http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nationalnamecheck.htm
It is clearly stated:
Because each customer agency determines which name checks are expedited, contacting Congressional representatives, the FBI's Office of Congressional Affairs, or the NNCP will only further tie up vital resources and will not contribute to the expediting of a name check.
I am really beginning to doubt the stories of congressmen/first lady pushing the fbi to get namechecks done. If anything it would only further delay the process and put you in a position to file mandamus/lawsuit.
Jack,
Your concern is valid if you're taking these assertions verbatim. If that were to hold true, then the USCIS claim of adjudicating a majority of their AOS applications under six months would be true, as would the FBI statistic of processing 99% of their name checks within six months or less.
While I do appreciate the agency's sentiment, and it is most probably a legitimate gripe that congressional inquiries do tie up resources, resources that can be well spent by the agency in perhaps clearing their backlog, the fact of the matter is that folks who apply for AOS and get stuck in name check for prolonged periods are frustrated at the lack of feedback.
I completely understand that national security is of prime importance, but the fact of the matter is that people who get stuck in name check are largely innocent. We're honest, hard-working, tax paying individuals. If you consider it logically, a person with malintentions would most likely NOT contact his elected representatives (as a taxpayer, not as a voter), to have them contact the FBI.
Lastly, as far as the WoM memo is concerned, the memo is just that. An internal memo designed to discourage individuals from filing suit in order to stem the flood of suits they face.
For the record, I have absolutely no gripes with either the USCIS or the FBI. They're doing the best they can with what they have in terms of finances and resources. But, it is my personal opinion that as a person who has been a resident of the United States for over a decade, I have decided to be a bit more proactive and do all in my power to get out of the black hole debacle of the dreaded name check.
Like antonio says, you can sit back and rely on your luck, but once that luck is pushed (such as in my case its been a over a year in name check), you have to exhaust every avenue available to you to try and have the good folks deciding your fate to nudge the process along if possible.
Does it work?
And therein my friend, is a hypothetical question.
