Don't go it Alone...
The reason I got involved with helping immigrants through the USCIS process with Bustos & Associates P.C. was motivated greatly by my wife's and my very difficult experience some 12 years ago when she went through the Immigration process.
As a US citizen, I was working in the Maquiladoras (cross-border manufacturing companies) for a number a years. One day found myself at an afterwork party in Empalme, Mexico, and quickly in the presence of one of our lead manufacturing engineers. She was a smart and beautiful young lady that didn't seem too interested in talking to the white guy from Arizona. But, after a few Coronas she lighted up, and we struck a very nice and lengthy conversation.
Fast forward... Having just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary, we recently thought back to the beginning of our relationship and the sacrifices that we both took to stay together for the longterm.
A presumably simple task; one of our biggest obstacles was going through the immigration process of obtaining legal status for my wife in the US. Too cheap to pay for the services of a reputable immigration attorney and unaware of how they could truly help, I elected instead to use the free immigration counseling serves provided by Catholic Services. Although we were grateful for the assistance from Catholic Services, they did not actively manage our case, but rather acted more as a general information center.
Being of average intelligence, having a strong sense for detail, and with some Internet savviness, I was convinced of my abilities to navigate through all the proper INS forms and requirements by myself, and without legal assistance.
I mean, how difficult could it be??? The US government is well-organized, efficient, and all their officers are perfectly trained in all of the paperwork and processes, right? We'll... silly me for assuming that. Consequently, we soon found out just how jacked up the entire immigration system truly was - at least for the non-attorney population.
First of all, it became glaringly obvious that there was no uniform training among the INS officers who were unfortunately the petitioners' first contact. I would consider them the "gatekeepers", with very little expertise in the various visa or permit categories. Very few of them seemed to enjoy their job, which was evident in the way they treated those poor souls just trying to elevated their lives in the US. I personally experienced the agents' arrogance and omnipotent attitudes - not to mention them being extremely condescending. I remember thinking that if they treated me (a US born citizen) like this, how were they treating everyone else? My experiences were certainly not isolated cases.
Here is a link to give you some insight about some others' experiences - USCIS Reviews. The agency's rating of a dismal 2.5 stars at the time of this writing is a telling indicator as to how the agency services its clientele. Here are just a few quotes from some of the peoples' experiences in that particular LA office:
"The officers are like robots... I'm praying that this is the last time I have to come back"
One star rating.
"They have the slowest workers ever... I see them gossiping comfortable behind their counters with each other".
One star rating.
"How is a government organized to run like this?
One star rating.
Not only is it tricky to talk to a "customer service rep." but they are completely unhelpful, short, and do expect a condescending tone. Thanks, I feel even smaller now."
One star rating
Of course, getting past the finished line made it all worth it. However, the first 50 yards were much more of a hassle than it needed to be. We experienced undue delays even when we had confirmed appointments, conflicting information even from the same agent, and a general "greater than thou" attitude from many of the agents.
However, once we got our final approvals and were scheduled for our final appointment in Juarez, Mx., the previously atrocious attitudes changed 180 degrees. We were then welcomed with a very high level of professionalism and genuine kindness.
Would we do the whole thing over again? Of course. Our ultimate goal was worth fighting for. And, we did obtain it. I just wished we had a solid legal team in our corner during the process.
If you have questions about your Immigration case, please fill out our Intake Form. We will gladly review your case at no charge, and offer you straight advice on how we can best serve your needs. Kind regards to you and your family.
