If nothing else, you may as well write to your local politicians, VP, First Lady, etc. I haven't extensively looked into filing a WOM, but I'm preparing myself for the possibility of having to do so. At the very least, I've begun to gather exhibits.
Newer cases being procesed quicker while older cases continue to age?
- Thread starter Bobsmyth
- Start date
If nothing else, you may as well write to your local politicians, VP, First Lady, etc. I haven't extensively looked into filing a WOM, but I'm preparing myself for the possibility of having to do so. At the very least, I've begun to gather exhibits.
My only issue with that is that the response from USCIS is and will continue to be "case falls under the posted processing times" if you inquire inside their posted times. I don't know if that helps or harms your WOM since it shows the courts that USCIS is asking you to wait until after the posted times. Mind you, you can also use the argument that USCIS keeps changing the processing times and that they aren't reliable.
Vorpal's Name Check has been completed way back... has not received IL yet... looks like one of the Fat Chicks in the NY office is sitting on his file for extra comfort to her Arse.
9 Month Anniversary
Now that I have hit the 9 month mark, I m going to start writing letters to politicians to see if I can gain some traction that way. Also, this is good fodder to have in case I go the lawsuit route. Also, as Vorpal and I have discussed on a different forum, informing the media of the situation at the NY DO might help bring this practice into the spotlight, another embarassment for USCIS.
I know we cannot do a lot but sit back and wait it out, but I have never been one to do so quietly. What else can we do to stir things up a little? Concerted letter writing campaign to targeted politicians (including Mccain and Obama)? Set up a Blog that consolidates naturalization horror stories, information, and caustic commentary (the latter provided by me) to try and gain some more attention from politicians and the media? This is what this game is all about...if we can keep the pressure on long enough, then we can all get through this. My worry is that once the election is over, if we're still not through this, then all pressure to ease the backlog will cease. Six months ago, I never believed that I would not receive my naturalization by the election. Now I am not so sure. I think we need to use the next 5.5 months to our advantage and advance the cause as much as we can. I don't have any experience in trying to do something like this, but I am happy to do my part if others will also assist. Here is what I am thinking of in terms of trying to pull something off:
1) Refine the message, or talking points. I would limit these to 3-4 main things, such as: (1) process taking too long, (2) order in which applications are being processed, (3) election looming, (4) useless USCIS.
2) Figure out which politicians to target. These include your local politicians, but also can include prominent national figures as well.
3) Select media outlets to contact. Again, the national media is the best bet, but we can all contact our local media as well. Often times, media outlets pick up on one another's stories, so we really only need one or two hits to get a story out of this.
4) Be a general pain in the a$$. Hey, this is America, and if there is one thing I have learned here, it is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. No, I don't think that the USCIS is going to swoop in and process all of our applications tomorrow, but the best bet for action is to keep the pressure on. This can be done in different ways, but one very effective way is through a continuously updated internet blog.
Let me know what you guys think. I know that Vorpal is all set to go, but it would be nice if we could get a few more people who want to be involved. That way, we could start drafting som letters and figuring out which media outlets to contact.
Absolutely agree with you here BobSmyth. Today is the 9 month anniversary of my Priority Date, so the next three months will be critical for me. If I don't see some action by the end of July then I am going to seriously consider legal action against the USCIS. Even for a poorly run organization, twelve months is ample time to ramp up production and solve problems.
Now that I have hit the 9 month mark, I m going to start writing letters to politicians to see if I can gain some traction that way. Also, this is good fodder to have in case I go the lawsuit route. Also, as Vorpal and I have discussed on a different forum, informing the media of the situation at the NY DO might help bring this practice into the spotlight, another embarassment for USCIS.
I know we cannot do a lot but sit back and wait it out, but I have never been one to do so quietly. What else can we do to stir things up a little? Concerted letter writing campaign to targeted politicians (including Mccain and Obama)? Set up a Blog that consolidates naturalization horror stories, information, and caustic commentary (the latter provided by me) to try and gain some more attention from politicians and the media? This is what this game is all about...if we can keep the pressure on long enough, then we can all get through this. My worry is that once the election is over, if we're still not through this, then all pressure to ease the backlog will cease. Six months ago, I never believed that I would not receive my naturalization by the election. Now I am not so sure. I think we need to use the next 5.5 months to our advantage and advance the cause as much as we can. I don't have any experience in trying to do something like this, but I am happy to do my part if others will also assist. Here is what I am thinking of in terms of trying to pull something off:
1) Refine the message, or talking points. I would limit these to 3-4 main things, such as: (1) process taking too long, (2) order in which applications are being processed, (3) election looming, (4) useless USCIS.
2) Figure out which politicians to target. These include your local politicians, but also can include prominent national figures as well.
3) Select media outlets to contact. Again, the national media is the best bet, but we can all contact our local media as well. Often times, media outlets pick up on one another's stories, so we really only need one or two hits to get a story out of this.
4) Be a general pain in the a$$. Hey, this is America, and if there is one thing I have learned here, it is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. No, I don't think that the USCIS is going to swoop in and process all of our applications tomorrow, but the best bet for action is to keep the pressure on. This can be done in different ways, but one very effective way is through a continuously updated internet blog.
Let me know what you guys think. I know that Vorpal is all set to go, but it would be nice if we could get a few more people who want to be involved. That way, we could start drafting som letters and figuring out which media outlets to contact.
I think that makes for a very valid argument. I regret not having printed out the processing timeframes from February and March, but I made sure to keep a copy of the April update. Then again, there may be a way to have the judge compel the USCIS to provide the processing timeframes from those months. I'm not really worried about the posted timeframes, since they are predicting "10.1 months" by September 2008. It's a very convenient date, since I plan on filing in September. By September 2008, summer 2007 naturalization applications will be processed in 10.1 months...that sounds something like "Little Johnny, born in 2005, will turn 7 in 2015". Unless, that is, they mean that it will take an ADDITIONAL 10.1 months to process those applications.
I'd imagine that my file is extremely thin (one 5 day trip to Bahamas since becoming an LPR, no criminal record, no filings for relatives, etc.), so it wouldn't be a very comfortable arse cushion.
I'd imagine that my file is extremely thin (one 5 day trip to Bahamas since becoming an LPR, no criminal record, no filings for relatives, etc.), so it wouldn't be a very comfortable arse cushion.
I told she is a FAT chick and she has some cusion of her own... little she needed and got from your thin file... I know it is frustrating man.