Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
USCIS Service Centers	NBC current processing month Oct 2012-CR1	I just spoke to Officer Gonzalez at customer service and for what it's worth, he claims that he is 100% certain the USCIS portion of the process will take approximately 12 months to complete.  It appears from other posts that the majority of employees there have no clue what the Overland Park, KS office even is.  Hopefully the process will speed up now that the location is allegedly up and running (Can anyone verify/refute this?)...He also told me that he had no information on where my case is located currently or if it had even been started.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-17 16:08:00
USCIS Service Centers	CSC the fastest? (split topic)	Those emails are glitches, kind of. They do tell you that you got transferred, but you were not transferred to your local office. You were transferred to one of the service centers. Where it goes is a ####### shoot. You got luck, California is fast.   Please forgive me if I am being ignorant, but how have you ascertained that the California Service Center is fast?  Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.  My case was transferred and "is now being processed" (1/22/14) at the CSC as well, so I would appreciate your guidance in locating a good estimate of how long it will take for an approval/transfer to NVC.  Thanks!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-28 14:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	6 Months and Counting...	"But the longest wait would be 60 days once it is at one of the service centers, right?"     Yes. As I explained to you before, the 60 days does not begin until you are actually transferred.    So, in the case of the individual that I spoke of earlier,  she got her NOA1 on 2013-03-20. She was transferred to nebraska at APPROX ABOUT 60 days before of 2014-01-03. She was approved on 2014-01-03.    If you count the number of days between 2013-03-20 and 2014-01-03, that's approx 9+  months no ?Wil Will the USCIS website update its case status once the case is transferred or will I be notified by mail?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-07 14:31:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	6 Months and Counting...	June is not yet started !  Are you sure that June hasn't started yet?   They don't know. Supposedly they are just customer service representatives who don't know jack. They read from a computer script.    Ergo, forums like Visa Journey. Its compiles empirical evidence that clearly maps application trends and CIS processing paths.   Whats hilarious is that its really a visa roulette in terms of which service center you get assigned to.  There is no reason why you would or wouldnt be assigned to CSC.   I myself dread Nebraska. A senior poster on this site who has lived in the Netherlands reported a wait of over 9 months (bordering on 10) despite being married for 7+ years and having two kids - just to get i-130 approval. I can't imagine spending that much time, energy and money and being asked to wait that long just so she can "qualify" her relationship. Makes me think that my wait aint so bad after all.      Gotta love Nebraska But the longest wait would be 60 days once it is at one of the service centers, right?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-07 14:17:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	6 Months and Counting...	CA = california.. as in california service center TX = texas service center NE = nebraska service center Thanks for the info...just out of curiosity, why couldn't anyone tell me this at USCIS?  Why do they seem clueless every time I speak to them?    Assuming this information is accurate, it looks like I need to pray for the CA service center or I will be stuck waiting an additional 20-35 days.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-07 14:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	6 Months and Counting...	The last VJ filer from July that was approved to my knowledge had a PD of 07/24/2013. They were transferred in 7 months exactly.    Since then, there are no VJ approvals ( this forum is a small subset - less than 1% of the total number of i-130 filers for spouses  ).  Bearing in mind this statistic, I honestly don't know where they are.    Your PD is close to 07/24 - so, like i said, maybe 2 weeks (or less) to get transferred to a service centre.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Service centers are not definitive in terms of when they will churn out an approval. As you know, service center processing is the last step in i-130 approval   Once you transfer, CA takes, in my observation between 25-40 days.   TX and NE vary - sometimes they are super quick, sometimes they churn out ridiculous RFEs (that CIS uses to buy time) and sometimes they just max out the 60 day window they allocated for this - and push the total processing time to 10 months.      So, yea.. long wait buddy... loooong wintery wait..  I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure what "CA" means.  Does that stand for Case Approval?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-07 13:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	6 Months and Counting...	What does the date on your NOA1 read ?  July 29th ?  Not the date you received it but the date on the NOA1     If so, your petition will be transferred sometime in the next two weeks to a service center. It looks like all filers upto July 15th have been transferred.   Takes 2 months at the service center.  aditya,   The Priority date is July 29, 2013 and the Notice date is July 31, 2013.  Are you certain that it will only be 10 weeks from now?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-06 22:27:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	6 Months and Counting...	So it's been 6 months and 8 days since my case was received by USCIS.  It was noted on the I-797C that my case was sent to the Overland Park, KS location.  According to the person I spoke with, my case is actually being processed in the Lees Summit location.  Every time I speak with them (once every week or two) I get a different location.  They are currently processing cases submitted on February 13, 2013.  Has anyone who submitted their case after that date heard anything yet or are we all just essentially in line to be allowed to be with our family?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-06 14:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Case Status Update!	I received 2 text messages/emails today informing me that me case status has been updated.  The first case status read that yesterday my case was transferred for processing.  After the second message, I checked the status again and it reads:   "On January 22, 2014, we transferred your I130, IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN, to your local USCIS Office for further processing. The new office has jurisdiction over your case and will send you a decision as soon as processing is complete or you will be notified if further information or action is needed. If you move, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address."   Is there a way of locating my "local USCIS Office" before I receive the notice in the mail?  I realize that processing times vary by office, so it would be nice to be able to try and estimate how long this processing sequence will take.  Also, I am under the impression that there is a 60 day max on the time this stage of processing takes, is this accurate?  Thanks guys!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-22 12:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	I-130 Approved in 5 Days at CSC!	congratulations,  can u tell me when ur case transferred to the uscis local field office, ??????  because my case transfrred to USCIS local field office for additional processing in Junuarry 23.2014 so i wonder how long does it takes to be approved,  thank you  I received that notice on 1/21.  Hopefully you get yours done today or tomorrow!  Make sure you sign up for SMS/e-mail alerts with USCIS so you know right away.  I got a text message at 11:00 EST last night. Lucky you! Usually it should take no more than 5 months in NVC. Probably, you will get through quicker.   Oh, wow, I was under the impression that it takes about 1 month once NVC receives all of the documents needed.  That 5 months is going to be unpleasant.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-30 11:31:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	I-130 Approved in 5 Days at CSC!	So I just got an update from USCIS stating that my I130 Immigrant Petition has been approved.  It was transferred for processing 1/24/14.  Clearly it now gets sent to the NVC.  My lawyer already has most of the documents listed in the "Guides" section, excluding things that are time sensitive such as up to date tax return transcripts, employment letter, pay stubs, etc.  These are things that I will have scanned and sent to my lawyer within 24 hours.   If anyone else has advice or approximate timeframe from this point, I would greatly appreciate it.  Also, I hope anyone whose case has recently been transferred for processing gets a speedy approval like ours.  Thanks!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-30 00:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	USC Green Card Petitioners' Committee	Just joined and read the thread here, really great stuff.  I will be sending the letter to my "elected" officials, as well.  I would also volunteer to help out any way I can, although I am not very technologically educated, I could easily do some research or read part of the letter, or whatever is needed of me.  The government is breaking the law (as usual) and this is an opportunity for us to try to do something about it.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-16 09:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Consulate Approved...Now What?	So my wife had our interview yesterday at the embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia (they refused to let me, the USC, inside) and her visa has been approved.  Within the next 48 hours we should have it in hand and be ready to purchase our tickets home to the USA!  I have heard about a sealed envelope of documents we are supposed to hand over once we reach customs in the United States.  We are flying into JFK airport, and I just had a couple of quick questions:   1.  What is inside of this envelope that it is sealed, and we are not allowed to open it until we hand it over to CBP?   2.  What can we expect once we hand it over?  Do they ask us questions, isolate us in a separate room?   3.  Any additional information about the remaining portion of the process is appreciated, I relay haven't seen too much information about this stage.   Thanks an good luck to everyone,   Rob and Mtvarisa	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-05-15 08:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	wow reading all this is just crazy! i dont understand why some people have to wait forever for an approval and others get it so fast (we filed oct 2012 and it was in missouri and approved after 4 weeks)  it all seems to be so random! sorry for you guys who have to wait so long, keep your heads up!   It really is rediculous, especially since everyone pays the same amount of money for the same service.  It really is very simple to do a backgroung check, interview, and medical screening.  I just pray that whenever this new NBC in Kansas opens, it can really speed things up.  16+ months is a long time to wait for your spouse to get here!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-16 09:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	Just check your NOA1 hard copy Left corner at the bottom of the page.   Oh, sorry.  It was sent to the NBC in Overland Park, KS like you said...	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-15 12:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	It's all depends on how busy they are. I would suggest keep calling USCIS once you submit your I-130 and ask for 2nd tier support instead of talking to Customer Services who gives you same information that you check online. 2nd tier support is an actual Immigration Officer who can give you detail information. Keep pushing them by calling every week. If you don't hear back from USCIS for I-130 Approval within 3-4 months then start involving your state senator's and congressman. This helps sometimes to get you approved after. My whole process get finished in 8-10 months.     Good to know.  It does seem that customer service is relatively useless.  I contacted my congressman's office, and was told that there was nothing they could do to help me.  I will wait a bit longer and contact my senator, who is up to re-election in 2014 (maybe that will help?) and try to expedite the process.  Thanks for the tips.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-15 12:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	Yes, USC stands for United States Citizen. No, 6-12 is just for this I-130 approval... Add 3-5 months from the approval (NOA2) for NVC stage and interview.   You filed in July so your file is at NBC/ Overland Park, KS. They were supposed to become fully operational by the end of September. We don't know if they actually have or not... Where was your case processed? NBC or local office?   Sorry, I forgot to finish that post.  How would I find out where the case was processed?  Would the USCIS site provide that information?     exactly   Did he file here in the United States?  I was asked by another user if I filed at an "NBC" or "local office".  Which did you use?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-15 12:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	Yes, USC stands for United States Citizen. No, 6-12 is just for this I-130 approval... Add 3-5 months from the approval (NOA2) for NVC stage and interview.   You filed in July so your file is at NBC/ Overland Park, KS. They were supposed to become fully operational by the end of September. We don't know if they actually have or not... Where was your case processed? NBC or local office?   That is very disappointing.  I was really hoping the process would move along faster...	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-15 12:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	My husband (a USC) sent the I-130 to USCIS in Chicago at the beginning of January, I had the interview and medical examination at the consulate in Italy at the beginning of August and my visa has been immediately approved, I had it on my passport the day after the interview.     So you were basically allowed to enter the United States with your visa approximately 7 months after the USCIS received your i-130 application? Edited by bobby299, 15 October 2013 - 11:57 AM.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-15 11:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	If you are an USC the processing time will be somewhere between 6-12 months, if you're a LPR 2-3 years. Sometimes shorter, sometimes alot longer.   The foreign embassy will NOT be involved in any way with the USCIS I-130 process.   Sorry if I come across as ignorant, but I would just like to confirm.  USC is an acronym for United States Citizen (which I am)?  Also, the quoted estimate of 6-12 months would involve the entire process from start to finish, or only the processing conducted by the USCIS?  If the latter, approximately how long would the last 2 phases of the process typically take?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-15 11:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Questions	I believe that I am posting this in the correct forum, I apologize if not, I just joined this site today.  My wife and I filed our i-130 and it was received 7/29/13.  My lawyer is very reputable in my area, and I am confident that we have provided all the necessary information.  His office states that there is really no way to quote an accurate timeframe since the USCIS website does not provide that information for applications filed with thei Chicago location.  Could anyone potentially offer me some helpful information in regards to processing times (recent) for these types of visas?  I am no very knowledgeable on this subject, but I do know that it needs to be processed by USCIS, NVC, and then the Georgian Embassy.  Any help would be appreciated.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2013-10-15 11:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130/1-129F HELP!!!	SCORE !   Yay !  One less thing !   How do you feel? Awesome, but also confused.  I was under the impression that the NVC would be done with my case about 1 month after receiving it, but now I am being told that it will take more like 3-5 months!  Disappointed in that regard, but awesome to be done with the USCIS!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-30 12:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130/1-129F HELP!!!	Congratulations!  approved six days after receipt of what?  You said you filed in June.   Yes, I applied in June, however it just sat in a pile somewhere until 1/24 when it was transferred to the CSC and was actually processed.  It has been 6 days since they began processing the case...	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-30 08:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130/1-129F HELP!!!	Thank you all for your advice and patience.  I really do appreciate it.  At this time, I will not be filing an I129F, based on the fact that my I130 HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE USCIS!!!  Only 6 days after receipt, somehow we have been approved and are now going to be headed to the NVC Phase (I assume) of the process.  Thank you all once again for your help, thank God I did not pay and additional $1840 to my lawyer prior to this happening!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-30 00:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130/1-129F HELP!!!	It seems like the general consensus is that this is not in the best interest of me and my wife.  This is why I turned to the forum here for advice, because any lawyer you ask will tell you have to take the most expensive route.  Thank you all for your help, I will notify them that I am not going to proceed with this I129F.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-29 10:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130/1-129F HELP!!!	Did he want you to write him a personal check to the $340, with the assurance it would go to DHS through him?   No, not personal checks, he said that he needs a money order for his attorney charges ($1500) plus a money order for $340 made payable to his firm, and another one for $40 for a software fee and processing/handling charges.  He makes it seem like it is going to the government as a fee for filing the I129F	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-29 10:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130/1-129F HELP!!!	My husband and I filed I129F 2 weeks ago. It is free of charge. You only need the marriage certificate, the U.S. citizen`s birth certificate and the NO1 of the I-130 filed.    The I-129 F is then sent by USCIS to the Service Centre where your I-130 is pending. In my opinion, you have nothing to lose.   That's weird because my lawyer's office claims that there is a filing fee of $340 for the I129F...are you sure that there is no charge?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-28 23:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130/1-129F HELP!!!	I have a bit of a situation on my hands here.  I filed my I-130 case last June, and nothing happened for about 7 months.  Last Tuesday, 1/21 I spoke with my lawyer about some health issues that my wife is having.  He said that we should file an I-129F and have it go through much faster than the I-130.  On 1/22 (the next day) my I-130 case was transferred to the California Service Center.    I spoke to my lawyer today and he says that we should still file the I-129F since my wife's medical issues will easily grant her that type of a visa faster (according to him).  Does anyone think that there is a chance the I-129F is a faster method given the current status of my I-130 case?  I am getting really confused here and am not sure if it is worth the extra money to file a whole new application unless the general consensus is that it will get my wife here faster.  Any info is appreciated guys!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-01-28 15:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	When to contact NVC	Our case was approved by USCIS 29-01-2014.  At what point should I begin calling the NVC to try to get a case number?  I have prepared all the documentation necessary (unless they request something additional) and really want to stay on top of them to try to get this over to the embassy in Tbilisi ASAP.  Thanks guys!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-02-03 09:19:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Case at NVC, now what?	Where did you get approval from? TSC? CSC? or did it stay at the NBC? CSC.  Status says it was transferred 1/29 to NVC.  My wife has a growth in her left kidney and I need to get her here ASAP.  My lawyer is insisting I file a K3 application since NVC is allegedly backed up really back right now...he claims this will have her here in 6-8 weeks.  Oh, and she's pregnant.  I went to see her in December and now we have a child on the way.  Gotta love how the taxpaying US Citizens get put on the backburner!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-02-06 15:27:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Case at NVC, now what?	I noticed... that's why I wrote the bracketed part. C Oh, I missed that.  My case just got approved 1/29 at USCIS and that is why I wanted to know how long their case took to be transferred and "received" at NVC.  Thanks.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-02-06 15:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Case at NVC, now what?	Look on their timeline!  That's why we have them.   http://www.visajourn...e.php?id=156086 http://www.visajourn...e.php?id=156086 http://www.visajourn...e.php?id=156086   If you are exclusively using a cell phone or this site in mobile mode you are missing out on 90% or more of the content available.  Try logging in on your PC.   (granted the OP doesn't have their NOA2 on there, but they do have the NVC received date.)  CodyM's timeline neither has a green check mark next to the "I-130 NOA 2" rectangle on the "USCIS I-130 Petition:" line or a date next to "I-130 Approved".  This is why I was asking when they received their NOA2.  This would help me to gauge the length of time it took for their case to be "received" by NVC.	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-02-05 17:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Case at NVC, now what?	Hello, our case has finally made it to NVC. We have recieved our NVC Case Number  and Invoice Identification Number. We have paid the $88 Affidavit of Support fee but the IV application fee has not yet appeared, when can we pay that? We have also filled out the online DS-260. Now I know that I have to mail in my Affidavit of Support documents with the bar coded cover sheet. What im not sure is what my wife (the beneficiary) has to do between now and the interview. It is my understanding she has to send to the nvc all the supporting documents listed on this page http://travel.state....mit-to-nvc.html and also take all that with her to the interview? How does she put that packet of information together, is there a certain format she must follow? It says to mail originals but also to take originals to the interview. Does that mean she needs to get two originals of everything? Any advice on what to do during this phase would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. CodyM,   On what date did you receive your NOA2 (I-130 Approval)?	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-02-05 11:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Quick NVC/Embassy Question	So according to the NVC, our case will be transferred to the US Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia by May 1.  I am going to fly in for the interview, and was planning to buy a roundtrip ticket for myself (returning 5-6 days after the interview) and for my wife.  Should I buy her ticket ahead of time or should I wait to buy a last minute ticket once we receive the visa?  I know it usually takes 2-4 days to get the visa once they approve it, but don't know what people typically do in these situations...	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-04-08 08:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Transfer to Embassy	Our case is being transferred to the US Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia (where she lives).  Does anyone have any tip for what I should be doing to prepare?  I am going to print every single picture we have together and put them into a photo album to bring to the interview.  I also plan to bring updated money transfer records, Skype records, and phone records.  Is there anything else I should plan on bringing with me to the interview?  Any tips/suggestions are appreciated!	bobby299	Not Telling	Georgia	2014-04-09 10:26:00