Official USCIS Complaint Form

[Jim - Portland, USA]

I just stumbled upon an interesting USCIS form. It's officially desginated as USICS # I-847 "Report of Complaint".

 

After looking it over, it's obvious that this form was created for the benefit of (illegal?) Mexican immigrants who wanted to lodge complaints against abusive U.S. border guards.

 

But it sure seems to me that this form can also be used to lodge complaints against GZ staff also. It even has a section where one can give a phyiscal description of the offending person (if name is not known), the time and place of the incident, etc.. I don't see any reason why this can't be used to complain about GZ staff. Especially in the cases where GZ staff refuse to listen to things the interviewee (beneficiary) has to say during the interview, and also when GZ hands out a white slip one day then turns around the next day and says "Just kidding (yoink), visa denied".

 

I have no idea how effective this form is. It goes to the "Internal Audit" department of what is now BCIS. Maybe they all get tossed into the trash can once received, or ... maybe there is a law/regulation requiring each complaint to be formally investigated? I have no idea. But maybe once the Feds receive so many hundreds of these complaints about GZ staff, hmmm, maybe something will change? I know GZ staff are just trying to do their jobs - they have a lot of fradulent cases to battle against, and a lot of BS to wade through. But with such huge amounts of un-checked power in a situation ripe for corruption, I think it's a great idea to shed light on those folks.

 

The form even has a "No Postage Necessary" stamp! Here the link:

 

I-847 Report of Complaint (USCIS)

 

Complain away folks ...

[pingme]

thanks. i've saved a copy to my machine.

 

when it comes time, that i'm dealing with guangzhou i'll have it, along with the information for my senator and representative handy.

 

it is true, they have a large task to deal with, but i also think, from all the stories i have heard, they are not managing their task well, and if anything, it can only get worse.

 

the volumn of people requesting visas from china is going up, and probably will not go down, so they have to seriously thing of doing their job differently. allowing immigration visas from one of the many other US consulates in china would seem to be to be the first logical step.

 

if my fiancee lived in her home town in XinJiang, she would need to take a 20hr train ride, followed by a 5 hour flight just to go for the interview. the US has other embassies that are much closer and could probably handle the job much more efficiently than how they are doing it in guangzhou.

[Robert S.]

The employees at the embassy in GZ do not work for the USCIS. They work for the State Department, which is an entirely separate cabinet-level department. Actually the DoS is the most senior department of the government. I wonder if State has a system for registering complaints? Back in the infamous Black Hole days we had a number of people who were trying to find a way to find out something, anything, from the State Department but no one at that time ever posted where they found some kind of system for registering complaints with them. We did take the action of a group letter from approximately 100 CFL members which we sent to the director of the whole visa program and she replied to us. Perhaps all of you new people would like to do something like that.

 

The mistreatment of so many people there in GZ is getting worse. I don't believe the headquarters is supervising the consulates properly.

[BobandNicole]

Hate to break your bubble, but USICS is a division of the Department of Homeland Security, which is a separate entity of the folks who did you in at GUZ.

 

The DHS folks at GUZ all in all aren't too bad a lot, just a bit anal with the paperwork. Which around here at the best of times can be confusing. Once I had it all done correctly, it was pretty much a breeze.

 

Folks you're after are part of the State Department... so it's kind of like going to the gun counter at a super Wall-Mart and complaining about the vegetables in produce.

 

But fire away if it makes you feel better.

Bob

[hank]

While the USCIS may be a different department, I think that Jim still has a valid idea.

 

If we knew the right person or persons in the DOS to lodge complaints with, we may be able to make an impact.

 

And even better, if we can make those complaints specific to the VO's that consistantly screw over our CFL members... like the infamous black pearl. When the right people hear the same complaints over and over, they may be compelled to check things out.

 

And to increase our leverage, we need to learn how the complaint process works. Are there any laws on the books that require oversight or the investigation of complaints?

 

I'm throwing these questions out to any CLF member that may have some insight.

[se_lang]

cheer up it will end soon enough

[njbernie]

I'm all for signing some kind of petition to send to the Department of State, I think they have the oversight to the consulates. If we somehow get it to someone who will listen in the DOS.

 

If that does not work, maybe we could get one to a Congressman who will listen to us. Congress has oversight over the DOS.

 

I think it is our right to complain about GUZ, after all, we pay their bills...

[Luo_Bin_&_Jialu]

I am so tired of fighting. It seems that is all anyone ever wants to do. In the midst of any struggle, I always seem to find many who do not wish to fight, yet wish to do what they can to assist and understand.

 

I do not like waiting this long for my visa, but I am doing what I can within the system, all the while being polite--yet doing what I can. I will, for the most part, remain positive while I look for others who are experiencing what I am and are as sympathetic to me as I am to them. Thank you all for being here with me during this time I am apart from the woman I love.

 

I am willing to be part of any group letter or group action aimed at lessening our wait time, or improving upon our situation. I stress that any negative or imflammatory actions are not in my best interests, and under those type of circumstances I will not participate.