Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
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
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Considering abandoning our 129F	Based on the number of recent approvals, you should give it another 30 days before doing anything drastic. Any particular reason why? I've been hearing this for months. As of last weekend, March NOA1s in or transfered to CSC had approved the following: Approved April-June 45 Approved July 29 Approved Aug. 45 Approved Sept. so far 25 Waiting 25. Except for the last week or two, they seemed to being a good job of clearing the old cases. IF they go back to working the older cases, they would clear remaining March, April, May and June cases within 4-6 weeks. That way, even if they are mis-classifying you as June, you'd get your NOA2 no loater than the end of October. VJ stats (Immigration timeline, then stats) shows K3 application to Interview at 183 days. How does that compare with your current estimate for K1 to interview if you get your NOA2 within 6 weeks? You have VERY good reasons to be extremely unhappy with CSC. Best of luck with your choice. Tom Edited by TomYu, 27 September 2006 - 11:30 AM.	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-27 11:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I think I made a big mistake when mailing back RFE	Aren't you all assuming that God has some interaction with CSC? Perhaps she/he's given up on the place. I strongly suspect it's under the control of other forces. And I understand that their very best delay experts then get promoted/transferred/deported to China, where it can easily take 6-7 months from NOA2 to interview. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-27 08:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Over Another Hurdle!!!	You're on the Rocketship Express. CSC must have made a mistake, and sent your file out on a timely basis. Good for you. I just wish they would make this "mistake" on a regular basis. (Pardon my scarcasm.) Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-27 15:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Finally approved after 168 days at VSC!!!	Congratulations! It's about time (or past time)! Perhaps they forwarded your file to CSC by mistake? I hope the rest of the process is smooth and fast. Tom!	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-27 08:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How much evidence is too much?	This is interesting. I ran my application by an immigration lawyer. He said the consensus among immigration lawyers is to bury them - send EVERYTHING. I sent copies of boarding pass copies, passport/visa copies, receipts of currency conversion, etc. for 5 visits. I also included copies of over 400 emails and IM sessions, and copies of phone cards showing several hundred hours of calls over the last year. It took a Priority Mail BOX to send it all. After reading here, I was doubting the wisdom of this. But we got our NOA2 right on track with others with similar dates. My fiance will have duplicate copies of all of this when she walks into the interview. I feel for the two people who got turned away because of lack of evidence of a relationship. I wonder if the consulate officials had their minds made up before the interview started, and thus were not as interested in additional evidence presented at the "last minute". I am NOT saying that the board consensus is wrong. But the answer may not be as clear or one-sided as some think. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-25 12:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Give me your advices, please	Please fill in your timeline and personal information. (Go to My Assistant, then follow the links.) That will allow us to give you better advice. For instance, some countries have Direct Counsellor (sp?) Filing, which can be much faster and easier. But since we don't know your country, we don't know if you are eligible for this. Good luck with the process. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-24 12:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Another June NOA2 finally	Congratulations. I hope that the rest of your journey is fast and smooth. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-29 19:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Approved	Congratulations. I hope you can be together soon. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-30 11:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	APPROVED !!!!	Congratulations! I hope you can be together soon. I hope that your application (and mine) make it from CSC to NVC promptly! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-30 11:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	July NOA1's and Touches this week	After you get a touch, click on your NOA1 receipt number to get your status. That's how I first learned of my NOA2. The email and snail mail came later. Good luck for fast approvals! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-30 11:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Timeline Percentages	It would help if you would post your methodology. I'll glad that you're allowed to post here. When I do my stats, they seem to get moved off to a corner of VJ - often to consulates or USCIS. I hope this post doesn't get moved. I also share the concern about the March, April, May and June folks who have not yet been cleared. While a few many have an RFE that has not been returned, I suspect that almost all have done all they should, and do not deserve to still be waiting. I hope they are ALL cleared in the new few weeks. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-30 11:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	APPROVED!!!	Congrts to another June filer! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-29 19:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	We've reached Day 200!	You are a poster child for why they should go by sent (postmark) date for all steps in the process. Those waiting longest should always be processed first. If they get RFE'd, they should go to the head of the line once the RFE is returned. If I didn't love my job, I'd be tempted to apply to head CSC and kick some B***!!! (Not that I'm qualified or that they would take me!). Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-30 11:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	We've reached Day 200!	I am sorry for your wait. I very much hope you get your NOA2 very soon, and that the rest of your process is fast and painless. I think it is very sad that our government treads its citizens and their loved ones this way. It gives the rest of the world a horrible impression of us at a time when care, communication and promptness matter so much and would not cost very much. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-29 19:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Texas NOA1 over 4 weeks!	That is still strange, NOA1 should be sent to you a few days after they receive the petition, it is just a receipt showing that they received the package and have assigned a case number to it. The case will then be transfered to CSC. I would be getting a bit concerned by now. I sent mine to NSC on 7/6. Per the USPS, it was delivered 7/8 (Saturday). My Receipt was sent 7/31, the ssme day my check was cashed. I'd be a bit concerned, but not panic (yet). Maybe it's because they are so busy sending out long overdue NoA2's. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-14 00:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	TSC delay after approval	I just looked on the VJ database for the 40 most recent "NVC left" dates for NOA2's from CSC (including TSC and NSC). All left less than a month after CSC's NOA2 date. except for one that was 1 month, 1 day. While this delay is frustrating and unnecessary , it won't last forever. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-04 13:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	finally...	Congratulations! I hope you can be together soon. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-30 11:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Going to the NVC or not ... ?	I'm glad things moved more rapidly than you'd expected. Unfortunately, this same procedure could cause lots of uncertainty for others. For instance, the NOA2 time to P3 for China averages 3 months. That means that for 3 months my fiance and I may not know if we are lost in CSC, between CSC and NVC, between NVC and China, or in the consulate in China. Thus I'm REALLY hoping that NVC can give us accurate information. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-14 19:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	New York Times Story	I a BIG thank you for taking the time and getting our story out! I look forward to seeing it in print! There is another NY Times reporter speaking about immigration on our campus (University of Utah) this coming week. I will be giving her some of the statistics that I generate on the arbitrary nature of the process. I hope it helps. (And of course, sitting in the audience for an hour first will give me a better sense of where she's coming from. If she is not sympathetic, I will just stand clear.) Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-16 11:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	New York Times Story	[quote name='William33' date='Sep 12 2006, 05:52 PM' post='441797'] AKW65, I would be hesitant to conduct and interview with a reporter, especially with the ambiguous storyline. As you know, reporters are notorious for hiding the true intent of an interview, until published. Since the storyline has shifted several times, I call this suspect. At this stage, it sounds as if the agenda is slanted towards "seeking spouses outside the US" as opposed to the impact of IMBRA. The latter, being your primary concern. If I were you, I would withdraw. Up to you though. Tom: I agree that there is some risk, amount unknown. But I also think there is the potential for reward. The New York Times is liberal, which might mean more likely to find fault with a Republican administration that is not administering well. That could work to our benefit. Also, we have lots of facts, many of which others do not know. Giving them these facts - long delays, arbitrary processing order - you may be able to influence the direction of the story. Good luck with the interview. We will be looking for your name in print soon! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-12 18:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	New York Times Story	I second mentioning the long delays in California, and processing applications out of sequence. We have lots of people who have waited 120-150 days, while others are processed in 14 days! But even after CSC, things can be very random, with long delays for no apparent reason. These can occur at NVC (often a week, but sometimes more than a month), shipment to consulate (often a week, but sometimes two months), and issuing of the P3 (often a few days, sometimes more than 3 months). The process COULD be done in: NOA 1 - 1 week NOA2 - 2 weeks Ship to NVC and NVC processing - 2 weeks Ship to consulate and issue P3 - 2 weeks P4 and interview - 4 weeks Total: about 60 days. But the AVERAGE is 6 months, with many cases taking 8-10 months. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-04 08:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	Congratulations! I hope the rest of your process is speedy! (After NVC anyway. I fear there is no hope for the CSC-NVC step.) Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-18 10:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Marcher Approved!	Thank goodness! It's WAY past time! Now I get to change my signature file! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-18 21:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	is my K1 overdue?	Some thoughts: 1. A wait this long is totally unacceptable. I'd contact Members of Congress. 2. I don't understand what MSC has do with a K1 application. Perhaps NSC?? 3. I think the issue of lack of care by your fiance is far more important than anything else. If that relationship is not strong, then why go through all of this?? Good luck in sorting it out. At least the two of you have more control over the most important, #3. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-19 21:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Finally after Two and a Half Years	Congratulations! I'm glad that you two can FINALLY beging your new life together! May your days together be many and happy. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-18 10:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NVC - Must talk to a live person	CSC to NVC can often take 4-6 weeks, though sometimes it's faster. You can do your own serach using Immigartion Timelines, then sorting on NVC received. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-24 14:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	October 5 NOA 2's.have u gotten your NVC letter?	My NOA2 is Sept. 20, I have not yet received a letter from NVC. But I got caught in an administrative review for a week or two. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-10-31 17:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 with Waiver Approved - Finally	My god. I can't believe it. I got email at 11PM Friday night. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I hope ALL March and April folks hear in the next 2 weeks! Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-02 11:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 November 2nd	Congratulations!! I hope that the rest of your process is fast and smooth. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-11-03 15:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Airline tickets in I-129F package	I think the combination of ticket/eticket and boarding passes is best. If you have the ticket but not the boarding pass, then another way to demonstrate that you actually took the flights is to show the mileage credit in your frequent flyer account. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2007-01-14 22:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I AM WORRIED !!	When we got our NOA 2 (see timeline below), it took about a month for CSC to SEND the file to NVC. And that was with no holiday/weather delays! VSC tends to send it right away. CSC seems to hold it for "one more check" - who knows why. Maybe someone there owns a warehouse, and wants to collect more rent? Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2007-01-14 12:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Interview date 3/14! How to postpone for 1 week?	The good news: Interview date of 3/14. This is less 8 1/2 months since filing - better than average for China. However, I'll be visiting just a week later. When we returned the P3, we asked for an interview date during my next visit. I sent an email to the consulate. I got back a form email, saying to contact a contractor, the Visa Information Center, which charges a fee just to talk. Word is that they are useless. Any suggestions? Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2007-02-14 10:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	P3 from China received today/tomorrow	My fiance just called. She just got the P3! We anticipate an interview in March/April. After she finishes teaching for the semester, we expect her here in June, with a wedding in July. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2007-01-09 01:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Age difference a problem?	One of my original worries was that the age difference would be a problem due to her particularly young age. I do not live in Mississippi or Nebraska so 18 is legal where we will marry in the US. I can easily get parental consent from her parents but is this necessary? I am not getting married in Thailand so do I need to abide by their marriage laws? In response to some of the initial posts that addressed the question of a "legitimate" or "genuine" relationship. ... I do understand that this is a short amount of time by Western standards, but that wasn't really my question. Considering that the K1 application simply wants to know that you have "met within two years", I would definitely consider the relationship "legitimate" in relative terms. The responses seemed to fade off of this point, but the first few definitely began to worry me. The K1 provides for 90 days in the US, of which we will use to make sure that she wants to live there. Knowing that she would want or not want to live in the US is part of the process of planning our future. I do not feel as if I am rushing this too much. So, where I stand now is: 1.) DEFINITELY waiting until October when she turns 18 to fill out paperwork. 2.) Figuring out if I need to satisfy the requirements of a Thai marriage (parental consent under 20) even though I am not getting married in Thailand. 18 is fine for my state. 3.) Continue gauging the discretionary attitudes of the age situation, which from the board seems to be reassuring that it will be OK. I think your original concern is valid. You face multiple requirements. You easily meet the "meet within 2 years" requirement. But the "legitimate" question is tougher. There you face the very real likelihood (my guess) of being judged by US standards. Having her parents support would you make you look more like a "normal" US couple, where the parents of the bride support the marriage. I also think this is a wise thing for the future of the marriage. You've got the time. You're in the right place. So I'd try to get that, and have it documented. Also, realize that the whole IMBRA hassle came up because of the concern about protecting (young) foreign women from abuse by (older) American fiances. Thus your/her interviewer may press this issue more these days. Having more evidence than you need could possibly make a difference. (If your ages were 37 and 27, I would expect this to be much less of a concern. But this is just my speculation.) Be careful not to use too much of your 90 days to wait until getting married. AFTER you get married, you need to get official documents, which may take a couple of weeks. You then have to submit them within the 90 day window. My fiance and I plan to get married in the first 30 days to make sure that we have enough time to take the next steps without rushing. What is your plan B if she does not like the US? If it is to marry anyway and live outside the US, then marrying first (with her parents' support) and using a K3 might avoid some of these questions. Good luck to the two of you. Tom	TomYu	Male	China	2006-09-03 22:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance Visa vs Marriage Visa	I sent another email to them requesting information about filing an I-130 for a spouse with the consulate. I'm crossing my fingers that I can file directly with them! I don't mean to burst any hopes you may have about DCF but when I when through the Uruguay embassy I was never able to get any information about if it is allowed or not. I lean towards not because being a South American country that recently lost its visa waver status (2003), they generally are more strict on processes to getting visas in general. Ask anyone from Uruguay that has recently tried to get a tourist visa without a ton of cash in the bank. The good news is that they are not really considered a high fraud country with people commonly using marriage fraud to get into the US so the process for mariage based visas goes fairly quickly and smoothly. They only process a handful a year (hence the reason you don't see a huge Uruguay contigent on visa journey) so you don't have the huge processing backup and long wait times when you get to the embassy stage (like you may see in Venuzuela or the Dominican Republic). I also have to second the comments that have been stated with how unhelpful Uruguay's website is for this kind of filing. The one useful part if you can find it, (it's kind of hidden) is the wait time for visa interviews. They seem to be fairly accurate reguardless of what kind of visa you are applying for. If you write to the consulate they will answer e-mails and if you call and get to the right department you can get good information but it can be a hastle. The question to ask is if a Uruguayan marries a US citizen who is not currently a resident of Uruguay, can they file for adjustment of status at the local consulate. That is basically what can happen in DCF cases if the host country allows it. Other countries allow it if the US citizen is considered a current resident of that country but each country sets its residency requirements (ie. time living in the country) It would be interesting to get a difinitive answer to this question for future individuals filing through Uruguay. Good luck, Liz	lizroxy24	Not Telling	Uruguay	2006-12-05 19:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Ok I owe everyone an apology for disappearing. I was freaked out and I'm sure I stressed a few of you out. Well everything went just fine Pond didn't receive her visa on wednesday because there was a little catch since she had her name changed when she was younger but friday she picked it up no problem. We will be meeting at LAX on thursday at 8:40pm!! I cannot tell you how excited I am. So to everyone who was worried about the coup affecting Visas I dont think it did much. Thank you to everyone for your help.. now to the AOS...	Stone	Male	Thailand	2006-10-03 22:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	GOT IT!! Pond had her interview this morning got there about 6am. Got the call 10 minutes ago about 9:45am bangkok time. Very simple interview the woman was very cordial and caring. The questions she was asked: (in case anyone is preparing for theirs and curious) WHere and when we met: how many times I had been to visit when the last time I was there where she will live pretty simple. I was worried since I wasn't able to go with her. I cannot thank everyone here enough I would have been lost without this website.	Stone	Male	Thailand	2006-09-17 22:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Thank you guys we have everything and then some. I meet the requirements just fine but had my father co-sponsor we have been very attentive to detail I just dont know what we'll do if we get denied .Just having jitters sorry. Thank you for your replys everyone here has been a HUGE help.	Stone	Male	Thailand	2006-09-02 14:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Has anyone not gone with their fiance? I've been there 5 times I think since january. I've been working like crazy so we can buy a new house when she shows up and I'm really not keen on another trip this year. But if it will make a big difference for me to be there I will be there.	Stone	Male	Thailand	2006-09-02 00:51:00