How can I talk to a HUMAN BEING ar USCIS?

[Matt_Stevens 5]

OK, why is it impossible to speak to a HUMAN BEING at USCIS? Is there some secret? Please someone tell me what fricking numbers I need to press to talk to a person. I have tried for hours to talk to a human and just get menu after menu.

[Justine+David 218]

I got it at one point but I can't remember how...try the more obscure menus and the options that don't fit any of the above?

[Dakine 26]

Follow the prompts to change address.

[maryces21 0]

I think you call the 1800 number and them dial 1...then 2....then 3. and you will talk to someone.

[SMR 368]

I got it at one point but I can't remember how...try the more obscure menus and the options that don't fit any of the above?

This is an interesting dilemma that USCIS has created. It states the hours when an operator can be reached but then it's impossible to actually reach one. For me, it was actually necessary to reach them since calling was the only way to state that I couldn't come to an interview.

The only reliable option I have discovered is to press nothing. Even the initial English/Spanish. The computer assumes you have a rotary phone and directs you to an operator. You'll still have to wait on hold while listening to recordings in alternating English and Spanish, but it beats recording hell. Also, the operator will begin speaking in Spanish. For whatever reason, USCIS assumes that the majority of rotary phone owners are Spanish speakers. Speak in English and the Spanish operators are all bilingual, at least all the ones I have met.

Other than this, I have wandered the wastelands that are the obscure menus of USCIS and have found nothing resembling human life. The change of address loophole, exploited by many, was recently shored up to create yet another dead end. You now get a recording which instructs you how to change your address by mail or online.

Edited September 14, 2009 by SMR

[stockmktgenius 0]

Great idea- very creative. But now (2011) didn't work. The tape just said "Goodbye" and "Adios"- and hung up!

[U+K 0]

I just called the national service center and talked with an operator. Here's how I did it:

1. Call 1-800-375-5283

2. press 1 for English

3. press 2 for check on case

4. press 6 for "I don't know receipt number" (though I did know my receipt number, it's just a way to connect to the operator. It seems like the operator didn't really know what I pressed, and started asking manual questions to figure out the reason I called. She also asked me my receipt number and I gave her one, and she wasn't like, "Liar, you indicated you don't have a receipt number!!" but more like, "OK, give me a moment to see what's going on with your case" )

Hope it works for you, too