Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	My checklist specifically stated FINGERPRINT checks for all states. Don't risk it with NVC. Go for fingerprints.	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-21 12:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	I emailed the consulate a couple of weeks ago asking whether the name check would be sufficient or if they also required the fingerprints... Finally got a response yesterday saying that their initial requirement is for a name check only, however IF at the interview they have reason to believe that you haven't fully disclosed your name and that there may be additional records out there, they may request a fingerprint check as well. Just realised it doesn't specify whether that was at a state or federal level,, but can't hurt to go federal, right?	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-21 12:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	Yes, go through you local NSW police to get the report. On your cover letter with your IV packet, tell them that you have lived in all those other states, but that the fingerprint clearance covers ALL states, and that NSW police send it directly to the consulate	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-21 12:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	Hey Sukie   So when I need to get a police report is it best that I get a Federal police report and a Federal fingerprint report?    I have lived in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia - currently live in NSW, so I assume you go through the Federal police to obtain this, or do you go through my local (NSW) police?    Thanks   Hey Sukie   So when I need to get a police report is it best that I get a Federal police report and a Federal fingerprint report?    I have lived in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia - currently live in NSW, so I assume you go through the Federal police to obtain this, or do you go through my local (NSW) police?    Thanks	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-21 12:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	That's a relief! I don't post here very often and realise it probably gets frustrating to see the same dumb questions being asked over and over - that being said I'll have another look at Saylins wiki and see how I go!   Hey Bulwara Road, and all Australians in the pipeline...we've had a terrible time with NVC and police reports.  The reviewer of our file has coded that my partner needed a police report from EACH state in which she has lived.  Of course, Australia now has a federal police check, and you only need ONE report.  We would have had Case Complete as of April 29 if the reviewer had not misinterpreted the rules for Australia.  Neither I nor my attorney has been able to get them to rectify this situation yet.   If you are in Australia, and you have lived in multiple states, in your IV cover letter you might want to mention that you are including the FEDERAL Fingerprint report that you have received through applying via your state of residence.  And then, mention that Australia requires you to request your FEDERAL report through your CURRENT state of residence.   If you are a residence of QLD or NSW, you should mention that your FEDERAL Fingerprint report, which MUST be obtained through your CURRENT state of residence, and ONLY through your current state of residence, will be sent directly to the Consulate.   Our file was perfect - and NVC screwed up.  This is delaying us by at least six weeks, unfortunately, as we have missed the June interview cut-off, and, if they take the 30 business days to address the issue, as they keep telling me, we will miss the July cutoff for interviews too.   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-19 20:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	I'm depressed tonight.  I talked to Rosa, and she was friendly, but not very helpful.  I sent my response to the bogus checklist (NVC is incorrect) on May 7th, and USPS says it was delivered the morning of May 8th.  And yet, it was not scanned in until May 14th.  Rosa said - it's 30 WORKING days from the time of response for anything.  I asked specifically what the response time was for attorneys who write to the NVCAttorney email box - and she said 30 working days.   If it takes six weeks for them to even look at the explanation of why they are wrong in the first place, we will not get an interview until August.  I'm really so unhappy tonight.  It's going on too long for something that is THEIR mistake.  And...they will not do a supervisor review - I asked.   My AOS and IV packets, and my DS-260 were all submitted on April 9th.  We should have had Case Complete by the end of April - and now it looks as if we may even miss the July interviews!   That will mean we will have been in the system over 14 months by the time my partner can get to the US.  It didn't do me a damned bit of good to be super prepared, with everything ready to go.  All because a reviewer cannot interpret the requirements for a Police Report correctly.   ARGH.   Sukie Edited by Sukie, 16 May 2014 - 10:46 PM.	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-16 22:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	Thanks alot   I filed my taxes on April 14th, and was able to get my tax transcript today, May 15th.  I filed MFS, and it was a paper filing - not an electronic one.  According to the IRS site, I should not have expected my transcript until June 15th, but I guess I got lucky.   My AOS was submitted on April 9th, and was scanned in on April 15th, but passed with flying colors (no 2013 tax info requested).  But I have the 2013 transcript up my sleeve if and when we ever get a case complete and an interview!!!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-15 21:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	OK - I did my weekly call today about trying to rectify the bogus checklist.  I spoke to Lexi, who actually did try to be helpful.  She told me it takes 30 business days for them to respond to the attorney's email address!  I was surprised there.  I would not think the attorneys were as crazy as we are about hounding the NVC - so they might get better response times.  Probably not....   Lexi actually opened the website from the State of Victoria, and saw with her own eyes that Victoria would NOT provide a police report.  But she said she could not put this through for a supervisor review.   She also told me it was a very good thing that I sent in the information about the fact that Victoria wouldn't GIVE us a police report.  But that it would still take 30 days.   She also let me know that a June interview was out of the question.   Sigh..   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-14 13:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	I'm so sick of this process.    I hope it doesn't take the entire 2 weeks for them to review the one stupid paper I sent.  This is ridiculous.    Wouldn't it make sense to have separate depts. for initial packages and for checklist packages?  I am sick of calling everyday and dealing with the nasty attitudes and misinformation.   I am just  as sick of calling as they are having to answer me.   GOOD LUCK TO YOU !!!!      Boy, do I wish this were true, LoveMyTico!  And, I wish they had a department for "NVC-Reviewer-misinterpreted-the-rules-and-issued-a-checklist-for-something-that-was-not-necessary-or-obtainable-in-the-first-place".   Or a department for "Petitioner-must-prove-NVC-is-incorrect".   It galls me that I had to response to a checklist that was bogus, and that *I* was the one who had to prove the the NVC reviewer was incorrect.  It also galls me that, not only did I response to the bogus checklist proving they were wrong, but my attorney also wrote to the special mailbox for attorneys, and, so far, nothing has happened.   I had hoped that the attorney privilege might have gotten faster action.  My Case Complete would have occurred TWO WEEKS AGO, and I'm still in limbo.   And...I wonder if the NVC reviewers who make mistakes are disciplined in some way...I know we would love to mete out some sort of punishment for our travails!!!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-14 06:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	Saylin, I'm preparing my AOS documents to be emailed for EP. Since you are the expert on PDF stuff I thought I should ask you. I just realized the Tax transcripts that the joint sponsor sent me are security protected. It will not let me remove the security protection in settings even though I know the password.  Do you think there is any way around this? I remember reading that the NVC will not accept documents that are security protected.    Don't know if this will work or not...   Find, download, and install a free program called "BullZip".  Bring up the transcript on your computer, and instead of printing a hard copy to your printer, point to the "BullZip" printer in your printer list.  This will print the document to a *.pdf file that will show up on your screen.  Save this BullZip document on your computer.  PERHAPS this new document will not be security protected.   Give it a whirl...   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-13 22:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	The worst step in the NVC process is the intial wait to get a case # assigned. After that, things seem to be resonable to some point!   I agree etrangais, unless you get a ridiculous and impossible checklist that anyone with half an eye could have figured out.  THEN it seems like takes forever.   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-09 13:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	What telephone number did you use.   I tried 603-334-0700 as stated on the website, but it's always busy.   You must keep dialing.  Use the "redial" function on your telephone, if you have one.    I usually have to redial at least 15 times before it rings through.  I know it's hard if you are dialing from overseas or using a calling card with a huge passcode!!!   Just keep dialing!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-08 10:17:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - May 2014	I received a Checklist a week ago with no follow-up emails. Maybe they are really excited to complete your case lol. Kind of hypocritical to keep sending -reminders when you have to wait 30 days for the review.   Go check the mail buddies...Love's revision is there waiting for you! And so is mine...    And mine!!!!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-05-08 09:55:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I 751 Part I, question #19, fee	In form I 751, Part I, for question #19, Was a fee paid to anyone other than an attorney in connection with this petition? I should check No, right? It has nothing to do with the filing fee, $590, right?   If no one was paid to help you, then you are correct.  Check "NO".	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-19 18:26:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	My RFE - requesting for feedback (warning: long post)	Hi guys!   So, I got an RFE on 8/14/13 and have been working very hard to get all the documents updated with all the information I need for the RFE response.  I wasn't planning on listing what I submitted until I got approved but got stuck with an RFE so hopefully I can get some feedback and also to help other potential application submissions.  So here goes...     I think you have missed a critical part of the paragraph they sent to you...here is what they said...   "The evidence submitted does not establish, in sufficient detail, joint ownership of assets, joint responsibility for liabilities, and an active commingling of finances for the duration of your marriage.."   You've just sent in stuff from the last two years.  Go back and get some stuff from those early years.  Yes, I know you submitted some things during your original submission, but they want to see that you've actually commingled assets for MORE than the conditional period.   Think about adding some older records that show commingled funds and assets from the beginning of your marriage.   Hope this helps.   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-08-22 22:10:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	When to remove condition from Conditional Green Card?	silvermask - it's 90 days before January 2015.   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-11-07 15:27:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Drivers license expires on same day as GC expires?	Not sure what your Texas experience was but it was very easy for my wife. Walked in with her Canadian licence and walked out with her Texas licence. Name change on licence was also easy. Just needed marriage certificate and green card. Took less than an hour for licence (mostly waiting) and less than 30 for name change.   Actually the Texas issue is more specifically for women.  Texas is now requiring that women's driver's licenses match voter registration records.  And that their passports and their driver's licenses say exactly the same thing.  While this was done to disadvantage immigrants, it has also disadvantaged women who have married, changed their last name, but not had the first, maiden, married names on the license.  When they go to vote, their voter registration doesn't match and they are denied the chance to vote.   My point was that drivers' licenses are administered by each state, and that the OP should be sure to get California-specific info.   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-01-03 17:04:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Drivers license expires on same day as GC expires?	Driver's licenses are administered at the State level.  I was actually surprised to see that California is listed as your state.  I might have expected this from Alabama or Texas - states that are making it VERY hard for non-US citizens.   Someone familiar with California State Law should be able to help you with your question.  I agree, it sure doesn't seem fair - he'll have to pay more money in September to renew his license!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-01-03 02:04:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	My "collection" of evidence - which start date?	My spouse has just gotten her CR-1 approval, and we'll be leaving Australia in another 13 days!   We have been a couple since April 2009, but since we are a same-sex couple, we were not legally recognized by Australia until we registered our de facto relationship in January 2013.  We married in the US in March 2013.  We applied for the CR-1 in June 2013.   When we present information regarding our "togetherness", where do we start?  From April 2009?  From March 2013?  From June 2013?   While our legal US marriage is only 1 year and 4 months, we've been together 5 years and 4 months .  7 years of data (even if it is one bank statement per quarter) is going to be a very fat folder!   I have heard of people getting RFEs because they included only the two years between the CR-1 approval and the I-751 filing, and didn't go back to their marriage date (even though THAT data was included in the I-130 packet!).   Any advice for the next 21 months?  Where should I start?   Many thanks!   Sukie in Oz	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-07-04 18:00:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	after getting the green card what is next?	Be sure you are saving joint documents FROM THE TIME YOU MARRIED, not just from the POE date.  Some of those documents you may have submitted while at NVC, but put them in your ROC folder and re-submit them with your I-751.    You want to represent your whole marriage when removing conditions.   Sukie in NY	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-09-10 06:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	When (not if!) DOMA falls at the end of June...	All the best, and I hope indeed DOMA falls!   The only heads-up I can give, which you may have already considered but which many people do not until later in the process, is that since you are a currently a permanent resident of Australia you will need to make sure you have established residency back in the US in order to get the visa, and make sure that you've been paying taxes on your foreign-earned income all these years, or submit those tax returns and start making a plan to pay back taxes now!   Also, it was my understanding that if DOMA was pulled, then one of the possibilities is that federal protections would only apply to people living in States where same-sex marriage was legal...so even if you are legally married, if you don't live in a State that recognizes gay marriage you wouldn't have any protections. Seems asinine to me, but you might want to think about that when establishing residency and make sure you don't live in one of the stone-age states so that they can't deny you on those grounds (a similar case in which the federal immigration bows to state law is with cousin marriage. If you live in a state where it is legal, then you are golden, but if not then you get denied, no matter the legality of the marriage where it took place).   Actually, the law says if you are MARRIED in a state where marriage is legal, it doesn't matter in which state you live.  I'm a New Yorker, and I still have a residence in the US, and don't worry - I file income tax returns in both Australia and the US.  I know the consanguinity rules are pretty funky, though!   So if DOMA falls, and you are legally married in a Marriage Equality state, even if you live in Alabama, the Federal rights will apply to you.  (I'm originally from Alabama!).  You will not be able to file joint Alabama Tax returns, though!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-06-01 15:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	When (not if!) DOMA falls at the end of June...	Hi all.  I am a US citizen, legally married to my same-gender spouse, who is Australian.  In 25 days or less, we'll know whether DOMA will be ruled unconstitutional.  I know that I already have my I-130 petition filled out, as well as the G325As!  I know a lot of same-sex couples who are NOT already married will be going the K-1 process, but I thought there might be others like me and my partner who will be IR-1/CR-1 petitioners.   I would assume that our bonafides will be exactly the same as an opposite-gender couple, but if anyone has any hints as to "the best" bonafides, I'd appreciate a discussion here.   While my partner and I have a lot of experience with immigration forms and interviews (I am now a permanent resident of Australia), we have decided to use an immigration attorney - given that the examiners will be seeing same-gender couples for the first time.  I'm going to assume that we might be scrutinized more intensely than straight couples!   If there are other same-sex couples getting ready, I'd love to compare notes/stories/successes!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-06-01 14:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Interesting information regarding huge delays in I-130 processing	I guess I'm confused. Per the link, isn't the Overland Park Kansas facility meant only for the Deferred Action cases? How then is it only going to be processing stand alone I-130s? Can you please explain this?   To the best of my knowledge, the Overland Park Facility opened earlier this year (April), and started processing I-90s.  This office is technically part of the NBC(MSC), but is physically in Kansas, not in Missouri, where the NBC is located.  Division 7, which is the first Division to become functional at Overland Park, ONLY processes I-90s.  Division 8 is set to open sometime before September 30 (the end of the fiscal year for USCIS) and it will handle stand-alone I-130s.   What's confusing is that it appears there have been several switcheroos with the I-130s in the past year.  At one point in 2012 (August), the big service centers in California and Vermont were told to send stand-alone 130s to the NBC(MSC).  After they got to the NBC, they were then shipped to "local offices" on a bi-weekly basis, based on the petitioner's zip code.  But...most likely in May 2013, this changed again - because USCIS knew that Overland Park Division 8 was going to open.  I have no idea exactly when THIS particular change happened, but, most likely, I-130s dated sometime in May began to be shipped to Overland Park (look at the address on your NOA1 - perhaps someone can figure out when the addresses changed), and are just waiting for Division 8 to be operational.   Yes, my assumption is that there is quite a backlog of I-130s just waiting to be dealt with in Overland Park.  But I hope that this Division 8, which will ONLY handle stand-alone I-130s will get their act together, and we'll begin to see some streamlined throughput.   I really don't know where Feb - April stand-alone I-130s ended up.  I think most of them (that did not go to Texas) probably ended up in Missouri - but I don't know if they started working on them centrally, or if they were shipped to "local offices" or whether they, like May filers through now, have been waiting on Overland Park's Division 8 to open.   I found somewhere on Google where the USCIS has leased the space in Overland Park for 8 years - meaning they are intending to stay there for a while.  The article said they'd hired 500 employees in Overland Park, if I remember correctly, and were going to expand to over 900.  This doesn't include contractors.   I'm not an insider, by the way.  Most of this is conjecture by reading the minutes of the AILA Q&A session held in May of this year, and trying to figure out what the heck has been going on.  I'm a June filer, by the way, with a priority date of 1 July 2013.   It would be good to know what address the NOA1s of Feb - April filers are - maybe we could extrapolate the queuing based on that info.  I know someone posted that they had a 15 May priority date, and their address was Overland Park.   Here is the data from the AILA Q&A session...this is as of 1 May 2013.  I've highlighted some of the interesting facts...   April 8, 2013   NBC opened its new office in Overland Park, Kansas, where Adjudications Division 7 will process Form I-90 applications. A new division, Adjudications Division 8, also will be located at the Overland Park, Kansas facility. NBC anticipates that Division 8 will begin to adjudicate stand-alone immediate relative Form I-130 petitions by the end of Fiscal Year 2013.   Stand-Alone Forms I-130 Question 4: At the November 30, 2012 engagement, the NBC reported that the California Service Center(CSC) and the Vermont Service Center (VSC) began shipping stand-alone Immediate Relative (IR) I-130 petitions to the NBC on August 15, 2012. Then NBC ships the I-130s to the appropriate USCIS Field Office bi-weekly based on jurisdiction (petitioner ZIP code). According to the minutes from the meeting, there are two exceptions to this policy: I-130s that are filed by an  overseas petitioner, and those filed with a request for expedited processing. It was reported that once NBC is staffed for this workload in 2013, the NBC will assume jurisdiction of the stand-alone I-130 petitions.   a) What is the status of the transition of stand-alone I-130s to the NBC?   Response: <ed. note: As of May 1>NBC continues to receive I-130s and ship them to the appropriate field office for adjudication. Based on staffing, we anticipate being able to adjudicate these in the fall. <ed. note:  Has anyone with February filing dates going forward gotten a transfer letter to their local office?>   b) How are I-130s for beneficiaries in removal proceedings handled? Does the NBC still ship the I-130 to the appropriate USCIS Field Office based on jurisdiction (petitioner ZIP code)?   Response:  Currently, all I-130s filed for beneficiaries living in the U.S. are sent to the appropriate field office for adjudication.We do not currently review I-130s before they are shipped. Shipment to the Field Office is based on zip code of the petitioner?s address.   c) What is the processing time expected to be for stand-alone I-130s filed by an overseas petitioner?   Response: The current processing time for stand-alone I-130s filed by an overseas petitioner is approximately 60 days from the date of receipt at NBC.   d)Although all I-130s are assigned a?MSC? case number, I-130 processing times are not listed on the NBC Processing Time Information page on the USCIS website. Will the processing times for all I-130 petitions, including those forwarded to a field office, be posted on the USCIS Processing Time Information website?   Response: Currently the NBC is working with HQ Field Operations to post processing times on the USCIS website.   e) Would NBC consider implementing a procedure to expedite the adjudication of I-130 petitions for beneficiaries who are in removal proceedings, as indicated in Question 16 on Form I-130, Part C? Immigration Judges are under no obligation to continue removal proceedings until a Form I-130 has been adjudicated, even though relief often depends on its approval. Attorneys could be instructed to include the Notice of Hearing issued by EOIR to alert the NBC of the next hearing date when requesting expedited processing.   Response: NBC is not considering implementing such a procedure at this time. Our current level of resources does not allow us to do this. When we resume adjudication of I-130s at the NBC<ed. note: i.e., when they stop sending stand-alone I-130s to field offices - I think this was in May, personally>, we will evaluate the feasibility of this suggestion. However, all petitioners for expeditious adjudication are considered on a case by case basis. Expedite criteria and instructions are published on the USCIS website.   This is from:   http://tinyurl.com/o9po26u         Hope this might help with some of the questions.   Sukie Edited by Sukie, 17 September 2013 - 10:19 PM.	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-17 22:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Interesting information regarding huge delays in I-130 processing	oh my you have been on far too long for that question IO - Immigration Officer CSR - Idiot answering the phone   Oh my, stevie b!  You crack me up!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-16 16:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Interesting information regarding huge delays in I-130 processing	this is ridiculous. why he wanna make illegal immigrants as legal only to increase crime and make unsafe usa   While I am impatient too, I find it hard to get upset at an illegal immigrant whose parents brought him or her here as a child.  It's not like they had a choice.  But now they can be legal in the country in which they were raised.  Based on what happened in Washington, DC at the Navy Yard today, I don't think crime is limited to illegal immigrants.   I assume that when Division XIII at Overland Park becomes operational (sometime before the end of September) we'll see some movement.  Division XIII will handle stand-alone I-130s ONLY - so hopefully that will streamline the process.  Those of you with I-130s with other forms, or doing DCF will go through another processing center.	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-16 16:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Overland Park Processing	Great info, thanks for posting the link.  If I had to guess, the culture there probably has not changed that much in 6 years.  What this tells us is that it's a numbers game.  This confirms what I read from a September VJer, who assumed 15-20 minutes processing per I-130, but I did not see any sourcing of that assumption.     So, how many I-130s backed up behind each of us at Overland Park?  If we can figure that out, and know how many FTEs at Overland Park will be dedicated to I-130 processing, we can make educated guesses about the wait time for each of us.   We might need to be careful on the 15-20 minutes per file estimate for the I-130s.  The link, which was very informative, was only for the 129F applications - the K1s.  As someone pointed out in another post on VJ, K1s are NON-immigrant visas - only good for 90 days - rather like a short-term visitor visa.  The I-130s are immigrant visas, and my guess would be that they spend a little more time on those....   Once an IR-1 is granted, it's granted.  Yes, I know those of us with CR-1s have another hoop to jump through in two years....   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-20 05:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Overland Park Processing	I am an august end filer. Got my NOA from overland park office. Seeing the AILA update and reading that they will have 500-800 employees at that location processing I-90 and I-130 apps. I am just trying to make an educated guess. Within a month, would this be a home run and get it within the 5 month goal? Maybe i get an approval by Jan! Trying to think out aloud...how many employees they have at a certain location in Chicago/NYC vs this larger office  and how many an employee could process a day. if 500x20daysx 10 a day is something to go by. 3 months for all pending?   Not sure, mza001!  First of all, we really don't know when they stopped sending I-130s to local offices - my best guess is that Feb-April filers might have gone this route.  This would mean (all of this is guesswork!) that May through today filers are at Division 8 at Overland Park.  The 500 employees that you saw in the AILA update were for Division 7 - processing I-90s.  They were planning to expand the total number to over 900 - so that means approx 400 USCIS employees for I-130s.  And, of course, this didn't include the contractors - which add even more people (over 1,000 contractors).   Since Division 8 has only gone online (or will, perhaps, next week?), that's a lot of training of staff, plus time to work out all the glitches.  I think we'll start to see throughput rise during October, but I'm betting we'll all be looking at 5 months still.   I'm wishing we had an insider to tell us exactly what they review with an I-130.  Of course, they are looking at the petitioner here - so...do they do FBI and police checks?  Credit checks?  Verify employment?  Verify Social Security Numbers?  Or do they merely tick the boxes to say all the information is complete?  If it takes us 2 to 3 months to get FBI clearance, is that what it takes USCIS (if they do FBI checks?) ?    If all they are doing is a checklist, then I would think your estimate of 10 per day is reasonable.  At least it would be for me.  But if they are having to cross-check with other databases and other agencies, then it might take longer.   We also don't know what the backlog is.  While I might think that all the backlog is from May onward, there is, of course, a strong possibility that April filers ended up in this mess too!   Does anyone really know what they "check" between NOA1 and NOA2???   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-19 13:22:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	deeply stressed by the NBC processing	I know this may stir things up ...and no offense to the (k-1's) BUT I want to know why a person wanting to get married takes less time then a person already married? WHO thinks that this is a good idea? I think it's ridiculous!!   It was pointed out to me that a K-1 is essentially a specialized visitor's visa - because it has limitations on how long a person can remain in the US without marrying, and it's immediately cancelled if no marriage takes place.   An IR-1/CR-1 is a permanent visa so this means the petitioner may go under more scrutiny.  Once it is granted, it's granted (I know - a CR-1 has a two-year limit).  So the expectation is that IR-1s are looked at more intently than K-1s.   Don't know how much of this is true or not....but it might explain things a little.  And, though I wasn't active on VJ at the time, I read that the K-1s were REALLY screwed up about a year ago - and they've straightened that process out.  Hopefully the I-130 process will be back on track shortly!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-22 07:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	deeply stressed by the NBC processing	How do you know they weren't routed to field offices?   Hollyday, I don't know anything for sure.  Like I said - it's all conjecture based on the answers provided by USCIS at the AILA conference in May.  I would have thought that the Feb-April folks would have gotten acknowledgement that their petitions have been forwarded to local offices, if, indeed, that had happened, but I don't think we've seen many of these transfers here on VJ.  The only one I've seen was a March filer that was transferred to the local office, and then RE-transferred back to MSC/NBC!   If February, March, or April I-130 filers HAVE gotten notification of a transfer to your local office, would you please holler here?   Thanks.	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-21 15:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	deeply stressed by the NBC processing	hello everyone i just wanna share my feelings about the processing as for the NBC because it became really bad nowadays...i have been with my wife for the past couple weeks and today i got back which my heart is broken ebcause i want my wife with me badly and this processing is taking even more longer i wish they would realize how hard it is...i heard something about a service center has been opened up in kansas which i am still wondering how the petitions will be processed in there and if the petitions still being transfered to the local office and where exactly the chicago ;local office reached nowadays please guys if anyone has any idea about this get me an answear back and i am sure alot of you are still waiting as well for them to get us some news about our petitions   thanks alot for your time   OK - here is the best conjecture as to what is going on...   If your I-130 was submitted prior to May 1 2013, your I-130 is probably sitting at the Missouri Service Center (the National Benefits Center).    If you filed after May 1, your I-130 is probably sitting at Overland Park, Kansas, waiting for the Division 8 to open either this coming Monday, or the next.    Petitions at the MSC/NBC submitted at the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013 were supposed to be routed to your local service center for processing.  Petitions for February - April are probably at the MSC/NBC waiting to be processed.  The MSC/NBC handles many different petitions, and the general feeling is that they don't have enough people dedicated to the I-130s.  This is the reason for the absolute stoppage of approvals after February.   The biggest hope that all of us who have filed after May 1st is that the new Division 8 at Overland Park, which is totally dedicated to I-130s, will get the ball rolling.  I truly do NOT know whether or not any of the backlog at the MSC/NBC will be forwarded to Overland Park.   I would bet that six weeks from now, we will start to see the results of Division 8 coming on line.  Hopefully it will REALLY help!!!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-21 13:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Approved finally!	JennyLee,   Congratulations!  May the rest of your Journey be easy!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-09-29 20:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	USCIS-AILA meeting October 23	So what does this mean for July - October 2013 filers?  Are we staying at NBC?  Are *we* the ones who are being adjudicated at Overland Park?   (My submission date is June 27, but my priority date is July 1.)   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-11-06 17:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	USCIS-AILA meeting October 23	I had read the transcript of this meeting a few days ago - I think on the USCIS site, but I'm not sure.  I believe the October 23rd meeting was primarily about working visas - not family visas.  I thought the November meeting would be about the family visas.   Perhaps I am misremembering, but I wasn't devastated about this transcript (at the time I read it earlier) because I thought we still had a November meeting where USCIS was going to be slammed about the I-130s......   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-11-05 15:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	I-130 Petitioners - Send today!	I'm currently in Australia, so I did the email version!  Thanks to everyone who is making NOISE!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-12-12 02:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	DOMA Filers Living Abroad (Consular Processing)	Hi LoveExile!   We're not quite in your same position - we maintain homes both in Australia and in the US.  I'm a USC, but thanks to Australia recognizing same-sex partners as "de facto" partners (just like heterosexual unmarried committed couples), I have permanent residency in Oz.   We prefer to live in the United States, but DOMA (which was more like DOOMA for all of us!) did not allow us to.  We did marry in March 2013, in anticipation of DOMA's fall. Julie returned to Australia after that.   I've filed the I-130 petition, and we're in the queue with a zillion others now!   It's nice to join the other VJers in the journey to come home, at last!   Sukie and Julie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-07-30 17:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	What does it mean?	Thanks .but what does it mean?   It means your case was approved, and the information has been shipped to the DOS for the next steps.   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-12-28 22:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	I-130 got approved!	Congratulations, Irra!!!   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2013-12-28 22:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 online notification to hard copy	NOA2 Date:  January 31 Letter mailed from TSC:  February 3 Letter received:  February 7  (Texas to New York)   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-02-20 06:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - February 2014	This seems to be the more active of the two threads, so I'm going to post the "doh" moment I had on the train home here: a big storm is headed for New England on Monday, and it's very likely NVC will be closed again for the weather   Prepare yourselves for a long weekend for our friends in NH.   Hey, BOS, Portsmouth is only in the 1-3 inch band.  Looks like you are in the 3-6 inch band, and I'm in the 6-12 inch band.  New Hampshire should be able to withstand 1-3 inches....   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-02-28 21:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - February 2014	Hello to all!!!    On Feb 10 my application was approved from TCS. They sent it to NVC Feb 26. When should I start calling NVC for Case Number?   Thanks!   Geniams,   First of all, start calling NVC about March 10th to see if they have received your file.  It seems to take about a week to get from Texas to New Hampshire.  Then, count on about 20 business days (about a calendar month) between the receipt at NVC and the assignment of your case number.   Sukie	Sukie	Not Telling	Australia	2014-02-28 07:15:00