ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
USCIS Service CentersTREMENDOUS WORK VERMONT SERVICE CENTER

i must say vermont service center is doing a tremendous job the noa2 are coming on fast and i like the order in which they are going i am not pointing any fingers but if you take a look at the percentage graphs and see how petitions are being approved at both service centers california is all over the place and vermont is coming down the line that may have something to do with the fast pace of approvals i am loving it and hope my petition can get approve fast love what they are doing i am impressed :thumbs: :dancing:


I know this post is a few months old, but I still have to say I couldn't disagree more. The VSC is terrible. The process for IR1/CR1 is way too long! I'm at 170 days since NOA1 (12/5/2011), and the VSC just responded it may be another 60 days. I can't speak for the CSC, but the VSC is complete with sloth and incompetence. They have the highest rate of lost petitions among the service centers (39%) due to their large telework employees. (32% work from somewhere other than the office).

There is no good reason that the majority of cases shouldn't be completed, within 4 months! (That is green card in hand, not just approved). And I am sick and tired of getting these nasty, snippy CSRs from the USCIS when I call to ask questions. Out of 4 calls, I had 1 that was friendly. Each time I have to bite my tongue and "play nice" because I don't want them red flagging me and delaying me even more just to be pr*cks.

<sigh> <deep breath>

OK, I digress...
twocastlesMaleVenezuela2012-05-23 12:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsJanuary 2012 I-130 filers?

I thought spouses can't come to the USA on tourist visas, only until the process is complete. Did the immigration officer at the checkpoint not give her a hard time for it? I wanted to do this too!



There is no law saying they can't. The tourist visa is a legal document allowing her to visit the US. It gets 'sticky' because of "intent". The decision is made at the Point of Entry by the agent. It's a gamble, and can be an expensive gamble for many. We decided to take it. She came through Puerto Rico, and the agent gave her no problems.

He asked her why she was going to the States? She answered "to visit my husband."
He asked if she had an immigration case started? (Which I am certain he knew she did). She answered honestly and said "Yes."

He said something like "be careful not to stay longer than the expiration on the visa, or that will put your immigration application in jeopardy."

No hassle. But the problem is, it is subjective to each agent. And what was explained to me was that the agent could easily have said, it is not her "intent" to come to the US on a non-immigrant visa (the B1/B2), since we have an immigrant visa in process. That didn't happen.

She may get asked about it at the interview, but she is allowed to stay six months, and her return ticket is for only 2 months. So that shouldn't be an issue at all, and I'll have her bring all sort of documentation showing what we did during her stay.

If you decide to take the gamble, be sure your significant other answers HONESTLY and brings evidence that they will return home. Examples: Housing contract, Vehicle ownership, letter from employer, anything that states that they something back home to go back to.

I told my wife to bring lots of evidence that she would return, as well as reasons that she was visiting as a tourist, not just as my wife.

Here in Buffalo / Niagara Falls, we have the high wire daredevil, Nik Wallenda, attempting to walk across Niagara Falls tonight.

I sent her copy of her Jimmy Buffet ticket for a concert in Pittsburgh.
Links to print out for Finger Lakes wine tours. The Friendship Festival in July between Canada and US at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo / Ft. Erie.

I sent her other summer festivals in the area to print out that were significant in uniqueness or size also. Ultimately, she did not need any of it (except her return ticket). But I say better to be over prepared.
twocastlesMaleVenezuela2012-06-15 15:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsJanuary 2012 I-130 filers?

I am starting to get suspicious, could there be a conspiracy against certain applicants? Could they be reading these forums, and punishing the most vocal ones?


I'm usually up for a good conspiracy theory, but I don't think that is the case here. While I have been vocal on VJ, I didn't join until May 22, 17 days after my 5 month mark, and I am still waiting. So for whatever reason they are taking their sweet a** time with my petition, but I am pretty sure it's not for being vocal here.

I received my response for a service request on May 8, saying I should get something within 60 days. Today is day 38 out of 60. The response to my Congressman on June 13 was virtually the same, saying I should hear something "very soon".

193 Days so far without NOA2 at 4:02pm EST today. What frustrates me is that (using VJ timelines) 28% of December is still waiting, including myself. Yet January is 64% complete and February is 44% complete. Why does THAT happen? Those are answers I'd like to get. I could see some overlap due to DCF's, expedites, RFE's or just no two case processors are the same, and therefore work at varying speeds. But there is a large discrepancy. Out of all the completions filed after me (Dec. 5) at the VSC until March, 2012:

The longest wait time was - 157 Days
The shortest wait time was - 57 Days
The average wait time was - 113 Days
The median wait time was - 126 Days

I am currently at 193 days and counting.

I'm a pretty simple case...Natural born US citizen. No criminal record. Good income. Own my house. Nothing to hide.
She has no criminal record. Owns her condo. Worked for 23 years for 1 company, and 8 months at another before resigning when we got married.

There are others with very similar situations as us that are waiting even longer, and one of the most frustrating things is the lack of transparency. I am luckier than many in that my wife just came here on Sunday on a tourist visa. So she is with me, tentatively until August 12. Maybe she leaves earlier, maybe later. Anyhow, for me it's now principle...I just need to know WHY. I'll probably never find out and drive myself crazy if I dwell on it too long. To me, this is the biggest problem of the process.
twocastlesMaleVenezuela2012-06-15 15:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-130, Should I Be Worried?

My wife and I live in the UK whilst she finishes her studies, and i am moving over with her next year (june hopefully) to live in the US. We sent the i-130 form off with all correct (again, hopefully) documentation in September, and shortly received the N0A1. It's been 3 months now and my application is still pending. Surely i should have received something by now? How long does it usually take to receive the N0A2? The average application for my office is 5.4 months (Oct 2012), is this the time from them accepting the form to receiving the visa?

Much appreciated,

Adam


I can tell you from my experience, three months is less than half the time we waited for approval from the USCIS. They received our case on December 5 last year and we didn't get approval until June 25, 2012. She interviewed November 7, 2012...a year and three days after we got married. She is coming December 17, 2012 for good.

That said, it's luck of the draw with the USCIS processors. You may get a good one, or you may get a lazy one. There were plenty of January, February, and even March filers getting approved from the VSC before we did. It's infuriating and unfair, but that's the way it goes with the USCIS. And they don't even want to hear from you in less than 5 months. The NVC stage takes time also, but at least there's more communication with them and some of the time it takes depends on how quickly you act in paying and submitting the proper documents. It's not months and months of nothingness like with the USCIS.

I wish you luck! Check out the links the others above have posted for the average processing times and similar timelines to your own. Look for the September 2012 filers forum to share your experiences.
twocastlesMaleVenezuela2012-12-07 10:26:00