biggish data

Wheere do our files go after they get to service centers?

Just curious how all of this stuff works. Where do our folders go and also does our NOA1 get mailed from the lockbox or the service center? I noticed Chicago stamped as the zip code but a CSC envelope.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-01 21:40:00

Thanks again and I will update you if I hear anything!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 18:40:00

Hmmm well surely they wouldn't know that until it had actually ARRIVED at the CSC, As that is when they start reviewing everything. If you haven't had NOA1 yet, that means its still probably in its envelope and on route the service center.

Oh wait just read ur timeline, you HAVE had NOA1, so it must have got to CSC, and is now in phoenix.... hmmm maybe its being sent to another service center then. not sure

I am totally confused about it! All I know is they are saying that my case can not have a service request fulfilled until after it leaves Phoenix. I never imagined I would be at another Lockbox this is crazy! thank you for your replies and time!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 17:57:00

It may be important to mention that in 2007 I brought over my ex wife from Cuba on a K-3. We divorced May 2010. Do you think she may have tried to adjust status and that is why they are doing this to my case?

Only thing I can guess is perhaps a bit of a backlog. Maybe chicago was so busy, that before sending it onto CSC, they sent some to phoenix? Not sure really. If you called and found out its there, could you cheekily ask them why maybe?

But I wouldnt worry too much, Im sure CSC will get it soon

I hope but have a hunch it may be that ex!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 17:32:00

wait ignore what I said lol. I got confused. So you mailed it to the chicago lockbox? and its now in phoenix? And should be going to california?

Hmmm

Yes, it has left from Chicago to Phoenix but why would two lockboxes have it and why all the touches?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 16:39:00

Hi! I requested an expedite so I called to check the status. When I did they state that my case is still in Phoenix and that they can not process my service request until my case is in their possession. But, I mailed it to Chicago so what is up?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 08:08:00

Good luck. I did not mean to for there to seem like any tension. It makes no difference to me whether you get your expedite or not. Since you have already sent in your request it is pretty irrelevant at this point. I would have advised you come on here BEFORE making the expedite request and airing all your dirty laundry here so the longtime members here could tell you what you should tell them and what you shouldn't. That is what this site is all about, helping people. Based on what you have written on this site, if you told them the same thing I would assume that 99% chance your expedite is denied and further because of some of the things you wrote you have created some unnecessary headaches for yourself that will probably raise some issues with the CO when trying to get approved for the Visa itself.

Thank you!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-01 21:37:00

Expediates are supposed to rare, if every member that felt that they needed to be with their spouse/SO and that life we better together and that you can't protect them while apart applied for an expediate and it was granted that would soon be standard processing. Truthfully you are at the mercy of the person that first looks at your request. From what I have seen they are the ones that will say yes or no and each one is a bit different. I have seen some pretty weak ones make it through and some half way decent ones get denied. You can ask and most likely you will be denied and sit in line with the rest of those still waiting.

I already request it. I am just waiting for their reply. I do not think any of us know the answer already. I trust that God will help me!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 09:43:00

Over 80% of the petitions they get are for beneficiaries that make very little money and need the support of the petitioning USC. That is inconsequntial.

If you have money when you get to Illinois, then I suggest you pack up and go to Illinois. They do not care if you "need or want" to be with your aunt or wife, nor do they care if you "need or want" to move with your job. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is "Do you make the income or do you have a sponsor that makes the income." If the answer is yes, then sit back and wait your time.

As far as the expedite, all the reasons you have given are inconsequential. If you can prove that your "wife's" life is in imminent danger. I.e. Lives in a small village and hundreds are being killed, etc then an expedite would hold merit. Living in a dangerous city in Venezuela that has little food and little water isn't a reason. Ultimately you could send her money to get food and water. I.e. Survival of the fittest. People in Venezuela get food and water. There are extreme shortages throughout the country and it may mean she has to pay double or triple the cost for it, but she does live in a socialist third world country that has it's fair share of problems.

The touches is irrelevant. Many people's cases (my own included) don't even show up in their registry. Many people go through the whole process, NOA1, NOA2, Interview, Visa in hand, etc without their case ever showing up in the registry. I personally would pay no attention to it. And regarding the time... again, inconsequential. Did you question why you got a text at 2am stating your petition has arrived and your NOA1 has been sent. Same for NOA2, etc. Don't lose sleep, nor even pay attention to the touches as they don't mean anything.

I suggest you prepare for a long 8-10 month process, send money to your wife as needed if that is what you choose to do, and if you need to move to Illinois for employment reasons then go ahead and do it. Telling USCIS that you have all these problems could only hurt your final approval IMO.

No matter what you say man I know each case is different but I feel I NEED the expedite. I have things going on not mentioned herein which need to be addressed. I do not want to air out all of my dirty laundry on here to a bunch of strangers, however, I realize expedites questions have been known to make steam arise here. I have been watching this site silently for months so I know how much tension builds up when somebody speaks of the "expedite" word! I am not going to prepare for an 8-10 month process because God loves me and He will make a way for my expedite to get approved. I know I will get what I want in the end. I am going to fight for it and not give up because I want my wife here soon. Her area is going through a crisis separate from that of her country as a whole. I will get her here before the time-frame you listed. You mark my word!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 08:29:00

Peace and good luck to you!

You too the same! I hope all gets better with you and your family!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:59:00

Yes, sure. However, I can say the same - my fiance is the sole breadwinner of a family of 10. Both his parents are ill. His mother has cancer and they can't afford treatment and she has small children to take care of. My fiance barely makes enough to feed himself, yet he has to give all to his family. We all have our situations that we probably could deem urgent.

I had to reword that in case you took it wrong way. I knew it in Spanish made since but in English you may took it as offensive. At the same time I can say that yes I agree and in your case I think you had good reasons. I know it is very stressful. Oh well it is in the power of the creator not mine so whatever will be will be. To all of you goodnight!

Edited by Diddl, 31 July 2011 - 01:57 AM.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:56:00

Alright then I will gather my evidence and I guess wait for them to ask for it. You can't judge my situation though until you've bitten off a bite of my burrito.

I am headed to bed for now so if you got more to say I will touch base on it in the morning. Thank you for your responses!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:54:00

I see. It would be better if you could move there and have a more stable situation for yourself. I don't see how your wife's situation affects your ability to move. I am moving before my fiance comes here.

It seems the best thing for you to do is to collect as much evidence as possible concerning her situation there following the guidelines I believe someone provided earlier. What the government wants to see is that you are in a stable position to petition her.

Who is to say what the 'touching' is about. I didn't get any touches at all and now my petition is in Casablanca.

Alright then I will gather my evidence and I guess wait for them to ask for it. You can't judge my situation though until you've bitten off a bite of my burrito.

Edited by Diddl, 31 July 2011 - 01:51 AM.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:50:00

Stating that your neighbors are treating poorly isn't going to get you an expedite. In fact, why would they give you an expedite? So they can treat you and your wife poorly? It's a law enforcement issue.

You state that you need to move to Illinois. Why?

You state that you cannot move until she gets here. Why?

Venezuela doesn't have any new problems. Venezuela has been dangerous for years. Venezuela has had water and food rationing problems for years.

You state that your cousin owns a roofing company and makes over $100k/yr. I assume that means he pays taxes on over $100k/yr, correct? I.e. After expenses his income is over $100k/yr.

You haven't stated any reason that I see worthy of an expedite and you have thrown some stuff out there that could potentially hurt you from getting an approval on the Visa itself, IMO.

There are reasons that visas are approved and aren't approved. You are basically telling them that you don't make enough money (as evidenced by needing a sponsor), apparently your life is in danger and you need to move (why would they want to expedite to put another person's life in danger as well), you can't move until she gets here (why?), you can't afford to move, and to top it off... there is another indidual (your aunt) that you take care of as well.

I think you just made your approval of the visa itself an uphill battle.

What you beg to differ with is the facts. I am telling you my wife needs me. She needs me to take care of her. I will have money in IL. I do not see nothing wrong with telling them that I am being treated bad as I told them I needed to relocate with her and my aunty. The job is moving and I need to move with the job. I know that my co-sponsor is a decent one and it will work. You also neglected to tell me why they are touching me at night?

Edited by Diddl, 31 July 2011 - 01:47 AM.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:46:00

Also, I was touched again in the night. How come I got touched in the night? What is the reason they are touching me in the night time?

What do you mean by 'I have to move to Illinois'? Can you explain? Are you living with your aunt and does she live in a bad neighborhood?

I have to move to IL to be in an area where I can work and be free to be myself. Here I have to act different and I want to be free to do what I want. I will pack up my aunty and take her with me. Her son will come too. We can not move without my wifey. I have to go to IL because it is better for me and I can work better there. My cousin is relocating the company anyway.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:39:00

I don't see how your neighbors' treating you badly can be reason for an expedite. If they are doing something to you that is against the law, maybe you should report them to the police.

I have to move to Illinois though. I can not move until she gets here. I have hardship because her country in her city is become dangerous. She has things going on there in her town and there is no clean water and food for her. I have print outs of the articles. She needs to be here soon.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:25:00

The area I live in is treating me badly because I am Mexican.

It is not advisable to ask for an expedite due to financial hardship on YOU, the USC. There is a chance that will hurt you in getting approved altogether. You haven't stated your financial situation, income, etc. However, informing them that you take care of an aunt, etc in my opinion only hurts your chances of getting approved.

When you say one of the reasons you are asking for an expedite is because people in your city are treating you badly, "What do you mean by that?"

Is it bad to tell them that? I am taking care of her and she has accepted to let my cousin be a co-sponsor he owns the roofing company. I can get here here because he makes well over 100,000 USD a year. Is it bad to say my neighbors are treating me bad?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:19:00

So pretty much they take our papers home with them on weekends? Is that safe? I mean what if they spilled coffee or hamburger grease on them? LOL I just imagine some guy eating a cheeseburger and mustard getting all over my papers. Man! Ok, so on a serious note. I do not see any touch today. I am worried. Will they for sure give me an answer? Is there anyway to check that online? I need to know if they will approve me because this is an urgent matter. I am going insane worrying about her.

Also to note, it took 60 days to complete our case at uscis

So, how long after you requested you got approved? Did you get any email or touches? I just wonder why they never answered me yet!

Edited by Diddl, 31 July 2011 - 01:00 AM.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-31 01:00:00

They have computers basically like the military, they use card keys to access special systems.

Their personal computer at home would be rigged up with a special card key slot and they would access systems by putting the card key in the slot, logging on and accessing whatever info they need for processing. They also use hand held scanners to read the bar codes. Depends on how outfitted the person is thats working on the case but they may have gone through some of your papers just by hand or hand and computer depending on how much work they do from home generally.

Alright this whole process is a bit odd to me. I just want to imagine in my head how all of our files are stacked in the offices. Is it all in a big room or what? LOL Crazy man! I can't imagine. Thanks again!

Edited by Diddl, 30 July 2011 - 04:32 PM.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 16:31:00

Yes update is a touch. Some of them work on weekends / around the clock from home, some don't. Depends on the person working!

Weekends? That is great! I wish they approve me today! But how do they work from home? They have a database in their home!

I appreciate your assistance in this and all of your responses!

Yes update is a touch. Some of them work on weekends / around the clock from home, some don't. Depends on the person working!

Weekends? That is great! I wish they approve me today! But how do they work from home? They have a database in their home!

I appreciate your assistance in this and all of your responses!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 14:06:00

It depends on what kind of proof you have and if it is very compelling proof for them.

The USC called for expedite but ours was based on Military. We didn't get any emails, we got our NOA2 in the mail 5 days after we requested the expedite (same day we got the NOA1).

Wow! You are one lucky couple! I pray that my spouse and I come out that lucky. I have not heard from them just the two updates. Are updates the same as the touches I see on people's pages? If so, then ?I got two. Why the midnight one though? Are they working around the clock?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 10:46:00

You need to wait for them to request your evidence before sending it in. They probably updated your case because they are looking into your request. I would wait about a week and call to see whats up.

Yes approved in 5 days, we requested expedite.

One thing to note if you do get granted the expedite it does not " continue " past USCIS. You will have to notify NVC and the US embassy that you have an expedite on your case file. It is at the embassys discretion though as to if they grant you expedite or not.

Thank you. I did not think they could work cases as fast as 5 days. That is unique to hear about and you got lucky it seems. I feel like they may not accept my expedite request. Did it seem like I had good enough of a reason? What happened when you did your request was it by the phone too? How long did it take you to get an email and were there updates on your case? I had two updates since my call. One was late at night.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 10:26:00

Hello! I notice your timeline says approved in 5 days. Just curious, how was that? I did not receive any communication from them. Am I able to send in proof without the request from them? Also, were they just updating my case because it is new?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 09:57:00

Hello! My wife is in Venezuela and I am an American born Mexican. I am petitioning for her using the I-130 form. I submitted it and they sent me and NOA1 dated July 26, 2011 via email (still awaiting the paper one). I called on the 27th because my status was still not showing up online. I then requested an expedite due to financial hardship as well as humanitarian because people in my city are treating me badly and I need to move but financially I can not due to her and I take care of my aunt who can not take care of herself. I explained all of this to them and also about her city she stays in being dangerous. So, I called them on the USCIS and the young operator lady she sent the request in. Well, about 30 minutes (when the phone-call was finished)I checked and my status showed up online. Then later on in the night time according to CSC standards it was about 10:30 and I noticed that the status changed to 07/29/11. So, what does this mean? Did they open up my folder to see if they can expedite for us? I did not get any reply yet.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 08:54:00

Whats next

You got approve in 22 days how is that possible?

how did you get approved? any expedite?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 10:51:00

You are correct, lockboxes are intake facilities, they collect the fee and route the file to a service center. A lockbox facility would not do any adjudicating.

All I know is they cashed my money order and now have now idea where our file is. It was touched three times and nobody can account for it. Last touch August 01, 2011.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-04 11:09:00

I've seen them route to local USCIS offices before in 4 cases...1) Back during the TSC fiasco last year, they adjudicated some cases at local offices just to take the load off of the service centers (CSC, TSC & VSC) and 2) I've seen them do this when they want to interview the petitioner because red flags showed up in his or her check. Finally, 3) There was some very major mistake in the filing..wrong form was used or something making USCIS think this was an AOS or ROC. 4) And finally, USCIS just screwed up. In your case, since you seem to live around Baltimore somewhere, I doubt number 2 is the case. Only way to find out which it is...is to call USCIS and ask.

What happens when they think it is some other form? I am understand Phoenix is a Lockbox not a Service center right? I think Lockboxes can not adjudicate cases. Am I right?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 20:42:00

We all mailed to Chicago. I used G-1145, so I got an email after it was forwarded to California Service Center. Beats me why it has to be sent to Phoenix. Please call USCIS Chicago and find out why it is in Phoenix. I don't think anybody had this kind of situation, so I am not sure if you get any other response - your best bet is USCIS, Chicago.

Wow! Nobody on this entire site had this issue? Oh no! I hope it is not serious!

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 16:31:00

Still nobody knows? Did this happen to any of you all?

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 12:15:00

When did you mail it?

If you see my timeline you will notice my priority date was july 25.Sent july 18.

Edited by Diddl, 02 August 2011 - 08:02 AM.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 08:01:00

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-02 07:35:00

Is this blackmail?

ok.. so the airport documents won't help - they know you made the trips they want to know how they were funded... I see your dilemma if he paid directly for the trips using a credit card - unless the airline can show they were made with a credit card and they have the purchasers name.

If he gave you money directly and you deposited it you should be able to go back and get bank statements showing where the checks were deposited, highlight the deposits so they can see where the money originated. there does not need to be any correlation just a "see I received money here, here, and here - saved it and used for my trips"

Hmm the more I think about this.. You should only show them funds for trips when you were not married and visiting your guy, the others trips I would put something like "I was married during this trip and my ex-husband paid for these trips, he has chosen to not share the financial information with me."

Don't you think that by stating "I was married during this trip and my ex-husband paid for these trips, he has chosen to not share the financial information with me." it would denote that she refuses to give them the information requested? I think this will ruin her case totally! Because first and foremost why on Earth was she there in the first place? She will continue to be scrutinized if she tells them all of that.

Edited by Diddl, 30 July 2011 - 10:44 AM.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 10:44:00

Is this blackmail?

Yeah, it's weird to me too! I don't understand their logic behind this either. They have a copy of my passport with the stamps, they want to know how I paid for the trips.

I have been on VJ for about 3 months but never posted as I just decided to join today. I took a brief look at your timeline. I think that they may be suspecting fraud on your behalf. The reason I state this is because you went to Pakistan "after" your divorce. Why did you go there and who did you visit? Do you have children out of this previous marriage? Also, is there a great degree of age difference between you and your new hubby? I am just a bit stunned at how your embassy works in the beneficiary's country. I am afraid these "red flags" may pop up in my case too. My trips were paid for by my cousin in Venezuela and my wife and I have met 8 times. She's came here to visit me. I think they feel like you are going to Pakistan bringing people over to USA and getting paid for it. I think they are uncertain of why you would try to pursue two men from the same country in a short duration. They may even suspect that your husband is fraudulent because you have been divorced. I know a few South Asian guys over here in my roofing company and they are really strict about marrying people who are non-virgin. You may want to get an attorney to intervene.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-07-30 10:41:00

What does this email mean?

oh ok then thank you all.

Diddl

Male

Venezuela

2011-08-10 10:39:00