ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 November 2010 Filers
Kang Lang, ours too, even the same person signed for it. Yippeee--now I can stop obsessively checking the USPS website and enjoy my vacation. Hopefully the NOA1 will be in our mailbox when we get home!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-11-19 17:05:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 November 2010 Filers

I received the Green Card Extension letter (which i'm assuming is NOA1)


Yes, it is.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-11-19 11:53:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 November 2010 Filers
ROC for my husband is finally in the mail!! Now we wait....again.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-11-18 11:18:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 November 2010 Filers

I just made colour photocopies, putting 2 per page. I was fancier in the past, getting actual photos, but colour photocopies are so good these days that I thought I'd try it. What are you going to do?


That's what I did, too.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-11-17 11:58:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 November 2010 Filers

I sent our package last friday 11/12/10 via usps priority mail & certified mail. Now I checked the usps and tried to track it and now it says, they tried to deliver it @9 am SATURDAY 11/13/10 and they left a notice. now im worried that they will not get it on time.


No reason to worry. When we sent our I-129F to CSC (three years ago!) it got there on a Saturday and we got the same message. They won't deliver it unless someone signs for it, so they will redeliver it today.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-11-15 11:29:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 November 2010 Filers
Well, we thought we were going to be filing at the end of October, but it has been taking us a while to get all our stuff together, so it looks like we will be filing this week.

When does the fee increase go into effect?
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-11-08 12:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsAPPROVED!!!
Congratulations, Marieke!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2007-09-06 09:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNovember filers CSC California waiting for NOA2 , still no approvals?
QUOTE (estadia @ Feb 25 2008, 07:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
from what i have seen there have been a couple of nov approvals, dec approvals


Those are frome Vermont. VSC is about a month to two months faster than CSC. CSC is still mainly working on September, although a few October filers have gotten approvals already. I'm not sure about VSC---I know a few December filers have been approved, but I'm not sure if they are mainly working on November now or it's still October and November. If you filed in November at VSC, you really are probably in the home stretch (for the NOA2 anyway). If you filed in November at CSC, you are still getting closer.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-02-25 10:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNovember filers CSC California waiting for NOA2 , still no approvals?
QUOTE (Mike-Mely @ Feb 11 2008, 06:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
If you feel the NOA1 date is an inaccurate way of looking at things thats your opinion.
Theres no right or wrong here.

maybe you have a different way of looking at when they filed, but at least some of them filed in the same month that I listed them in, so at least some of the filers for those months have gotten their NOA2.


Well there is a divergence of opinion on whether a petition is "filed" when it is dropped in the mail or when it is received by VSC or CSC. There isn't much difference between the two, and if you file near the beginning or end of a month, you should probably be following the progress of people who filed in both months anyway.

But if you are looking at people who received their NOA1 in October and considering that to be the filed date, it is a little misleading. Although we all know they don't process petitions exactly in the order received, they do more or less process them in that order, regardless of when they issue the NOA1. So, for example, Brian and Kathy's petition will be ahead of mine even though my NOA1 was October 17th and theirs was later because my offical receipt date is October 5th and theirs was earlier. (Theirs is ahead of ours in line, anyway. Four couples who sent their petitions to CSC in the first week of October actually have gotten NOA2s now even though only about 2/3 of September filers have gotten theirs.)

There is nothing at all that will allow you to predict with any accuracy how long they are going to take, but if you want to get at least a general idea, you have to go by when the petitions were sent and/or received. Looking at it by NOA1 date, you may be giving yourself some false hope about how soon you will be approved.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-02-21 11:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNOA2!!!! OMG!
Congratulations, Laura! kicking.gif kicking.gif kicking.gif

Mox, hehe, I was wondering why there were so many replies--that's usually a sign of controversy, and I just couldn't imagine what it would be!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-05 12:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsdown in the dumps
If it's any consolation, they do seem to be picking up the pace, probably because most of that big surge of people who filed in late July to beat the fee increase are past the USCIS stage now.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-05 14:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportswoo!
Woohoo!! Congratulations to Laura! dancin5hr.gif

The problem with NVC's automated system is that you need to have the new number NVC assigns to your case to use it---and you can't get that without talking to a real person first. And it doesn't give you the option of waiting on hold for as long as need be to talk to a live operator. I was able to get through at 11:30 EST last night.

There is an October-November NOA2-to-NVC thread started by Applewow. All of you December Vermont filers getting your approvals now are more than welcome to join us there if you like.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-07 11:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsIgors List
I found Igor's list very helpful when I was waiting for our NOA2. If nothing else, it gave me some encouragement!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-10 10:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsGetting Married in the USA to USC ...
QUOTE (Eli the Barrowboy @ Mar 12 2008, 07:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Cheers ... there are a lot worse things to get stuck in your head ...


we seem to be stuck on someone's desk who is a) sick cool.gif new to the job c) sick and new to the job

R


True--on both of those.

I think you'll have your NOA2 soon. They seem to be about half way through the October petitions, if VJ timelines are a representative sample, and they are moving faster than they were a few months ago. Once you get it, things will move a lot faster.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-12 09:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsGetting Married in the USA to USC ...
Eli, every time I see your handle I get the Decemberists song stuck in my head!

You will most likely have your visa before your planned wedding. As of yesterday, CSC had approved about half of the October filers, so your NOA2 should be coming soon. The rest of the process moves more quickly (although processing times at the consulate vary from consulate to consulate). If for some reason you do not have the visa, though, starting over with DCF will mean just that---starting over. What some couples have done is had a wedding ceremony and party without getting legally married. I would suggest that may be a better option if you are delayed. But I really don't think it will be an issue--you are still within the predicted time frame for an October filer.

Estadia, I know there are still a few July and August petitions getting their NOA2s now, but you are outside of USCIS's official time by about a week, so you should be able to get them to check on your petition now (or do you have to be past their time frame by a month?). If that does not work, then you should contact your congressman as others have suggested.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-11 12:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsCSC Filers Only Please...
I'm going through a fast consulate and at least my fiance and I live on the same continent so we were able to visit each other pretty regularly. I just tried to remind myself of that every time I felt a bit of envy at VSC couples who filed around the same time I did already having interview dates. And yes, I realise it's easy for me to say that now that I have my NOA2 (one of the earliest October CSC approvals).

I voted that I checked once a day, because for the most part that is what I did, but occasionally, I checked more often. I also voted yes for whether things can be changed. Obviously, if they would hire more people, it would move faster. Whether we can affect that change is another matter.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-12 09:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsthis is just flat crazy
I am so sorry to hear this, Estadia! I'm glad you are able to visit at least.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-13 14:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsEXHALE...
Congratulations!! dancin5hr.gif dancin5hr.gif dancin5hr.gif
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-13 14:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNVC phone number busy signal?
It would not let me edit to add this: In case you don't already know, they open at 7:30 am Eastern Time. I think that's 12:30 in the UK.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-17 14:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNVC phone number busy signal?
QUOTE (Sal and Jay @ Mar 17 2008, 02:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yes and being in the uk its hard to call later, will be middle of the night here lol.


Maybe try calling them first thing in the morning their time. That should be about lunchtime in the UK (I think it is a 5 hour difference anyway). I don't know if that will work, but it makes sense that fewer people would be calling them then. They will send a letter to the USC when they've sent the petition to the consulate, and that will have your new case number in it. NVC is very fast, so even if you never manage to get through by phone, you will know soon that it's on its way.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-17 14:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNVC phone number busy signal?
I was able to get through at 11:30 Eastern Time. I think I have seen others who have said they were able to get through after as early as 8 Eastern Time, but I was not able to get through when I called at 7:30 their time. A few people have said calling after 10 pm (EST) works.

I wish their system allowed us to check with the automated system or at least wait on hold for an operator if no one is available immediately. Unfortunately, it doesn't.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-17 13:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportshow many Aug and Sept filers left?
Igor's list still shows other August and September people still waiting. Not that it really helps any. sad.gif
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-20 16:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsCurious about how long you've lived with SO.
We've only visited, anything from a long weekend to two weeks. It helps that we live on the same continent and are only one time zone difference so we can have frequent visits (usually it has been one to two months between visits) and we can talk on the phone every night.

Living with someone for over five years does not guarantee that you won't one day wake up and find the person sleeping next to you feels like a stranger. And, as Sara says, there are many ways to get to know a person. If my fiance lived across town from me, we would have spent the first few months seeing each other once or twice a week and doing things like hiking or going to movies and such. I suppose we eventually would have gotten to know each other more intimately, but I think the way we've had to go about things as a long distance couple have forced us to get to know each other on a deeper level much sooner.

In any case, plenty of couples who do not have to deal with immigration don't live together before marriage---and many non-immigrant marriages begin as long distance relationships as well. Just recently, I saw an article that said that 53% of couples move in together prior to marrying (and I am not sure how many of those only move in together after getting engaged). My parents are about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, and they got engaged only three months after meeting for the first time. A good friend of mine moved across the country from California to Minnesota to marry a man she'd met online. It's not like couples who have to immigrate to marry are all that different from many other couples in this respect.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-19 11:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNOA2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-20 10:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsApproved at Last!
Congratulations!!!!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-24 11:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNOA2 received at NVC
CBR, leave out the space between the 2008 and A. Also, the ones with the number EXP 13 MAR 2008A will have a shipped date of today. I'm not sure why that is, but they are all like that. What I think happens is the EXP # uses the date NVC packed it up to ship while the shipped date is the date DHL actually puts it on the plane. That is speculation, but for whatever reason, the latest date you can use is EXP 13 MAR 2008A (as of today, March 14th). Did you call NVC? Looking at your timeline, I think it's more likely they shipped it last week or early this week.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-03-14 16:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsYOU PICK
I read the topic title as "You #######!" instead of "you pick." I'm a wee bit disappointed that it isn't.

We did K1 because the idea of being married and living apart while husband and wife seemed worse than living apart while engaged. Plus we would have to get married before beginning the process, and for various reasons, that would have meant filing several months later than we did. At the time, K1 and K3 processing times were similar, though from what I hear now K3s wait a lot longer than K1s.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-01 12:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsCSC ACTUALLY CALLED ME BACK!!!!
OMG, that picture is too funny! Tea just came out through my nose, dammit!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-04 16:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsI may have a positive resolution!
What colossal screw up on their part! But it sounds like they are getting you back on track. I'm glad to hear that. Here's hoping the next steps will go smoothly for you!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-07 16:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNVC Letter
Well, they should have sent you a letter telling you that they got your approved I-129F and will be sending your petition on to the consulate. I know there are people here who never got the hard copy of other forms they should send everyone (NOA1s for instance). Could be it got lost in the mail, could be they just neglected to send it somehow. Since your petition has already gotten to the consulate, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. The only information in the NVC letter is the address of the conuslate and your case number, but that would be in the stuff they sent your fiance as well.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-09 12:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsHow long of a wait before packet 3 is sent to fiance
It varies by consulate. I'm sure someone else going through the same consulate will be able to tell you if that is a usual wait. If it's not, you might want to see what the best way to contact your consulate is to check to see that they got it. Click on the "embassy information" section at the top and you should find something for Ghana.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-09 16:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsoh people plz plz pray for us
QUOTE (estadia @ Apr 30 2008, 01:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
and i have noticed even some of my post on the board are kind of rude sometimes


Well I doubt that very much. I've certainly never seen you be anything other than kind and supportive.

You are definitely both in my prayers. I wish I had something more encouraging to tell you or advice on dealing with it.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-30 17:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsRFE
This really does suck.

On the plus side, though, at least it means you are now, finally, in the home stretch as far as dealing with CSC.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-30 10:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober and November filers-NOA2 to NVC
Good luck with the interview and my condolences about the kitty.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-05-20 10:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober and November filers-NOA2 to NVC
You can get your case number from NVC. That will be the same case number the consulate will use. You can either call them again or wait for them to send the letter to your fiance. If it got there May 5, they should be done with it in the next 4 or 5 days.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-05-06 14:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober and November filers-NOA2 to NVC
I did not realize they had slowed down that much!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-28 12:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober and November filers-NOA2 to NVC
Congratulations to all who just got interview dates!

Debblyn, congrats on the NOA2. It was taking about 1 to 2-1/2 weeks for petitions to get from CSC to NVC. If it has slowed down beyond that, I'm not sure by how much. The hard copy of the NOA2 will tell you to call NVC if you don't get the letter from then within 30 days of the NOA2 date, and for some people (like me) NVC processing can take close to a week, so I would expect it to get there at least within 3 weeks. I would also expect it to take at least a week from whenever you get your last touch on the USCIS site (some people get touches after their NOA2, others do not).
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-21 11:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober and November filers-NOA2 to NVC
Congratulations, Lola and Al! kicking.gif kicking.gif kicking.gif
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-08 09:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober and November filers-NOA2 to NVC
Eli--woohoo!! Congratulations!

Applewow--good luck on your itnerview tomorrow!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-07 09:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober and November filers-NOA2 to NVC
QUOTE (applewow @ Apr 3 2008, 08:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
....They said its okay and eat chocolate... good.gif


Hahaha, sounds like a good doctor! I would like to be told to eat more chocolate next time I go to the doctor.

Congratulations on your package being sent, eli!

I wonder if Tars has heard anything yet.

Jolies, I'm not sure what the deal is with the Nebraska and Texas service centers anymore. Before July 30, some people (depending where you lived) were still supposed to send them there, even though all they did with the petitions is send them to California to be processed. Ours would have gone to Nebraska had we filed then. I don't understand why those two centers would still exist now that they are not even doing that much, but I would also think that if it were closed down completely, the package would have been returned to your fiance. Applewow is right--sending it there probably added on some time, plus sometimes they are just plain pokey about getting around to opening the packages up and sending out the NOA1 notice.

One thing your fiancee can do to check its status is to check with her bank to see if the check has cleared. Once it does, there will be a number at the bottom of the endorsement on the back of the check. It will begin with three letters---ours was WAC, but there are two other three-letter combinations and I don't remember what they are since ours was at this point in October. That is your USCIS receipt number. You can use that to check the status of your case on line. Go here: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis and click on "Yes, my petition is pending" (from the menu at the top right corner of the screen). I can't remember the exact prompts from there, but it is actually pretty self-explanatory and user friendly (I'm not the most technologically adept person in the world and I found the USCIS site very easy to navagate). It will take you to a screen where you can enter that receipt number and check the status of the petition on line.

Obviously, this does not work before they have entered you into the system, but they can generate the NOA1 and deposit the check long before you get your NOA1 in the mail. It took 10 days for mine to physically reach my house from California.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-04-04 10:43:00