The FY2014 RFE Thread

[self.coach]

Here's my case. 6 Months after EAD, I changed jobs and let H1 expire, and did not file AC21. Here I am, with RFE for continuous employment and i-693 staring at me.

Problem(?): My lawyer says I must submit AC21 letter. I think that a simple EVL would suffice.

PD and EAD details are in signature below. Please advise if I should provide EVL only or apply for AC21 at this stage?

[imdeng]

Your I-140 approval notice should have your A-number - that's the number that will carry over for 485 purposes. For your dependents, you can leave the A number blank. An A number will be generated for them in the 485 receipt notice. We were in the same position as you and followed the method mentioned above.

Hi Gurus,

Need help. I am going for the medicals and wanted to know what should I fill out in the A number field. I am on H1 visa and have I-140 approved. Which A number should I be using. Also my spouse is on F1 visa and is working on OPT. Where would I find her A number. Is it the one on the EAD card ?

[sreddy]

Interesting.
But can't think of a real reason the above correlation should be significant, and not just pure coincidence.

Anybody who responded to RFE got approved from TSC? I know my colleague got approval today from NSC (he got RFE, and responded some time late last month).

[vhk2009]

My PD is 05/2009 and am getting ready to respond to the medical RFE in the next few days. We have our new house under construction and will be closing sometime in Aug last week. Should I update my address with USCIS as part of this RFE OR wait until Sept to update USCIS about address change. Not sure if updating address in Sept will cause any delays in approval. Please advice.

[Kanmani]

Here's my case. 6 Months after EAD, I changed jobs and let H1 expire, and did not file AC21. Here I am, with RFE for continuous employment and i-693 staring at me.

Problem(?): My lawyer says I must submit AC21 letter. I think that a simple EVL would suffice.

PD and EAD details are in signature below. Please advise if I should provide EVL only or apply for AC21 at this stage?

AC21.jpg

self.coach,

Do you have the above statements printed in your RFE? If so, you should follow your attorney's advice.

[Kanmani]

My PD is 05/2009 and am getting ready to respond to the medical RFE in the next few days. We have our new house under construction and will be closing sometime in Aug last week. Should I update my address with USCIS as part of this RFE OR wait until Sept to update USCIS about address change. Not sure if updating address in Sept will cause any delays in approval. Please advice.

vhk2009,

Simple. Wait until you call it as home and file AR-11 for your pending applications. Ignore the address change column printed in the RFE, it even calls for a mandatory AR-11 though.

[qbloguser]

Also if you change it online make sure you call them after a week or so and tell them to update the address. Simply changing it online will not change it for your pending applications.

vhk2009,

Simple. Wait until you call it as home and file AR-11 for your pending applications. Ignore the address change column printed in the RFE, it even calls for a mandatory AR-11 though.

[self.coach]

AC21.jpg

self.coach,

Do you have the above statements printed in your RFE? If so, you should follow your attorney's advice.

Hi Kanmani,

Thank you for responding. I noticed the RFE has the same statements. I see your point.

Thanks,
Self.coach

[ramaka02]

Anyone notice the see saw approvals between the TSC and NSC ? First it was all NSC, then a bunch of TSC and now its back to NSC.... atleast today.

Per Matt2012 and based on Trackitt data, there were a total of 72 cases approved, 58 from NSC and 12 from TSC. I sent in my RFE on 9 June, if I don't hear back by Aug 9 then I am planning to open a SR/Infopass/Contact congressman....My PD is just 2 weeks earlier than yours. Hoping for the best for us all!

[PD2008AUG25]

Anyone notice the see saw approvals between the TSC and NSC ? First it was all NSC, then a bunch of TSC and now its back to NSC.... atleast today.

What if this entire slow approvals act is to prevent using up all numbers before end of fiscal year? This time dates were moved one month earlier than last year. I remember few years ago EB2 ROW was made unavailable because of over allocation to EB2I. If they chock approvals this month and from next month, go all guns blazing, that should help meet their objective of issuing and processing RFEs in timely manner, not letting go visa unused as well as not over allocating to EB2I.

[shreyasai2004]

I enquired through the congress man I got the response like this I don't know what that mean.

Here is the letter I got from Congressman

The response from the RFW was received on 6/12/2014 and is being matched up with the file and then forwarded to the adjudicator for review.

This case is currently is awaiting for assignment of a visa number. Please allow 30 to 45 days for a decision or other Notice of action regarding this I-485 application.

What that mean can gurus please help on this

[vizcard]

I enquired through the congress man I got the response like this I don't know what that mean.

Here is the letter I got from Congressman

The response from the RFW was received on 6/12/2014 and is being matched up with the file and then forwarded to the adjudicator for review.

This case is currently is awaiting for assignment of a visa number. Please allow 30 to 45 days for a decision or other Notice of action regarding this I-485 application.

What that mean can gurus please help on this

Basically says wait for 30-45 days to find out more. So no real help.

[helpful_leo]

I do not think so. USCIS has never cared about numbers in the past. The DOS simply internally retrogresses and stops granting visas if the numbers are near exhausted.

We are almost near the end of July and the date has been moved in August. The DOS would not have moved the date to begin with if they were not confident on the numbers.

The slow approvals are a result of the medical RFEs that need to be issued to potentially 15-20K applicants. I talked to an L2 in the morning and I was hinted that almost all adjudicators were working to get the RFEs out (I still haven't received my RFE). This is clearly impacting the approvals.

I may be mistaken here, but is the above response a material revision of your previous position that USCIS will at some point 'go all guns blazing' to consume visa numbers?

[shreyasai2004]

means it was waiting for visa number or still they have to sent it to adjudicator I was little bit confused

[Kanmani]

I think USCIS might have recruited temporary employees to handle the RFE workload, with an arrangement to forward the file to the original adjudicator, once RFE response is received.

Just a thought.

[helpful_leo]

I enquired through the congress man I got the response like this I don't know what that mean.

Here is the letter I got from Congressman

The response from the RFW was received on 6/12/2014 and is being matched up with the file and then forwarded to the adjudicator for review.

This case is currently is awaiting for assignment of a visa number. Please allow 30 to 45 days for a decision or other Notice of action regarding this I-485 application.

What that mean can gurus please help on this

Seems like standard response, but also hopeful I think, as it gives an upper limit of 45 days within which action is very likely to be taken.

Assuming you are current, and no issues with the RFE, I think that means you are likely to be approved within 30 days or 45 days max.
That is not news, but still good to know.

[triplet]

Have they done this in the past, is that something they publicize? How do you know Kanmani? Just curious.

I think USCIS might have recruited temporary employees to handle the RFE workload, with an arrangement to forward the file to the original adjudicator, once RFE response is received.

Just a thought.

[Kanmani]

Have they done this in the past, is that something they publicize? How do you know Kanmani? Just curious.

Triplet, I agree that I have a lot of spare time and really bored whenever there is less activity in the forum. I usually don't bookmark all that I read, I'll have memory of whatever I read, but this practice of mine gives me hard time whenever I am thrown how do you know type of questions

I guess this is where I got the root to that thought : http://www.visajourney.com/content/adjudicator-q-and-a

"Because of the amount of work, the agency also used contract services for a lot of the other various non-adjudicating type work. If I recall, the center was a 24/7 operation except for the CIS employees. A lot of the staging and processing of the work we accomplished during the day was done by the contractor at night. "

[Kanmani]

Guys,

Did you get any Vaccination Record in a separate chart from your civil surgeon at the time of your first I-693? Our civil surgeon is gone forever from practice and we are in search of another good one. I met with a CS yesterday, he is not accepting what we have as vaccination record and recommending us to do all the vaccines one more time. Frustrating!

[Pundit Arjun]

Guys,

Did you get any Vaccination Record in a separate chart from your civil surgeon at the time of your first I-693? Our civil surgeon is gone forever from practice and we are in search of another good one. I met with a CS yesterday, he is not accepting what we have as vaccination record and recommending us to do all the vaccines one more time. Frustrating!

Hi Kanmani,
I had a copy of the I-693 that was completed in 2012. The civil surgeon gave us a copy before sealing the original. They also do keep records of them.
For the recent RFE on I-693, I took the old document copy and updated vaccination records when I went to meet him and worked well.

My Suggestion is : Look for a different CS. Call each one and work with the CS that you are comfortable talking to.

Good luck

[Kanmani]

Hi Kanmani,
I had a copy of the I-693 that was completed in 2012. The civil surgeon gave us a copy before sealing the original. They also do keep records of them.
For the recent RFE on I-693, I took the old document copy and updated vaccination records when I went to meet him and worked well.

My Suggestion is : Look for a different CS. Call each one and work with the CS that you are comfortable talking to.

Good luck

Thanks Arjun, that's what we have too, the copy of I-693 with date of vaccination marked on them. I was made to believe that I have missed something from the previous CS who had closed the business and already left the country.

I'll try with another CS.

[ramaka02]

Guys,

Did you get any Vaccination Record in a separate chart from your civil surgeon at the time of your first I-693? Our civil surgeon is gone forever from practice and we are in search of another good one. I met with a CS yesterday, he is not accepting what we have as vaccination record and recommending us to do all the vaccines one more time. Frustrating!

That is so wrong of the CS. If I were you, I would look for another CS and then come back and file a complaint against this one. Just request a copy of your previous vaccination records and take it to another CS and that should suffice.

[Kanmani]

That is so wrong of the CS. If I were you, I would look for another CS and then come back and file a complaint against this one. Just request a copy of your previous vaccination records and take it to another CS and that should suffice.

Ramaka02,

Our vaccination records are with a civil surgeon, who have already closed his practice and flew out of the country. There is no successor for the clinic and the premises has been leased to some other business. We are left with a copy of I-693 alone.

[ramaka02]

Ramaka02,

Our vaccination records are with a civil surgeon, who have already closed his practice and flew out of the country. There is no successor for the clinic and the premises has been leased to some other business. We are left with a copy of I-693 alone.

The copy should work too + they do blood work which will show if you need to retake or need any additional vaccines, right?

[bieber]

Thanks Arjun, that's what we have too, the copy of I-693 with date of vaccination marked on them. I was made to believe that I have missed something from the previous CS who had closed the business and already left the country.

I'll try with another CS.

Kanmani, we had to take Td (or Tdap, one of the two) again this time, even though CS is same.

Try county health deparment, they will have your vaccination records and that's enough for proof