CIS Ombudsman Second Teleconference on Receipting Delays
Posted Nov 09, 2007
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Mr. Prakash I. Khatri, CIS Ombudsman, held a teleconference on November 2, 2007 on the topic of USCIS Receipting Delays: How Does this Affect You? This is a second teleconference on the topic of receipting delays. Attorneys from the Murthy Law Firm participated in this call on behalf of our clients and to help other MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers. The Ombudsman's office confirmed that the delays are symptoms of an ongoing and possibly widespread problem with the USCIS receipting process. Various common problems were discussed. Most likely, the USCIS will issue an FAQ with responses to the issues raised by those who participated in the conference call.
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The first teleconference about receipt notices was held on October 12, 2007 and was the subject of our October 26, 2007 MurthyBulletin article, CIS Ombudsman on USCIS Receipting Delays, available on MurthyDotCom. As with all other teleconferences held by the CIS Ombudsman, this teleconference was available to the general public.
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Receipting Delays are an Indication of Problems with USCIS Procedures
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At the beginning of the November 2, 2007 teleconference, Mr. Khatri reminded the participants that the CIS Ombudsman's website has published questions and answers from the previous teleconference on the same issue of receipting delays. Unfortunately, many questions remain unresolved which prompted the Office of the CIS Ombudsman to hold another teleconference on the same topic. Mr. Khatri expressed his concern that the number and the nature of the problems with receipting may far exceed what had originally been his understanding. He based his concern on the nature of the complaints that he has been receiving and the responses to his inquiries received from the USCIS.
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Issues Discussed in the Teleconference
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Mr. Khatri has indicated that he does not have definite answers to most of the questions posed, but assured his audience that he would personally follow up on these problems with the USCIS. Thereafter, he expects that the USCIS WebSite will carry a series of FAQs or would refer their answers to the Office of the Ombudsman to be posted on that website.
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Some of the important questions addressed by Mr. Khatri in this teleconference included: filing K-3 spouse petitions on Form I-129F when there is no receipt available from the I-130 Immediate Relative Petition filing, Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization receipting delays, improper rejections for incorrect fees, expired H1B status where the I-485 Application for Adjustment of Status has not been receipted, late rejections of filings resulting in unavailability of priority dates, filling out I-9 forms when no receipt is available, and other receipt-related matters.
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Mr. Khatri encouraged participants to eMail him at with specific examples of problematic cases. Individual attention to a specific case can be requested by filling out Form DHS-7001 (PDF, 213K).
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Mr. Khatri reported to teleconference participants that the USCIS service centers have finished issuing receipt notices for most cases. The exception to this is the Nebraska Service Center, which still has applications and petitions that need to be receipted.
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Conclusion
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The Ombudsman's November 2, 2007 teleconference on receipting delays has shown once again that the USCIS is struggling in streamlining its systems and procedures. The Office of the CIS Ombudsman is a reviewing tool that makes sure the USCIS uses the correct procedures and strives to improve its services. MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers will be updated on USCIS responses to the questions raised at this recent teleconference and any other developments regarding receipting delays.