Approvals

[Monica12]

Congratulations Pch053 and Mvinayam !!!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing the good news with us. Wishing you guys all the very best in the future journey ahead

[nishant2200]

Congrats! Thanks for sharing ur joy.

Dear Friends,

We are Greened. Just saw the Card production & Decision emails . Its has been approved yesterday. A long 11 yrs wait after 4 labour petition finally reached the end of tunnel . Best wishes to everyone & thanks for all the support you guys rock.

Regards,
mvinayam

[nishant2200]

Got my card yesterday (Fri) within 3 days of the Decision/CPO email. Looks like they are pretty fast as far as delivering the actual card is concerned! Approvals are still coming in trackitt; so hopefully, people waiting in the queue will be greened soon.

Excellent! Go bit south now across border and have tequila!

[pch053]

That's what I am planning in the next couple of weeks; going to Tijuana with my next door neighbor so that I can officially claim to have visited Mexico. Another relief on not requiring a visa to travel to Canada as I have a trip planned in Nov. On a different note, mine is one of the very few I485 approvals without medical tests (this can be my claim to fame) even though I had 3 fingerprints!

[soni123]

Than you Monica, I cahecked the websites you mentioned and unfortunately all the representatives are A and B where I live. I don't know if it will help if I request for congressional inquiery.

[Monica12]

Than you Monica, I cahecked the websites you mentioned and unfortunately all the representatives are A and B where I live. I don't know if it will help if I request for congressional inquiery.

Soni, If the Congressman and Senators in your area are not very pro-immigrant, maybe you can say something like this to the immigration case-worker , that "you want to open a business and buy a house and you cant do that unless you have a GC etc.." Be extra nice and polite and thank them for helping you out.
Go to their office un-announced (without any appointment) and take copies of your I-140 and I-485. You have nothing to lose. It will not harm you in any way and if it works you might get approved soon.

[Monica12]

Some people asked me about Congressional enquiry and SR with L2 officer. As a FYI, I'm posting here what I did and the response I got. I don't know if doing either helped me or not....but the response to Congressional enquiry atleast put my mind to rest that my file was not buried somewhere. So, here it is :

Oct 3: went to local Senator's office and asked them to open an enquiry( take copies of your I-140 and I-485, as it's very important for both to be linked).
When I didn't hear back, called them again on Oct 6. The immigration caseworker said that he had contacted them on Oct 3 but hasn't heard back. So,he contacted USCIS again On Oct 6 and got the following response :

Good Afternoon xxxxxxxx,
USCIS electronic records reflect that on 8-16-07, our office received the Derivative Employment Based I-485 application referenced above. To date USCIS electronic records do not reflect that final action has been taken on that application. Please note that our office does not expedite the processing of Employment Based I-485 applications. Therefore, I cannot request that the I-485 application referenced above be considered for expeditious processing. However, since it appears that our office has current FBI Clearances for that application and since it appears that as of 10-1-11, a visa is again available for that application, today, 10-6-11, I forwarded that application to the NSC Employment Based I-485 Adjudications Customer Service area so that an adjudications officer can adjudicate that application as soon as possible. Please allow our office up to 30 days from today, 10-6-11, to take adjudicative action on that application.
I hope that this information will be of assistance to you. At this time I am closing your inquiry on this matter.
Thank you.
xxxxxx xxxx
Immigration Services Analyst
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Nebraska Service Center

Now, I dont know if they actually gave my file to an adjudicating officer or it was just kept in the Adjudications Customer service area, waiting to be picked up by an officer.

On Oct 13, I called USCIS and the L2 officer said that my file is "under review and pending ". He opened an SR for me( He asked me to give him the I-140 no, so that he can link it to the I-485. I think it's very important to do that. So, if you open an SR, make sure you give them the I-140 no. also )
Oct 17: my case got approved.
So, I don't know what really helped me: the senator or the SR.

Lesson leant : If you decide to go the Congressional enquiry way, choose someone who is pro-immigrant (that is very important) and follow up with them after a day or two, to make sure something is being done. Be persistent. Also, ask them to e-mail you the response they get from USCIS. That way you will know first hand, what is being done.

[Monica12]

Getting to a L2 immigration officer can be difficult. The L1 officers don't transfer the call and some convincing needs to be done. Here are some ways that other people were successful:
"It looks like there is problem with the System status updates in NSC. I found from a friend that he called in and found he got approved while online status shows "Initial Review". Can you please Transffer me to Second Level IO and get status on my application"
"the cases after mine are being approved and hence would like to speak to the L2 officer, as the information with the L1 is what I can see on the USCIS website. "
" say you want to verify your address", L1 cant do that and will transfer the call to L2
you can also say, "So and so officer said this info, I dont know why I didnt ask this ,but I am not sure why etc. and agent will transfer to officer."
"tell them right away that you want to know if your case has been pre-adjudicated and request them to transfer you to Level 2 officer"

The trick is to be nice and polite but persistent with L1 and confuse them a little bit, by using heavy words like " pre-adjudicated" etc...something that the L1 has no knowledge of. That's what I did. The first time, the L1 just would not connect me. The second time, I totally confused the L1 and he was like "what.... educated? " and I was like "No..... adjudicated" and after a while he gave up because he didnt know what adjudication was.

Keep trying as these call are not recorded and don't harm your case.
Also, different L2 officers might give different stories and if one officer does not say anything, do not get disheartened. Call again and hopefully, you'll get a better officer who can give more details on your case.

It has been recommended to pick one route : Congressional enquiry or SR and stick with it. USCIS doesn't like multiple enquiries. Also, multiple SRs are not recommended. I was really desparate so I opened the SR also, after Congressional enquiry.

PS: There are many people who don't do anything and still get approved early. So, it's something you have to decide for yourself.

GOOD LUCK to everyone who's waiting !!!!!

[ram_40001]

I am getting ready to file my 485 in November.
I had a couple of questions.
1) What is an SR?
2) Why/When/How does one open one?
3) Are these necessary or should you wait a while before attempting an SR?
4) What is the whole Congressional inquiry all about?
5) How much do these expedite your case?
Thanks!

[Monica12]

I am getting ready to file my 485 in November.
I had a couple of questions.
1) What is an SR?
SR means "Service Request".When your case is outside normal processing times, You call USCIS and speak to a Level 1/ Level 2 Officer. You can request them to open a Service request for you or they offer to open one. This request is transferred to another officer who looks at your file to see what's delaying the case and what action need to be taken.

2) Why/When/How does one open one?
Why? : You want them to take a look at your case and take necessary action.
When? : If your case EAD/AP/I-140/I-485 is outside normal processing times
How? : You call the USCIS no. on your receipt and follow the automated instructions. You will be connected to a Level 1(L1) officer who will ask your details, they usually dont have more information than what you see online on USCIS website. Level 2(L2) officers have more details of your case.

3) Are these necessary or should you wait a while before attempting an SR?
This is not at all necessary. If you think that your case is being delayed unneccesarily or is outside normal processing time, then you can do a Congressional enquiry / SR. It's something you have to decide for yourself.

4) What is the whole Congressional inquiry all about?
It's similar to SR, but in this case you seek your Senator/Congressman's help. They have immigration caseworkers who have their liasons at various USCIS service centers. It is rumored that these liasons actually take your file and put it on an officer's desk and ask them to take necessary action. Also, sometimes they give a detailed response explaining what stage your case is at. eg. FBI clearance done, Finger printing needed etc.
Congressman/Senator can help their constituents with any Federal Agency and USCIS is a Federal agency.

5) How much do these expedite your case?
No one knows for sure. There are some cases where SR / Congressional enquiry helps. But there are many more people who dont do anything and get approved faster too.
Thanks!

If you are filing in November, you dont have to do any of these things, since it will take a few months for your file to get "ripe" i.e., go through the necessary steps of FBI, name clearance, finger-printing etc.
For people who filed in 2007, it has been a long wait...so it makes sense for them (if they want to)
Your EAD and AP will take approx. 3 months to approve. If for some reason, there is a delay more than that, you can think of opening a SR

[neospeed]

Thank you Bieber (btw love your username)
Thanks Pdmarch08,... you have an amazing sense of humor..love the aunty part.LOL!

Fyi, This what I did after getting current in October:
Oct 3: opened congressional enquiry
Oct 6: got response that FBI clearance done, visas available, give them 30 days .
Oct 13: opened SR with L2 officer.
I don't know if doing any of above helped, maybe the approval was just random.
But I suspect that it was the SR and not the congressman that might have helped because when I talked to the L2 officer, he didnt indicate that the files were with an adjudicating officer. He just said that the cases are under review and pending and visas are available.

Hello Monica,

Im also still waiting. Did senator office replied anything regarding your inquiry?

[Monica12]

Hello Monica,

Im also still waiting. Did senator office replied anything regarding your inquiry?

Neospeed, Call the Senator's office again.
I had opened the enquiry on Oct 3. The immigration caseworker did contact NSC on the same day but they didnt respond. So, I asked the immigration caseworker on Oct 6 to contact NSC again and then in the afternoon of Oct 6, got the following response :

Good Afternoon xxxxxxxx,
USCIS electronic records reflect that on 8-16-07, our office received the Derivative Employment Based I-485 application referenced above. To date USCIS electronic records do not reflect that final action has been taken on that application. Please note that our office does not expedite the processing of Employment Based I-485 applications. Therefore, I cannot request that the I-485 application referenced above be considered for expeditious processing. However, since it appears that our office has current FBI Clearances for that application and since it appears that as of 10-1-11, a visa is again available for that application, today, 10-6-11, I forwarded that application to the NSC Employment Based I-485 Adjudications Customer Service area so that an adjudications officer can adjudicate that application as soon as possible. Please allow our office up to 30 days from today, 10-6-11, to take adjudicative action on that application.
I hope that this information will be of assistance to you. At this time I am closing your inquiry on this matter.
Thank you.
xxxxxx xxxx
Immigration Services Analyst
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Nebraska Service Center

So, in a way...the enquiry was actually opened only on Oct 6. I think it's important to follow-up with Senator/ Congressman' office. Be very polite but a little persistent.

[leo07]

CONGRATULATIONS Monica12 Pandit !!!! actually that makes a great last name
I completely missed out on this message. Sorry for the delayed response.

[leo07]

Monica12,

I guess we can open a SR or Senator/Congressman inquiry after 3 months from receipt date or as soon as posted processing time is reached? which is 3-4 months from the 485-receipt date (for PWMB's, that is).
Is there any hard and frost rule that you are aware of?

[Monica12]

CONGRATULATIONS Monica12 Pandit !!!! actually that makes a great last name
I completely missed out on this message. Sorry for the delayed response.

Monica12,

I guess we can open a SR or Senator/Congressman inquiry after 3 months from receipt date or as soon as posted processing time is reached? which is 3-4 months from the 485-receipt date (for PWMB's, that is).
Is there any hard and frost rule that you are aware of?

That is absolutely correct Leo. There is no hard and fast rule as such other than that. From my conversations with L1/L2 officers, they are always like.."oh.. so, looks like your case is outside posted processing times, I will therefore open a SR for you "
Also, about 4 months back, I had applied to renew my EAD and AP and thought that I might get a new FP notice because of the renewal. I thought they might send me a Finger Print notice while I was in India, so I wanted them to send one asap.( it later turned out that people get FP every 15-18 months for I-485 and NOT EAD/ AP renewal). So, I called and the L1 just opened a SR for me (even though my EAD and AP were within normal processing times of 3 months) and I got my my EAD/AP within 10 days.

Gosh ! I'm a Pandit now.. LOL !

[ram_40001]

If you are filing in November, you dont have to do any of these things, since it will take a few months for your file to get "ripe" i.e., go through the necessary steps of FBI, name clearance, finger-printing etc.
For people who filed in 2007, it has been a long wait...so it makes sense for them (if they want to)
Your EAD and AP will take approx. 3 months to approve. If for some reason, there is a delay more than that, you can think of opening a SR

Thanks Monica!

[leo07]

Thanks Monica!

Thanks to CIS+DOS, we can't get out of this process unless we become a GC pandit at the least, if not GC Guru

[Monica12]

Thanks Monica!

Thanks to CIS+DOS, we can't get out of this process unless we become a GC pandit at the least, if not GC Guru

Lol ! so true Leo. Lawyers are not very helpful or knowledgable themselves. We have to kind of help ourselves. I did so much research on immgration related stuff that I'm practically almost ready to become an immgration lawyer

[leo07]

btw, I called FBI after my FP. They mentioned that my finger prints are "readable" and they sent the results back to CIS the very same day. There has been no LUD after.

Does anyone know what it means or what's next? ( I know I have to wait for 3-6 months I'm looking for a different answer)

[Monica12]

btw, I called FBI after my FP. They mentioned that my finger prints are "readable" and they sent the results back to CIS the very same day. There has been no LUD after.

Does anyone know what it means or what's next? ( I know I have to wait for 3-6 months I'm looking for a different answer)

FP results are usually sent back by FBI within 2 days. Most people dont have LUD after that. So,no worries there. Next is name and background check which can take a couple of months. Right now,on Trackitt....some July,2011 filers are getting approved esp. at NSC. So, I'm assuming they are clearing FBI/ name / background check etc within 3-4 months.

[MANTRAM]

Any Nov 2011 filers who got hard copy of receipt or biometrics appointment letter?

PD: 10Oct2011
AOS package sent: 4Nov2011 to NSC
Receipt: Did not get it yet

[imdeng]

Based on what I read, biometric appointments are coming in for about 30 days past the receipt. There had been some posts on this site regarding this. Receipts are taking 15 days I am told.

Any Nov 2011 filers who got hard copy of receipt or biometrics appointment letter?

PD: 10Oct2011
AOS package sent: 4Nov2011 to NSC
Receipt: Did not get it yet

[MANTRAM]

Thanks Imdeng!

[MANTRAM]

Just in case if anyone are interested:

Service Center: NSC
AOS Package Mailed date: 11/4/2011
AOS Package Received date: 11/7/2011
Receipt Notice date: 11/10/2011
Receipt Received in mail: 11/17/2011
Waiting on FPs

[leo07]

Thanks Mantram!