Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	July approvals in one fell swoop	Just a guess, but here goes. Suppose CSC gets evaluated on average approval time, just as VJ measures. They've approved lots of March/April/May people in the last few weeks, as they should. But it means their average wait unitl approval time has gone up dramatically, especially compared to Vermont. How to get it down fast? Approve some of the straight forward July applicaitons on the new forms. Then once their measurement date passes (who knows when), maybe they'll go back to the NOA1 date, they way they should have. The idea of putting new staff on straight forward cases also sounds reasonable to me. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-19 19:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I can't even participate here anymore...	If you can get the attention of the media - GREAT! If you want me to generate some stats that help your case or that the reporter wants, please let me know. If we can end this travesty of delay, I'm all for it. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 13:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Yaaaaay!!! Approved!	Congratulations! I do hope that CSC remembers the March, April, May and now June people who have been waiting FAR too long. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 11:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Denial	OK, I get to play devil's advocate. I apologize if I offend anyone with the following comments, but I feel the need to vent. Although I don't wish hardship on anyone, Jah242 you should have been denied for several reasons: 1.) You are not serious about the process. Anyone that was serious would have been able to (and would have made sure to) provide plenty of evidence. Even after an RFE requesting extra evidence, you left to up to someone else instead of doing it yourself to make sure it was taken care of properly. 2.) The person whom you relied on is not an expert. Your info on this is still somewhat vague. If they helped 3 or 4 other couples through the process, then their experience is valid yet minimal. If they went through the process 3 or 4 times themself, this is called "visa abuse" or "immigration fraud". Anyone that refers to this process as a "breeze" isn't familiar with the process. 3.) Even after all of your explanations, we are still having a hard time understanding your situation. Even the more experienced people here are having a hard time understanding. If you presented your case to the USCIS in the same way that you presented it to us here in the forum, then it's no wonder the USCIS officer was confused and not convinced. After 3 pages of posts, we still don't even know which country your fiancee is from. I'm trying not to criticize, but you need the hard facts. Good luck to you on your appeal. Sadly, I agree. I also agree that you may well need a lawyer. But that can be expensive. Before you do that, find someone you know and respect. Someone who is intelligent, and is the most detail oriented person you know. Someone like a dentist, and engineer, an accountant. Ask them to go over your entire file - application, letters to and from USCIS. See what they have to say. It seems that you do not have a knack for detail, completeness and clear communication. That's OK. Many good people are like that. But if it your weakness, it puts you at a severe disadvantage in this process. Find someone who has it as a strength, and get their help. Good luck in sorting out this mess. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 05:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 Approved!!	Congratulations! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 05:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Another approval	Congratualtions! It will be a wonderful day when California runs out of 60+ day applications to process. I wish that happened this month! (Or at least this year.) Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 13:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Attorney vs. DIY	There is a middle ground. I prepared our file. I then paid $175 to have a lawyer review it. That gave me peace of mind that I had done everything correctly. It was so nice to have someone who has done many, many cases available as a resource. (This was before I found VJ.) I then filed it myself. If the process is straight forward, I save money and hassles. And if things do get messy, I have someone who I respect "on call". Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 06:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Approved- I think I am in shock!!!!!!!!	Congratulations. It's WAY past time. You may be the last January person. (I hope.) With lots of luck, we'll be able to congratulate the last February and March people in the next few weeks. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-14 09:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	received no2 approval today	Congratulations! Now I'll race you to NVC - the new mini-bottleneck. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-21 21:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Another CSC Approval!!!	Way to go! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 11:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	CSC NOA2 received	I'm surprised, happy, and don't quite believe it. And in spite of the personal benefit, I REALLY wish that USCIS would go in order. Tom WOW Tom, I didn't see this coming so soon. Congratulations I remember you made a prediciton for me based on your analysis of the statistics that I would hear something by November....think you can use a little magic and update a predicted approval date I will definitely update my estimates this weekend. The good news it that CSC is approving folks at a great rate. The bad news is that they are departing further and further from doing things in the order of the NOA1 date. That is probably good news for July and August people. But I suspect that many June people used the new form, and could be processed just as fast. Why they aren't being done sooner is beyond me. If I were in charge, CSC would do the March, April and May people first. They would either approve, or send out specific information on what is holding up the case. This weekend is VERY busy for me - grading midterms, and trying to review a new book. But the weekend at the end of the month I plan on doing a broader analysis of the extreme variability of EVERY step of the process. I will then try to share that with the powers that be, and of course with VJ. Thanks for all the good wishes. Good luck to those who are unjustly delayed. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-21 20:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	CSC NOA2 received	I'm surprised, happy, and don't quite believe it. And in spite of the personal benefit, I REALLY wish that USCIS would go in order. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-21 13:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	FINALLY GOT RFE, I AM SO MAD	Other things that are secondary evidence, but may help: - Do you have phone bills that show lots of calls, including calls to him (when you were in the US), then no calls to him during the periods you were there? - Do you have credit card bills with purchase/no purchase patterns, similar to the phone bills? - Do you have email talking about planning the visits, and then afterwards email that refers to the visits? These may not be proof of a visit to him. But they are indicators that you went somewhere. Thus they could support the primary evidence, and would give the adjudicator the chance to say/feel they got more evidence. I had a case with the IRS a few years ago. The IRS guy basically admitted that I was right. But we had to structure the agreement in a way that he could show his boss he "won". Bureaucrats have some similar traits, regardless of which department/country they work for. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 11:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	FINALLY GOT RFE, I AM SO MAD	CSC is a big bureaucracy. Assume that there are mountains of paper everywhere. Assume that things get lost. Assume that things get overlooked in the file. Also, you are a June applicant. Suppose you were a CSC supervisor, getting flack for all the June files that were not yet processed. And suppose that if you sent out an RFE, then the file would not could against your time clock, your average wait time, etc. Then by sending out RFEs, whether justified or not, you get to report better numbers, and get your boss off your back. While I have no evidence to support this, it would NOT surprise me. I’d say send them some extra evidence, as others have listed above. They’ll be able to say they are doing their job. And you’ll get your NOA2 before much longer. Good luck on your journey. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 11:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	What level of postal service did you use...	I used Priority Mail with delivery confirmation (online tracking). It got from Utah to Nebraska in two days. I'd to whatever brings you peace of mind, within your budget. For tax matters, I ALWAYS use certified, return receipt. But that's because there could be a legal question about whether the item was sent, and whether it was received. But here, if they lose it or don't get it, we just have to send it again. There aren't the penalties or deadlines. If I had something where there is an USCIS deadline, I would definitely go with certified, return receipt. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 11:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	July NOA! Approvals for NOA2's????	On the marriage broker question, we gave the personals web site where we met. We then said that we don't consider it a marriage broker, but are not certain of the legal definition. Apparently they did not have a problem with that. Good luck. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 21:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	july filers	An NOA1 can take 4 weeks, even longer in a few cases. A key question: has your check been cashed? If so, then your receipt date should be on the back. But I'd still working on getting the official NOA1 document for the long haul. If the check has not been cashed, I'd start calling. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 21:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Has CSC finished with March, April, May and June?	I'm seeing more approvals from July than any other month. What's going on. I don't believe they've finished with us early filers. Anyone else jealous / disappointed / confused by the last 2 weeks of approvals? I share your frustration, even though I benefited from it. I think this issue should be raised with politicians every chance we get. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 16:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 APPROVED	Congratulations! Enjoy a wonderful weekend! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 21:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	CSC NOA2 =)	Congratultions! I hope the rest of your journey is smooth and fast. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 14:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	hello new to the site--please help	Apparently you can use your PO Box. (I have not checked this myself.) However, it could raise issues down the road. Why do people use a P. O. Box? Perhaps they are moving often? Perhaps they are trying to "hide". Perhaps the mailbox at their condo is just too small. If I were working at a consulate/embassy, I might look a little closer at the job stability and income of someone with a P. O. Box as an address. Just my 2 cents. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-23 11:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	OMG APPROVED	Congratulations. Thanks for your service. I hope the next years are wonderful and safe for you and your fiance. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 21:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	URGENT ADVICE PLEASE!	TomYu, My first disagreement with your usual cogent advice. Everyone seems to have a significant level of paranoia about providing a bank statement or credit card bill, with extraneous information included. The risk here is the account number, nothing more. If one starts "redacting" the document, the value of it as evidence decreases exponentially. For all contributors to this thread: What is the risk in leaving purchase information in the document? We all agree that the vulnerable account number needs to be blacked out, minus the last four digits. What USCIS wants is evidence of the visit, nothing more. I'm not particularly worried about identity theft. I WOULD want to make my partner happy. Thus I'd get out the marker for his benefit. Tom You and I are both current/former government employees. We apparently have very different experiences in this realm. When I submit travel expenses, the department administrator and the accounting department EXPECT me to cross out everything that is not relevant. This does not reduce the value of evidence at all in my case. Your case may, of course, vary. Second, note that my concern is more for the relationship. If one wants to maximize the chance of acceptance (at the risk to the relationship), send it in unedited. If one wants to maximize the benefit to ther relationship (at the risk of another RFE), edit away. I would tend to err in favor of the relationship. I think personal feelings vary substantially, which could naturally result in different trade-offs. FYI - I had plenty of evidence without sending in any credit card statements, so didn't face this challenge. Tom Edited by TomYu, 23 September 2006 - 03:44 PM.	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-23 15:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	URGENT ADVICE PLEASE!	What USCIS wants is evidence of the visit, nothing more. I'm not particularly worried about identity theft. I WOULD want to make my partner happy. Thus I'd get out the marker for his benefit. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 21:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How long did k-1 take you?	The process after the NOA2 varies WIDELY, depending on the country, and the randomness of the process. For instance, in China the average wait AFTER the NOA2 is 5.5 - 7 months to the interview. This can include anywhere from 1-8 weeks of transit time from NVC to the consulate! After that, the consulate can take 1- 2 months or more to issue the P3. And after the P3 is returned, there can be a additional waits for the P4 (1-2 months) and P4 to interview (1-2 months). Be glad you're not facing that. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-23 15:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How long did k-1 take you?	I wouldn't care about black & white vs. color. Either way it provides the same evidence. The folks who are talking about the whole process taking 5 months seem to have been processed through VSC. You'll be going through CSC, so tack on 2-3 months. You can do your own search using Immigration Timelines, then sorting on UK. After that, look at the Nebraska, Texas and California data (now all processed through CSC). Preparing the application can be quite variable. Do either of you have a divorce? Getting an official copy of a divorce decree by mail can take up to a month. Do you have an official birth certificate? If not, allow time for that. I would start saving and printing copy of IM chats. And I'd make sure to print multiple copies - one for the application, one for the embassy, one as a spare in case you need to make added copies. Good luck! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-23 15:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	APPROVED!!!	What a way to start the day! Congratulations! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 21:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can AnyOne Help?	I agree that it is VERY unfair. I suggest raising this issue with all Members of Congress. You have two senators and a congressmen. Contact them, using the data that Gary and others compile, including me. (The moderator seems to move my postings to the USCIS discussion list.) The only good news is that in September they have cleared half of the March NOA1's that were still waiting. IF they continue processing "old" cases at the same rate (BIG if), then you should get your approval in the next 2-4 weeks. My fiance and I have had the same discussion that you've had. If we get turned down or get stuck in limbo for years, we'll find another country to live in for the next few years. I also agree with the prior comment about feedback. When they are processing lots of July people, they should give regular updates to the March-June people who are waiting - what the hold up is, and an estimated action date. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-24 12:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	evidence question	This request does sound like they lost your evidence. Since they pull apart the application, perhaps they forgot to put the meeting evidence back with the rest of the file. But since they want more, give it to them. Some additional items: - frequent flyer miles record - receipts from purchases there, receipts from sites you visited and paid admissions for - receipts for parking or transport to/from the airport showing how long you were gone - an email log showing email before you left and after you came back, with a gap when you were gone (not great evidence, but you never know). Good luck. I hope they follow the RFE with a quick approval. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-20 10:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	please help!!! any thoughts	While the I-134 is not REQUIRED until the interview, do you think it might show that one is serious and well prepared, and thus speed the process at USCIS or the consulate? Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-24 13:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	White slipped	I am very sorry that both Chilten and Vicki & Bala are going through this. I agree that a lawyer is a good place to start. Also, if they ignored or refused to look at evidence that you had, I suspect that this will help your appeal. My fiance and I certainly do not expect such a problem. But we have already discussed our Plan B. We would probably both emigrate to a country where we are both welcome. While I would hate to leave the US, being with her is what is most important. Good luck on your journey. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-24 22:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How to track NVC received, NVC sent, Consulate received?	To find out when NVC received and sent, the good old phone worked for me, I just called them 1 ot 2 times a week and asked about status. The time on hold is short and they are helpful on the phone. For DHL I did this: GO to DHL Worlwide Express website http://www.dhl.com Select USA A new page will open At the top highlight tracking and click on TRACK BY REFERENCE In the Reference field type CORRESPONDENCE For the Shipment date you should select a day before and after the date NVC said they sent your file. Customer number leave blank Origin Postal code should be 03801 Then Click Track Thanks for the information. Your time from NOA2 to Guangzhou receipt is fantastic. I can only hope ours goes as fast!! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-25 11:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How to track NVC received, NVC sent, Consulate received?	I know that one can get these dates somehow. But I've searched on these terms and look at the procedure pages, and not found the details. How do I find out when NVC receives my package from CSC? Is there any way other than to call/email every couple of days? This seems very inefficienct for me and them. How do I find out when NVC sends my material to the consulate? How do I find out the DHL tracking number? How do I find out when DHL delivers it to the consulate? In our case (China) that seems to vary from a week to two months or more. This seems very unlikely for DHL. Thanks for your help on next steps. Is there some way to add this information to the FAQ, to make things more informative for all? Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-25 10:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 China I-129F Send in tomorrow	You can also see my thread on the variability of the visa process for China. Each step after NVC is quite variable. This makes it difficult to guess an interview date with much precision - it can easily vary by 1-2 months more or less from the average. Tom http://www.visajourn...showtopic=33757	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-25 12:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Visa Journey represents what %	Tom, You never cease to amaze me how you can say things that I want to say, but I somehow cannot find the words you do to say it. We are on the same page here. Thanks! Glad to be of help. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-25 12:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Visa Journey represents what %	According to that source, there were 32,900 K1 entrants in 2005. Suppose that this is a reasonable guess of how many applications they have. Looking at the Immigration Timelines, we have 1150 applications so far in 2006, which will probably mean about 1500 for the year. Thus we are about 5% of the applications. When presidential polls are done of 100,000,000 voters (a guess), they poll about 1000-1500 people, and get results that are accurate within 3%. If our membership is typical of K1 applicants, then analysis of our applications is probably a pretty good picture of what's going on with all applicants. Overall, Internet users may be more affluent and/or computer savy than others. But if you don't meet the poverty guidelines (directly or with help), then you probably won't start the process. Thus it would surprise me if VJ members are substantially different than the rest of the applicant pool. Also some steps in the process are totally independent of income. For instance, a name check at NVC or shipment to a consulate are the same, no matter your income. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-25 10:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Still a victim of California	I compiled some stats on this over the weekend. Unfortunately, they were moved to the USCIS forum. CSC to NVC times: 0-14 days 40% 15-21 days 38% 22+ days 22%. With all their volume, I think CSC should ship things AT LEAST twice a week. Transit time for mail across the country should be less than a week. In my opinion, the 0-14 day number should be 90+%, with NONE taking over 3 weeks. Just my (not so) humble opinion. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-25 11:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	WE ARE APPROVED!!!! WOOO HOOOO	Congratulations! That sounds like a much more extensive interview than I've heard of elsewhere. I'm glad it went well. Good luck with your future together. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-24 22:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	another multiple-email approval !!	Way to go! Congratulations! You bring up an important point. The variability between consulates is even worse than CSC vs. VSC. That variability deserves serious attention! Among consulates with 20+ K1's in the last year, time from consulate receive to interview varies widely: Australia 57 days Brazil 62 days Canada 83 days China 128 days Colombia 53 days Germany 67 India 64 Morocco 46 Philippines 128 Russia 81 Thailand 67 Ukraine 43 UK 83 And of course, your favorite, Dominican Republic 390 days! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-22 16:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 ON ITS WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	Congratulations! I hope the rest of the process is downhill. Please update your timeline, so that the rest of us can see another CSC March approval! Thanks. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-26 05:56:00