CONTACTED SENATOR

[goneflying2000]

I called my Senators office today and was transferred to an assistant who takes care of visa issues. He was very helpful and here is what he told me.

Regarding the name check delays (and our State evidently has many of them) they are mainly associated with visa requests from China, Mexico and Pakistan. Currently there is no viable pipeline for there office to obtain information from the F.B.I. other than name check pending (sound famillier) Because of the amount of requests that they have for assistance with name check delays, they had requested a meeting with the F.B.I. That was supposed to have happened the beginning of October, however that meeting has been pushed back by the F.B.I. until the end of the month.

They requested this meeting to try and establish some way to help there constituants who are currently caught up in these delays, some for as long as 3 years.

Anyway the wind up to all this is that the Senators assistant sounded as frustrated as we sometimes get and seemed to have a genuine desire to help. I will be in contact with him again after his meeting with our friends at the F.B.I.

[skibum]

I wish tje assistant luck. The FBI doesn't care about anything other than protecting their butts.

 

What Senator was it? It seems that some Senators and Congressmen do accidently hire good people.

[cosmiclobster]

My guess is that you just got a generic reply. For a senator or congressperson to check the status of your particular case, they need to have a consent form signed by you.

I think you might have better luck contacting your congressperson, since there are many congresspersons assigned all over the state but only 2 senators.

It is also one of the congresspersons main job functions to help their constituents deal with problems and processes of the federal govt.

Senators are usually only concerned with matters that affect the whole state.

 

Good luck!

Edited October 18, 2005 by cosmiclobster (see edit history)

[HanLi]

I need to find my congressman..........

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

This stage is VERY difficult as there is very little one can do.

 

Hank, go here to find your congressmen...

 

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

[goneflying2000]

Yes I am aware of the consent form that is needed but as was stated to me rather than give me the generic answer they would prefer to wait until after their meeting, where they are hoping to get some diffinitive method of being able to track the progress and expedite requests.

[skibum]

It was my senator that helped me. My congressman did crap. He is pretty stupid anyway. It is all up to the assistants who do the real work.

[hunter]

I dunno, when I called my senators office, and they put me on with the flunkie who is the "expert", she told me to mail the I-130 and I-129F at the same time. LOL glad I didnt listen.

[Zingaro]

My SO and I endured a 10 month delay at second name check. During that time, I wrote a letter, accompanied by appropriate documents, forms and information, to one of my state's senators.

 

At first, I got only a form reply. An assistant in the Senator's office did telephone DOS and received the exact same response I'd gotten many times for myself. I wrote again. The senator's assistant actually telephoned and told me straight out that they could do nothing.

 

Ultimately, the Senator's office didn't achieve some miracle result. However, the fact of an inquiry from the senator's office did show up on DOS's computers. DOS actually did look into the matter. I don't know what they found exactly, but things did shake loose within a month or so thereafter and the name check was completed with acknowledgement from DOS that "it was overdue". GZ then expedited our case - without my requesting it - and scheduled the interview on a very fast track. We had the visa roughly a month after completion of the name check.

 

Whether the senator or congressman can actually get something done often depends on how connected the senator's assistants are in DC. However, some communication is better than none, and an inquiry from a senator, especially a high-profile senator, can't hurt.

Edited October 18, 2005 by Zingaro (see edit history)

[HanLi]

This stage is VERY difficult as there is very little one can do.

 

Hank, go here to find your congressmen...

 

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

161322[/snapback]

Thanks Jesse.....

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

It looks like many of you have gone the route of telephoning your elected officials offices. I tried the email route a couple of weeks ago to my congressmen (can't stand her), my senator, and governor. None have responded. I'm guessing the telephone is the better way to go?

 

[jbray]

I contacted my 2 senators and congrasperson and got results. Within a week all three had either written me, or called me. In the letter from one of my Senators they printed out their email's to/from GuangZhou.

 

Here is what I did... I sent the letters to their local office, as well as their DC office. I sent them Overnight FEDEX. I had 3 sets of 3, 5x7 photo's printed of my wife and I together (at our wedding, and on our honeymoon)and included the 3 pictures in each letter. The letter I wrote included her GUZ case number. I sent them fedex because I at least wanted them to open the letter. I also sent the pictures hoping to get their attention. I was hoping that it would make them realise that we are real people.

 

Honestly, I don't know how much of a help it was. Our application has gone pretty smothly. But, at least it didn't hurt. I think it was an hour and $20 well spent...

[cosmiclobster]

I contacted my 2 senators and congrasperson and got results. Within a week all three had either written me, or called me. In the letter from one of my Senators they printed out their email's to/from GuangZhou.

 

Here is what I did... I sent the letters to their local office, as well as their DC office. I sent them Overnight FEDEX. I had 3 sets of 3, 5x7 photo's printed of my wife and I together (at our wedding, and on our honeymoon)and included the 3 pictures in each letter. The letter I wrote included her GUZ case number. I sent them fedex because I at least wanted them to open the letter. I also sent the pictures hoping to get their attention. I was hoping that it would make them realise that we are real people.

 

Honestly, I don't know how much of a help it was. Our application has gone pretty smothly. But, at least it didn't hurt. I think it was an hour and $20 well spent...

161548[/snapback]

Good plan of attack!!!

I like the idea of sending your pictures to show you are real people, not just another stack of papers!

[Zingaro]

It looks like many of you have gone the route of telephoning your elected officials offices. I tried the email route a couple of weeks ago to my congressmen (can't stand her), my senator, and governor. None have responded. I'm guessing the telephone is the better way to go?

 

161419[/snapback]

I suggest you always start with a letter. Then there is something in writing, a paper trail. Telephones have no memory.

 

I wrote to one of my Senators - sent the letter to her main state office. I knew it would go to an assistant. When I received the unsatisfactory response from the assistant, I emailed the Senator's D.C. office AND wrote a follow-up letter to the assistant. The assistant telephoned me, I never telephoned the Senator.

 

If you're going to telephone, use that as a follow-up, rather than as your first line of communication.

 

I also wrote to my congressman. I have yet to hear back. Since you've already written letters, try a follow-up letter, follow-up email, and/or follow-up telephone call.