gcForV
07-10 09:21 PM
Great!!!
Good coverage:
http://news.google.com/news?um=1&tab=wn&hl=en&q=flowers%20uscis
http://www.google.com/search?tab=nw&hl=en&q=flowers%20uscis
Good coverage:
http://news.google.com/news?um=1&tab=wn&hl=en&q=flowers%20uscis
http://www.google.com/search?tab=nw&hl=en&q=flowers%20uscis
wallpaper Sound Off Column - August 2007
gc_chahiye
06-29 06:15 PM
My $0.02. This could be a pre-emptive measure on the part of AILA. There must have been some talk at the state department of mid-month regression. This might be a strategy to scotch that. Raise a ruckus and send a message that we are prepared to file a law suit. Who knows? We are mere pawns in this grand game. Whatever happens, I hope people keep some perspective and not lose sleep over this.
- Sri
yeah right. scare the state-department with a lawsuit.
guys, this is the government we are talking about. A lawsuit is not going to deter them. AILA will settle, the government will investigate and some poor sod somewhere will be fired. Life will then go-on with us hanging on in limbo.
Whatever happens, I hope people keep some perspective and not lose sleep over this.
good advice. Since we cant control whats happening, might as well take our mind off it, and wait and see what happens.
- Sri
yeah right. scare the state-department with a lawsuit.
guys, this is the government we are talking about. A lawsuit is not going to deter them. AILA will settle, the government will investigate and some poor sod somewhere will be fired. Life will then go-on with us hanging on in limbo.
Whatever happens, I hope people keep some perspective and not lose sleep over this.
good advice. Since we cant control whats happening, might as well take our mind off it, and wait and see what happens.
factoryman
05-16 07:32 PM
:) I will make sure to ask the Attorney / firmto overnight it via FedEx on Jun 1. In the meanwhile, I am working on the check list of documents, vaccines list and take medical appointment. Already prepared I-485 filing documents way back in Aug 2005. Maybe the attorney will send a set of new forms, I don't know; I will complete in one day.
late last month my father passed away and I had to fly back to Australia to attend the funeral. My lawyer and I were already in the process of preparing my i485/ead/ap. They arrived at the service centre on may26 and I left the US shortly after midnight on the 27th ( talk about close). My lawyer told me that as long as I was present in the US the day that the Service centre recieved my applications, I was ok. I also had my L1 re-stamped in Sydney before returning. :)
So based on my experience, no you dont have to wait for reciept of filing, just must be in US when filled.
late last month my father passed away and I had to fly back to Australia to attend the funeral. My lawyer and I were already in the process of preparing my i485/ead/ap. They arrived at the service centre on may26 and I left the US shortly after midnight on the 27th ( talk about close). My lawyer told me that as long as I was present in the US the day that the Service centre recieved my applications, I was ok. I also had my L1 re-stamped in Sydney before returning. :)
So based on my experience, no you dont have to wait for reciept of filing, just must be in US when filled.
2011 princess diana dead body.
logiclife
01-02 06:56 PM
Hi,
This afternoon I bought David Heenan's Flight capital which by this time most of us know is going to be a useful and authentic source of information to make our case of retrogression relief.
I am going to post the contents of the book here. I read the first 10 pages and they are PRETTY PRETTY GOOD.
If anyone else can purchase this book and also another book by Richard Florida and post factual contents that would consitute our letter to congressmen, that would be swell.
This afternoon I bought David Heenan's Flight capital which by this time most of us know is going to be a useful and authentic source of information to make our case of retrogression relief.
I am going to post the contents of the book here. I read the first 10 pages and they are PRETTY PRETTY GOOD.
If anyone else can purchase this book and also another book by Richard Florida and post factual contents that would consitute our letter to congressmen, that would be swell.
more...
abuddyz
01-29 10:41 PM
My H1b1 extension petition was approved in October first week.
hmm.. so this is very recent approval (just 3 months back). i know there are cases which are approved long back and they are also stuck in PIMS but we don't know their service center.. in your case we know that WAC with october 2007 approval is getting stuck..
is there any one with WAC receipt number and approval after October 2007?? if there is anyone please post your details...
hmm.. so this is very recent approval (just 3 months back). i know there are cases which are approved long back and they are also stuck in PIMS but we don't know their service center.. in your case we know that WAC with october 2007 approval is getting stuck..
is there any one with WAC receipt number and approval after October 2007?? if there is anyone please post your details...
indianabacklog
10-09 05:08 PM
Don't bother to ask anything about CP for people just don't care to respond!
I have tried enough on every forum including this (even whe we need a genuine information and not just predictions).
No one to be blamed! But relax, there will be a time for CP guys too!
Maybe people are not responding on the basis that they do not have any knowledge of consular processing.
I think majority of people on this forum are in the US and are adjusting status. Surely you would not want answers that were wrong or misleading.
I have tried enough on every forum including this (even whe we need a genuine information and not just predictions).
No one to be blamed! But relax, there will be a time for CP guys too!
Maybe people are not responding on the basis that they do not have any knowledge of consular processing.
I think majority of people on this forum are in the US and are adjusting status. Surely you would not want answers that were wrong or misleading.
more...
legal_la
06-28 10:55 PM
June 28, 2007
USCIS: RUMORS OF EARLY VISA RETROGRESSION
Late Wednesday, rumors emerged that the USCIS may attempt to retrogress the July immigrant visa numbers early in July and reject I- 485 (adjustment of status) applications filed early in the month. USCIS has taken such action already with respect to the �other worker� visa category involving non-professional workers.
Visa availability is based on the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin, which is published monthly, not on a rolling basis. If USCIS cuts off visa numbers in mid-month, this would be a clear violation of Federal law and agency policy. If the USCIS were to take this arbitrary action, it would cause significant problems for applicants and employers alike.
If USCIS cuts off applications on a certain date in early July, this will most likely occur without advance warning. In that case, not all applications will be accepted for processing. Be aware that that USCIS will reject an application unless it contains certain minimum supporting documents. For I-485 applications, minimum documents include a completed medical examination and birth certificates (or secondary evidence of birth, which must meet specific USCIS requirements). Applications for dependent spouses must include a marriage certificate. We strongly recommend that I-485 applicants obtain these and other requested documents as soon as possible. Until further notice, please do not plan to travel internationally during the month of July.
We will work as hard and as diligently as possible to get I-485 applications filed quickly. This will require active cooperation by all applicants to obtain needed documents. Again, please understand that the proposed USCIS action is just rumor at this point, but if the USCIS takes such action, it will likely be without warning. Further, it is possible that there could be retroactive rejections of applications once filed. Unfortunately, this is all we know at this time. We do not know when and if any such actions will occur; we will also not know immediately which, if any, cases are rejected once they have been submitted.
The attorneys at XXXXX are shocked and disappointed that the government could take such ill-thought and arbitrary steps and we will work to fight any illegal action by the USCIS. We are continuing to monitor the USCIS� actions and will provide updates as they become available
I heard similar story from my lawyer. I am not trying to scare anyone just posting what I heard, he is also a very reputed lawyer.
We may not get anything by lawsuit or by taking some action, but we should not just sit there and let them play with us. It is not about anger but it is about self respect.
USCIS: RUMORS OF EARLY VISA RETROGRESSION
Late Wednesday, rumors emerged that the USCIS may attempt to retrogress the July immigrant visa numbers early in July and reject I- 485 (adjustment of status) applications filed early in the month. USCIS has taken such action already with respect to the �other worker� visa category involving non-professional workers.
Visa availability is based on the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin, which is published monthly, not on a rolling basis. If USCIS cuts off visa numbers in mid-month, this would be a clear violation of Federal law and agency policy. If the USCIS were to take this arbitrary action, it would cause significant problems for applicants and employers alike.
If USCIS cuts off applications on a certain date in early July, this will most likely occur without advance warning. In that case, not all applications will be accepted for processing. Be aware that that USCIS will reject an application unless it contains certain minimum supporting documents. For I-485 applications, minimum documents include a completed medical examination and birth certificates (or secondary evidence of birth, which must meet specific USCIS requirements). Applications for dependent spouses must include a marriage certificate. We strongly recommend that I-485 applicants obtain these and other requested documents as soon as possible. Until further notice, please do not plan to travel internationally during the month of July.
We will work as hard and as diligently as possible to get I-485 applications filed quickly. This will require active cooperation by all applicants to obtain needed documents. Again, please understand that the proposed USCIS action is just rumor at this point, but if the USCIS takes such action, it will likely be without warning. Further, it is possible that there could be retroactive rejections of applications once filed. Unfortunately, this is all we know at this time. We do not know when and if any such actions will occur; we will also not know immediately which, if any, cases are rejected once they have been submitted.
The attorneys at XXXXX are shocked and disappointed that the government could take such ill-thought and arbitrary steps and we will work to fight any illegal action by the USCIS. We are continuing to monitor the USCIS� actions and will provide updates as they become available
I heard similar story from my lawyer. I am not trying to scare anyone just posting what I heard, he is also a very reputed lawyer.
We may not get anything by lawsuit or by taking some action, but we should not just sit there and let them play with us. It is not about anger but it is about self respect.
2010 Princess Diana#39;s Death
satyasaich
02-01 11:16 AM
But seems to be just laid on table and waiting for action. Specially S.1033/H.R.2330 and S.1916-1919 has a provision to exempt the immidiate family members from Employment based visa numbers which is Good.
S1438 is also some what for a tiny releif as it asks for recapture of unused visas from past years
http://www.competeamerica.org/hill/legislation/chart_reform_bill_comparison.pdf
S1438 is also some what for a tiny releif as it asks for recapture of unused visas from past years
http://www.competeamerica.org/hill/legislation/chart_reform_bill_comparison.pdf
more...
vishalsaboo
01-09 08:20 AM
Guys, I received a "Processing Complete" email from the consulate this morning (Jan 9th). My interview at the Mumbai consulate was on Dec 28th. I submitted my PP to the VFS and should have it back in a couple of days. Good luck to everyone and thank you for all the posts!
hair house princess diana death
jaihind
06-29 06:20 PM
Clearly the USCIS and the DOS have absolutely no clue as to how to manage the visa regime.
On top of that these smart asses think they are answerable to none - since this is just a matter of 'to be' immigrants.
Now the class action suit proposed by AILF will surely shock them from their oblivion and bring them down to REAL world.
All said and done...anyway the gates will open in Oct 2007 !!! Guys and Gals...go enjoy your week end !!!
On top of that these smart asses think they are answerable to none - since this is just a matter of 'to be' immigrants.
Now the class action suit proposed by AILF will surely shock them from their oblivion and bring them down to REAL world.
All said and done...anyway the gates will open in Oct 2007 !!! Guys and Gals...go enjoy your week end !!!
more...
gangadhargs
11-08 04:54 PM
I also sent the letters. Just now received a standard form reply which asks me to go to uscis.gov or call the customer service center if I have any questions about my case. It seems that they did not realize that the letter I sent was not about "my" case but about an issue that is affecting everybody. It seems like they did not even read our letters!!
hot Princess Diana Inquest Day
nrk
08-17 02:05 PM
congrats enjoy.
Hi guys
Just now (12.30 PM EST) I got a mail from USCIS saying your application has been approved. I didn't do anything (never opened SR or contacted Senator) but last week I did had an info pass appointment which was useless. MY PD was Feb 2005 EB2 INDIA (The fun part is My AP and EAD are still pending for over 4 months)
Wish you good luck guys
Thanks again
Hi guys
Just now (12.30 PM EST) I got a mail from USCIS saying your application has been approved. I didn't do anything (never opened SR or contacted Senator) but last week I did had an info pass appointment which was useless. MY PD was Feb 2005 EB2 INDIA (The fun part is My AP and EAD are still pending for over 4 months)
Wish you good luck guys
Thanks again
more...
house princess diana dead body.
pappu
11-19 07:55 PM
This is the reply from Attorney Murthy on a question asked on Murthy chat about filing two employment based I-485's for the same beneficiary (not the husband/wife situation).
"Generally it is safer not to file 2 separate 485s since it can confuse USCIS since they may assign two separate Alien or A numbers to the same person. This could end up delaying the person's I-485 approval down the road or create a security delay in many cases with multiple I-485s generally we recommend one case to be filed as an AOS and the other for CP if possible."
After much research on this, I tend to agree with this answer above (not the CP part though). As per my latest information from a lawyer who does multiple filings, the processing delay can be significant due to this. Looking back, wish our community had more information on this and more real examples of people who have done it. It would have helped members who were unsure if they should do multiple filings.
Anyways this thread will be useful for future I485 filers.
"Generally it is safer not to file 2 separate 485s since it can confuse USCIS since they may assign two separate Alien or A numbers to the same person. This could end up delaying the person's I-485 approval down the road or create a security delay in many cases with multiple I-485s generally we recommend one case to be filed as an AOS and the other for CP if possible."
After much research on this, I tend to agree with this answer above (not the CP part though). As per my latest information from a lawyer who does multiple filings, the processing delay can be significant due to this. Looking back, wish our community had more information on this and more real examples of people who have done it. It would have helped members who were unsure if they should do multiple filings.
Anyways this thread will be useful for future I485 filers.
tattoo Upcoming Princess
DesiGuy
09-11 09:57 AM
does this mean we should also call Rep. Lofgren's office and re-emphasise the fact that her efforts are apprecaited and show our strong support. everyone needs motivation.
more...
pictures In other news, Princess Diana
alterego
01-25 01:36 AM
There are a few praises about Jet Airways in previous posts.
Let me set the record straight. They have miles to go before they start claiming themselves as "world class" international airline.
I was on vacation past 2.5 weeks to India and here is my experience.
Regarding Jet Airways poor customer service:
On return, my Jet Airways flight from Rajkot (Gujarat) to Mumbai was delayed by 2 hours. Its only a 55 minute flight from Rajkot to Mumbai. Because of this, my connection of Delta airlines from Mumbai to New York was missed. Delta gave me a seat on plane the next day. Same flight - but a day after. So now, I was stuck in Mumbai, with huge luggage for 24 hours. I asked Delta for Hotel accomodation. They said, its not their fault and its Jet Airways fault and I should ask them for Hotel.
I went to Jet Airways customer service in Mumbai airport. They said that they cant find a single room in Mumbai due to some exhibition/conference going on at the time. A major international airline, shooting for stars, cant find a Hotel room in a city as big as Mumbai. Frustrated, I went to a government agency office (IATA I think) and they said that they dont have anything nearby, but can arrange something 30 kilometers away, and it was a sub-standard hotel and room. I paid out of my own pocket and stayed there a night. It was Rs 2000 (about $50) for this hotel plus taxi.
The next day, before boarding Delta flight, I went to Jet Airways office again and told them that I found a hotel room on my own and see if they can re-imburse me for the hotel expenses. If they had paid themselves in Hyatt or Grand Meridian outside airport, it would have been more anyways. The manager of Jet Airways said that they cannot do it and I should scan the reciepts and my boarding pass and email customersupport at jetairways.
An hour before this happened, the office didnt even have anyone in charge in office (at about 7:00 PM). The agent said, the manager isnt here. I asked, "who's in charge", and she said "No one is in charge right now, you have to come back at 8:00 when manager comes in".
What I am saying is, Jet Airways has miles to go before it can take pride. Just starting flights to Newark, Chicago doesnt make it a great airline. Neither does good food. Treat customers well, and atleast do a better job than government offices when it comes to locating hotel rooms for stranded passengers who are stranded due to their fault.
Mumbai Airport security harrassment :
My flight was just past midnight and I checked out of hotel at noon. (I had to). With 12 hours and nothing to do, I headed to Mumbai airport. At the airport, they dont let you inside the building unless you are a passenger. The security guard at the door said that I need to come back at 9:00 PM and I cant go into the airport right now as my flight is at night. I told him that I am not coming to airport to enjoy the lounge and I am stranded due to missed airline connection. He didnt listen. I was sitting outside the building until about 8:00 PM with all luggage.
Now I understand that security is important, but what's the point in stopping someone and letting them inside only 4 hours prior. Because if there is a nefarious person planning something bad, what can he/she do in 10 hours that he/she cant do in 4 hours. How does it enhance security by limiting the presence of passengers inside airport? Well, you cant argue with knuckleheads.
Inside airport, I ran into a German lady and a guy from Netherlands and both of them were in the airport since the afternoon. They said they argued and they were let in. Basically, the Indian security forces at the airport wont argue with Europeans and will let them inside the airport but will go extra lengths to harrass people that they are comfortable harrassing - their own people.
So we can ignore London airport. Fine. Are we also going to ignore Mumbai airport now?
The best way to avoid harrassment is to stand up and fight it. Because avoiding this airport and that airline is not going to cut it.
Interesting to read all these experiences.
Let me share mine in Mumbai, although it was a couple of years ago.
I was born in India but have a foreign passport. When you are leaving the country they have an officer interview you. I am not sure why, but it is quite unusual, kind of like an exit interview I guess. I have not seen that anywhere else.
Anyway the guy asked all sorts of detailed questions, and then finally asked me how much Rupees cash I have with me. I told him I'm not exactly sure, but about 1000Rs(about 20 dollars at that time). He told me the limit was 800Rs for foreigners leaving India and told me it was illegal to take Indian Rupees out of the country and asked me to take out my wallet and count it, when I counted it, it turned out I had 1400 Rs in my wallet. Then he became quite irate and condescending and asked me what I do for a living, I told him I am a doctor, then he went on insulting me, asking whether I would say that a patients temperature was 104 if it was 101! I told him that is not relevant here. He got angrier and told me he will have to confiscate that money. I told him 1400 Rs is not that much money and I could spend it in the departure lounge before I left. He was livid. He asked me to hand over the Indian currency. I was not quite sure what to do, but I sure as hell knew I did not want this scumbag to have that money. So I turned around and gave the balance above 800Rs to another passenger in line next to me and said take it as a gift from a stranger. That pushed him over the edge, he started yelling in Hindi. I told him I do not speak Hindi, that seemed to upset him even more. By this time other passengers were aware of what was going on as well and were objecting as well. He was fuming and walked away from his desk yelling and shouting in Hindi and his supervisor came to take over. He asked what the issue was and I explained it to him. He waved me by and moved on to the next passenger.
Later that passenger, came up to me in the departure lounge and returned the money I gave her. We started chatting, and I asked her to join me in the restaurant as our flight was 3 hrs away so we went to the restaurant and spent it all in the departure lounge on a meal and a couple of drinks and the tip.
They need to improve things and get rid of these morons in those airports. Perhaps they need to pay them realistic salaries and then make them more accountable. They don't realize it and perhaps care even less, but they represent India's image and brand every day in the eyes of visitors and travellers alike.
Let me set the record straight. They have miles to go before they start claiming themselves as "world class" international airline.
I was on vacation past 2.5 weeks to India and here is my experience.
Regarding Jet Airways poor customer service:
On return, my Jet Airways flight from Rajkot (Gujarat) to Mumbai was delayed by 2 hours. Its only a 55 minute flight from Rajkot to Mumbai. Because of this, my connection of Delta airlines from Mumbai to New York was missed. Delta gave me a seat on plane the next day. Same flight - but a day after. So now, I was stuck in Mumbai, with huge luggage for 24 hours. I asked Delta for Hotel accomodation. They said, its not their fault and its Jet Airways fault and I should ask them for Hotel.
I went to Jet Airways customer service in Mumbai airport. They said that they cant find a single room in Mumbai due to some exhibition/conference going on at the time. A major international airline, shooting for stars, cant find a Hotel room in a city as big as Mumbai. Frustrated, I went to a government agency office (IATA I think) and they said that they dont have anything nearby, but can arrange something 30 kilometers away, and it was a sub-standard hotel and room. I paid out of my own pocket and stayed there a night. It was Rs 2000 (about $50) for this hotel plus taxi.
The next day, before boarding Delta flight, I went to Jet Airways office again and told them that I found a hotel room on my own and see if they can re-imburse me for the hotel expenses. If they had paid themselves in Hyatt or Grand Meridian outside airport, it would have been more anyways. The manager of Jet Airways said that they cannot do it and I should scan the reciepts and my boarding pass and email customersupport at jetairways.
An hour before this happened, the office didnt even have anyone in charge in office (at about 7:00 PM). The agent said, the manager isnt here. I asked, "who's in charge", and she said "No one is in charge right now, you have to come back at 8:00 when manager comes in".
What I am saying is, Jet Airways has miles to go before it can take pride. Just starting flights to Newark, Chicago doesnt make it a great airline. Neither does good food. Treat customers well, and atleast do a better job than government offices when it comes to locating hotel rooms for stranded passengers who are stranded due to their fault.
Mumbai Airport security harrassment :
My flight was just past midnight and I checked out of hotel at noon. (I had to). With 12 hours and nothing to do, I headed to Mumbai airport. At the airport, they dont let you inside the building unless you are a passenger. The security guard at the door said that I need to come back at 9:00 PM and I cant go into the airport right now as my flight is at night. I told him that I am not coming to airport to enjoy the lounge and I am stranded due to missed airline connection. He didnt listen. I was sitting outside the building until about 8:00 PM with all luggage.
Now I understand that security is important, but what's the point in stopping someone and letting them inside only 4 hours prior. Because if there is a nefarious person planning something bad, what can he/she do in 10 hours that he/she cant do in 4 hours. How does it enhance security by limiting the presence of passengers inside airport? Well, you cant argue with knuckleheads.
Inside airport, I ran into a German lady and a guy from Netherlands and both of them were in the airport since the afternoon. They said they argued and they were let in. Basically, the Indian security forces at the airport wont argue with Europeans and will let them inside the airport but will go extra lengths to harrass people that they are comfortable harrassing - their own people.
So we can ignore London airport. Fine. Are we also going to ignore Mumbai airport now?
The best way to avoid harrassment is to stand up and fight it. Because avoiding this airport and that airline is not going to cut it.
Interesting to read all these experiences.
Let me share mine in Mumbai, although it was a couple of years ago.
I was born in India but have a foreign passport. When you are leaving the country they have an officer interview you. I am not sure why, but it is quite unusual, kind of like an exit interview I guess. I have not seen that anywhere else.
Anyway the guy asked all sorts of detailed questions, and then finally asked me how much Rupees cash I have with me. I told him I'm not exactly sure, but about 1000Rs(about 20 dollars at that time). He told me the limit was 800Rs for foreigners leaving India and told me it was illegal to take Indian Rupees out of the country and asked me to take out my wallet and count it, when I counted it, it turned out I had 1400 Rs in my wallet. Then he became quite irate and condescending and asked me what I do for a living, I told him I am a doctor, then he went on insulting me, asking whether I would say that a patients temperature was 104 if it was 101! I told him that is not relevant here. He got angrier and told me he will have to confiscate that money. I told him 1400 Rs is not that much money and I could spend it in the departure lounge before I left. He was livid. He asked me to hand over the Indian currency. I was not quite sure what to do, but I sure as hell knew I did not want this scumbag to have that money. So I turned around and gave the balance above 800Rs to another passenger in line next to me and said take it as a gift from a stranger. That pushed him over the edge, he started yelling in Hindi. I told him I do not speak Hindi, that seemed to upset him even more. By this time other passengers were aware of what was going on as well and were objecting as well. He was fuming and walked away from his desk yelling and shouting in Hindi and his supervisor came to take over. He asked what the issue was and I explained it to him. He waved me by and moved on to the next passenger.
Later that passenger, came up to me in the departure lounge and returned the money I gave her. We started chatting, and I asked her to join me in the restaurant as our flight was 3 hrs away so we went to the restaurant and spent it all in the departure lounge on a meal and a couple of drinks and the tip.
They need to improve things and get rid of these morons in those airports. Perhaps they need to pay them realistic salaries and then make them more accountable. They don't realize it and perhaps care even less, but they represent India's image and brand every day in the eyes of visitors and travellers alike.
dresses 2011 NEW PRINCESS DIANA
funny
09-09 04:20 PM
I am surprised that all other threads are getting updated quite frequently. People are posting question related to their RFE and as usual once they get answer to their problems, they vanish. People are posting jokes on IV, but when it is their turn to call, we've to "bump" this thread and send e-mails to members. So pathetic.
I felt very sad when I read 30000+ members donated some 4000 dollars in last two months. I felt my donation of about 1000 dollars since 2006 is being wasted to answer questions of or to solve the problems of these free riders &/or one question members.
EVERY BODY PLease call...Today is the Day...
I felt very sad when I read 30000+ members donated some 4000 dollars in last two months. I felt my donation of about 1000 dollars since 2006 is being wasted to answer questions of or to solve the problems of these free riders &/or one question members.
EVERY BODY PLease call...Today is the Day...
more...
makeup Princess Diana of Wales
addsf345
01-13 04:03 PM
I assume others have got this too...please share next steps. I assume MTR is one of them. I have attached the jpeg file.
What happens after sending letters to the ombudsman?
Is it necessary to have MTR before sending to ombudsman?
Mohican
Read on the URL that jayleno provided, ombudsman has provided specific instructions what to do next. Also consult your lawyer for an MTR. Wish you good luck!
What happens after sending letters to the ombudsman?
Is it necessary to have MTR before sending to ombudsman?
Mohican
Read on the URL that jayleno provided, ombudsman has provided specific instructions what to do next. Also consult your lawyer for an MTR. Wish you good luck!
girlfriend princess diana dead body
FrankZulu
08-17 07:45 PM
Got CPO email at 12:15 PM for both Me & Spouse.:)
I485: NSC
PD: Feb/6/06
RD: Jul/5/07
ND: Sep/12/07
Pre-adjudicated: Mar/20/09
Approval Date: Aug 16th
Approval Email: Aug 17th.
I485: NSC
PD: Feb/6/06
RD: Jul/5/07
ND: Sep/12/07
Pre-adjudicated: Mar/20/09
Approval Date: Aug 16th
Approval Email: Aug 17th.
hairstyles Princess Diana is dead: and
DallasBlue
09-13 03:00 PM
Caught in a Bureaucratic Black Hole
By Anna Gorman
The Los Angeles Times
Monday 10 September 2007
Applicants seeking US citizenship languish for years as the FBI conducts cumbersome records checks. Lawsuits are a result.
Seeking to become a U.S. citizen, Biljana Petrovic filed her application, completed her interview and passed her civics test.
More than three years later, she is still waiting to be naturalized - held up by an FBI name-check process that has been criticized as slow, inefficient and a danger to national security.
Petrovic, a stay-at-home mother in Los Altos, Calif., who has no criminal record, has sued the federal government to try to speed up the process. She said it's as if her application has slipped into a "black hole."
"It's complete frustration," said Petrovic, who is originally from the former Yugoslavia and is a naturalized Canadian citizen. "It's not like I am applying to enter the country. I have been here for 19 years."
Nearly 320,000 people were waiting for their name checks to be completed as of Aug. 7, including more than 152,000 who had been waiting for more than six months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. More than 61,000 had been waiting for more than two years.
Applicants for permanent residency or citizenship have lost jobs, missed out on student loans and in-state tuition, and been unable to vote or bring relatives into the country. The delays have prompted scores of lawsuits around the country.
Already this fiscal year, more than 4,100 suits have been filed against the citizenship and immigration agency, compared with 2,650 last year and about 680 in 2005. The mandamus suits ask federal judges to compel immigration officials to adjudicate the cases. The majority of the cases were prompted by delays in checking names, spokesman Chris Bentley said.
"There is nothing in immigration law that says that a citizenship application should take two, three, four years. That's absurd," said Ranjana Natarajan, an ACLU staff attorney who filed a class-action lawsuit in Southern California last year on behalf of applicants waiting for their names to be checked. "People who have not been any sort of threat ... have been caught up in this dragnet."
In addition to the bureaucratic nightmare that the lengthy delays present, attorneys and government officials say there is a far more serious concern: They could be allowing potential terrorists to stay in the country.
Fallout From 9/11
The backlog began after 9/11, when Citizenship and Immigration Services officials reassessed their procedures and learned that the FBI checks were not as thorough as they had believed. So "out of an abundance of caution," the agency resubmitted 2.7 million names in 2002 to be checked further, Bentley said.
Rather than simply determining if the applicants were subjects of FBI investigations, the bureau checked to see if their names showed up in any FBI files, including being listed as witnesses or victims. About 90% of the names did not appear in the agency's records, FBI spokesman Bill Carter said.
But for the 10% who were listed, authorities carefully reviewed the files to look for any "derogatory" information, Carter said. Because many documents aren't electronic and are in the bureau's 265 offices nationwide, that process can take months, if not years.
"It is not a check of your name," said Chuck Roth, director of litigation for the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, which also filed a class-action suit. "It is a file review of anywhere your name happens to appear. It has just created a giant bureaucratic mess."
Although many of those stuck in the backlog are from predominantly Muslim countries, there are also people from Russia, China, India and elsewhere. They include government employees and Iraq war veterans. Many have been in the U.S. legally for decades.
In one case decided in Washington, D.C., recently, a federal judge wrote that a Chinese man's four-year wait for permanent residency was unreasonable and ordered the government to decide on the application within three months. Petrovic, who has two U.S.-born teenagers, doesn't know what delayed her application. The only explanation she can think of is that her name is common in her native country.
She and her husband, Ihab Abu-Hakima, also a Canadian citizen, applied for citizenship in April 2003 and had their interviews in February 2004. Her husband was sworn in that summer, while her application continued to languish. She checked the mail daily.
When she still didn't hear anything, Petrovic contacted immigration officials, who told her that the FBI had her file and that it was still active. She also contacted her representative and her senator, whose offices asked Citizenship and Immigration Services to expedite the application. She filed a Freedom of Information Act request for her FBI file, which simply showed that she had never been arrested.
"I have a feeling that the system has broken down," she said.
Joining a Different Group
In August, Petrovic joined an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed in Northern California against the federal government. She is waiting to become a U.S. citizen so she can sponsor her elderly parents, who live in Canada and visit often.
"Every time they leave, I feel bad," she said. "This is their life here, more than there."
The problem extends beyond the disruption of personal lives.
In his yearly report to Congress in June, immigration services ombudsman Prakash wrote that the policy on checking names "may increase the risk to national security by extending the time a potential criminal or terrorist remains in the country." questioned the overall value of the process, writing that it was the "single biggest obstacle to the timely and efficient delivery of immigration benefits."
The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged the threat, last month announcing plans to work with the FBI to address the backlog and reduce delays. Citizenship and Immigration Services will reassess the way name checks are done and earmark $6 million toward streamlining the process, Bentley said.
Though 99% of the agency's name checks are completed within six months, Bentley said, the lengthy delays for some applicants is "unacceptable."
"That requires a lot of patience on the part of an applicant because they have to wait sometimes multiple years," he said.
Nevertheless, he said, no benefit will be approved until that name check comes back clear. Security checks have produced information about sex crimes, drug trafficking and individuals with known links to terrorism, according to the agency.
Carter, the FBI spokesman, said he understands that applicants waiting for answers are anxious, but he said the process is complicated and involves dozens of agencies and databases - and, in some cases, foreign governments.
"The FBI's No. 1 priority remains to protect the United States from terrorist attack," Carter said. "To that end, we must ensure the proper balance between security and efficiency."
In addition to clearing the backlog and processing the 27,000 new name checks it receives each week from immigration officials, the FBI is trying to accelerate the process by making more documents electronic. It is also adding more staff and moving resources to a new records facility in Virginia, Carter said.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, said the government needs to make sure that it carefully checks every application. And working with foreign governments is inevitably going to slow the process down, he said.
"We correctly have much more stringent standards for immigration," he said. "I am not really sure that there is any way to do this kind of deep background check efficiently."
But attorneys said that because of the inefficiency, the program isn't serving its purpose.
"Let's say this guy is a terrorist or a criminal," Los Angeles immigration attorney Carl Shusterman said. "Why wouldn't the FBI rush the case?"
Mervyn Sam, a South African native who got a green card in 1998, has been waiting more than four years for the FBI to complete his name check. Sam said his career has been affected by the delay. He lives in Anaheim and is a project manager at a software company but cannot work on certain government projects because he is not a U.S. citizen. He has sued the federal government.
"I am not sure what the hiccup is on my end," he said. "It is very, very frustrating."
Shusterman, whose office is representing Sam, said applicants waste their time by contacting the immigration services agency, the FBI or their legislators.
"There is only one thing that works, and that is suing them in federal court," he said.
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anna.gorman@latimes.com
By Anna Gorman
The Los Angeles Times
Monday 10 September 2007
Applicants seeking US citizenship languish for years as the FBI conducts cumbersome records checks. Lawsuits are a result.
Seeking to become a U.S. citizen, Biljana Petrovic filed her application, completed her interview and passed her civics test.
More than three years later, she is still waiting to be naturalized - held up by an FBI name-check process that has been criticized as slow, inefficient and a danger to national security.
Petrovic, a stay-at-home mother in Los Altos, Calif., who has no criminal record, has sued the federal government to try to speed up the process. She said it's as if her application has slipped into a "black hole."
"It's complete frustration," said Petrovic, who is originally from the former Yugoslavia and is a naturalized Canadian citizen. "It's not like I am applying to enter the country. I have been here for 19 years."
Nearly 320,000 people were waiting for their name checks to be completed as of Aug. 7, including more than 152,000 who had been waiting for more than six months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. More than 61,000 had been waiting for more than two years.
Applicants for permanent residency or citizenship have lost jobs, missed out on student loans and in-state tuition, and been unable to vote or bring relatives into the country. The delays have prompted scores of lawsuits around the country.
Already this fiscal year, more than 4,100 suits have been filed against the citizenship and immigration agency, compared with 2,650 last year and about 680 in 2005. The mandamus suits ask federal judges to compel immigration officials to adjudicate the cases. The majority of the cases were prompted by delays in checking names, spokesman Chris Bentley said.
"There is nothing in immigration law that says that a citizenship application should take two, three, four years. That's absurd," said Ranjana Natarajan, an ACLU staff attorney who filed a class-action lawsuit in Southern California last year on behalf of applicants waiting for their names to be checked. "People who have not been any sort of threat ... have been caught up in this dragnet."
In addition to the bureaucratic nightmare that the lengthy delays present, attorneys and government officials say there is a far more serious concern: They could be allowing potential terrorists to stay in the country.
Fallout From 9/11
The backlog began after 9/11, when Citizenship and Immigration Services officials reassessed their procedures and learned that the FBI checks were not as thorough as they had believed. So "out of an abundance of caution," the agency resubmitted 2.7 million names in 2002 to be checked further, Bentley said.
Rather than simply determining if the applicants were subjects of FBI investigations, the bureau checked to see if their names showed up in any FBI files, including being listed as witnesses or victims. About 90% of the names did not appear in the agency's records, FBI spokesman Bill Carter said.
But for the 10% who were listed, authorities carefully reviewed the files to look for any "derogatory" information, Carter said. Because many documents aren't electronic and are in the bureau's 265 offices nationwide, that process can take months, if not years.
"It is not a check of your name," said Chuck Roth, director of litigation for the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, which also filed a class-action suit. "It is a file review of anywhere your name happens to appear. It has just created a giant bureaucratic mess."
Although many of those stuck in the backlog are from predominantly Muslim countries, there are also people from Russia, China, India and elsewhere. They include government employees and Iraq war veterans. Many have been in the U.S. legally for decades.
In one case decided in Washington, D.C., recently, a federal judge wrote that a Chinese man's four-year wait for permanent residency was unreasonable and ordered the government to decide on the application within three months. Petrovic, who has two U.S.-born teenagers, doesn't know what delayed her application. The only explanation she can think of is that her name is common in her native country.
She and her husband, Ihab Abu-Hakima, also a Canadian citizen, applied for citizenship in April 2003 and had their interviews in February 2004. Her husband was sworn in that summer, while her application continued to languish. She checked the mail daily.
When she still didn't hear anything, Petrovic contacted immigration officials, who told her that the FBI had her file and that it was still active. She also contacted her representative and her senator, whose offices asked Citizenship and Immigration Services to expedite the application. She filed a Freedom of Information Act request for her FBI file, which simply showed that she had never been arrested.
"I have a feeling that the system has broken down," she said.
Joining a Different Group
In August, Petrovic joined an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed in Northern California against the federal government. She is waiting to become a U.S. citizen so she can sponsor her elderly parents, who live in Canada and visit often.
"Every time they leave, I feel bad," she said. "This is their life here, more than there."
The problem extends beyond the disruption of personal lives.
In his yearly report to Congress in June, immigration services ombudsman Prakash wrote that the policy on checking names "may increase the risk to national security by extending the time a potential criminal or terrorist remains in the country." questioned the overall value of the process, writing that it was the "single biggest obstacle to the timely and efficient delivery of immigration benefits."
The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged the threat, last month announcing plans to work with the FBI to address the backlog and reduce delays. Citizenship and Immigration Services will reassess the way name checks are done and earmark $6 million toward streamlining the process, Bentley said.
Though 99% of the agency's name checks are completed within six months, Bentley said, the lengthy delays for some applicants is "unacceptable."
"That requires a lot of patience on the part of an applicant because they have to wait sometimes multiple years," he said.
Nevertheless, he said, no benefit will be approved until that name check comes back clear. Security checks have produced information about sex crimes, drug trafficking and individuals with known links to terrorism, according to the agency.
Carter, the FBI spokesman, said he understands that applicants waiting for answers are anxious, but he said the process is complicated and involves dozens of agencies and databases - and, in some cases, foreign governments.
"The FBI's No. 1 priority remains to protect the United States from terrorist attack," Carter said. "To that end, we must ensure the proper balance between security and efficiency."
In addition to clearing the backlog and processing the 27,000 new name checks it receives each week from immigration officials, the FBI is trying to accelerate the process by making more documents electronic. It is also adding more staff and moving resources to a new records facility in Virginia, Carter said.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, said the government needs to make sure that it carefully checks every application. And working with foreign governments is inevitably going to slow the process down, he said.
"We correctly have much more stringent standards for immigration," he said. "I am not really sure that there is any way to do this kind of deep background check efficiently."
But attorneys said that because of the inefficiency, the program isn't serving its purpose.
"Let's say this guy is a terrorist or a criminal," Los Angeles immigration attorney Carl Shusterman said. "Why wouldn't the FBI rush the case?"
Mervyn Sam, a South African native who got a green card in 1998, has been waiting more than four years for the FBI to complete his name check. Sam said his career has been affected by the delay. He lives in Anaheim and is a project manager at a software company but cannot work on certain government projects because he is not a U.S. citizen. He has sued the federal government.
"I am not sure what the hiccup is on my end," he said. "It is very, very frustrating."
Shusterman, whose office is representing Sam, said applicants waste their time by contacting the immigration services agency, the FBI or their legislators.
"There is only one thing that works, and that is suing them in federal court," he said.
--------
anna.gorman@latimes.com
royus77
07-09 09:55 PM
This is awesome even before getting the flowers we have achieved what was intended.
I request members to refrain from making personal comments.
Everyone has got their opinion but if that is against our idea and thoughts we should tackle it fairly.
Anyways KUDOS to Everyone participated in this cause.
The message was reched to whoever it needs to ( Media) and USCIS make it easy by posting the same in www.uscis.gov website. This is a big victory for IV and the next step is to have a big rally to carry the message forward. Please vote to join rally in DC for the week end
I request members to refrain from making personal comments.
Everyone has got their opinion but if that is against our idea and thoughts we should tackle it fairly.
Anyways KUDOS to Everyone participated in this cause.
The message was reched to whoever it needs to ( Media) and USCIS make it easy by posting the same in www.uscis.gov website. This is a big victory for IV and the next step is to have a big rally to carry the message forward. Please vote to join rally in DC for the week end
tempy
09-09 08:33 AM
You must be kidding me if you cannot make out the difference between an approval and an RFE. It clearly states "Your Case Status: Decision"... What more do you want?
I was wondering why the status went backwards (from CPO to Decision) and if that that is a normal process.
Thanks,
I was wondering why the status went backwards (from CPO to Decision) and if that that is a normal process.
Thanks,