As priority dates leap forward for India and China EB2, more and more people are going to be taking various steps to see to it that the CIS closes out their files and adjusts their status. In the end, many people are going to find that Congressional assistance is the most productive route to success.

Before going to your Congressman or Senator for assistance, there are certain things that you must do. First, take an InfoPass appointment and determine the status of your case. Note the date and time of the appointment, as well as the name of the CIS person with whom you meet. Note carefully what they tell you. Calling the CIS 800 number is simply a waste of time. The call center operators available there have little or no ability to see to it that action is taken on your case. Go directly to InfoPass.

At the InfoPass appointment, you should be given a time estimate for the resolution of your case. If they do not give it to you, insist that they tell you what is going to happen next and an estimate as to when it will happen.

Next, wait with patience until that time expires. When it does, make an appointment to meet with your Congressional representative or one of your Senators. Of these three potential contacts, one will clearly be in a better position to help you. Determining who will be most helpful requires that you do some research. Use the Internet to learn which Senators and Representatives are the  most effective.

All Senators and Representatives want to help their constituents if at all possible. The common thread among members of Congress who return election after election is a strong constituent services program.

In most cases where a Congressional office is ineffective, it is not a matter of lack of interest, but rather lack of knowledge. Many, but by no means all, immigration positions in Congressional offices are staffed by relatively junior staffers. These folks are still learning about how to deal with bureaucrats. All too often, they simply accept whatever the CIS tells them. They don't pressure the CIS for an honest answer and then hold the CIS accountable later for the lies they told them.

An experienced Congressional immigration staffer knows how to deal with the CIS and won't accept their standard lies. Rather, they will insist on details, completion dates, and make sure that the CIS person knows they will be held accountable for what they say. If, after asking for Congressional assistance, you get an answer back along the lines of "They say that your case is out for review and you just have to wait," then you know that you need to take additional action. Tell the staffer that you believe that the CIS is just giving them a line and you want them to get more detail. Where is your case? Specifically who has it? When will they finish their review?

If the staffer can't or won't get this information for you, move on to someone else and keep that Congressman or Senator's name in mind. Contribute to their opponent and, if you naturalize, remember to never vote for them. If they won't help you, why should you help them?

DO NOT contact more than one Senator or Congressman at a time. This is a waste of their time. Also, the CIS will not deal with more than one such inquiry at a time. Pick one and stay with him or her until you either get a resolution or realize that they aren't going to help you. Eventually, you will find someone who will help you.

When you do find a helpful person, make sure that everyone knows that your Senator or Representative was helpful. Encourage people to vote for them. Donate to their campaign. Reward them for their help.