Please Help: long delay of N-400 and Name check

G

gohaha

Registered Users (C)
Here's a brief description of my case and I am really frustrated
1. Filed N-400 September 2004, receipt date Sep 10, 2004
2. Finger printed around Nov, 2004
3. Interviewed April 26, 2005 (Boston local office), passed the test, but no decision on the spot and asked me to wait for the oath letter
4. Waited two months, tired of waiting, called USCIS several times and they knew nothing more than what we could see on USCIS website. They said they would send request to Boston office to request my status, but I never got any response from either office
5. went to local office to check what's going on, and found out it's the FBI name check pending
6. according to local office's computer, name check request was sent to FBI on Sep. 21, 2004, but never returned
7. I immediatedly requested a FOIPA (early July) and contacted my congressman's office. I also called FBI (left message) and sent email to FBI requesting status, but no response at all, not even acknowledgement response
8. FOIPA returned one week late and said no record of me in FBI database
9. Congressman office sent letters to both FBI and USCIS.
10. USCIS responded to congressman office that they couldn't do anything about my case until FBI clear the name check
11. no response so far from FBI to congressman's office and I am checking with congressman's office weekly.

I have done everything I could think of; I am really at my wits' end and feel really frustrated.

I am Chinese, my name is very unique, and FBI's database has no record of me, so I really don't understand why my name check already took 11 months and still pending. I believe it's pure administrative delay. Seems no one can do anything about FBI which is unbelieveable in this country.

I really appreciate any help from this site. It's the last thing I can think of righ now.
 
gohaha said:
Here's a brief description of my case and I am really frustrated
1. Filed N-400 September 2004, receipt date Sep 10, 2004
2. Finger printed around Nov, 2004
3. Interviewed April 26, 2005 (Boston local office), passed the test, but no decision on the spot and asked me to wait for the oath letter
4. Waited two months, tired of waiting, called USCIS several times and they knew nothing more than what we could see on USCIS website. They said they would send request to Boston office to request my status, but I never got any response from either office
5. went to local office to check what's going on, and found out it's the FBI name check pending
6. according to local office's computer, name check request was sent to FBI on Sep. 21, 2004, but never returned
7. I immediatedly requested a FOIPA (early July) and contacted my congressman's office. I also called FBI (left message) and sent email to FBI requesting status, but no response at all, not even acknowledgement response
8. FOIPA returned one week late and said no record of me in FBI database
9. Congressman office sent letters to both FBI and USCIS.
10. USCIS responded to congressman office that they couldn't do anything about my case until FBI clear the name check
11. no response so far from FBI to congressman's office and I am checking with congressman's office weekly.

I have done everything I could think of; I am really at my wits' end and feel really frustrated.

I am Chinese, my name is very unique, and FBI's database has no record of me, so I really don't understand why my name check already took 11 months and still pending. I believe it's pure administrative delay. Seems no one can do anything about FBI which is unbelieveable in this country.

I really appreciate any help from this site. It's the last thing I can think of righ now.
Click to expand...

If your case was unique it would probably be easier to resolve. However literally thousands are stuck in as one attorney's web site coined it 'FBI purgatory'. Mine is stuck for over 1.5 yrs and I've seen a lot of people on this forum cite 2 yrs + wait times (though for some people something seems to happen around 2 yrs time). This is purely an observation not based on any hard data, but from the posts on this forum, Arabic, Chinese and Russian immigrants seem to be most affected. Many people say (and I believe them based on personal experience) that the experience causes them severe psychogical strain. However if you went to officials with this argument I suspect they would laugh at you. I think you should try writing letters to anyone remotely connected to or with power to influence the issue - legislators, FBI senior management, USCIS. This may elevate the overall issue to someone who has power to fix the problem which ultimately I think is FBI understaffing and not any ill will. The paper trail would also be crucial if down the line you opt to seek judicial relief.
 
Wafr, really appreciate your inputs. I do have good reasons to get my name check issue resolved, besides "psychogical strain", so I will seek all means to get my case expedited. After reading your reply, I think the only thing I can do righ now:
1. write to FBI officials. We know we won't get any answer, just the preparation for the next step
2. file law suit after 120 days of my interview(literally, next week)
 
gohaha said:
Wafr, really appreciate your inputs. I do have good reasons to get my name check issue resolved, besides "psychogical strain", so I will seek all means to get my case expedited. After reading your reply, I think the only thing I can do righ now:
1. write to FBI officials. We know we won't get any answer, just the preparation for the next step
2. file law suit after 120 days of my interview(literally, next week)
Click to expand...

Good luck to you!
 
gohaha said:
Wafr, really appreciate your inputs. I do have good reasons to get my name check issue resolved, besides "psychogical strain", so I will seek all means to get my case expedited. After reading your reply, I think the only thing I can do righ now:
1. write to FBI officials. We know we won't get any answer, just the preparation for the next step
2. file law suit after 120 days of my interview(literally, next week)
Click to expand...


pls keep us posted. i am interested to know the outcome of #2. where is your DO?
 
I have a similar and worse problem.
Here is my case:
N-400 filed, 7/2002,
Check request to FBI, 12/2002
Finger print, 5/2003
Interview passed, no decision due to the pending name check, 12/2003
replacement finger print, 5/2004,
FBI email response, name check pending, 3/2005
INS reply to congressman's inquiry re. N-400, name check pending, 8/2005.
I am a Chinese living in Houston, Texas.

Any suggestion is appreciated.
 
go987 said:
I have a similar and worse problem.
Here is my case:
N-400 filed, 7/2002,
Check request to FBI, 12/2002
Finger print, 5/2003
Interview passed, no decision due to the pending name check, 12/2003
replacement finger print, 5/2004,
FBI email response, name check pending, 3/2005
INS reply to congressman's inquiry re. N-400, name check pending, 8/2005.
I am a Chinese living in Houston, Texas.

Any suggestion is appreciated.
Click to expand...

I think you can call your congressman to speed up the name check.
 
Updates

gohaha said:
Wafr, really appreciate your inputs. I do have good reasons to get my name check issue resolved, besides "psychogical strain", so I will seek all means to get my case expedited. After reading your reply, I think the only thing I can do righ now:
1. write to FBI officials. We know we won't get any answer, just the preparation for the next step
2. file law suit after 120 days of my interview(literally, next week)
Click to expand...


Any updates?
 
Boston oath ceremony wait times

I too am very frustrated. Have been waiting for an answer from USCIS for ceremony since March 05, 11 months total so far. (I am a UK citizen)

Does anyone have a good resolution to a similar story. Is there an inexpensive way to get legal help with this kind of delay??
Any advice greatly appreciated. Boston, has been pretty quick at everything else along the way until I finished the interview stage...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
marrilion said:
I too am very frustrated. Have been waiting for an answer from USCIS for ceremony since March 05, 11 months total so far. (I am a UK citizen)

Does anyone have a good resolution to a similar story. Is there an inexpensive way to get legal help with this kind of delay??
Any advice greatly appreciated. Boston, has been pretty quick at everything else along the way until I finished the interview stage...
Click to expand...

Best and fastest solution:

http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=194681

Read it carefully, and think about it ;)
 
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