Edison and others,
Did you get any response back from AILA or anybody else? Did you send the Petition to the President-elect? (guess, yes). Can we ask AILA directly or through our lawyers to PINPOINT the problem as they have done with various press-releases. See their latest letter to BCIS.
take a look at ALL the organisations listed.
Our petition can follow similar rules. Sent to Eduardo Aguirre (CC) and DHS Tom Ridge (CC).
Sign-On Letter Urges BCIS to
Restore Direct Phone Access to
Service Centers
Cite as "Posted on AILA InfoNet at Doc. No. 03090541 (Sep. 5, 2003) ."
September 4, 2003
The Honorable Eduardo Aguirre, Jr.
Director
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
425 I Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20536
Dear Mr. Aguirre:
The undersigned organizations write to urge you to restore direct telephone access to the
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) Service Centers and discontinue the
recent policy change that prohibits this access and contracts out much of this function.
The prompt adjudication of applications and petitions is critical for American business, for
families awaiting reunification, and, most importantly, for our national security. In doing
away with direct telephone access to the Service Centers, the BCIS has exacerbated
already lengthy processing delays and made it much more difficult to obtain accurate,
timely information. And contracting out this function has lead to problems that range from
the frustrating to the tragic. Moreover, Congressional offices are being forced to fill the
information void, as individuals resort to contacting their elected officials with their
case-processing and informational requests.
As you are aware, until June 9, 2003, the general public and attorneys could contact
representatives at the legacy INS/BCIS Service Centers to ask questions about the status
of their cases, clarify and correct problems, and inquire about filing procedures. While this
system was infamous for the length of time required to get through to an Immigration
Information Officer (IIO), nevertheless, once connected with an IIO, problems and
questions, including emergency case problems, were addressed. Beginning on June 9, the
BCIS cut off direct phone access to the Service Centers and mandated that callers (both
the general public and attorneys) make inquiries through a 1-800 number system.
As structured, the new system does not provide a meaningful way to resolve problems. As
outside contractors, the 800 number operators are unfamiliar with immigration. They are
given very basic “scripts†from which to field calls, and have access only to information
already provided on the BCIS website’s case status inquiry system. In other words, they
cannot tell callers anything more than what callers can see on-line.
While the new system allows 800 number operators to transfer calls to a “Second Tierâ€
information officer, a BCIS employee who is familiar with immigration issues, or can take
information from callers in order to refer the inquiry to the appropriate Service Center,
these options have not helped to address problems and do not allow immediate action on
emergency cases, such as an aging-out child. Operators are restricted as to the types of
cases that they can refer to the Service Centers or to Tier 2, and often direct callers to
write a letter to the Service Center after informing them that there isn’t anything the
operator can do. However, letters to Service Centers often go unanswered or, at best,
languish for months before a response is received. In the event that a caller’s request
falls within the designated types of problems that can be referred, the caller is then told
to wait for 30 days. If no response is received within that time frame, the caller is
directed to call the 800 number again. In many cases, no response is received, or the
response is non-informative.
The 800 number system also cannot correct inaccurate information on an approval notice.
In the past, individuals could call the Service Center to request that such errors be
corrected, and a new approval notice could be issued the same day or within just a few
days. (Individuals who must apply for visas at U.S. Consulates or travel abroad and return
to the United States must have approval notices that are, for security reasons, 100%
accurate.)
Finally, 800 number operators have given inaccurate information to callers (which could
severely damage the foreign national’s immigration status) and many people have
complained that operators are rude and hung up on them.
The 800 number system is a failure. We urge you to restore direct telephone access to
the Service Centers so that individuals can gain the information they need and resolve
case processing problems directly with a knowledgeable Immigration Information Officer
(IIO).
Did you get any response back from AILA or anybody else? Did you send the Petition to the President-elect? (guess, yes). Can we ask AILA directly or through our lawyers to PINPOINT the problem as they have done with various press-releases. See their latest letter to BCIS.
take a look at ALL the organisations listed.
Our petition can follow similar rules. Sent to Eduardo Aguirre (CC) and DHS Tom Ridge (CC).
Sign-On Letter Urges BCIS to
Restore Direct Phone Access to
Service Centers
Cite as "Posted on AILA InfoNet at Doc. No. 03090541 (Sep. 5, 2003) ."
September 4, 2003
The Honorable Eduardo Aguirre, Jr.
Director
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
425 I Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20536
Dear Mr. Aguirre:
The undersigned organizations write to urge you to restore direct telephone access to the
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) Service Centers and discontinue the
recent policy change that prohibits this access and contracts out much of this function.
The prompt adjudication of applications and petitions is critical for American business, for
families awaiting reunification, and, most importantly, for our national security. In doing
away with direct telephone access to the Service Centers, the BCIS has exacerbated
already lengthy processing delays and made it much more difficult to obtain accurate,
timely information. And contracting out this function has lead to problems that range from
the frustrating to the tragic. Moreover, Congressional offices are being forced to fill the
information void, as individuals resort to contacting their elected officials with their
case-processing and informational requests.
As you are aware, until June 9, 2003, the general public and attorneys could contact
representatives at the legacy INS/BCIS Service Centers to ask questions about the status
of their cases, clarify and correct problems, and inquire about filing procedures. While this
system was infamous for the length of time required to get through to an Immigration
Information Officer (IIO), nevertheless, once connected with an IIO, problems and
questions, including emergency case problems, were addressed. Beginning on June 9, the
BCIS cut off direct phone access to the Service Centers and mandated that callers (both
the general public and attorneys) make inquiries through a 1-800 number system.
As structured, the new system does not provide a meaningful way to resolve problems. As
outside contractors, the 800 number operators are unfamiliar with immigration. They are
given very basic “scripts†from which to field calls, and have access only to information
already provided on the BCIS website’s case status inquiry system. In other words, they
cannot tell callers anything more than what callers can see on-line.
While the new system allows 800 number operators to transfer calls to a “Second Tierâ€
information officer, a BCIS employee who is familiar with immigration issues, or can take
information from callers in order to refer the inquiry to the appropriate Service Center,
these options have not helped to address problems and do not allow immediate action on
emergency cases, such as an aging-out child. Operators are restricted as to the types of
cases that they can refer to the Service Centers or to Tier 2, and often direct callers to
write a letter to the Service Center after informing them that there isn’t anything the
operator can do. However, letters to Service Centers often go unanswered or, at best,
languish for months before a response is received. In the event that a caller’s request
falls within the designated types of problems that can be referred, the caller is then told
to wait for 30 days. If no response is received within that time frame, the caller is
directed to call the 800 number again. In many cases, no response is received, or the
response is non-informative.
The 800 number system also cannot correct inaccurate information on an approval notice.
In the past, individuals could call the Service Center to request that such errors be
corrected, and a new approval notice could be issued the same day or within just a few
days. (Individuals who must apply for visas at U.S. Consulates or travel abroad and return
to the United States must have approval notices that are, for security reasons, 100%
accurate.)
Finally, 800 number operators have given inaccurate information to callers (which could
severely damage the foreign national’s immigration status) and many people have
complained that operators are rude and hung up on them.
The 800 number system is a failure. We urge you to restore direct telephone access to
the Service Centers so that individuals can gain the information they need and resolve
case processing problems directly with a knowledgeable Immigration Information Officer
(IIO).
