USCIS processing times, and ideas for I-171H renewal
In 2005 the US State Department says they processed 21,895 orphans into the U.S in 2005.
The USCIS site shows that they have 75 offices that process I-600A applications.
21,895 divided by 75 is 292, barely more than one per business day. But, let’s say that 30 of these offices only account for about 60 applications and the rest have to process everyone else.
That would mean that 45 offices are processing 21,835 applications per year. That is still only 485 applications a year per office. If you figure a month of vacation time and another two weeks of holiday time we are left with 230 working days per year. That is 2.1 applications per day. So, WHY ARE SOME OF THEM TAKING THREE OR FOUR MONTHS TO PROCESS THEM? Twenty minutes to read through the homestudy, ten minutes to check off that everything else that is needed is included, and thirty minutes to do whatever is needed to get it entered into the system and the information sent to GZ and the I-171H ready to mail. That’s an hour. But let’s say it takes two hours, they should still be able to get 4 a day out the door!
Sorry for the screaming, but this is outrageous to me. We hear sob stories of there only being one person who processes them in some offices. Well, if they only need to process two a day to keep up then I should hope that they only have one person assigned to this job. But since they are behind, maybe they should put another person or two on the job to help get caught up?
If they get 485 applications per year at that office, then that is $264,325 per year coming into that one office in I-600A fees. Subtract out the cost of one office (or maybe just a cubicle), salary for one employee, and stamps for 485 letters and that is still quite an income generator. Especially when you multiply it by 45 offices. I think they should be able to afford to put another person on the job so they can get caught up.
As for a renewal process, how does this sound:
1. USCIS processing times need to be 10 business days or less at all offices for both the original and the renewal. We are paying a lot of money for this, and the USCIS should put enough people onto the job to get this caught up in all offices. Some people have to wait three or four months for their I-171H. The U.S. government should not be delaying people’s adoptions in this manner.
2. Two options for the renewal process:
b. For those with a major change, there is a spot on the renewal form for them to check off whatever the change is. The social worker writes something up that addresses this change (or these changes). Not a completely new homestudy, just something addressing what has changed since the last homestudy. For instance, if the family has adopted another child in the interim then the social worker would write about how the family has adjusted to this change and whether (in her opinion) the family is prepared to add another child to the family and whether the family still meets the income requirements to adopt with this extra person in the house. If the mom was working but has now quit working the social worker would address the change in income and whether there is enough income coming in to make them eligible for adoption. If the family has moved then the social worker would do all of the “there are good schools nearby, there is a room for the child to have her own room, the family has a pool and has taken precautions to keep a small child out of the pool” etc. If there has been a change in health then the social worker would address this and a doctor’s letter would also be needed. Check written to the USCIS for this renewal would be $175.00.
3. We need clarification on fingerprint renewals. Some offices are okay as long as the fingerprints are current, others require fingerprints at the time of the re-do. Please clarify this so that all offices are operating under the same rules for renewal.
Also, social workers should be required to give their fee for handling an I-171H update when they give your their fees at the beginning of the process. Most social workers give the fees as a package, so you know what the follow up reports are going to cost after you are home with the baby. I believe that the I-171H renewal fees should also be given up front, once the USCIS clarifies what will be involved with renewal.
What does everyone think of this? Anything to add?
I know I haven’t written this in legal-speak, and it really should be written that way if we are going to try to figure out how to get it into the conference. Once we add whatever needs to be added does anyone want to give this a go at translating it into government language?
September 9th, 2006 at 9:17 am
RQ,
How about something regarding all offices adhering to the information on the official USCIS website? No changing rules at the door after we’ve been told the supposedly correct procedure either on the phone by an immigration official at the National Customer Service Center or on their USCIS website.
Also, is this the time or place to insist that each office has a phone contact so you (or your SW) don’t have to wait weeks to have a question answered or learn that you need something else to complete the processing? Our USCIS office takes two weeks to process a form letter for anything!!
Thanks for doing this.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:24 am
Supposedly they have an email address going into place soon so that people can ask questions and check the status of their paperwork. I’ll take an email address that is responded to within, say, 24 to 48 hours, instead of a phone number if that is a better way for them to answer questions.
But, perhaps we could ask for an oversight office that makes sure all offices are operating under the same rules? Someone we can go to if our office is requiring something that other offices are not requiring? I believe there are some rogue officers who want to make up their own rules at some locations, and it would be nice if there was someone to go to when this happens.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:42 am
I used the Orlando office. They have one “orphan officer” and I was told by my SW that she works on I-171H processing maybe once a week. She has many other duties and the orphan petitions are worked on only once a week. This changes the whole scenario on how many they can process. I think like with any job description, looking in from the outside, we always think they should get so much more done because we don’t realize how many other tasks are dumped on them. Of course, being a govt. job, that adds more to the equation. They seem to be overly inefficient overall. All that being said, with only one person processing applications in the office I used, I got my I-171H in 2 weeks after everything was submitted.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:44 am
The Orlando office is EXTREMELY efficient and has been so for quite a while. We had a less than 2 week turn around. Maybe the other offices should look to this office as an example! Knocking on wood as I type this that it will continue as we have to redo our stuff in a couple of months.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Hi, This is my first time posting but I’ve been readying or rather ‘lurking’ for sometime.
Part of that time is also that they do background checks through other agencies. So I’m sure that has something to do with the wait time. Remember government agencies don’t share their data - which to me is pretty studid. Rather they have to ‘request’ information from the other agency.
Our wait time her in Norfolk Virginia was really fast - only about 3 weeks.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:48 am
Well then, if the orphan officer is also the officer in charge of something else then perhaps they need to relieve this person of some of their other duties?
Seriously, if they are only spending one day a week working on this and they are three or four months behind then shouldn’t someone at some point say “hey, we’ll take all of these other responsibilities off of you for a week or two and let you get caught up”.
My point is still that they are charging us an exorbitant amount of money for one little piece of paper that has been copied way too many times and they should put enough manpower on the job to keep this job caught up.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:52 am
Background checks? Those are already done… we have to supply local police checks, and our fingerprints are run by the FBI and it seems like our social worker had to run us through something as well. What else can they possibly be checking?
Ten business days from approval of fingerprints or receipt of everything (whichever comes last) really should be enough time.
Of course, I think we should send everything in at once - sending everything but the home study and having the home study sent separately just causes them more work when they have to match things up.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:53 am
Also, as people have pointed out, SOME offices are capable of doing this in two weeks, so I don’t think this is a matter of waiting for some kind of background check.
September 9th, 2006 at 10:01 am
Our office (New Orleans) is one of the ones that take 4 months to process the application….and that’s IF you take the time to call them everyday and get your senator involved. It’s pathetic. It was 3 months with my first adoption and this one did get caught up in the Katrina junk, but still!
I would also think we can get more current numbers than 1995. I can’t remember when China opened but this would have still been at the very beginning of it, the numbers have certainly gone up since then! Someone must know someone who could get the information.
September 9th, 2006 at 10:03 am
OMG! I typed 1995 instead of 2005. I thought last year and apparently my fingers typed last decade.
Sheesh. Those are 2005 numbers. Sorry about that. I changed it.
And thanks for pointing it out.
September 9th, 2006 at 10:03 am
We are from Puerto Rico. Just got our LID yesterday. Here only 1 lady works with the 171h’s and only on Fridays. Make that some Fridays. I would call on fridays because she told me that if it was up to her she would get the approvals out really quick but that her supervisor was the one that assigned in what she had to work every day and that when the supervisor noticed that people were calling about their 171h she was sometimes told tp go work on them. Furthermore, one day and called and I began crying when she told me that it was actually better that the 171h was not being approved because that way I was already in the way of being matched with our baby and the 18 months had not begun to elapse. I very patiently told her that the problem was that precisely because I did not still have that precious piece of paper, our ageny still had not translated nor authenticated our documents, and so China had not even an inkling that we even existed. She was rather dumbstruck and miraculously our 171h was approved 5 days later, on a Wednesday. So what I mean is that I think there is also a lot of lack of knowledge. This lady was no novice and she did not even know the importance of that piece of paper foe the China adoptive parents.
September 9th, 2006 at 10:18 am
Would someone mind posting their I-171 renewal fees/costs so those of us who are new can plan ahead? I realize there may be some variation between agencies…
Thank you!
September 9th, 2006 at 10:19 am
RQ- I love the idea about having just two forms to choose from - One for “Nothing has changed ” or one for “Situation changed” The idea for the reduced fees are even better than the simplicity of the new forms!
September 9th, 2006 at 10:23 am
At least at the Michigan USCIS Adoption Unit in Detroit, a huge part of the problem is that the office seems to view processing adoption paperwork as a low priority. The ONE time I was able to reach the officer who handles reviews by phone, he immediately told me that processing I-600A forms was “a collateral duty”… and based on the fact that it took 3 months to get an I-171H and I was never again able to reach the office either by phone or e-mail, it became very clear that “collateral duty” meant extremely low priority duty. My point is there should be a dedicated adoption officer who regularly processes adoption paperwork on a daily basis at each office. If turnaround would not exceed 30 days for routine cases, even that seems reasonable compared to what’s happening now. Of course two-week turnaround would be even better, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to suggest that parameter to the conference attendees. I also like the idea of mandating a maximum 48-hour turnaround on response to e-mail requests for info. The Detroit office had an e-mail info. address but simply didn’t respond to e-mails. The staff shouldn’t have the option to ignore their customers, it always blew my mind that there was apparently no customer service oversight whatsoever. As the RQ notes above, what the heck are we paying for???
I think the focus of our communication with the conference attendees should be:
1. Substitution of a streamlined I-171H RENEWAL process for the current procedure of throwing out the entire past paperwork and starting over with the I-600A; and this streamlined process should mean a greatly reduced processing fee. (Love the simple renewal form idea above for those who have no major changes to report and the simple update for those who have some significant change–update on what has changed only.)
2. Make the process more predictable with a maximum 30-day processing time and consistent processing standards in all field offices.
3. Establish a reliable way for APs to check the status of their applications, either by phone or e-mail, with response required within a reasonable timeframe.
September 9th, 2006 at 10:25 am
Wileymuse -
In CT. we had to pay $140 for two new fingerprintings, and $545 to file a new I600A. We were fortunate enough to live in a state where our home study is good for 2 years, so we did not have to update that (which would have meant updated medical exams & DCF searches - even more money!) So we got out of it for an additional $685, which from what I understand is probally the cheapest scenerio possible.
September 9th, 2006 at 10:26 am
This looks awesome! Maybe if we can’t get CCAA to hire RQ we can get her hired at the USCIS in charge of I 171H processing! I would add that I think even option 2 should be done for $100-$150– it really isn’t much work. But the main thing is that in no way should we have to repay the same amount–even a slight discount would be nice, but there really should be no charge since we are still waiting to use it! Thanks for your hard work RQ– I hope someone will pay attention and make these changes happen!
September 9th, 2006 at 10:51 am
Connecticut mom, thank you for sharing that info. Wow, didn’t realize they would charge the full price for an update.
September 9th, 2006 at 10:55 am
If manpower for processing orphan petitions is being limited as others have stated above, then I’m skeptical that email is going to be answered in a timely fashion, and may even have standardized responses, just like a form letter. I really believe your idea of an oversight office is extremely important. Please emphasize that idea.
I agree that with the huge increase in fees, their efficiency has actually decreased proportionately. I seem to recall that our first I-600A in 2000 required something like a $245 fee and fingerprints were $25 each. Our service was actually better back then. Go figure!
September 9th, 2006 at 11:20 am
The idea of a renewal process should be pushed very hard. It seems like the best possible solution since the politicians are so against extensions. There should be a much quicker turnaround time than the initial approval as just not as much work. This would indoubtedly be in the best interest of the children. I hope there is someone out there with some legal background to take on RQ’s ideas and write a proposal and appeal to Congress.
September 9th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
I love these ideas. I would even be willing to suck it up and do the extra paperwork if I knew there would be a major reduction in the fees for the renewal. USCIS doesn’t seem to realize that on top of the fee for renewing the I171H, we pay for the homestudy update, the doctor’s visit, the police clearance, etc.
September 9th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
RQ - love your ideas. Words cannot express the aggravation we had with USCIS and to think about going through it all again, just makes me ill.
With a LID of 12/20, our agency says that we should notify the USCIS only like 1-2 months before our prints expire. I don’t feel comfortable with this. I feel like I should get the ball rolling now since it takes so long and my agency does not feel the same way. Anyone else run into this from their agency? What is everyone else doing as far as renewal? Our prints expire in 12/06 and I171 in 4/07????
September 9th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
I know here in Dallas there is also just one adoption officer, Word from my SW is she is very pro adoption and makes them as much a priority as possible. However it did take 7 weeks for our approval. I have heard that they only cable the approval to China once a week. So if were approved on Friday, but they are cabled on Thur-you will have have to wait until the following week for your I171 to go out-which was the case with our’s.
I think your outline is perfect-If I could assist with making it sound fancy(which I already think that it does:) I would be happy to, but that is not my strength.
The point of the tax return is? Is that something you added just for verification, or is that required by some other states? That is the other big part of the frustration. Every state and every office seems to have a different protocol-they should all be the same, and they should all operate under the same guidlines.
Thanks RQ-Good job.
September 9th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
I just have to laugh at all of this. I realize that most people getting into the adoption process have never had experience before with USCIS (formerly INS), so they don’t realize just how bad it is for EVERYONE who has to deal with them. I work in a field where a lot of my colleagues are from overseas, and I have seen unbelievable tangles.
I have even been involved personally in a tangle or two. Years ago, I was working with a professor from Poland. We went to a conference in France. The Hartford INS office erroneously told him he had the correct paperwork to reenter the country. But he didn’t. We spent months on the fight to get him back into the US, with both Senators involved as well as the university. We never succeeded.
I have a colleague who married a Canadian woman. They had to wait a year for her paperwork to go through INS. Mistake after mistake was made. And when the INS called to tell them to come in for their interview , they had to jump, because there was no way of rescheduling and they had been waiting for so long. I have other colleagues who go down to line up at 6am, and wait most of the day, so they can get some piece of their green card paperwork done.
The INS used to be legendary for its arrogant, rude, incompetent service. They left the IRS in the dust for pure horribleness. The presumption at the INS was always that anybody trying to enter the country or help someone enter the country must be dishonest in some way. Why do we think that the new USCIS would treat us adoptive parents any better?
September 9th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Ratgirl, I think that you are on the right track. Since the USCIS is now the INS (Immigration & Naturalization Service, I think), adoptions are stuck in the citizenship quagmire, which, since, 9/11/2001, is a BIG FAT mess. Let me illustrate. A co-worker of my husband has been waiting 7 YEARS for his green card; he’s in the U.S. on an H-1B work visa. 7 YEARS! Because he can’t get his green card, his wife (with a master’s degree in architecture) is not allowed to work. They are so completely frustrated with the INS/USCIS that they are considering abadoning the life they have started here (their home, friends, child’s friends, etc) and either going back to their homeland (Romania) or looking for employment in a more immigrant friendly country. Such a shame, as we’ll lose dear friends but the U.S. will lose big taxpayers, upstanding “resident aliens” and well educated people that had the highest hopes for living here.
September 9th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
We used the Buffalo office which I think should be the model of efficiency. They are the fastest reported office out there. We went in one day, paid our fees (by credit card- need the miles) and submitted our I-600. We walked to the next counter and got fingerprinted. Our SW submitted our homestudy three days later. On day 7 (weekday) the adoption desk lady called me and asked if I wanted to pick up the I-171 or did I want her to mail it. Our process took 7 days total.
September 9th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
RQ, you asked if anyone had experience in “legalese.” Yes, there is a powerful group that is great at adoption legislation, the JCICS (Joint Council on International Children’s Service, an adoption trade association). Their website shows all the adoption oriented legislation that they have worked on over the years. Look at their site, then look under Government Affairs menu then Adoption Legislation then, at the top of that page, look for NEW “click here to view our matrix…” My agency is a JCICS member as are many, many other agencies in the U.S.
Considering the recent mention (in your post last week) of JCICS, may we should forgo that avenue and direct our senators and representatives to your most recent post, asking them to explain why the 171-H and its renewal process is both so slow and redundant? We should all be pro-active on this as it effects each of us. Your thoughts, RQ?
September 9th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
Before the Detroit office handled adoption processing, it took place in Sault Ste. Marie. Anytime I called, I got a live person, usually the “orphan officer” herself. I spoke to her many times during our third daughter’s adoption last year (SN so she was expedited). This officer told me that sometimes the hold-up is families’ checks not clearing at the time of processing–that they then have to go through a government accounting office in New York? for clearance (sorry I can’t find all the notes I took on this at the time). I’m sure that’s a small number of applicants, but it’s still something to consider. I can’t remember the name of the new check-clearance procedure instituted last year in the US, but with that in place, USCIS can easily determine whether a check clears or not. I asked if families were notified if their checks hadn’t yet cleared, and this officer said no, they just have to wait longer for their I-171H, but that if the checked bounced a second time, then they would receive a letter. So maybe it would help to mention that little snag somewhere in the proposal–that families should be notified with a PHONE CALL IMMEDIATELY if there is a problem with their application.
Also, this orphan officer had many other responsibilities than processing I-171Hs. She said they just weren’t a priority for the office, especially since 9/11/01. She did request help and got an assistant, and things improved there for awhile.
But now the I-171H processing has been transferred to Detroit, and the “customer service” there is abysmal :(
September 9th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
I too am from a state that the homestudy is good for 2yrs(THANK GOD). ALso, I must be the minority, because I had a pleasant experience with my USCIS office. My I-171 came about two weeks after my homestudy was submitted.
September 9th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
My comment is: I talked with my agency about the renewal of our I171H and if we would have to have new physicals — she said that China would be ok with our first one. Also, why would we have to have a new police clearance? Are some states requiring these new updates for the homestudy?
Someone please clarify this.
RQ — great ideas
September 9th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
One of the things I’ve heard a few times is that the USCIS doesn’t want anyone adopting a child if that child will put them into the category that they will be able to get welfare. Something about not bringing a child into the country that will be a burden on the taxpayers. So, since that seems to be a big part of their concern, I figured it isn’t that hard for us to attach a copy of our most recent tax return to help assure them we still meet the income requirements for adopting a child.
September 9th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
So much to say, so little space.
First, steam is coming out of my ears to read how few applications are handled and yet in such a slow manner. Any job I ever had, I would have been canned for such lack of production or bad customer service.
Second, I don’t accept the checks clearing excuse as applying to many families. We had to submit a money order.
We actually had an ok experience compared to some. The Columbus Ohio office processed my friend in 2 months from initial application. We received the I171H 3 weeks after final paperwork was submitted. I’t told we are lucky not to go through Cincinnati which is notoriously aweful. And no one can tell me that Columbus and Cincinnati have that different of work loads.
1 1/2 weeks of the time we waited were for mailing. Can we include some kind of regulations for window dropoffs? I live 20 minutes from the office but had to do everything by snail mail. Both our state and county offices allow for walk in service at the window. The USCIS could allow for one morning a week for walkins. Would have saved us time and stress.
tc1614 - I was told we would have to redo our physicals if they were too old. Hate to have conflicting info like this.
September 9th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
I am a first-time poster. I agree, RQ, that each office needs to have two people per office working on i-600A’s (new and renewal). One can be a fill-in for the primary person.
One of the USCIS offices in the northeast had one person who worked on i-600a’s, and when she was called up from the Reserves, NO ONE filled her position while she was gone! Quite a delay resulted. Once she returned, she got through the paperwork quickly, but I think it is inexcusable that there was no fill-in assigned when she left.
What you have suggested sounds great.
September 9th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
“NO ONE filled her position while she was gone!”
UUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 9th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
RE: fingerprints… I went online 3 weeks ago for an InfoPass to get an appointment. Got an appointment for the following Monday morning. Had my money order, 171 copy and appointment pass. When I spoke with the officer I was told I had to mail in a request for the appointment! The InfoPass was not applicable for fingerprints. I mailed a cover letter the next morning along with the money order and 171H copy. That was 10 days ago. I received a notice in the mail yesterday that from USCIS saying that they received the payment and that I should expect a letter with an appointment within TWO months!!!!!
Glad I started a month before they expire.
My main concern was that the officer could give me NO idea how long the 171 would take to be redone.
I looked at my original paperwork for the fingerprints and that stated I should contact USCIS if I had not heard back from them within FIVE months!!!! Yes, you read that correctly…. for a fingerprint appointment.
PS I am in north Florida where there is no phone or email address. ALL correspondence must be done by snail mail.
September 9th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
“NO ONE filled her position while she was gone!â€
Hey…that’s what happened with Atlanta this year. They went from processing in 2 weeks to taking 10-12 weeks from Feb to May. ah…yes….and WHY? I never got a clear answer….one officer left to train someone in another office? Or they hired someone new to take over for “Ms. Efficient” and new officer had to be trained…but then someone else mentioned a 3rd officer in some capacity. I dunno. I think someone didn’t like that it was only taking 2-4 weeks to get approvals out. LOL
What REALLY irritated me is that Atlanta went OUT OF ORDER. Someone with a “completed paperwork” date of June 7 got their 171h. It was approved on July 27. My paperwork was completed on May 24th (yes…almost 2 weeks before June 7), and my 171h was approved on August 1st. I am NOT the only one this has happened to, it continues to happen quite regularly. NSN were processed ahead of SN, people from GA were processed before people from other states…and then it was reverse of that. There truly was not rhyme or reason to the “out of order” processing.
Our entire dossier was completely authenticated, ready to submit…before the homestudy was sent to USCIS in Atlanta. Redoing the homestudy is what gives me nightmares, the state fingerprint clearance (took them 3 tries to READ my ink fingerprints) to run the state level of background check royally screwed up “fast paperchase” and then to have to wait 10.5 weeks on that 171h after everything else was done. *sigh* Yes, I think we had 3-4 background checks run on us for this adoption. Redundancy of things is one thing we don’t understand.
Also, for Atlanta there is NO expedited processing for special needs. You can attach as many photos to the paperwork as you want, it still is taking them 10-12 weeks. *sigh*
I feel so sorry for the people trying to get into our country legally.
September 9th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
For the folks talking about the current scenario and “renewing the I-171H”—that’s part of the problem, it isn’t a renewal, you have to refile a new I-600A and go through the whole shebang all over again. This is why we desperately need the USCIS to rethink the process and institute a renewal process rather than them having us all simply start over from square 1.
I’m wondering whether we should also include a request for an I-171H extension to 2 years in our comments for the committee to consider. If the USCIS was able to extend it during SARS, then likely an extension such as this is a procedural thing they have the authority to do without Congress passing a bill on the matter. Couldn’t hurt to ask.
September 9th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
Atlanta is still taking 10 to 12 weeks.
September 9th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
I’m so impressed with everyone’s suggestions! No matter how bad the rumors, this group fights back and doesn’t give up! Woo hoo! RQ - you go, girl!!
It would be very useful to compile the average processing time for offices with special mention for the offices that deliver the service we are expecting - like Buffalo and Orlando. For the ones that stink, this would clearly show that changes need to be made in those offices. And we are just listing data - not directly criticizing their lousy service.
The idea of getting help from JCICS is great!
One other idea along the lines of the “foot in the door” technique. We should ask for the I-171H extension, and when we get a “no” response, then ask for the I-171H simplified renewal instead of the re-do. Ask for something “big”, get denied, that makes a person more inclined to agree to a smaller request.
September 9th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
We went through Philadelphia and it was about two/two and a half weeks.
September 9th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
We are in Atlanta as well. When we went through the whole deal last year, it took us approximately 1 1/2 weeks to receive our I 171H. We sent in our request for our FP’s to be redone mid August and within a week, we had an appt. We just went this past Tuesday and we were in and out in less than 15 minutes. I am hoping that it doesn’t take forever if we have to have our I 171 H redone. It expires in Feb, so we are hopeful at this time. ;-)
RQ- I love your ideas!!!
September 9th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
I don’t want to get on a rabbit trail, but after personally dealing with INS/CIS for 12+ years, you are guilty until proven innocent, and every time you turn around they slap you with a $$$ penalty for not filing a correct paper or whatever the offense is you had no idea you committed. Boy do I have stories about each visit to their office…!
But, with that said, getting fingerprinted and re-fingerprinted at our small local CIS office was a positive surprise, and gasp - the CIS employees were even joking around! We were in shock!
Good ideas and suggestions on I-171H. When you are all done with that, care to tackle the green card/naturalization process???!!!
September 9th, 2006 at 10:56 pm
IF we are not successful in getting the validity of the I171H extended, would this be a good time to request that the fingerprint expiration and the I171H expiration match? Just say that the prints are good as long as the I171H is good. That could be beneficial even if the wait times dropped. (We had to get prints renewed for our first adoption, but thankfully we traveled before needing to renew our I171H)
September 10th, 2006 at 1:02 am
I have just been a lurker til now, and I’ve got to say thank you for bringing this up!
The Atlanta CIS office just about drove me nuts waiting on my appointment and 171. First, they forgot to send me my fingerprint appointment, though they had made one. I finally called, and they said the office staff had forgotten to send my appointment which was for the next day (a five-hour drive one-way to get to the office). The officer told me she could get me another one the next week (which she did).
Then, it took 10 weeks to get my 171, though I had heard stories of 2 weeks for others who had gone through the process a few months before. I know several other adoptive parents who are waiting on Atlanta and have passed the 7 or 8 week mark.
From the time that I started the paperwork until I got my 171, the Atlanta office had three different direct phone numbers, the 1800 national number was worthless, having access only to the info on the web-page, which was not updated so it looked like Atlanta was taking 4 months originally to process paperwork.
I agree with jmsmommy that I feel sorry for people trying to immigrate legally.
I think it would be great to create a table of processing times for the various offices and send them to the offices.
Thanks!
September 10th, 2006 at 8:54 am
The Chicago USCIS has one orphan officer and an assistant. They have a phone number that you can call – only on Tuesdays and Thursdays and only between 7am and noon. You can only leave a message with your name and number – no details – and the officer will call you back. And she really does. The only problem is, you can’t believe what she tells you. I spent two weeks going home every day at lunch to check my mail for the 171 that surely should have been there, only to learn that it hadn’t even been process yet (despite claims to the contrary). Now, I’ve been waiting 7 weeks for my 171 with no end in sight, and here’s the kicker – it is being expedited because I am adopting a heart baby who needs medical attention. According to the officer, she is so far behind that approval for a non-expedited 171 is currently AT LEAST 12 weeks.
September 10th, 2006 at 9:16 am
RQ - how about a poll to indicate how long you waited and the USCIS office? Or maybe two polls by I-171H “received” or “still waiting” so that we know if particular offices have improved, or are still bad. SOMEBODY need to see the details on how bad some of these offices are. Maybe the release of this information will embarrass them into making some changes!
September 10th, 2006 at 9:30 am
On the eve of Sept. 11th, I find it hard to believe that we (adoptive parents) the citizens of this great country are treated like a bunch of criminals and all this when it was the immigration office who was asleep at the wheel when 19 infamous individuals were let into the U.S. and changed the world forever. The Newark, NJ office is in a neighborhood that could be best described as a de-militarized zone and if you do not get your senator involved, it takes well over 3 months to get something processed.
September 10th, 2006 at 10:00 am
After a bit of research this morning, it appears that the JCISC site (www.jcics.org) is a great source of information - they clearly and genuinely advocate for orphaned children and have the same goals that we do - to find a loving, permanent home for a child.
Some interesting details in the October 20, 2005 White Paper link - #10 talks about streamlining bureaucracy (perhaps they could assist if they know how bad the I-171H process is).
Also, there is an Aug 7, 2003 link to the interim rule that gave the USCIS Director the authority to extend the I-171H. It states that the I-171H “is deemed abandoned” if the I-600 is not filed within 18 months. Perhaps we need to make it clear that it is not abandoned, but delayed because of events outside of our control?????? Sheesh. Maybe we should reques that the USCIS sends us a letter asking us if we are still waiting, and wish to keep our I-171H approval active?????? Assuming that it is “abandoned” is presumptuous and self-serving!
JCICS may also be interested in discussing the how to make sure that “international placement is pursued” …..”where national adoption has not expeditiously occurred” (White Paper #5).
What’s the best way is to contact JCICS? It seems like most of our correspondence is useless. Any suggestions?
September 10th, 2006 at 10:53 am
I have a couple of thoughts on this issue.
First, the difference in processing times between different USCIS offices points to a systemic problem within the agency. There is obviously no standardized timeframe within which local offices are required to process paperwork. This will not be fixed by complaining to the local office - the USCIS headquarters will have to initiate this change. So that’s where the focus of effort should be. This is issue needs to get on the radar of the Director of the USCIS. There are lots of ways to do this: writing directly, getting your elected representatives involved, etc. Another avenue would be to involve the USCIS inspector general’s office.
While I agree that the JCICS might be able to help lobby Congress, they are an advocate for the agencies - not for us. The agencies really don’t advocate for us either since they are advocates “for the children.” There needs to be an advocacy organization for prospective adoptive parents. Short of one forming (I do not volunteer to form one, BTW) then a coordinated campaign of letter writing, phone calls, etc. is needed.
I don’t care if the 171-H expires in 12 months, 18 months or ever. I do care if the initial approval and renewal process is radically inconsistent between geographical areas and negatively impacts the adoption process. You might find it interesting to know that if Boeing gets and Export license to sell a defense article to a foreign country, it expires in 2 years. And you might also find it interesting that about 5 years ago, the export license process underwent a major reorganization because it had the same systemic problems we are seeing with the 171. So now, instead of an export license taking months to get approved, it takes days (on average). Why did this happen? Because the stakeholders (businesses) got fed up and fought back.
So for the stakeholders in the international adoption process, we need to fight back. It will be great if a 171 is extended to 2 years, but not if it still takes 6 months to get one and 6 months to get it renewed. That’s the problem. The USCIS needs to get a handle on the processing times nationwide, and there needs to be some transparency in the process.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, people.
September 10th, 2006 at 11:07 am
One other point I forgot to add: As far as the USCIS goes, these applications are “low-hanging fruit.” While I don’t advocate a “rubber stamp” approach to processing, it’s not as if the people submitting for an international adoption through a reputable agency haven’t already been vetted (e.g. we have a homestudy completed, etc.).
September 10th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
This is from the USCIS website:
**Quote**
The USCIS has established complaint procedures whereby individuals can report incidents of misconduct, mistreatment, or allegations of abuse, fraud, waste, or mismanagement. These complaint procedures are particularly useful for clients who want to report abusive treatment during Special Registration or while crossing the border. Official complaints will help raise the USCIS’ awareness of abuses/ill treatment that occur during the Special Registration and at the border and give mistreated foreign nationals a chance to voice their grievances.
Office of the inspector General
Complaints must be made in writing. The Office of the inspector General (OIG) does not make any statements as to the confidentiality of its complaint procedure. Furthermore, the OIG does not guarantee that each case will be investigated.
Address:
Office of the inspector General
US Department of Justice
Investigations Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Room 4706
Washington, DC 20530
Fax: (202)-616-9898
e-mail: oig.hotline@usdoj.gov
phone: 1-800-869-4499*
*This hotline provides OIG address information in either English or Spanish. Complaints cannot be registered over the phone.
**Quote**
It’s obviously weighted towards illegals, but note it’s also for reporting MISMANAGEMENT.
Definitely worth a try.
September 10th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
The OIG does not guarantee confidentiality if you complain? Is that correct?
Our local USCIS office made a critical mistake regarding fingerprints when they were processing our I-600A. It took weeks to notify us, and then there was no way to contact them except by mail, which would take weeks. So we didn’t argue and did what they wanted us to do, just to save time in the long run.
Later, when we went in for our fingerprints, everyone there was so pleasant, there was music, only a handful of people waiting at a time (unlike years earlier when they overbooked like crazy and the place was packed) and the supervisor was chit-chatting with all of us. At the end of our visit, we were asked to rate their service on a pre-printed comment card. Ahhhhh . . . the temptation was sssooooo great!!
However, it wasn’t totally anonymous since either our appt. time was already put on there, or you were asked for it. My daughter wanted to blast them for what they had done (which delayed our dossier for 2 extra months!), but I cautioned her that THEY STILL HAD POWER over our application, so we said nothing.
As long as individual USCIS offices have power over our approvals (and re-approvals), and there is no timely way or place to argue their decisions, I’m not inclined to fight this battle on a local level until we are home with our daughter. After we return, I plan to do a letter-writing campaign myself and will be happy to help any other group that has formed to correct this situation.
LID 8/24/05
September 10th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Hello!
I agree that we must be vigilant to write to both senators and all gov. officials to have our voices heard. I’m not sure that writing to the USCIS director is so good if we are currently in process and can have our approvals revoked at any time. There is a horror story about the director of the Chicago office who had some words with an adoptive parent just before she left for Russia, then while IN THE Foreign country the director would not give final approval. Eventually senators got involved so that family could bring their SN child home !!
Also in the letter for reducing fees and submitting a “renewal” of the I 600A/ i 171H…..We already moved from the original paperwork and our social worker completed a Home Study UPDATE and sent the copy to China and USCIS. So they would already have this in place.
All of us from states that have a One Year Homestudy validity, we should get together to write about the extension of that! My homestudy will expire in 2 months and I’m not sure if we have to redo every single thing again or not.
Perhaps USCIS should have a specific Intercountry Adoption division with workers dedicated only to processing 600a? Or at least if every office in the major cities had a Priority system that we they receive 600a applic. they are processed immediately then the worker who does only 600a can help out the other workers processing immigrant forms when there are no 600a forms waiting. ??
I will write these letters as soon as you help with a template or format! Plus I give them to all my friends to help.
September 10th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
You need to understand that these people work for you, not the other way around.
The reason USCIS offices can get away with treating their customers poorly is because people don’t stand up for their rights.
I’m a senior Civil Servant in the Department of Defense. While I don’t work on issues remotely related to international adoptions, I do have some idea of how the US Government bureaucracy works.
It’s certainly entertaining to harbor conspiracy theories about the Government, but trust me, thinking that they will “revoke your approval at anytime” is nonsense.
They are more concerned about preventing the next Mohammed Atta from sneaking in on a student visa than anything else. They certainly don’t care about a handful of people trying to adopt kids from China. In fact they are probably completely ignorant of the dilemma many of us face. Which is precisely why we get shafted. We aren’t a big deal. We aren’t an agenda item from 9/11 or the upcoming election. We’re just some paperwork they have to do in addition to all of the priority paperwork they have to do.
The point is to get them to respond, and understand that we are not willing to just take whatever they feed us. This is a [I]FEDERAL[/I] bureaucracy. there is no excuse for such disparity in processing times between offices. If these offices were the dominion of the states, it is understandable, but not at the federal level. But you can’t just be a whiner - you have to have your facts straight and times/dates/etc. of what you did and when you did it - and why the current process is unacceptable.
If you are unwilling to stand up for yourself or are afraid of “The Man” then unfortunately you will have to accept whatever it is they give you. That’s not to say that if you do start writing letters and calling you’ll do any better - but at least you can say you did everything humanly possible to try and fix the situation.
It’s time to fight the power.
September 10th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
We are on week 11 1/2 for the Atlanta office. This Thursday will be week 12. Our homestudy was sent on 6/22. Someone who’s homestudy was sent in a week after us received their form 2 weeks ago. We are adopting a SN child and it doesn’t matter. I received a form email back from the Atlanta office that stated they are taking 75 days and are hoping to get back down to 60 days. Well, when I received the email we were on day 76! The officer than emailed me on day 77 and said she was processing applications in my time frame. I have already contacted my congressman (twice) and they were given the form answer. I have also contacted various other people to no avail. This officer does not go in order and I really think she has no idea on how to process the forms correctly. There have been too many mistakes coming out of there.
September 10th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Just thought of something else…for adoptions #1 and #2, we weren’t required to have our homestudy attached to the I-600, just a note saying it would be sent to USCIS when it was completed. For #3 the Detroit office changed policies and a completed home study was required; you can’t get a fingerprint appointment without one now.
Are any states allowing the I-600 without a completed home study anymore? That would certainly speed things up.
Now that I think of it, it’s a little unsettling that for #1 and #2, we trusted the USCIS office to find our I-600s and put our later-submitted homestudies with them! ;)