ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
USCIS Service CentersIs here somebody who is waiting more than 5 months (Texas Service Centre)

So we sent petition in October and received our NOA1 on 15th of October and still did not get NOA2.
I was just wondering is here somebody such unlucky as us? sad.png

we had our first petition sent in september 2013, got NOA 1 within a week and then never heard of them again till January 2014. Turned out they claim to have send us a RFE which we have never received and of course never replied since we didn't know anything. Website was also never updated. Result : our petition got denied and after many phone calls and an info pass appointment in Atlanta we realized that we have to start all over again :-(  Call them, ask for a tier 2 officer and then ask about your case. We will do that from now on on a regular base. Very bad experience.


InesDFemaleGreece2014-03-21 07:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsTexas Srv Center

Where are you getting this 5.5 month figure from? They are working on December right now as per their official website and what the reps tell you on the phone when you call uscis. They just started to get the ball rolling with approving January filers.

January was 7 months ago.

one question : according to your timeline you have sent your petition in january and got approved ( NOA 2 ) in june ? how did that happen if they are just now working on january ? 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-07-28 18:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsTexas Srv Center

Where are you getting this 5.5 month figure from? They are working on December right now as per their official website and what the reps tell you on the phone when you call uscis. They just started to get the ball rolling with approving January filers.

January was 7 months ago.

I got that from their website. recently. and the information you get on the phone very much depends on who you talk to. One told us, our case has been assigned to an officer for decision on may 16th and it would take 30-45 days. Next one says they have changed their policy and wont give any more information on RFE or where your case is at right now. It's a funny bunch of people working there dealing with our future :-) 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-07-28 18:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsTexas Srv Center

Hi Guys, I'm a 129F petition filer from April 1st, 2014.  I have a friend who filed for the I-130 in March and he got approved July 24, 2014.  Could it be that they will start approving all the other cases soon????? 

we also filed for I 129F in march and still nothing. Texas Service Center just raised their average processing time from 5 months to 5 1/2 months :-( 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-07-28 15:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

also another question : does anyone know or can refer me to a link if a closed case petition is still on record in the system ? I've read something somewhere but can't remember how I found it. thank you !


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 16:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

The one thing to remember about checking your initial package with the guides on here is that sometimes RFEs get sent for things that don't "show up" in the guides. For example, maybe you thought your photos conformed to the required format, and the RFE was for better photos.

 

Wishing you all the best on this. You've already been through so much. sad.png

It can be anything really...my fiance just emailed a G 639 form in hopes that we can get some light in this matter before we refile. thank you for your wishes :-) 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 16:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

You can sign up for case updates at uscis.gov.  They aren't perfect, but did he do that before?

we created an account on their website in november. to see more details in the case update. even there was never anything about an RFE sent. he told the last tier 2 person and she said, that the website update is not always working. in our case NOTHING worked concerning the RFE. everything else did.....


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 13:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

 

Dont give up...you just need to take some deep breaths and refocus .When we get stressed about the Visa stuff we call for a Visa free evening .Just forget it for a few hours and focus on each other .It is so easy to get consumed but you will feel better if you give yourself a little break...no thinking or talking about it for one evening .Hang in there and regroup with a call to the Ombudsman.So sorry you are going through this.

no, of course we will never give up. and we are trying very hard to regroup :-) we did after the first shock about the denial, then waited and waited for the letter. regrouped again. focused on the infopass and thought we will be wiser after that. last night very happy and enthusiastic about what the USCIS lady at infopass said. sleepless night because of doubts : isn't it sort of illegal? but why would she suggest that ? is that crazy ? today all day gathering information what to do. after all I read here and elsewhere and after 2 phone calls to tier 2 people again deep frustration. regrouping....feeling absolutely helpless and at loss at the moment. it will pass and we will sort this out somehow. just happy about all you guys here trying to help. Big thank you !


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 13:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

At CSC they are working on Jan petitions.  I am not sure with rerouting what every place is doing.  You can look at progress threads to find out.

 

You are given a limit of 68 days on a RFE, so if your denial was at the end of Jan, that means you would have gotten approval in late Nov if your packet was complete.  Still pretty fast.

 

Remember, you just need an approved petition to be at where you would have been now.  Then there is waiting time for an appointment.  But 9 months?  Not right now.

yes, you are right. the RFE was sent ( or not sent ) to us on 9th of november. the actual petition was sent by us the end of september. I guess now we can only refile the same package as was and then call them every now and then just to make sure the same mistake does not happen again. 

thank you so much for all your help 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 12:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

I know they all say different things, but I would hammer the fact that one person confirmed it was not sent.

 

But, if it's too exhausting, you could start over, redo the packet.  I-129Fs are going very fast right now.

We are about to . but what do you mean when you say very fast ? the last information I had was that it takes about 9 months.


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 12:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

OMBUDSMAN!

 

SAY that the Infopass CONFIRMED that the RFE was never sent!  Make that your argument, USCIS error, and you are being punished.

 

Congressperson!  Don't give up!

 

Edit:  Ombudsman here:  https://www.dhs.gov/...case-assistance

the last tier 2 person just now said something different : that an RFE has been sent. where did it go ? who knows...but they make sure they are covered. Everyone you talk to says something else. And how to proof what each and everyone said ? especially the infopass person. 

my fiance will write the ombudsman anyway but our case has been closed now because the time is up. this is all a farce 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 12:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

thanks for the history,

but

--i not mention a service request, on purpose and

--i wrote specifically about returned mail pieces.

 

have another read, please - it's a shift on what you two have attempted, so far.

 

service requests IMO are stupid.  Read my profile for my 'stuff' on service requests. 

A Ping, otoh, is useful.

 

 

Everything failed. Fiance just called USCIS again , spoke to another tier 2 person, asked about returned mail, answer no , asked to ping the office with the casefile, answer : not possible...

suggestion from the tier 2 : we can file a G 639 in order to MAYBE receive the actual RFE. G 639 processing time can take up to 6 months. 

in other words : we can only blindly refile for I 129f except we want to wait possible 6 months to see what the RFE was all about and if .....

I am literally in tears at the moment... but thank you all for your help 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 12:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

a Tier 2 Human™.  When the first human answers the phone, that's a CSR, a Tier 1 person,

and mostly, they are useless.

 

When the petitioner gets the first human on the phone, ask to be transferred to an ISO.  Tis not an easy thing, but an ISO has higher access in the system, the same level of access that anyone at a local USCIS office has.

 

CSRs are a waste of space, IMO, as they can only see what you can see oline

 

thank you. my fiance already spoke to a tier 2 officer weeks before he went to the infopass appointment. the tier 2 officer back then acknowledged we never received the RFE and said we would get a letter by the 18th of february about our service request. that letter arrived on the 24th of february and only said that we had a service request about a RFE we have never received. The tier 2 officer also said to my fiance that when he gets to his infopass in Atlanta they might already be able to tell him what the RFE was about. Because the initial infopass appointment was on february the 13th but had to be rescheduled due to the snow storms. And as I said : the officer in Atlanta said she had no access to that RFE. And then told my fiance that we have the other option which would be much easier, said it would be legal and people do it all the time. Why would a USCIS officer misguide someone that much ? I just don't get it .....:-(((( 

 


Edited by InesD, 27 February 2014 - 10:36 AM.

InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 10:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

other option - unsure if anyone has suggested it yet:

 

call into USCIS, get an ISO.

Once the petitioner has the ISO on the phone,

ask:  "Do you have any returned mail pieces on me?"  

If the answer is yes, give over the correct address to the ISO, and ask that the returned mail pieces be resent.

 

Also tell the ISO that the RFE never arrived at your address via postal mail, and there was NOT any email notification about it and there was NOT any change in the online USCIS web porta about it either,

then ask the ISO to 'ping' the office that has the casefile, telling them the RFE never arrived, and ask for another attempt to answer the RFE.  

 

Then call back in 4 days, get an ISO again, and ask what the result was of that ping. 

 

Failing that, is best to get an Immigration Liason Staffer (this is a human that works at a Congressman's Office, usually in constituent out-reach) involved - is quite possible they can fix 'this' and get you a new time window to answer the RFE.

 

IMO, the infopass appointment was a waste of time and you needed a supervisor to go over the RFE stuff, instead of what actually happened.

 

thank you Darnell. What is an ISO ? 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 10:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

That is really stupid.  USCIS workers, apparently, aren't privy to CBP rules.  So, they know that these forms can happen, but they don't know how it came to be, and they suggest an illegal way.

 

I would make another infopass, get a supervisor, and complain.  If they know the RFE never got sent, they should fix that, not send you on a possibly horrible path.  What if you made all your wedding plans, and then were denied entry?  If you tell them your plan, you will be denied entry.  So you have to lie... bad advice.

 

Have you contacted the USCIS ombudsman?  I would do that.  And a congressperson.

Of course I would not lie to the CBP. I actually would go again to see my fiance as I did in the past several times and probably refile for I-129f again together. This is about to become a nightmare. You want to be legal, do it all the right way and get illegal "advice " of an USCIS officer. Who to believe if not the officers ? The immigration lawyers who are asking high fees, scare you with all the consequences only so you might consider consulting them ? At the moment I am really desparate and extremly upset. All we want is to live together legally. And we can't even get THAT right because of USCIS mistakes. Right this moment my fiance is trying to call USCIS again, trying to find out how we can get this RFE. How to refile with probably the same mistake ( if there ever was any ) and maybe AGAIN not receiving another letter with RFE ? Thank you anyway for the advice to contact ombudsman and also make another Infopass. We probably will have to do all that :-(  


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 10:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

 

I find myself surprised that someone during an InfoPass would suggest immigration fraud.

 

Atlanta you say...

My fiance was surprised as well and asked the officer 3 times if this is a legal way. What to say ? 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-27 02:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Here is the promised update ! My fiance finally went to his appointment with the USCIS in Atlanta this morning. He came back very very happy and satisfied :-) Until today we never received the RFE, the officer in Atlanta looked it up on her computer and said, yes, the RFE is in Texas and so many things can have gone wrong. And it would even for her be a hassle to get it. So she started telling my fiance about the I 290 form to reopen the case etc.....He told her that we already lost so much time now and can't effort to lose more. So she asked him when we wanted to get married. And he said : yesterday ;-) ok, she says , then here is your other option : Your fiance enters the US on her Visa Waiver along with her daughter, you get married and file immediately the I 130 ( Family based adjustment ) . People do that all the time. 

Those were her words, she gave him a copy of all the forms you need to fill out on a Family based adjustment and that was it. 

Now: I know that is possible but so far I thought you can only do that when you spontaneously decide to get married. We want to get married and I want to stay there and not having to leave again. I am a bit confused about this but we got this suggestion direct from a USCIS officer. 

Now I am thinking : why did we go through the K1 process in the first place ? 

Any thoughts or experience anyone ? 

Thank you !

 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-26 15:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

I don't know if that concerns us since the USCIS made a mistake. As far as I understand you file a motion in case you messed up. In our cases it would be to expedite the case , not to reopen. But that is my understanding based on common sense. 

here is another link : 

http://www.uscis.gov...ve-inaccuracies


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-11 01:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

did you know there is $630 fee to Submit a motion on a Denied case? With an I-290B form along???????????????

I don't know if that concerns us since the USCIS made a mistake. As far as I understand you file a motion in case you messed up. In our cases it would be to expedite the case , not to reopen. But that is my understanding based on common sense. 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-11 01:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Never mind I was able to re-print it. I guess panic is the first thing that happens to us at cases like this sad.png

Yes, unfortunately that seems to be the case and I got paniced as well at first. Simply because a whole new and big step in our lives is depending on all this paperwork. So if something goes wrong our alarm system goes in panic mode shocked.gif 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-10 02:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

 

My case status on line is this: On February 4, 2014, we mailed you a denial decision notice for this case I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). The notice explains why the denial decision was made and the options that may be available to you. If you have not received this notice within 15 days of February 4, 2014, please call customer service at 1-800-375-5283 for further assistance.

During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision.

 

 

SOOOO, It's pretty much the same. You guys give me hope that its not over yet, and we still might have a chance!!! I thank you all sooo much for replying and updating me with this,,, I hope you realize how much you all are helping!!! Im waiting for the letter in the mail, then should I get an Infopass?????

 

then you are indeed in the exact same situation as we are. Our letter took 9 days to finally reach us but that was maybe due to the bad weather conditions back then. I think you should make your appointment via Infopass right away because the next available date might be in a week or more from now. you can easily check by going forward in the process of making an appointment and it will show you the next available dates before you confirm one of them. the sooner the better ! and I'll keep you and everyone else who is interested updated about our case. 

I know how much it means to have a forum like this here with people who really want to help. Like Ning for example, thank you so much again smile.png 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-09 14:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

If you go on the USCIS website and check your case status, what does it say ? Ours says :DECISION and then underneath the following :

During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision

the actual letter with the decision notice gives us 30 days time ( from the date of issue ) to file for motion as they call it. In other words they gave us 30 days time to try and do something about it. so it is not final yet. 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-09 13:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

No I didn't keep track nor I put down dates or Names of people I spoke to... I had no idea I can face this problem. I only remember few names that I spoke with.

I don't know If I got final decision yet, I only have an email that my case is denied and my Initial Review status changed to Decision/ that the denial notes was sent to me by mail. It was on February 4th, 2014 I haven't got the actual notice yet. How do I know if it's a Final Decision or not??? Is there a way to tell?

Last time I spoke with a Tier 2 officer he said that I had an RFE in his computer but it was never sent to me, then he asked if he should sent it, I said of course, he puts me on hold. Then he comes back saying that Since I have put in a Service Request on January 23rd, He can't send me an RFE, he said just wait for a Final Decision. Here comes the Denial???????  Im absolutely sure IT WAS NEVER SENT TO ME!!! because just like you I got all other mail from them, like receipt letter, NOA1, name change notification, and no RFE??? I called and asked them if they had any returned mail from me, he said no. Don't they understand that people wait for their petition for months to be approved, and if they get any RFE they would reply to it ASAP, and we don't need 87 days to reply to it. All I need is probably 3 days to reply, because we all want to be with our loved ones asap, and start our lives together. It will be so hard to prove to them that its not our fault that we didn't get an RFE!!!!! I hope to get the Denial notice in mail soon, so I know how to proceed next. Im sure you understand that we don't want to waste any more time waiting. All this waiting was enough, just for them to screw this up. It's just very SAD

If you go on the USCIS website and check your case status, what does it say ? Ours says :DECISION and then underneath the following :

During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-09 13:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

But how can I ask to expedite review on a Denied case? Is it possible?

I don't know in your case because it sounds like you got the Final decision. We are still in the "denied" status but not final decision. 

I also believe the best for you to do is to get an Infopass appointment, bring along all and everything you have documented and just see what they say. Did you keep track of all the phone calls to USCIS ? 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-09 12:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

A fair and reasonable treatment( in my opinion and after some research ) would be : We get the opportunity to request to expedite our case ( processing time should be 5-10 business days) and if granted and once we know what the initial RFE was about and submit the additional evidence they should speed it up ( if everything is correct and complete ) and send us the NOA2. And no extra fee for refiling, reopening or reconsidering ! 

 

Now here I added a link but it got lost in my previous post http://www.uscis.gov...pedite-criteria

  


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-09 08:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Now seeing all your posts and advices I am getting an Infopass in New York asap.... I hope it helps me and other cases as well. I thank you so much for keeping people posted and on great advices.... It is really needed at a time like this!! Please keep posting after your Infopass appointment, I desperately need to know what to do next, it might help my case. I will certainly keep you all posted as well!!! Keeping my fingers crossed for all of us who's fighting with Denied petition and lost RFE!!!! Thank you all for very helpful updates!

"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is committed to offering the best possible service to you, our customer. With our focus on customer service, we offer you a variety of services both before and after you file your case."

 

USCIS is a SERVICE Center, we all pay a fee for their services, their job is ( concerning the I-129f petitions in our cases here ) to check our submitted documents if we are eligible to marry one another in order to pass our petitions on to the National Visa Center and so on. So, if there is any document missing or not correct they request you to submit such document in a certain amount of time. And since I assume that the majority of people who pay $340 to start with +  we all want is to be as soon as possible with the person we love it is in my own best interest to get through this whole long process as FAST as possible. In other words : if something additional is requested I will make sure to submit that as FAST as possible in order to have no extra delays. Mistakes are only human and that can happen easily, especially when there are probably hundreds of petitions daily for them to work through. Bad luck for me and a few other people if the mistakes happen with our cases. BUT !! My common sense tells me : I paid for a service here and they made a mistake....so why would I have to pay again for the same service ( refile ) AND more importantly lose very very precious time. 

 

Now hacobrena : I hope you have written down all your conversations with USCIS, with dates, times and the name and number of each officer. Because it would be also normal that we are asked to document our problem. 

After coming thursday I will know more hopefully concerning our case since that is the day of interview in Atlanta. 

A fair and reasonable treatment( in my opinion and after some research ) would be : We get the opportunity to request to expedite our case (

After all : my fiance and I both have no criminal record and are both legally free to marry. And the USCIS is supposed to HELP their USC's, not PUNISH them for their own mistakes. 

Good luck to us and everyone facing similar issues good.gif content.gif 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-09 07:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

 

Well that's awesome news really. You are a gem to keep us posted. You have no idea how this could help someone down the road. You suffer so others don't have to.luv.gif Thank God for a Tier 2 who knows their job. Now this is what I suggest (I am sure you are already thinking it but just in case).

 

The RFE letter should reach your Fiance' hopefully before his appointment. You two get it all together what is needed in that RFE he will take to appointment and hopefully they can review and approve on the spot.

No, I don't think he will get the RFE letter before the appointment because that is on the 15th and Tier 2 officer said he would get it the 18th. But that's not our fault and to be honest : they make you pay a fee of $340 for a service and then something goes wrong, so they should provide all the help they can to sort this out. We already now have more than enough inconvenience such as losing a lot of time and more money. 

but we will stay postive and just hope we wont lose too many months. Because fact is : we all (beneficiaries and petitioners ) also DO have a life and we have to make certain preparations in order to make such a big step as in moving to another country and leaving everything else behind.

I , for example have not scheduled a job for this year ( living on a tourist island and only work seasonal ) because I thought I would make my big move by the end of mai. Now I am in trouble because we are put behind for months and I will just have to sit here, no job and running out of money....not to mention that I think, it is normal to badly miss your partner and in our age ( we are 48 and 51 ) you just don't want to waste any extra time and just start your life together. I know I am not the only one, eveyone who wants to immigrate to the US has to go through this procedure. And I understand that everyones background and motive has to be checked. But it takes an aweful long time. I also believe that such important documents as RFE's should be send by registered mail only. Would probably safe a lot of time and effort on both sides. 

Just had to get this of my chest ranting33va.gif yes.gif laughing.gif 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-04 02:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Great to hear you guys are making positive headway!

 

Keep fighting on....and good luck!!!good.gif good.gif good.gif

thank you very much smile.png good.gif 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-04 01:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

so, here is a first little update. we followed the advice to use Infopass in order to make an appointment and my fiance got one on Feb.15th in Atlanta. Long way to Atlanta but it seems to be the only really helpful option. Also did he call Service Center this morning, spoke to a lady, made notes of her name, number, date, time, duration of conversation ( which wasn't helpful at all as a few in this forum already mentioned ;-) ) 

to get through to a Tier 2 officer he would have to wait 87 minutes ( what is it with this number in our case ? that was the amount of days given to us to respond to the never received RFE ) , so he asked to be called back. If they ever willClockWatch2.gif  .......... we also saw on USCIS website the option ( under contact us ) to contact an ombudsman. Maybe this will be another step. My fiance ( the USC ) as well wrote an email with all our details and dates of what happened when .....only we couldn't find where exactly to send it in our case. 

So please fingers crossed that the meeting with an officer in Atlanta will be of help helpsmilie.gifyes.gif energy.gif energy.gif 

thank you ! and thank you again all for the Infopass advice 

more update : a tier 2 officer actually just called back and asked a lot of questions, then acknowledged we never got the RFE , gave us a reference number, said we would get the RFE resend on the 18th of Feb. but my fiance should still go to the appointment on the 15th and they already might have it there by then. so, my advice so far : definately Infopass appointment first thing but also phone call to the service center. and if anyone wants to avoid a redicilous amount of time waiting in line it seems to be worth it having them call you back. 

I will now post my next update here probably after the 15th. Hoping that in the future it will be of help to others


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-03 15:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Please do keep us updated. good.gif good.gif good.gif

so, here is a first little update. we followed the advice to use Infopass in order to make an appointment and my fiance got one on Feb.15th in Atlanta. Long way to Atlanta but it seems to be the only really helpful option. Also did he call Service Center this morning, spoke to a lady, made notes of her name, number, date, time, duration of conversation ( which wasn't helpful at all as a few in this forum already mentioned ;-) ) 

to get through to a Tier 2 officer he would have to wait 87 minutes ( what is it with this number in our case ? that was the amount of days given to us to respond to the never received RFE ) , so he asked to be called back. If they ever willClockWatch2.gif  .......... we also saw on USCIS website the option ( under contact us ) to contact an ombudsman. Maybe this will be another step. My fiance ( the USC ) as well wrote an email with all our details and dates of what happened when .....only we couldn't find where exactly to send it in our case. 

So please fingers crossed that the meeting with an officer in Atlanta will be of help helpsmilie.gifyes.gif energy.gif energy.gif 

thank you ! and thank you again all for the Infopass advice 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-03 13:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Please let's be respectful to one another.

 

And I hope the OP listens to one(s) who have had the same RFE experience. I wish you the very best!

Yes please. No need to get into an argument here. 

I am listening to everyone but of course will follow more likely the advice of the one(s) with similar experience. Based on that I am doing my research and as Ning suggested : we will do EVERYTHING necessary to sort this out. I will update the outcome here, maybe as help as well for others in the future with the same problem. I am very thankful that a forum like this excists and about how many people want to help. Thank you again EVERYONE for your replies :-) 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-02 05:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

It is by the zip code and the district where you live in. Just Google it and it is pretty much a simple process.

ok, thank you !


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 16:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

I would involve a Congress member in your district. I only find out that an RFE was issued to me through my Congresswoman. I was told that one was sent to me on Dec.13-2013 but I never ever got anything. So could have been a lie or a true story but the fact of the matter is you need to get somebody to help you. So please consider using congressional help. If it wasn't for the congresswoman I would have never knew at RFE and o could have been denied as well. Please try to keep pressure on them and I'm wishing you the best of luck.

thank you. silly question now : I keep reading here about congressman or senator involved but how do we know who would it be in our case ? 

the denial letter was undersigned by the director of the Texas Service Center and underneath was a number of an officer. That's all. 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 16:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Do not give up or lose hope. Once understood this may not be a bad as you think right now. I know from experience how long it seems and how frustrating this is.

How long totally depends on the actions of the USC. If he is allowed to submit the RFE info it can take about 60 days to process that info. The USC could attempt to call USCIS asking for a supervisor. If he speaks to one they might have the RFE sent again but probably wont take any other action.

The USC should try to find out why the RFE wasn't delivered. Could be US post office made a mistake. He should make sure USPS has his info correct. The RFE may have been returned to USCIS for example.

If it turns out that USCIS made a mistake they will correct it and expedite the case.  

My case took a long 408 days but that will have nothing to do with yours.

We certainly wont give up, it has been a long way to this point already and we are determined concerning our future together. We are just in a limbo here at the moment even though we know everything will always be sorted out somehow. The time is the big issue. And of course you are right : the main thing is to find out what happened to the RFE ? Strange is that we got all the other letters ( confirmation and now denial ) to the same postal adress which hasn't changed or anything and also both times a notification via text message first which we had required for. Only concerning the RFE we got nothing at all. Not even text message or email. 

So you suggest to make an appointment with Infopass as well as calling USCIS and ask for a supervisor ? 

And when you say your case took 408 days, do you mean from the day you initially send the I-129f ? Sorry for all the questions but since you had the same experience and I feel a bit desparate right now, I just would like to know. I know every case is different. Just sometimes think maybe better prepare for the worse and then be grateful when it goes faster ;-) 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 15:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Nor do I. I want you to succeed. The only way to do that now is to understand how to proceed.

Beware of mixing other people case problems with your own. Everyone means well but what they do may have nothing to do with what you need to do now. The USC in your case needs direct info from an officer at USCIS.

In your case nothing will help now expect to quickly find out what the RFE is about. Once that is done the USC can attempt to respond in the correct manner. Only then will there be a chance to get the case back on track.

The USC can make the Info Pass appointment today for the next available date they have. Even doing that may buy the time needed to extend the case.  

 

ok, I will tell my fiance to do so as soon as he comes home tonight from work. I already looked at the Infopass requirements and  all but it seems the closest office for appointment is in Atlanta which would be almost 3 hours drive for him :-( 

Could you give me an idea of how much time we have to look at to get the case back on track? How long was the delay in your case ? We were counting up to 8 months from late september on ( NOA1 ) till I have the K1 Visa in my hands. I know it will take much longer now but how many more months do you think ? thank you again so much.


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 14:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

Thank you for keeping fingers crossed for us and InesD thank you too!

We haven't got an RFE yet and we wrote two months ago the senator about our case and asked him for help... My fiance was in correspondance with his secretary vis E-Mail! Last week on Monday she wrote us finally somethig more that we are looking forward to:

She said USCIS has recived our case and it is actually getting processed!! And that we should hear something within the next 30 business days... BUT OH WELL! You know USCIS has their time ranches about 30 days and they tell almost everyone about these 30 days to wait before you hear something again,.... That's what they tell the most people and then they don't hear anythin fromthem again in a lot of cases?!?

I'm so disappointed of the uscis you can't imagine! My fiance an me we are both 24, have never been married before both!! Amd both NO KIDS or criminal background I can't understand the world anymore... I can't even really believe the update they told the secretary of the senator until I finally some results! Because the wait is already so long and we talked several times to TIER 2 on their phone and just got to hear that they have passed our noa1 date and we could ask for a service request (which we did!) but no response it is one week since service request...





I understand how you feel. We also thought we got it all right. Followed the K1 checklist very carefully and submitted EVERYTHING required. We are both divorced from previous marriages and also submitted all divorce papers ( including the official translation for mine which was in greek ), photographs from my last 3 visits in the US, Skype calling list of the last 2 years, buyers contract for house in Alabama with both our names on, letters of intent from both of us etc...... still: something wasn't right or missing. which is ok, can happen, we are all only humans. but if you desparately want to fix it and you simply can't because you don't know WHAT to fix....that is like a bad dream really :-( makes you feel very helpless and treated unfair while so many others make their way into the country with no problems at all. Trying to be as correct and legal as possible and then getting in so much trouble is more than just frustrating......

again, I am sure in your case it is just delayed , maybe someone was sleeping. crossing both fingers for you ! 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 13:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

 

 

 

Trisha is probably concerned because they got their NOA1 August 12, 2013 and it's already February 1, 2014. It has been 173 days and that's almost 6 months of waiting, and not getting any RFEs. InesD got their NOA1 September 2013, didn't get any RFE in the mail, text or email, and now they get a letter saying their petition was denied because they didn't reply to the RFE (which they never received).  Its normal to freak out when you learn that situations like this happen. And no one probably knows why they are getting an RFE until they get the RFE.

 

Trisha, let's just hope and pray your case is not like this.

InesD, I thing Ning's suggestion about the infopass is really good.

thank you very much and you are so right. it did freak us out at first when we only got the info that our case has been denied and we have to wait for the letter. but then we thought, ok, we wait for the letter and then we know what was eventually missing or wrong and we can fix it. having received that letter now and realizing we never got an RFE is even more frustrating and probably also hard to prove. 

I guess we will follow Ning's suggestion. Only that the nearest USCIS office is in Atlanta and that is pretty far away from our home in Alabama :-( 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 13:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

I agree that the USC should make an Infopass and try to speak to someone in person to double check all of this. The letter may have a typo as you are right they claim to have given you a 87 day deadline and 87 days have not passed yet. 

 

Most RFE deadlines I have seen though are 30 or 60 days - 87 seems like a weird number. 

 

If they did send an RFE and you simply never got it and there was a problem with the petition then the quickest/easiest option will be to file a new petition. 

 

But definitely try for the infopass so that you can at least try to find out what the RFE was for so that you don't make the same mistake again. 

thank you :-)


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 13:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

The info pass route is a good advise. I suggest the USC make that appointment.

 

Secondly, if you look at the K-1 checklist up the top of the page and compare that to your original submission, 9-times out of 10 you will find what document you were missing. Thus the reason for uscis issuing the RFE.

 

I also agree that you file a new petition if you are able to ascertain the source of the first RFE; (and that is a big *if*)

thank you :-) according to the K1 checklist which we used when we prepared the petition and reading it very carefully even now again and again we have submitted all required documents. Only thing I can imagine would be the quality of my fiance's birth certificate....it wasn't a very good copy. but then it can be something completly different. I just wish we knew because that would be a lot easier since then we could  work on our mistake :-( 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 13:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f petition, never received RFE and now we got denied

It seems RFE was sent but never made to your fiance's address.  I think, wait and see what is in the denial letter i.e. what exactly is missing in the original petition.  Then fix that one and refile again...that is the fastest way, especially with the pace of approval we are witnessing at the moment.  I have seen an early January filer got approved towards the end of January.  So, that is your best bet.   I also faced a similar issue but opted to refile all over again with the new evidence that stisfay the needed requirements.  

 

Good Luck

thank you. the denial letter is the one we received yesterday 31st of january and it doesn't say anything about what is missing. Only that the petitioner had 87 days to respond to the RFE and never did ( and how if there is no RFE ? ) We would love to fix it but the question is what is the best way without wasting so much more time. 


InesDFemaleGermany2014-02-01 13:02:00