Contacting Congress/senate For Help

cinta

Registered Users (C)
Does it really help??
Anybody really expedited his/her case??
The following article presents one firm's view. Please post your own experience.

http://www.rreeves.com/pub_082.htm

Letters To Representatives Or Senators Do Not Yield Results
July 10, 1997

Many people who have had to deal with the Immigration and Naturalization
Service quickly discover that the INS is inefficient and unfair in its treatment
of aliens. The INS unreasonably delays the processing of many applications
such as application for naturalization and adjustment of status.

In their frustration, many applicants and their families seek assistance from
their Congressional Representatives and Senators. However, assistance
from congressional persons rarely produce any results. In fact, those who
seek assistance from Washington soon discover that their effort to expedite
their case has caused even longer delays.

Those who seek assistance from their Congressperson or Senator
mistakenly believe that the Congressperson or Senator personally contacts
the INS. If the Congressperson or Senator actually picked up the phone and
called Doris Meissner, the Commissioner for INS, then and only then could
you expect results to occur. However, the reality of how an elected official
handles a request for intervention with INS does not result in a personal
phone call to the INS Commissioner or anyone else.

When a request for intervention is received by the Congressperson's office, it
is actually a low level assistant who reads the letter. The request letter never
reaches the desk of the Congressperson. The assistant prepares a
memorandum that is attached to the request letter. The assistant then
forwards a memorandum to the INS. INS routes it to the Congressional
Liaison Unit. This unit then sends for the file. This usually takes a few
months for INS to find the file. Then the file sits in the Congressional Liaison
Unit for a few more months awaiting a clerk to review and respond. In the
meantime, the original unit such as the Examination Section can no longer
act on the file simply because it is at the Liaison Unit.

When the file is finally returned to the responsible unit for adjudication, it is
now placed at the bottom of the pile. I suspect that is the punishment for
having the nerve to complain in the first place. The Congressional INS Unit
responds with the usual excuses by stating that they are understaffed and
overworked but they are taking the matter very seriously, and if they can be
of any further assistance, please write them again about "this matter of
mutual concern." This useless response letter is then forwarded to the
applicant with a cover letter from the Congressperson's office stating that
they hope the letter is of some assistance to them. And, if they need any
more assistance, just let them know.

By this time reality is now setting-in. After a few more months have elapsed,
the alien finally hires an attorney who, hopefully, has the wherewithal to
force INS to adjudicate the case.

The Law Office of Robert L. Reeves does not want this to happen to anyone.
That is why we don't waste time with needless bureaucratic inquiries. Our
reputation for aggressive representation results in most of our cases being
approved without the need for further action. In those occasions when our
clients' cases are unfairly delayed or not treated properly, we seek
immediate court intervention thereby forcing INS to act on our clients' cases.


The Law Office of Robert L. Reeves is the leader in its field in this area of
law. We use our experience and resources to insure that the INS acts on
our clients' cases. Our law office obtains positive results for our clients
because we demand nothing less.
 
This article is dated July 1997 !!!, it is very difficult to agree that this might be still happening in 2004 too. Also, this is a lawyers website doing propaganda for his/her own business. I did read on this forum that many people did get benefited by contacting the senator/congress guys.

Hope this is still true, because for hapless applicants the senators and congrees guys are the only resort. I would ask for applicants to share more light on this if they have been helped in past by senator and they found approaching them fruitful. Till then I think we should restrain from the negative things because this might refrain people from asking help when in actual asking help might really have a positive influence.

Thanks,
 
reply

I would question the validity of this as well. Several folks whom I know who had contacted the elected officials (who got the standard response) but have got approved through the normal CIS process without delays.
 
Originally posted by new1975
This article is dated July 1997 !!!, it is very difficult to agree that this might be still happening in 2004 too. Also, this is a lawyers website doing propaganda for his/her own business. I did read on this forum that many people did get benefited by contacting the senator/congress guys.

Hope this is still true, because for hapless applicants the senators and congrees guys are the only resort. I would ask for applicants to share more light on this if they have been helped in past by senator and they found approaching them fruitful. Till then I think we should restrain from the negative things because this might refrain people from asking help when in actual asking help might really have a positive influence.

Thanks,

I am trying to separate fiction from reality. Obviously if somebody's file was shreded or dislocated they might have gotten help. This is not what I am looking for. The date is irrelevant, since some things never change.
I am looking for people who had their Congressman or Senator PICK UP THE PHONE THEMSELVES and call the Service Director or the CIS Director for that matter. I am not interested in the conventional process which may in fact delay the whole thing.
 
new 1975,

It is definately the advertisement of the Lawyers.

But, I think the information in it is not at all bocus. It reflects the reality to an extent. I have seen only couple of approvals of people who contacted their senators/congressman. Rest of them, a majority of them, must have received standard letters from congressman's office.

I still feel, this is government's policy that plays an important role. Now a days, it seems that goverment policy is to discourage people like you and me to even think about applying for immigration.

In Clinton's time, One used to apply for I485 (just talking about I485 only) were able to get green card in less than 14 months. Now, the wait time is like 2years approximately. I guess, the policy at that time was pro-immigration. During clinton's era, there was a wait period for people from certain countries before they could apply for I485 and India was one of them. There was a huge backlog of immigration cases before Clinton became the president of the country. In eight years, he was able to bring the backlog category to current.

All these letters we received from congress office such as USCIs is understaffed is not true. I think they are not understaffed. They are playing by the policy set forth by the current government. But look at it they have delegated lot of responsiblities(a big one) such answering the phone calls and checking the status over the phone to local contractors, which they used to do themselves.

So friend, prey to god that the current statement made by George Bush regarding immigration to illegal people brings lot of critisism and propoganda. They are forced to expedite the case filed to them.

thanks.
 
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