End of the road

[Arnold]

Gerry, I have a Friend that is married to an Indonesian Woman here close by my House. When he send papers for his wifes perm. green card, they lost them somehow and it almost got to the point for her having to leave the Country. He got a Lawyer and send a letter to "His" congressman and "He" got it done for him.
So, I see this as a good/necessary thing for you to do.. it is not a letter of anger. I'd do it.

[shaun]

The only thing my congressman has been able to do is generate is more paperwork for me to keep.  He is even on the homeland security committee.  They give him the same answer they have given me several times except a little more polite and respectfully.  They don't tell him to go pound sand.

To me it is a waste of time.   Needless to say I don't Dr. Broun will be asking me for a campaign contribution this time.

[Robertt S]

Here is another route you can try! You can contact your congressman also, but like Shaun said they don't have much influence with USCIS or the Consulates either!


USCIS Update: Case Status Inquiries with the Service Centers

WASHINGTON - U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued instructions on making inquiries with the agency's four Service Centers. Customers, community-based organizations and liaison groups should follow this guidance when inquiring about case related issues. This new process standardizes customer service and streamlines processing of customer inquiries at USCIS Service Centers. The step-by-step instructions are as follows:

Step 1: Contact the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283. The NCSC can assist customers, community-based organizations and liaison groups with case related inquiries. Before calling the NCSC please have available your receipt number, alien registration number, type of application filed and date filed. During your call we recommend that you take note of the following information:

-The name and/or id number of the NCSC representative

-The date and time of the call

-Any service request referral number, if a service referral on a pending case is taken

Step 2: If more than 15 days have passed since you contacted the NCSC and the issue has not been resolved or explained you can email the proper USCIS Service Center to check the status of your case.

-California Service Center: csc-ncsc-followup@dhs.gov

-Vermont Service Center: vsc.ncscfollowup@dhs.gov

-Nebraska Service Center: ncscfollowup.nsc@dhs.gov

-Texas Service Center: tsc.ncscfollowup@dhs.gov

Please note: Emails should be sent to the Service Center that has jurisdiction over your case. The receipt notice will indicate EAC for the Vermont Service Center, SRC for the Texas Service Center, LIN for the Nebraska Service Center, and WAC for the California Service Center.

When contacting the Service Centers by email you will need to provide the information outlined in Step 1. If the NCSC did not issue a service request after your call, please indicate the reason the NCSC representative did not issue the request.

Step 3: In the event you do not receive a response within 21 days of contacting the appropriate Service Center, you may email the USCIS Headquarters Office of Service Center Operations by email at: SCOPSSCATA@dhs.gov. You will receive a response from this email address within ten days.

Good Luck and Best Wishes, Robert

P.S.   I do not think starting a feud with USCIS is a good idea either, because they hold all the Aces in the deck. They do not have to answer to anybody nor do they have to prove anything thing beyond a shadow of doubt concerning their opinions or decisions. Whereas you and your wife will have to jump through every hoop they want to place in your path so pissing them off would most likely result in longer delays and greater expenses for you! If you have already done step 1 of the above process, then proceed to step 2 and 3. Using step 3 you should have some explanation about your case within 31 days of completing step 2. Good Luck, Robert

[shaun]

Robert is correct about pissing USCIS off.   Don't do it.

Gerry, you won't like anything they have to say.  You won't like your responses.  But if you piss them off they could return your file to the bottom of the stack.  How would you know if they do it?   They are the ones in control.  I never call when I am in a bad mood even though I know it will put me in a bad mood once I have finished talking to them.

All three methods are available to you.  They are masters at telling you nothing and that is exactly what they will do.  Their response will be this;  On such and such date we received your information.  It is in process and will be processed in the order that it was received.  We hope this information will assist you and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions.

Gerry, good luck to you and your wife and please take a healthy dose of patience because you are going to need it.  Believe me I know how frustrating it is.

Shaun

[Pineau]

Anyone been to Kunming, Yunnan, China? We need to get away for a while and that is her top choice. I would rather go to Sanya but she wins this round.

[Neil]

Kunming was only a short stopover for us. It is a huge city. Yunnan is amazing. You'll find plenty of historical sites within a few hour trip by train. Lijiang Old Town was an amazing city to visit. The province is very beautiful and much less polluted than other places.  You won't regret your trip. The climate is good for this time of year. Possibly even slightly hot.

[Nigel]

Went to Kunming for a week before Chistmas.
Awesome place, you will love it. Same weather all year round, so you can go anytime.
Could not get everything done in a week, but ShiLin is a must, as is the cable car and chair lift up the mountain.
Markets are great, food is superb, my personal favourite and Yunnan people are the friendliest anywhere.
I was like you, wanted to spend all 10 days in HK, but so happy she decided on Kunming.
Enjoy!!!

[Pineau]

We went to Zhangjiajie instead. Awesome.  Lots of walking and climbing. glad to be home. now sorting through the 1500 photos We took.

Got word from senator Bennet's office.

Our office received a response from USCIS in regard to your wife’s petition.  According to USCIS the application has been released from the background check unit.  We understand the petition is now moving forward to an assigned adjudicating officer for review.  You should receive a notice within 60 days from USCIS.  If you do not receive any correspondence from USCIS we will be glad to follow up with USCIS on the status of your wife’s petition.
 
I hope this information is helpful.
 
Again, thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.

[Pineau]

Zhangjiajie

[Pineau]

more

[Peter Arnold]

Great photos Gerry. Thanks for sharing them. You wife looks adorable. You are a lucky man. Nice photos of you too! Man, this has been one hell of a long thread for you. I remember we both started about the same time.

[Pineau]

Yes, I remember we crossed paths in Shenyang and almost in Guangzhou and Changsha. It seems like another lifetime ago. I am staying hopeful that I will be back in the USA sometime this summer with wife and daughter.

You haven't been so lucky, having a few false starts. But that is better than taking the wrong path and regretting it later. stick to it and you will find her.  . Stop buy if you are in Guangzhou. Good luck to you

[Peter Arnold]

Thanks Gerry. I would love to stop by. I may be through again in Early June. I will let you know in advance this time.

[Rhonald]

Yes great pictures Gerry. Looks like rugged yet beautiful terrain you encountered. Just wondering if the Hollywood studios will still get Brad Pitt to play your part in the remake of 7 years in Tibet!

[Pineau]

Haha. Seven years !

It was rugged but the paths are well maintained. We never strayed far from the paved walkways and hand rails. It was just like everyplace else in China. TOO MANY PEOPLE.

I was looking at some of the photos and now I believe the whole park is FAKE. Manufactured in a factory and placed here to extract more tourist dollars.  ( They must spend all that american money on something. Why not something that will return their investment.)

The reason I mention this is that if you look close at some of the mountains in my photos (you must enlarge them) you will see in a couple of instances a faint logo printed on the side of the mountain. It made me laugh to think about a fake mountain the size of the empire state building.  I figured it out and included it here. anyone else figured it out?