

Receipt Number for Petition __________

_________________________________

Beneficiary ______________________________ and Relationship______________________________

cc: Members of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security

The Honorable Senator Ted Kennedy

The Honorable Joe Biden

The Honorable Diane Feinstein

The Honorable Chuck Schumer

The Honorable Jeff Sessions

The Honorable Jon Kyl

The Honorable Chuck Grassley

The Honorable John Cornyn

The Honorable ####### Durbin

(Your State Senator/US House of Representatives Member – here)

MM - I did see your letter and to my surprise one of the senetors in the committee is our senator also (John Cronin). Anyway I am thinking of sending them the letter but stuggling with addresses for the committee. Please help.

Narina--I was checking this strand when I read your post. Both of us are optmists, I think. After waiting 7 1/2 months and calling day after day, getting depressed, frustrated, discouraged, and nowhere, I wrote and sent a letter to the 9 members of the US Judiciary Subcommittee (all senators), my House of Rep members, and the Ombudsman and posted it here at VJ, so others could do the same. These nine members oversee USCIS. Did you read this letter? Did you send it, too? Well, two weeks later, our petitions were approved. Strongly, I believe the letters helped, no matter what anyone else here thinks. It was such a huge blessing--miracle, really b/c I was getting nothing from the phone reps. I sent all confirmed receipts with the letters to have a record.

My motivation was to get help for my husband and me and so many others like us who follow procedures, put in long hours to get our petitions done correctly, and wait endlessly for an approval. I wanted the senators to know just how much it hurts to be separated and how long this process is taking. I don't believe they really knew. Also, I sent the tracking sheets, just so they'd see many others are not getting notices by the dates posted on the website (the regular processing time ). There is hope when we take positive measures to change our situations.

Perhaps it's my spirit of optimism that refused to give in to my frustrations and pushed me to think out of the box. Of course, my enduring love for my husband is the biggest factor of all. I wish you the best and encourage you to check my posts; the letter to the senators is there somewhere. All the best--Amor1