给学校 intl office 发了信看看他们能不能帮助 TX lockbox，希望大家也这样做

有 update 也会发在这里

Dear International Services,

Hope you had a great new year holidays!

I sent inquiries about my personal case of OPT receipts delay before, but since then I've researched more about this issue. It appears that this is a large-scale problem affecting all OPT applicants who send their applications to USCIS Dallas, TX lockbox (which includes all NY addresses). I would like to raise this concern to you again since it affects almost all [your school] applicants.

Previously, all OPT applicants (both initial and STEM extension) send their application packages to one of the two lockboxes, Dallas, TX and Phoenix, AZ. The applications get processed by the lockboxes and a case number and a receipt are generated for each case. This step previously takes about two weeks since the application is delivered. However, since late October, USCIS TX lockbox is experiencing nationwide delays with receipting OPT/STEM OPT applications. There are websites tracking OPT application status (e.g., https://opttimeline.com), and people are reporting that anyone who has their application delivered to TX lockbox on or later October 28 has not received their receipt yet, nor have their payment processed. This means people, including all [your school] applicants, have been waiting for more than 60 days or eight weeks but there has been no updates.

USCIS has issued a statement (https://www.aila.org/infonet/usc ... ceipt-notice-delays) acknowledging the delay. But it fails to realize that the delay is unique to the TX lockbox. I and many other have been using USCIS case tracker tool (https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do) to track recent applications entered into the USCIS system. Since the end of November, the AZ lockbox, which also processes OPT applications, have been consistently making progress processing OPT at a rate about 100 cases per day, whereas TX lockbox has been making almost zero progress. As of right now, OPT applications delivered to AZ lockbox on November 16, 2020 have been receipted, but those delivered to TX on October 28 have not.

I really hope the International Service could help current [your school] students and alumni to raise this issue with TX lockbox to USCIS. As individual applicants, our channels of communication to USCIS is very limited. Many of us have exhausted our options to contact USCIS, including their customer service, the TX lockbox help, and DHS Ombudsman. However, the representatives at USCIS did not seem to even understand what we were talking about. All they can provide was a generic reply, letting us keep waiting. We totally understand the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for everyone, but what is extremely frustrating is the complete lack of progress at TX lockbox. We can be patient and let USCIS takes its time to resolve this issue, but we really need to know that they are aware what precisely the issue is. As you know, the OPT applications are extremely time sensitive. Since it already took more than 60 days to get a receipts, some of us have or close to using up their grace period. Also, no one knows how many more days or weeks they need to wait to even get a receipt, let alone get their cases approved. If anything unexpected happens with their OPT applications, with or without the applicant's fault, they don't even have the option to re-file. Many OPT applications at [your school name], including me, have job offers on the line. We have been extremely worried that our job offers would be jeopardized because of this delay.

If your office has a way to communicate with USCIS, and could help us raise this OPT delay issue with them, it would be immensely helpful to all [your school] applicants. I truly appreciate any help to get this issue resolved, and I am sure other applicants at [your school] will do the same. Meanwhile, I will do my best to keep raising the issue to USCIS through other channels.

Thank you very much!

学校的回复：

Thank you for your email and for your diligence with research. We certainly are aware of the delays and have been since mid- to late-September when students began applying for OPT, and they’ve been addressed by our professional organization on a national level, through networks of Congressional advocates. That the processing time hasn’t improved is not indicative of a lack of effort made on the part of any one school or entity, it’s simply a reflection of the widespread nature of the problem and the administrative hurdles that come with the closing of one service center and a general uptick in the number of applications sent to remaining service centers. We’re hopeful that in the turn of the new year and towards the end of January, the processing times will better reflect the promised goals of USCIS and will not further impact the employment plans of internationals.

学校的回复我DSO说会把我的case提交上去 I will submit your case to my professional organization's IssueNet; they need data to show evidence for these national issues.
也算是有点用吧
大家小手动一动 有用没有都请给学校发一发邮件吧

First of all, I am so sorry you've been on the receiving end of this backlog and that you continue to experience these terrible delays during what is already a challenging time in the U.S.
I do appreciate all of your research on the subject. You are correct that it is a selective number of OPT applications that are experiencing the delay.

A few questions/comments for you:
1.You stated that your application materials were delivered on 11/9. I presume this means that you used a trackable mailing method to show that they were received? Just wanted to check.
2.Was your credit card ever charged or check cashed? (I am assuming no, but again want to be sure)
I will submit your case to my professional organization's IssueNet; they need data to show evidence for these national issues.
3.Students/scholars can file for CIS Ombuds case assistance with proof of filing/delivery confirmation (as always, case assistance shouldn't be requested unless/until attempts to reach out to USCIS directly are a bust). From me--I feel as though you've gone above and beyond in reaching out to USCIS and this should certainly be an option for you.
4. The following is from a message board of another school official working with students on this delay/issue. "Given the Lockbox delays due to a backlog of cases, members should expect receipts to be issued within 4-6 weeks. If after six weeks a receipt notice has not been issued, please email the Lockbox Support Team at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov ….”

Because you reference that you are particularly concerned about your immigration status, I want to reassure you that you are still maintaining valid F-1 immigration status. You completed your program and applied for OPT; you are simply waiting to receive the receipt notice and EAD (OPT card/employment authorization document).

顶一下 支持楼主 参考下您的作文 我也发了一个

无名士 发表于 2021-1-3 06:10
顶一下 支持楼主 参考下您的作文 我也发了一个

嗯，随便瞎写的，我英语也不好。希望更多人动动手指，越多人反映越可能让学校帮助我们。

手动点赞! 楼主写的真好 我也正准备给学校发

👍…… 也发邮件去了

赞！按照你的模版我也来发一个！非常感谢！

决定周一去骚扰他们

加油，大家各种方式都弄弄，

写的超好的模板！顶一下

写得真好，我可以借用这个模版嘛