ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOne month down, ten to go.

Great tips.  Thank you for all this.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-02-05 17:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOne month down, ten to go.

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm currently with DFATD and was daydreaming that it might actually assist me, but it's a big boat and we're all in it.

 

If they lost your I-130 package, did you have to start over, or did they eventually "find" it?

 

Does lawyering-up ever help speed things along?


Edited by KodiakBehr, 04 February 2014 - 08:54 PM.

KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-02-04 20:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOne month down, ten to go.

Just wanted to reach out and say "Hi" to everyone else going through this process.

 

We're one of the lucky ones that live geographically close enough that we can drive to visit every weekend.  It's still heartbreaking to say goodbye, and that we still have to live separate lives for another year (and in my case, live a life on-hold), but compared to most CR-1 situations, we have less reason to complain.

 

Our of curiosity, does anyone know if government security clearances have ever played a role in expediting application turnaround time?

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it made no difference at all, but I thought I'd ask anyway.


Edited by KodiakBehr, 03 February 2014 - 05:40 PM.

KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-02-03 17:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

Almost half of the January filers have been approved from Nebraska, my understanding is that the rest of the service centres have an even better status.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-07-22 18:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

Our petition just got approved today!  Nebraska Service Centre.  My file is now en-route to the NVC.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-07-22 15:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG - I got approved! I sent my i130 application on May 10th of my birthday! I reiceive notification 10 days later with my ARN # changed. Since then, nothing! When most people said that it means appproved a few days later! Sop, I figured, they must have put my app on the side to wait fopr processing. So I called and put an expedite as there is a fever going on in my husband country and said well, everyone is getting sick and I can't risk him getting sick. They email me saying they are considering it. I called them everyday from then on. I manage to get to a tier 2 today and told her if they did not tell me what considering it, I would have my congressman do a congressional inquiry. She said her or the congressman can do. She said but we wont do both. I said, go ahead and do it. She said Ok - they will let you know if they approve the expedite in 5 days. Well, I just check my i130 is approved. ONE MONTH! I had a meeting to meet with my congressman tommorrow, so I am going to cancel it [ I know them on a personal basis and I did not want them that much involved in my business anyway] OH MY GOD!

 

I miss my hubby so much I started crying the other day when I see people waiting 5 months and 6 months with nothing especially from Nebraska. I got depressed then after getting depress, I decided to do psomething about it without anyhope it would make a difference but it did.

 

Guys, call, do inquiries - drive them crazy, do infopass. ....alll of it - it will keep your case in mind! Good luck!

 

Now - what do I need to do!

 

I READ THIS THING EVERYNIGHT AFTER WORK! I could not go without sharing the goodnews. Thanks for all the info you guys shared on there. Iused it to file my application! God bless you all while you wait!

 

Wait, wait, wait...hold up.  They expedited a May 10th application because of MERS?


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-06-11 21:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

Hey my PD is January 27, its not just about me, if they at least approve anyone from january it would at least give me some hope, but nothing out of NSC, they are still working on last year..

 

My PD is also January 27, and I'm also filed at the NSC!  

 

We're still behind the curve of the 5 month "anticipated" wait time, and even then, not everyone in January is going to get pulled through this month -- not by a long shot.

 

This is the time when filers get to be the most obsessive, and this is the time when we should try to distract ourselves the most.  The good news is based on the spreadsheets, Canadian interview dates at the US Embassies appear to have a 2-3 month horizon, and not the 6-month wait that is listed on this site.  Odds are pretty good that you'll be a PR before Christmas.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-06-06 19:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

Dammit Nebraska, you're letting Vermont overtake you.  I swear, if you pull out my I-130 in the next two weeks, I'll become a Cornhuskers fan...


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-06-02 18:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

Actually it was my immigration lawyer who scared me and told me that there might be a possibility for a denial. Canadians belong the to visa waiver program which entitles us to enter the US for Non immigrant purposes only. What I was told was that the border agent might think that I have intentions to 'visit' my wife till I get my application approved (upto 6 months), which technically is visa fraud.
My lawyer said that he has many clients who have been denied entry at the border and it makes the whole process a lot longer and harder. Just playing it safe I guess!

 

You're playing it safe, sure, but I think you might be a little over-cautious on that one.  I've never known a border guard to deny entry on the basis of being married to an American unless your visit duration raises suspicions.  A weekend at a time is pretty normal.  A two-month "visit" and you run the risk of suspicion that you have found work on the wrong side of the border and are more likely to be denied.  I've been at this for a while and have never had an issue at the border.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-05-26 18:27:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

Just got notification that they have sent I130 to NVC today..
 

 

I love a good news story.  Your NOA1 date is a few days ahead of mine, so you've given us hope of winning the who-gets-picked-next lottery too.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-05-08 15:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling I-130 January, 2014

Other January filers want to share us some news about receiving their NOA2's?  If the timelines are honest and accurate, I figure around 5-10% have already got theirs, but it's hard to judge how many people are keeping their timeline up-to-date.  Like you all, I'm sincerely hoping for good news in May.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-04-30 18:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresStudying in the US while waiting for a CR-1?

Yup, and it's the latter case.  I'm getting married this Friday, then I'll continue to live patiently in Canada, visiting on the weekends (assuming the border guards are okay with that) until I get permission to live in the US.

 

Given as I've been crossing that border every weekend for over a year, I doubt there is any concerns that I'll return as normal, but I've got a job and a mortgage in Canada to use as supporting evidence.


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-01-07 13:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresStudying in the US while waiting for a CR-1?

Okay, good to know.  US universities are off the table until the marriage paperwork is in place.

 

Presumably we can also just get married in the US right away and file the CR-1 the day after?  The wedding ceremony could, in that case, be postponed until a later date, but the marriage would be legitimate and legal as soon as the paperwork is filed?

 

Can I still enter and leave the US as a visitor if I have a CR-1 application underway?


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2013-12-30 19:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresStudying in the US while waiting for a CR-1?

Hello!

 

I am a Canadian citizen who is recently engaged to a US citizen.  I wish to eventually live and work in the United States, and obtain my Masters Degree there.

 

My understanding, and tell me if I'm going about this the wrong way, is that the "best" option for me is to marry, for my wife to then submit a CR-1, and then spend the next eleven months going through the approvals process before arriving, receiving my green card, and only then will I be permitted to enroll in an American university.

 

Or is it better to apply for a student visa, then apply for an Adjustment of Status?

 

If I have a CR-1 underway, will I not be permitted to visit my wife in the US?

 

This is all new territory for us, so we would be grateful for any advice you could offer.  Thanks!


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2013-12-30 14:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresName change of petitioner.

Are we obliged to communicate this fact with any US immigration authority, or is this really not worth thinking about?


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-07-22 18:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresName change of petitioner.

Quick question.  My wife, the petitioner, has legally changed her last name to mine (new social security card is on its way) just before we received our NOA2 for a CR-1 visa.

 

Is doing this going to disrupt my visa application and if so, how can we best address the problem?


KodiakBehrMaleCanada2014-07-22 18:37:00