Email from USCIS!!

[BOS_LHR 829]

To everyone who made some noise yesterday: WELL DONE!!! They heard us. Just received the following email:

Dear Stakeholder,

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received communications from the public expressing concerns regarding extended processing times for Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed by U.S. citizens for their eligible immediate relatives. USCIS provides information below in response to the concerns expressed.

USCIS is ever-mindful of the need to process a U.S. citizen’s immediate relative Form I-130 carefully and expeditiously. The need is defined by the immigration system’s goal of preserving family unity. It is for this fundamental reason that USCIS has been focused on addressing delays in the processing of these Forms I-130 for several months.

Through concerted efforts, USCIS is now adjudicating U.S. citizens’ immediate relative Forms I-130 filed as early as February 2013. This is a significant step forward, as previously published guidance reflected the processing of these Forms I-130 filed in October 2012. Furthermore, USCIS expects the processing of these Forms I-130 to be increasingly timely in the ensuing weeks, culminating in the return to an average processing time of five months for these Forms I-130 by May 2014.

USCIS has focused on these Forms I-130 for the very reason that affected members of the public have expressed their concerns; the importance of family unity. Last month, in an effort to expedite the adjudication of these cases, USCIS began transferring stand-alone Forms I-130 filed by U.S. citizens for their immediate relatives from USCIS’s National Benefits Center to its Nebraska, Texas, and California Service Centers. This shift improves USCIS’s ability to adjudicate the cases in a timely manner.

When You Receive a Notice of Transfer of Your Case

If your case was transferred, USCIS will send you a notice listing the transfer date and where your case will be processed. Your original receipt number will not change and this will not further delay the processing of your case. USCIS will take action on your case within 60 days of the transfer date listed in your notice.

How to Track the Status of Your Case

We have recently updated the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov with processing times for Form I-130 cases filed by U.S. citizens for their eligible immediate relatives. Please check the processing times for your petition before inquiring about your case. If your case is transferred to another USCIS office, you should refer to the processing times for the office that has received your case.

You can check the status of your case at www.uscis.gov by entering your receipt number in the “Check Status” field. Additionally, you can sign up to receive automatic case status updates by email as your case is processed. If you have not received a decision on your case within the published processing time, you may submit an inquiry using e-Request or contact the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283. For TDD hearing impaired assistance, please call 1-800-767-1833. When making any case status inquiries, you should reference your original receipt number and indicate that your case was transferred to a new location.

If you have filed a Form I-130 and you receive a request for evidence or any other type of communication from USCIS, please read the notice carefully to ensure that you respond to the same service center that sent you the notice.

If you move while your case is pending, you can change your address on the USCIS website or contact the NCSC so that USCIS can notify you of any further action on your case. It is important that you notify USCIS of any change of address as soon as possible after moving.

We appreciate the concerns that members of the public have expressed on this important subject. We are mindful of those concerns and are addressing them with great diligence.

Kind Regards,

USCIS Public Engagement Division

[JA_Martinez 81]

OH MY GOD! I'm crying so hard!

[Virtuous45 31]

Good job BOS_LHR. I hope the system improves as they stated. We will watch to see.

[GoLdEnSkY99 54]

WOW! good work everyone!

[Terry J 50]

Will also be checking on them to see if what they say will actually be done. Glad I participated though by sending the e-mail!

[dirk_diggler 107]

wow good job.. pretty impressed it worked

[florida4life 29]

I wish we could get a answer like that from the embassy as well.

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

It's great to get a response from USCIS so soon. The kind of information we were waiting for. There were plenty on here telling us we couldn't get anything done so well done to everyone who believed it was worth the effort and sent emails or faxes!

[corlitoa 6]

Niceeeee we did it

[skysofialila 45]

Oh I started crying too

I can't wait to be reunited with my husband. I'm going to spend one month with him in Brazil in December... I am a July filer and the BEST X-mas present I could get would be an NOA2.

I think we should still email / fax bomb everyone today.. and sporadically.

[malenliam 18]

We made it...its nice to have a reply from them

[quitepainful 56]

i truely believe they must have been dropping some bricks in their pants when they saw the organized movement and had to do something before they got caught with their "pants down"...

[naam_2013 72]

To everyone who made some noise yesterday: WELL DONE!!! They heard us. Just received the following email:

Dear Stakeholder,

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received communications from the public expressing concerns regarding extended processing times for Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed by U.S. citizens for their eligible immediate relatives. USCIS provides information below in response to the concerns expressed.

USCIS is ever-mindful of the need to process a U.S. citizen’s immediate relative Form I-130 carefully and expeditiously. The need is defined by the immigration system’s goal of preserving family unity. It is for this fundamental reason that USCIS has been focused on addressing delays in the processing of these Forms I-130 for several months.

Through concerted efforts, USCIS is now adjudicating U.S. citizens’ immediate relative Forms I-130 filed as early as February 2013. This is a significant step forward, as previously published guidance reflected the processing of these Forms I-130 filed in October 2012. Furthermore, USCIS expects the processing of these Forms I-130 to be increasingly timely in the ensuing weeks, culminating in the return to an average processing time of five months for these Forms I-130 by May 2014.

USCIS has focused on these Forms I-130 for the very reason that affected members of the public have expressed their concerns; the importance of family unity. Last month, in an effort to expedite the adjudication of these cases, USCIS began transferring stand-alone Forms I-130 filed by U.S. citizens for their immediate relatives from USCIS’s National Benefits Center to its Nebraska, Texas, and California Service Centers. This shift improves USCIS’s ability to adjudicate the cases in a timely manner.

When You Receive a Notice of Transfer of Your Case

If your case was transferred, USCIS will send you a notice listing the transfer date and where your case will be processed. Your original receipt number will not change and this will not further delay the processing of your case. USCIS will take action on your case within 60 days of the transfer date listed in your notice.

How to Track the Status of Your Case

We have recently updated the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov with processing times for Form I-130 cases filed by U.S. citizens for their eligible immediate relatives. Please check the processing times for your petition before inquiring about your case. If your case is transferred to another USCIS office, you should refer to the processing times for the office that has received your case.

You can check the status of your case at www.uscis.gov by entering your receipt number in the “Check Status” field. Additionally, you can sign up to receive automatic case status updates by email as your case is processed. If you have not received a decision on your case within the published processing time, you may submit an inquiry using e-Request or contact the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283. For TDD hearing impaired assistance, please call 1-800-767-1833. When making any case status inquiries, you should reference your original receipt number and indicate that your case was transferred to a new location.

If you have filed a Form I-130 and you receive a request for evidence or any other type of communication from USCIS, please read the notice carefully to ensure that you respond to the same service center that sent you the notice.

If you move while your case is pending, you can change your address on the USCIS website or contact the NCSC so that USCIS can notify you of any further action on your case. It is important that you notify USCIS of any change of address as soon as possible after moving.

We appreciate the concerns that members of the public have expressed on this important subject. We are mindful of those concerns and are addressing them with great diligence.

Kind Regards,

USCIS Public Engagement Division

BOS_LHR: Did USCIS sent this to you directly?

I did not get anything from USCIS.

I contacted my Senator's office this morning, and they forwarded me this email.

Great support from everyone .

Edited November 20, 2013 by naam_2013

[quitepainful 56]

Everyone, this is great news and it was a complete effort from all members! Bravo!

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Just to be clear, no policy changed with USCIS because of this campaign. Because of it, you got an email (good!) and an estimate when times would be back to normal (also good!) But no policy changed. USCIS has known there was a problem and they have been working on it, though slowly. That is why they made the new NBC center and the like. You can see that approvals have picked up significantly lately. Yesterday there were 6, and 4 the day before (this is just the small sample from VJ). http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/monthly_filers.php?form=2&visa=3&scenter=4&option=1&sortby=2

It's good to get them to respond, though.