USCIS 14 months behind processing green card extensions

[earthdome]

When your spouse first enters the US on a spousal visa she is granted a 2 year visa with green card. A few months prior to that green card expiring you have to file to extend the visa and green card for another 10 years. When USCIS receives your application they send you a letter granting you an additional year while they process the application. It has been 8 months since we filed for that extension and we had not received the new green card so I called USCIS. I found out they are 14 months behind processing these requests, currently working on requests from June of 2016! Fortunately you can travel internationally and be allowed entry on your expired green card and that letter. In addition you can go to a USCIS office and get an extension to that letter if you need to travel internationally during or after the one year extension expires.

For anyone considering petitioning for an immigration visa for their fiancee or wife I strongly recommend you establish residency for 6 months in the Philippines then file using Direct Consular Filing, DCF, rather than filing the paperwork in the US. With DCF the US Embassy in Manila process the immigration paperwork which only takes them 2-3 months if there are no problems. If you file in the US it will take a minimum of 6 months, more likely a year before the visa is granted.

[KC813]

Good information if considering filing a petition for a Ph spouse to get a US green card.

Let me add that the 2-year "conditional" permanent resident status you discuss only applies to fiances and to spouses who have been married less than two years on the day they become US residents.  So for those of us already married over two years, the spouse does not have to file two years later!

[MikeB]

3 minutes ago, KC813 said:

Good information if considering filing a petition for a Ph spouse to get a US green card.

Let me add that the 2-year "conditional" permanent resident status you discuss only applies to fiances and to spouses who have been married less than two years on the day they become US residents.  So for those of us already married over two years, the spouse does not have to file two years later!

Ah, ok. I was busily typing up a response to the previous post because that wasn't our experience at all. My wife received the 10 year green card about 6 weeks after entry. There was no additional filing.

I agree with doing the DCF filing if possible, we received the visa and entry paperwork about 3 months after initial I-130 filing. 

[earthdome]

2 hours ago, KC813 said:

Good information if considering filing a petition for a Ph spouse to get a US green card.

Let me add that the 2-year "conditional" permanent resident status you discuss only applies to fiances and to spouses who have been married less than two years on the day they become US residents.  So for those of us already married over two years, the spouse does not have to file two years later!

Thanks for the clarification for those who have been married more than 2 years.

[intrepid]

10 hours ago, earthdome said:

For anyone considering petitioning for an immigration visa for their fiancee or wife I strongly recommend you establish residency for 6 months in the Philippines then file using Direct Consular Filing, DCF, rather than filing the paperwork in the US. With DCF the US Embassy in Manila process the immigration paperwork which only takes them 2-3 months if there are no problems. If you file in the US it will take a minimum of 6 months, more likely a year before the visa is granted.

This is good information.  However, I think other then retired persons, there are few others who could afford to leave their work for the required six months to fill that requirement.

[davewe]

12 hours ago, earthdome said:

When your spouse first enters the US on a spousal visa she is granted a 2 year visa with green card. A few months prior to that green card expiring you have to file to extend the visa and green card for another 10 years. When USCIS receives your application they send you a letter granting you an additional year while they process the application. It has been 8 months since we filed for that extension and we had not received the new green card so I called USCIS. I found out they are 14 months behind processing these requests, currently working on requests from June of 2016! Fortunately you can travel internationally and be allowed entry on your expired green card and that letter. In addition you can go to a USCIS office and get an extension to that letter if you need to travel internationally during or after the one year extension expires.

For anyone considering petitioning for an immigration visa for their fiancee or wife I strongly recommend you establish residency for 6 months in the Philippines then file using Direct Consular Filing, DCF, rather than filing the paperwork in the US. With DCF the US Embassy in Manila process the immigration paperwork which only takes them 2-3 months if there are no problems. If you file in the US it will take a minimum of 6 months, more likely a year before the visa is granted.

There's a lot of randomness to the system and if you go to VisaJourney you will see people getting there 10 year quickly and those who seemingly wait forever. It took my wife 7 months after application to get her 10 year. Good friends who received their original 2 year within a month of Janet, applied for their 10 year and it took well over a year for it to happen. In fact Janet had her citizenship by the time the friend had gotten her 10 year green card.

The other random bit is where you are processing out of. Different offices have very different results. I know it's frustrating for people but in the end it does happen. 

[Clermont]

Must be a world wide problem, here in Oz they have pushed Permanant Residency visa processing time out by up to two years, but their still accepting fees to process the application, approximately  $ 9000, the Mafia have got nothing on Governments.