Telephone Access to Service Centers Again Available
Posted Dec 26, 2004
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The USCIS has announced that they have restored telephone access in certain instances to the Service Centers. Persons will still need to call the National Customer Support Center (NCSC), but the NCSC should forward specific calls to the applicable Service Center.
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Calls Forwarded from the NCSC
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The NCSC will remain open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., based upon where the customer lives. Service Centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., using the local time of the Service Center. If a call is forwarded to the Service Center, but no one is available to take the call, the call will be transferred back to the NCSC. Calls will be forwarded only for certain issues:
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• if an individual has been granted lawful permanent resident status more than 30 days prior but has not received the green card;
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• if post-approval documents have not been received within 30 days of the approval;
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• if an I-129 was approved more than a week prior, but the consulate or Port of Entry has not yet received notification of the approval;
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• if a companion case may have been separated during processing;
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• if information needs to be changed on a pending I-129 petition;
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• and most questions about Requests for Evidence.
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Note : Expedite requests will continue to be processed via fax and will not be forwarded to the Service Centers.
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Calls Not Forwarded from the NCSC
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All other issues will continue to be handled by the NCSC. For the next few months, the USCIS will monitor whether the Service Centers will be able to accept other types of calls. The USCIS cautions against misuse of the system and advises that the Service Centers will not assist with issues other than those listed above.
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Conclusion
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We applaud the USCIS for resuming this service in part, and hope that they are able to expand its availability in the future. It is necessary in many situations to have direct and timely access to the Service Centers.