We have been to meet DORA

[Kalli and Greg Oveson]

We met DORA earlier this month and she's no friend of ours! Let me start by explaining our situation; it's a little different. We live in a motor home and travel the country. It's a very nice and comfortable motor home. 40 feet long with portions that extend and give us a living room 12 feet wide. We have all the convenience including a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and HDTV. Living here is no hardship! My SO was a little reluctant before she saw it, told me that, "In China only poor people sleep in their car". But now, all is well.

 

But our house on wheels makes many things more difficult, we don't really live anyplace. One of the things I needed was a permanent address and domicile. I need to "belong" somewhere and for several years my official address has been a mailbox in Deming, NM, but I do not spend any time there. This winter we are in Phoenix where the weather is much better.

 

But as a New Mexico resident under the DORA pilot program I was required to appear in El Paso with my paperwork rather that mail it to the lockbox in Chicago. I'm 394 miles from that El Paso CIS office but I decided to follow their program rather than confuse anything by using my address here in Phoenix. So I made my Infopass appointment and got there on Dec 6th for my appointment. We got through security after taking the cell phone back to the car and took seats in the waiting area. We did not need to wait long when we were called to a window. All my papers had been prepared for mailing, in order with tabs and paperclips. None of that was looked at, the clerk merely searched through the pile and selected what she wanted and put it in order her way. The rest she just handed back to me. All the time spent on tabs and organization turned out to be a total waste of my time and I suspect things are handled the same way at the Chicago lockbox.

 

All the paperwork was in order but they said they wanted a copy of my original 129F which I did not have with me. They gave me a blank form and told me to fill it out while I stood at the window. Anybody else going there should take one along with them.

 

After being directed to another bank of chairs in the waiting room we waited to be called by the immigration agent. He decided that my SO's English was not adequate for him to conduct an interview and our paperwork was stamped "REJECTED". When I commented that many of the other applicants could not speak English well either he said it was OK because there were CIS folks that could speak Spanish. I was told to make a new Infopass appointment and bring a "Certified Interpreter" to my next interview. I asked what a "certified interpreter" was and they could not tell me. They said just someone who could speak English and Chinese and translate.

 

From what I could see, this whole program is a sham. If they were really interested in acccelerating this process, they would be prepared to do the biometrics the same day as the interview. The people in El Paso were not in the least bit helpful and many were surly in their treatment of others. Everything seemed geared for the convenience and comfort of the employees and if that made it unpleasant for their customers, too bad.

 

During the discussions after my rejection they said I should just use my Phoenix address and mail the paperwork to the Chicago lockbox. Then they warned me that I might still be sent back into the DORA program since I was at the El Paso office once already.

 

I mailed the papers (without tabs or clips) to Chicago on Dec 11 and haven't heard anything yet.

[Randy W]

It is always a requirement that the Immigration Officer be able to communicate with the petitioner without the spouse being involved. Any interpreter of your own choosing will do. We were also required to communicate with each other without the interpreter.

 

Yes - a large part of what they do at the interview is to take the documents they need from you and stuff them in your file. Having the documents tabbed and organized is to your advantage for finding them.

 

What was your complaint about DORA?

[esun41]

I honestly don't think it is the DORA program that is so bad. The program seems simple enough but we still have to go through the channels of our Government red tape and THAT... is an adventure in itself.

 

 

 

Travelers,

 

 

 

You situation is more unique with your living situation and such.

 

 

 

We just keep jumping through the hoops they put up. One day, we will get to eat that treat after jumping through that last hoop. (Treat = Green card)

 

 

 

Good luck!

[tywy_99]

I ran across this info from the USCIS and thought I'd post it here for anyone affected by it.

It's been recently revised. It's the expansion of the "DORA" program.

 

Expanding Pilot Program Affecting the Filing Procedures for Certain Form I-485 Applicants Residing Within the Jurisdiction of the Dallas, El Paso, or Oklahoma City Offices

 

P.S.- why do you Texans get all the breaks???.........