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Waiting a long time for an Immigration Benefit?
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Often the wait times for immigration benefits are incredibly long. This is especially frustrating for people who are in a state of limbo while waiting for their applications to be adjudicated. Often these people are unable to travel out of the country or even work legally while they are waiting for some action by USCIS. These waits are especially maddening when combined with the long wait times for visa numbers to become available for Family or Employment based Green Card benefits.
There are a few ways to attempt to find out from USCIS the status of an immigration benefit that was filed with their office. First, before even inquiring into a case, you can examine the processing times for different types of applications on the USCIS website. Often, USCIS will not attempt to speed up the processing of a case that continues to be within their normal processing times. If there are emergencies which would warrant asking USCIS to expedite a case, such as a child turning 21, USCIS may be inclined to accelerate the processing, but otherwise it is difficult to get them to do so.
Once a case is outside of the normal processing time, there are a few avenues which someone can take to attempt to speed up the processing. First, a person can schedule an infopass appointment with USCIS at their local office. At an infopass appointment, a person can speak with an Immigration Information Officer who will attempt to check the status of their case. That officer can usually explain to them where their file currently is being processed. If the file is at the local office, the officer can make a note on the file letting the supervisor know that the case is beyond the normal processing times. These officers usually are not able to find out the reasons a case is delayed but they can attempt to at least flag the file. When a file is flagged it informs supervisors that a case is beyond the normal processing time.
Second, a person can contact the National Customer Service Center. The number for the National Customer Service Center(NCSC) is 1-800-375-5283. Often at the NCSC, the operators can provide a caller about the same amount of information which they would be able to obtain at a normal infopass appointment. If a case is still at one of the National Processing Centers, rather than at the local office, it makes more sense to call the NCSC because they can communicate more effectively with those processing centers to let them know a case is beyond the normal processing time.
Sometimes none of the administrative options provided by USCIS allow a person to expedite their case. They are told by USCIS that their case is being processed and nothing more. That is when a person can seek to file a Petition for Writ of Mandamus in Federal District Court. A Writ of Mandamus asks a Federal Judge to order the government to do something. In this case, a person would be asking the Judge to order USCIS to adjudicate the application. It is not an order asking for a favorable decision on the application; it is merely asking USCIS to make some decision. A Writ of Mandamus can be filed in many different types of cases.
If you wish to learn more about the different ways to either check on the status of a case or try to expedite a case, please contact our office for a consultation.
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I had a wonderful experience working with Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC. From start to finish, the team was professional, knowledgeable, and truly dedicated to guiding me through every step of the process. They made what could have been a stressful situation feel smooth and manageable, always answering questions quickly and keeping me updated. I especially want to thank Khabit for his outstanding support—he was patient, detail-oriented, and went above…
Many thanks to attorney Kevin A Raica and his assistant Rafael Rodriguez for all their help. My immigration case went very smoothly and quickly.
We worked with Kevin Raica from Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC, and I can confidently say he went above and beyond for us. Our process was very long and at times overwhelming, but Kevin guided us every step of the way with professionalism, patience, and dedication. He was always available to answer our questions, explained everything clearly, and made sure we understood our options at each stage. What stood out…
A family friend referred me to work with Maya Flores at Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC to help me with my U.S. naturalization. Despite the current immigration tension, Maya helped make the process smooth and her familiarity with procedure helped ease my anxiety. She submitted the citizenship application on my behalf and let me know what to expect. I decided to retain her service for the civics interview as well,…
I really want to thank Justin and Kamila; they are the best. I waited almost 20 years and no one could help me get my green card and in 4 months they helped me get my permit, and I got my green card in less then 4 months. They are the best. I will always be grateful for what they did for me, thank you Justin and Kamila!!!!
I am writing this review to express my deepest gratitude for the hard work on our case by our Immigration Attorney, Lauren McClure and her Paralegal, Kamila Lada. My Green Card was approved! I know this wouldn't have been possible without their expertise and dedication. They both were extremely helpful, responsive, and guided us through every step of the way. Lauren took the time to train us for our interview…
I am incredibly grateful to Mr. Burton for his outstanding legal assistance in my immigration case, from my first consultation he heard me patiently demonstrating exceptional professionalism, expertise, and a genuine commitment to my case. Immigration process can be overwhelming and stressful, but he and his team provided clear guidance every step of the way, always answering my questions promptly and reassuring me with their deep expertise. Thanks to their…
I had an outstanding experience working with Brittni Rivera. From our very first consultation, she demonstrated deep expertise, professionalism, and genuine care for my case. Navigating immigration processes can be incredibly stressful, but Brittni made the entire journey much more manageable and transparent. She were always responsive to my questions, provided clear guidance at every step, and never made me feel like just another case. Thanks to her hard work…
Highly recommend this firm. I had the pleasure of working with Lauren McClure and she is absolutely the best. She was very helpful and walked me through every step of the process, she is patient and she got the job done. I am very grateful with her and her team for helping me with the process of my case. Thank you so much.
I have worked with Kevin Raica for my VAWA application. Let me tell you he has been AMAZING. Unlike other lawyers Kevin has always went above and beyond for me. Kevin is not in it for the money he is in it to HELP people and make a difference. He has walked me through the entire process and always answers any questions I have no matter what. This law firm…
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