I filed a FOIA to USCIS re getting a copy of 1 application and a couple of notices of action

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zapper43

Registered Users (C)
That's a FOIA request to USCIS Lee's Summit address for a small part of my A-file (one application and a pair of notices of action, and any notes produced at the interview for this application), they received it today (per USPS website). That's like 20 pages max.

How long will it take them to send me the photocopies? Anyone?

Thanks.
 
zapper43 said:
That's a FOIA request to USCIS Lee's Summit address for a small part of my A-file (one application and a pair of notices of action, and any notes produced at the interview for this application), they received it today (per USPS website). That's like 20 pages max.

How long will it take them to send me the photocopies? Anyone?

Thanks.
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There is a huge backlog. Waiting can be 6 month up 2 years.
You can expidite it up only if you have an emergent situation in some courts
 
WBH said:
There is a huge backlog. Waiting can be 6 month up 2 years.
You can expidite it up only if you have an emergent situation in some courts
Click to expand...

It's around 3700 of 4500 in Track 1 now.

Strangely, track 1 (which is supposed to be a faster one) is moving down by 30-40 per day.

When my request was in the slower Track 2 originally, it was moving down by 300-600 per day?? A number next to mine but still in the "slower" Track 2 will clear in 60 days at this rate.

What's up with this?

I was seemingly better of staying in Track 2.
 
Many suspect filing an FIOA may interfere youir A-file transfer to local DO for citizenship interview if you do both FIOA and N400 simultaneously
 
Strange: on 11/24/09, my request was down to 650-something out of 3040-something requests pending in Track One.

Then the next day the message was: "You either entered an invalid Control Number or your case was processed more than six months ago". My request was not even submitted within "6 months"; it was submitted within 2 months (as of 11/24).

I called the NRC to ask about this, and was told by someone who is taking calls there that my request was "mailed" on 11/25, and that it would be 7-10 business days, 1st class mail. When I said it had been 650+ just 1 day prior, she told me "it was the fast track after all".

I find this hard to believe, as they would typically do 50-100, or rarely more than 100 requests per day. Never 600+ requests in 1 day.

Does anyone else have a FOIA/PA request in Track One that's gone "poof" in the last few days? I can see that many request numbers close to mine or even thousands of numbers up the line have also gone "poof".

I'm fearing they have a glitch in their system, or that some requests might have slipped into the Twilight Zone, and that the person(s) answering the calls is using the same website to extract "information" as I have done prior to calling them.

*While browsing various FOIA request numbers I found one for Track Two (where I know the currently pending requests are at 11,700+) which threw this "result": Your request is currently number 19 of 30 pending requests in Track Two. Date received: 10/02/2009".

Move 6 numbers up, though, and the total pending on Track Two goes back to 11,700+. WTH is going on...
 
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zapper43 said:
Strange: on 11/24/09, my request was down to 650-something out of 3040-something requests pending in Track One.

Then the next day the message was: "You either entered an invalid Control Number or your case was processed more than six months ago". My request was not even submitted within "6 months"; it was submitted within 2 months (as of 11/24).

I called the NRC to ask about this, and was told by someone who is taking calls there that my request was "mailed" on 11/25, and that it would be 7-10 business days, 1st class mail. When I said it had been 650+ just 1 day prior, she told me "it was the fast track after all".

I find this hard to believe, as they would typically do 50-100, or rarely more than 100 requests per day. Never 600+ requests in 1 day.
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Give it till end of next week. If some human read and said it was mailed, it was likely mailed than a system goof.
 
There's nothing at all I could really do but wait.

As luck would have it, and as many an immigrant would surely agree with, the human I talked to is probably using the NRC number I gave her to punch it into that same website search I had used just minutes before calling her. :D
 
OK, here comes weirdness.

My FOIA request was indeed processed, and the requested photocopy of my asylum application is here.

However, I can see in it that an event - an arrest followed by release without charges during a pro-democracy rally many years ago in my COP - which I was discussing with the A.O. at the time of the interview had not been updated to the application by the A.O. I was always under impression the A.O. wrote that down. How can this be? The A.O. had me sign the application at the end of that interview, and only one numbered correction was listed: a small entry on the 1st page that read "has H1B1 status now", but nothing else. If I remember correctly, at the end of that interview, I signed two papers; the app itself and something else. Could the A.O. have written down my recollection of that arreest event on that separate paper I vaguely remember signing? Why would the A.O. not change answer to "yes" on the app itself and update it further with my short description of the event? How can this be?
 
zapper43 said:
OK, here comes weirdness.

My FOIA request was indeed processed, and the requested photocopy of my asylum application is here.

However, I can see in it that an event - an arrest followed by release without charges during a pro-democracy rally many years ago in my COP - which I was discussing with the A.O. at the time of the interview had not been updated to the application by the A.O. I was always under impression the A.O. wrote that down. How can this be? The A.O. had me sign the application at the end of that interview, and only one numbered correction was listed: a small entry on the 1st page that read "has H1B1 status now", but nothing else. If I remember correctly, at the end of that interview, I signed two papers; the app itself and something else. Could the A.O. have written down my recollection of that arreest event on that separate paper I vaguely remember signing? Why would the A.O. not change answer to "yes" on the app itself and update it further with my short description of the event? How can this be?
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Why does this matter? They are not going to re-interview you for asylum eligibilty, you already did that during your asylum interview..and it was also verified during your GC process.
 
Well, it matters because of the "arrest" in COP (benign as it was), and the question on N-400 "Have you EVER been...blah blah".

WTF do I tell them? "Yes", but no record in asylum paper even though I talked to A.O. about it 9 years ago? Or "no", which would be lying... which is not right. You see where I'm coming from, yes?
 
Btw, the GC process never involved any interviewsd, the GC simply arrived after 3.5 years.

Besides, the "Have you ever been arrested..." question on the I-485 from the era has an important qualifier: "...for breaking or violating any law or ordinance" at the end, to which I wholeheartedly answered NO, as having been arrested (and released after being tossed about an hour) for being in a pro-democracy rally in a dictatorship is a cool thing, not a law breaking event.
 
zapper43 said:
Well, it matters because of the "arrest" in COP (benign as it was), and the question on N-400 "Have you EVER been...blah blah".

WTF do I tell them? "Yes", but no record in asylum paper even though I talked to A.O. about it 9 years ago? Or "no", which would be lying... which is not right. You see where I'm coming from, yes?
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You just got the asylum application(I-589). I am sure that the officer had notes that are in your A file that mentions that. I doubt you can get that. You can write Yes and when it comes the time to answer the question, you can begin to explain that you were arrested in your COP and did mention it to the officer who interviewed you.

I see no problem for you for this issue.
 
zapper43 said:
Btw, the GC process never involved any interviewsd, the GC simply arrived after 3.5 years.

Besides, the "Have you ever been arrested..." question on the I-485 from the era has an important qualifier: "...for breaking or violating any law or ordinance" at the end, to which I wholeheartedly answered NO, as having been arrested (and released after being tossed about an hour) for being in a pro-democracy rally in a dictatorship is a cool thing, not a law breaking event.
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Your arrest didn't involve a conviction so stop worrying about it.
 
Yes, yes, I know. I'm just freaking out because I don't want to perjure myself :) plus I'm worrying about getting the overzealous IO who needs to fill his or her FAIL quota...
 
zapper43 said:
Yes, yes, I know. I'm just freaking out because I don't want to perjure myself :) plus I'm worrying about getting the overzealous IO who needs to fill his or her FAIL quota...
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I dont think there is a fail quota...if you deserve it, you will get it..simple as that. I dont think anyone is out there to get you my friend.
 
zapper43 said:
Yes, yes, I know. I'm just freaking out because I don't want to perjure myself :) plus I'm worrying about getting the overzealous IO who needs to fill his or her FAIL quota...
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Zapper,

You are working your brain overtime for nothing. Just forget about this arrest nonsense, you never stole anything and even if you were protesting against a dictator, it is irrelevant to this process. You can't perjure yourself and no IO has pass/fail quota. :rolleyes:

I would strongly recommend that you ignore this issue and focus on what is relevant, passing your interview and stop this hoopla about nothing...:D Oh...if you want to continue worrying, go ahead and knock yourself out, it is one freedom you can enjoy in a free soceity, but only reserved for dictators do all the worrying in their dictatorial countries...:)
 
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