US Immigration from Ireland

This question comes up multiple times in the monthly threads with lots of speculative responses so I thought I'd share out some info from someone on reddit who responded to a question asked about how USCIS handles cases. The redditor states that they are in no way admitting or implying they work for USCIS (but obviously do).

I've complied the relevant questions and responses. Of particular interest are the responses to questions 4 6.

Important things to note:

• This info is NOT coming from me. I just found it on reddit (from about 2 months ago) and edited it for ease of reading.
• The Q&A is NOT specific to K-1s, but I think is probably applicable.
• I am sharing this only because a lot of people ask this. The responses are not mine. Do not shoot the messenger (me).
• If there's a better place for this to live, I'm sure a mod will move it. Or delete it.
• If you use reddit, you have enough info to go find the post.

How is a case actually processed at USCIS?

In the life of a case once the physical application/paperwork/folder arrives at USCIS, what happens?

1. Where does a folder wait?
The paperwork/application/whatever gets received by contractors at what's called a "lockbox". Files wait in different places, depending on the type and where it's filed.

2. Is it scanned or is paper from beginning to end?
Depending on the form, it may be made electronic or stay as paper. For 765s, 131s, 130s, the smaller forms, they're made electronic. The bigger files/forms stay paper.

3. Is it randomly assigned to any USCIS official?
USCIS service centers are broken into teams that work specific forms. So within the team that works on K-1s, an applicant s K-1 will be randomly assigned to an officer.

4. Do officials have a number of cases simultaneously or they have just one?
Officers are assigned numerous cases at once. How many depends on the form type. Relatively easy forms like 765s an officer may get 30 a day and expect to complete those. More in-depth forms would be a couple a day. Officers who need to come in once a week or so to pick up a bunch of cases, then work from home (pandemic times).

5. If more than one, are they all sitting stacked on the table and the official picks whichever he/she wants?
Pretty much, yeah. Officers pick which ones they do first and which one last. Unless there's a reason for the case to be worked first, which usually there isn't.

6. Do officials need to decide on a case the second they get the folder or can they table a case? If they can table cases, would such cases wait their turn for any other official or is it always the same individual who process a given case end-to-end?
Yes, officers have discretion to decide to table a case if they want. They can hold off pretty much till the case is outside it's time frame and they get an email about it. Like every place, not all officers are the best, so some will "punt" a hard case so they don't have to do it.

Also, important to note that USCIS gets slammed with lawsuits all the time. So an officer may have a bunch of 131s, but be told to work nothing but 765(c)(8)s for a month. The 131s will just sit there while everyone concentrates on the c8s.

7. If it's always physical docs, what is the software used for? I mean, what functionality does it provide other than change the status of a given case?
USCIS approves/denies/whatever using systems that are tied together. The systems all update at the end of the day. So say a 765 was approved around noon, the system will update midnight the next day.

8. How are expedite requests handled?
Basically an applicant submits the request, somebody will look at it and decide yay or nay. If it's nay, that's it. If it's yay, the case is updated saying expedited request approved.
You'd think that would mean it would get done quickly. Weirdly enough, it might not mean anything. Maybe an email would go out to the officer, maybe not. It doesn't really speed up the time frame when the case needs to be worked by.

Hi

If you arrived as a K1 visa do you still need to file I-130 or just the I 485, AP EAD and affidavit?

Hi all. Thanks to the great advice on this forum I applied for my SSN prior to marriage with all the correct documentation. The lady actually said at the appointment that I would defiantly be sent the SSN and then gave me the letter to say I applied pending the DHS check. However my case never came up on SAVE at all. So we got married and filed AOS and all the forms and I ticked that I needed an SSN as I figured there was a problem. I contacted SS again and the agent said that he could tell that my application had an error on it by one digit on my i94 but that it would have to be changed in person with my i94 and ID and gave me an appointment for next week - his only concern was to go before the i94 expired. I still have about a month left on my i94 but I applied for AOS with my new name and have received my I-797c with this new name on it. Is there any point in going to this appointment? Will DHS now have me under a different name?

I have been in the US about 2 months now and I don't really feel like I need the SSN urgently at the moment until I get my EAD. I also don't want to apply for something in error or make a problem for myself further down the line. Would it be recommended to go to the appointment and just see what the SS advise?

A little over a month ago our application was approved and we haven t heard anything since. I know normally you hear from the nvc next, but the NOA said the petition was forwarded to the consulate. Just wondering, who are we going to hear from? Will I be the one getting a letter or will my beneficiary? And at what point should we contact someone about not hearing anything?

Hi,

I have a question about the i134 affidavit of support.
my fianc lives with me in Ireland so he has no American income, i know we will need a joint sponsor for the i134.

we are thinking of asking his mom to be the joint sponsor however she is retired. Will she be able to use her retirement payments for the i134 and also how much income will she need. Does her income have to be enough for a household size of her own household and then also my fianc and I or just on a 2 people household of my fianc and I.

thank you!