(Dumb) Request for Evidence

 "Request for Evidence."

That’s what they call it in I800a speak.

Which is odd because in the business world, where I happen to be the Chief Executive Officer of a successful multi million dollar company, well I call it...

GROSS INCOMPETENCE.

So what is the evidence they need from us? What is adding another two weeks to their already unconscionably slow two month "process"?????

“proof of United States citizenship, proof of legal status for the applicant’s spouse and proof of marriage.”

Are you freakin' kidding me!?


I'm sorry, would that not be found in one of those documents with the funny little embossed seals...

you know... the ones included in my home study...stapled to the application...the one you're holding in your hands?

The same documents I sent to you 18 months ago?

And 30 months ago??

Didn't YOU confirm we were US citizens when YOU approved our last two adoptions??????????


Is this some sort of institutional amnesia ?


Wait what is that little department you work for?


The Department of Homeland Security....

Hold on now, hold on,  didn’t you just send me a new passport? Wasn’t that you? I think it was.  Remember you let me expedite and get it in only 4 days? See how easy verifying my citizenship really is???

And by the way,  wasn't there a copy of that passport (the one you issued saying I am an American) in the information we sent you? Awww man I could have sworn we sent it... ...for the third time... in 30 months.

Oh and my social security number you had that right?  I don't know does the The Department of Homeland Security have some sort of computer system where they could put in a SS# and get information? I think I saw that on episode of CSI.

I guess maybe something didn't match up with the SEVEN sets of fingerprints we've provided since 2008.

Yea, that makes sense. Fingerprints change.


(groan)


If I weren’t so disheartened I would be furious. Furious however takes up more energy than I have left for the chronic dysfunction that is USCIS.

My temporary address though about February

I wouldn't even have any RFE information if not for my multiple emails and phone calls pleading to find out what was delaying our paperwork. My official RFE was mailed on the 26th and still has not arrived!

62 days to tell me they "needed" information that was already included in the home study (not to mention on file with them from our previous two adoptions or available to them with a quick computer search).

The audacity of charging me almost a $1,000 for this level of "service" is just salt in the wound. If they were a business they would be out of business. Cripes even as a bureaucracy they stink! (I’m having warm and fuzzy thoughts of the DMV.)

I want to SCREAM at my case officer (WORDS.....bad, bad, words.) but since she also has to approve my I800 (another stupid, out of step with the real world immigration hoop to jump though), I need to keep my mouth closed. For now.

So zipping up my lip I thanked her for (finally) telling me what she wanted and sent her MORE copies, of the SAME documents she already had (again), (and again). We put them in a FedEx envelope and paid MORE money to deliver it by 10:30 am.

I’ve also given her our FedEx account number and asked that she send the approval back by overnight mail.

But I’m not holding my breathe. Competency, even with simple things, is no longer assumed.

At this point there is no way we will be DTC by Labor Day.

Hopefully it wont be too long after that. And hopefully we will get lucky and get a log in date by October 1st. I think it is still possible.


At least I hope it is.


Sad to say that at this point I’m looking forward to...


the relative processing efficiency of...


the Chinese government.