Share your experience: Is "service request" good for something?

J

Jack70

Registered Users (C)
My N400 case it is now beyond the processing time and it is been almost 3 months
since I had my fingerprints taken for the second time - they lost my fingerprints
first time ... and did not say a word about.

Last week I called USCIS and spoke to a level 2 IO.
At that time my case was still in "normal processing time".
This was a kind of "normal" as long as information was dated sometime at the
end of March 2008 and was only three days before they received my application.

The IO was kind and opened a service request for me.
At the end of our conversation she said that I have to call again if I did not get
a letter from USCIS in next 60 days.

Next day I received an email from USCIS stating that I should receive the
interview letter in next 60 days.

Yesterday I noticed that USCIS updated the "processing times" and
my case was now outside the processing time.

After my previous experience with USCIS I decided that waiting for something to
happen is not the solution so I called USCIS again.

This time I spoke to a level 1 IO.

She opened another service request (I did not say a word about the first one).

This time the IO told me that if I did not get a letters from USCIS in next 45 days I have to call them again.

I tried almost everything to push this process a little bit but now I am
wonder if the "service request" can help or not and what else I can do
other that waiting forever.
 
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Thank you for your reply nelsonyiga!

I applied same time with my wife back in September 2008.
She had her oath in March while I am still waiting for the interview letter and
judging by how things works I have all the reasons to believe that USCIS lost my
file.

I hope I am wrong.

Anyway, I sent a bunch of letters back in March.
This included The President, The First Lady, CIS Ombudsman, and local
congresswoman.

Two weeks later I got a letter from the staff of the local congresswoman and
thanks to them I learned that USCIS have lost my fingerprints.

This was just a week after an Infopass appointment where the IO told me that
everything is fine with my application (including FBI background check) and I
have to wait about one year.

That proved to be false less the fact that I have to wait one year (just three
months left) and I later learned that they are not doing the background check
until they have the fingerprints so it is clear that they did not tell me the truth.

That is why I have hard times to trust USCIS.

The congresswoman staff made the arrangements to have my fingerprints taken
for the second time but that was all. I believe that even for them it is difficult to
deal with USCIS.

So I decided to see what I can do myself.

More than a month later I received another letter this time from CIS Ombudsman
but same old story: you have to wait…we cannot do anything.

This story with “processing time” and “you have to wait” is killing me.

First they are not updating the times too often and even when they are doing it
is not the current time (e.g. for Philadelphia is April 30, 2009).

If you call the 800 number they are going to tell you that you have to wait 7
months from the time you applied before they can open a “service request”.

If you call after 7 month they are going to say that 7 months is an average
processing time and base on what they can see you are still in the “normal”
processing time.

For me calling 800 number was a waste of time.
Nobody bother to tell me that they lost my fingerprints.

I had some luck indeed with the help I got from the staff of the local
congresswoman but it might be a long journey until I will get my citizenship.
 
Since you're now outside posted processing time, have you re-contacted the USCIS Ombudsman's office to intervene?
 
Jack70, once I was outside of my normal processing times. I called a lot. The 2nd Lv IO even started to recongized my voice. A 1st LV IO told me it's ok to place many service request as USCIS will eventually start looking into a squeeky wheel. I wrote pretty please letters to USCIS and forwared the letters to my local DO, CSC and USCIS. I received a call. I also contacted our Congressmen and they were helpful. Keep track of everything, all letters.

Hope it works
 
Bobsmyth said:
Since you're now outside posted processing time, have you re-contacted the USCIS Ombudsman's office to intervene?
Click to expand...

They updated the processing times on June 15 and what I had in mind was to
wait until the end of this week hopin gthat I will receive the interview letter.

After I read your post I realized that I rather send a letter today because it is
possible that nothing will change too soon so the lack of action can have as
result even a longer delay.

Thank you!
 
I am in a very similar boat. I applied also in September 2008. I have priority date of September 10.
They are currently processing applications for October 9 2008.
I have had a couple of infopass appointments, made 3 phone calls, contacted a local senator and all without any luck.
I have also, like you, been informed that everything is ok, when clearly it is not.
The latest email I got after my latest call and they placed a service request was that my application 'needs additional review' and if I don't hear anything in 6 months to call them.
I was told prior to that that my background check and fingerprints had cleared and they didn't know why my file was in Nebraska when it should be in Virginia.
They ALL tell you something different.
I think my file is lost.
I have recently filed with the Ombudsman, they received my letter, etc, on Friday, so I am waiting to see what they say/do.
Others that filed when I filed are already citizens. I see no reason why mine is taking so long and it's depressing, annoying and confusing!

Good luck. Keep us updated.:eek:
 
NoInterviewDate said:
I am in a very similar boat. I applied also in September 2008. I have priority date of September 10.

Thank you for your reply NoInterviewDate
and best of luck!

From your post I understand that you contacted a local senator.
I think that a member of the House should have more reasons to help than a
senator.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for your reply Jack70. Yeah I realize now that contacting a senator was not the way to go! :(
I am waiting to hear if there is any good news from the ombudsman.
 
NoInterviewDate said:
Thanks for your reply Jack70. Yeah I realize now that contacting a senator was not the way to go! :(
I am waiting to hear if there is any good news from the ombudsman.
Click to expand...

-------------

These guys are funny. Well, I am talking about USCIS of course.

I called them again today just to ask if they have some news about my case.

Without even asking to have a service request open they told me that
despite the fact that my case is outside of the processing time, I have to
wait another 30 days and only after that they can open a service request for
me.

Well this is “nice”. I asked only about my case status.

Months ago, when I called for the first time they said that I have to
wait 7 months from the application time and only after that they can open a
service request.

After seven months they said that I have to wait until my case is outside of
the processing time.

When my case was finally outside of processing time they said that I have to
wait another 30 days.

Now I am curios what they are going to say after another 30 days because I
do believe that I will have to wait at least to the end of this year.

Now it is true that I have two service requests but I am totally amazed how
far they can push this story about the fact that you have to wait and the
fact that every case is different. It is like you are speaking to robots
programmed to "explain" the delays.

I sent a letter to CIS Ombudsman and a message to the Vice President
(you can use this link http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/vice_president_biden/)

Let's see what will happen.
 
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Hi Jack70. I still have not heard anything either. I know the ombudsman's office receved my letter and copies of everything. I am not hopeful. I am expecting a letter or email from the ombudsman saying they can't help.
Just like you, they are telling me the same stuff. Just trying to delay me with BS.
Why is it I wonder, that some of us have such a tough time!!

Vermont N-400
Application mailed: September 5 2008
I-797C: Priority date of September 10 2008
Fingerprint Letter: October 7 2008
FP appointment done, mid October 2008.
Fairfax, Virginia D.O. Infopass appointment: February 6 2009
Yellow Letter: February 9 2009
1-800 Helpline (!?) March 16 2009
Infopass: April 17th 2009
Letter to senator: May 4 2009
Service Request: May 26 2009
Complaint filed with Ombudsman: June 12th (received) 2009
 
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Good to know.

Without information from inside is hard to say what is going on.

I sent my first letter to CIS Ombudsman at the beginning of March.
They replied at the end of April and guess what they told me?
“You have to wait”, “You are in normal processing time so we cannot help”.

I don't know why but I think I saw this movie :).

So as I already said, it was possible for me to wait probably one year to
discover that USCIS lost my fingerprint and they considered my application
abandoned.

There are voices on this forum saying that you need to wait a number of
months after you send the application or after the fingerprinting and only
after that you can call USCIS.

I cannot say that they are wrong. There is a visible improvement in the way
USCIS and FBI are working on N-400 cases/background checks and not only.
It is a huge improvement and excellent customer support if we are talking
about FBI.
It is clear that the the process can take some time and calling it will not
help too much at leat at the beginnig.

However there is always a chance that something will go wrong and
unfortunately this happened to us.

That is why I believe that you need to wait but this needs to be an active
wait in which you monitor and check everything possible and act as soon
as you feel that something is wrong.

For example it was possible for me to call FBI and ask them if they received
my fingerprints and sent the results back to USCIS and this is what I did
after they took my fingerprints for the second time.

I did not do it first time time because at that time I did not know it is possible
to call FBI and because I could not imagine that this can happen to me or the
fact that USCIS can do something like this.

As a result of this I lost at least five months.

I hope other people will learn from my mistakes and ignorance and will have
fewer or no problems at all.
 
Hi Jack70.
Just thought I'd give you an update. I received a letter from the Ombudsmans office AND a letter from the USCIS today.
The Ombudsman letter dated 6/22 said they had put in a formal request to the USCIS regarding my case and if I didn't hear anything within 45 days to contact them again.
The other letter was MY INTERVIEW LETTER!!!
That letter is dated 6/23 and my intervew date is August 10 at 8am.
I cannot say enough about how happy this has made me. Finally the interview date. I definitely think the ombudsman gave them a push and receiving the interview letter was not a coincidence in the mail.
Please keep us posted on your updates.

Vermont N-400
Application mailed: September 5 2008
I-797C: Priority date of September 10 2008
Fingerprint Letter: October 7 2008
FP appointment done, mid October 2008.
Fairfax, Virginia D.O. Infopass appointment: February 6 2009
Yellow Letter: February 9 2009
1-800 Helpline (!?) March 16 2009
Infopass: April 17th 2009
Letter to senator: May 4 2009
Service Request: May 26 2009
Complaint filed with Ombudsman: June 12th (received) 2009
Letter from Ombudsmans offce dated June 22, received June 26th stating they had put in a formal inquiry.
Intervew Letter dated June 23.
Interview Date: August 10 2009 @ 8am. :)
 
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Jack70 said:
NoInterviewDate said:
you contacted a local senator.
I think that a member of the House should have more reasons to help than a
senator.
Click to expand...

You are quite wrong about that. You should contact both the two senators for your state and the U.S. representative for your district and ask them for help. They all have special staff people dealing with these kinds of requests and they will help you.

In my case I was stuck in the FBI Name Check for over two years. I did an untold number of service requests and they were completely useless: they produced generic, uninformative and sometimes obviously false responses and not much else. The ONLY times when I got substantive responses were when I contacted the local congressman and the two U.S. senators directly.
Similarly, when I had a problem at my green card stage, the only thing that helped and got the ball rolling was the intervention of the office of a senator.
There is absolutely no reason for you not to use the senators.
Also, in addition to that you can try to write directly to the district office director for your local USCIS office.

If nothing works, consider filing a lawsuit. If USCIS has really lost a portion of your file (which is what happened to me at my green card stage), nothing but some sort of external intervention is going to solve the problem.
Click to expand...
 
Thant you for your post baikal3,

baikal3 said:
You are quite wrong about that. You should contact both the two senators for your state and the U.S. representative for your district and ask them for help. They all have special staff people dealing with these kinds of requests and they will help you.
Click to expand...

I will contact them. I hope they will be able to help or at least to tell
me what is wrong with my application.


baikal3 said:
If nothing works, consider filing a lawsuit. If USCIS has really lost a portion of your file (which is what happened to me at my green card stage), nothing but some sort of external intervention is going to solve the problem.
Click to expand...




I am still confused about the lawsuit aspect.
You can sue USCIS if they fail to make a decision on you application in
120 days after the interview.
I did not have an interview yet and I'll have to wait probably more than
one year from the application time before I can sue them but it is hard to
say how long I have to wait before I can do it.
I hope I will not have to wait so long.

Thank you,

Jack70
 
It's finally happened!

It's finally happened!

I got a letter from the USCIS Philadelphia Field Office stating that
I should receive an appointment notice for the interview anytime and
the fact that I am scheduled for an interview on 08/17/2009.
 
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