Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Are there any REAL people working for USCIS?	PPFKL, You stated that "For UK beneficiaries, it takes 74 days on average from receipt to interview.." Is that really true? That seems short compared to what I think I have seen on others timelines. Don't get me wrong, I hope you are right! That would be fabulous and I just got all excited. I know I have to remember that you used the word "average" so I know it may not happen for us that quickly. Thanks:) Hi Jennymc11, I was getting a little tired so maybe I wasn't clear. Looking at the timelines on VJ, it says takes on average 74 days from when the consulate receives the approved petition until the interview. You still have to add in time to NOA2 and time to consulate. From what I look at for CSC filers only, that's 190 days in total on average for UK beneficiaries: - 9 days send to NOA1 - 81 days NOA1 -> NOA2 - 23 days NOA2 -> Consulate delivery - 74 days Consulate deliver -> Interview - 3 days Interview -> visa I'm only looking at data for the past 3 months because what happened earlier (like IMBRA) delays doesn't really have anything to do with the current processing time. As with any of these estimates, your mileage may vary . I just do this to keep my fiancee and myself sane during our wait since the only way to see if progress is being made is watching other slowly get their NOA2 before us. Hope this helps and doesn't burst your balloon too much. PPFKL	ppfkl	Not Telling	China	2007-02-24 10:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Are there any REAL people working for USCIS?	Okay, maybe not to sleep 8-). I just had a thought. When I lived overseas I had a friend who's a USC. He married a German woman and did a CR1 direct consular file. It took about the same amount of time. I'm assuming your fiancee is a UK citizen. UK citizens enjoy the visa waiver program with the US. So, you could get married at the end of August if you wanted to but you would have to change to a K-3 visa which takes about the same amount of time as a K-1 fiancee visa. I'm not sure what that process looks like. Depending on your circumstances, it might be a longer road but it's probably something to look into for you. Now, to sleep... PPFKL	ppfkl	Not Telling	China	2007-02-24 03:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Are there any REAL people working for USCIS?	Hm... I guess that is a bit confusing. I am using the aid of attorney and everything goes through him. He was the one who received the notice, which he then forwarded to me as an email attatchment. Just as an FYi, many people don't feel that using an attorney provides any value. They are another person in the middle and are very expensive. It sounds like the attorney should have your original NOA1. If your fiancee has children, an attorney may be worthwhile but I've not seen anyone here recommend them. We're not using one but our's is a pretty straight-forward case: both divorced and her with no children. And now to sleep... (and wait 8-). PPFKL	ppfkl	Not Telling	China	2007-02-24 02:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Are there any REAL people working for USCIS?	Happy to help DollThrift. One thing to remember though is that you only have 90 days to marry once your fiancee comes to the US. Many people do a civil ceremony quickly for the legal marriage and then have a separate religious or family ceremony. Once again, good luck and hang in their. PPFKL	ppfkl	Not Telling	China	2007-02-24 02:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Are there any REAL people working for USCIS?	DollThrift, Welcome to VJ, To answer your question, yes it's normal not to hear anything. You can get an account on the USCIS web page and watch your case number to see if there are any "touches". If you did not get an NOA1 in the mail, you should keep trying the service center at (800) 375 – 5283. At some point, you'll be able to hit 0 and get to a person. You will need your case number. They can probably reissue your NOA1. As far as processing time, the whole process will vary from country to country. However the first step (NOA2) is pretty much the same for everyone depending on the service center you went through. Cases are served on a first-come first-served basis. Typically people take 80-90 days to get their NOA2. We all watch the dates carefully. You can go to the Immigration Timelines section and do your own queries. Here's that stats that I look at every day. - 81% (66 of 81) October CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2. - 85% (53 of 62) November CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2. - 10% (5 of 48) December CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2. - 0% (0 of 27) January CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2. - 50% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 81 days of their NOA1. - 84% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 91 days of their NOA1. - 98% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 100 days of their NOA1. - It takes about 30 days for approved petitions to reach the appropriate consulate. For UK beneficiaries, it takes 74 days on average from receipt to interview. So, all in all your looking at between 185-205 days for your fiancee to get their visa. August 30 is 230 days after your NOA1 so you might be taking a fair amount of risk with your plans. A lot of the advice you'll see here is to not make wedding plans until you have your visa in hand because you can always be denied or RFE'd at the interview. It's a real bummer to have that kind of surprise when you've made a lot of plans. Bottom line is, welcome to the long wait . But, it's a short time compared to the rest of your lives together. Good luck, PPFKL	ppfkl	Not Telling	China	2007-02-24 01:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Adjudication dates typically accurate?	Hi, I've watched the VJ estimates and they are okay. However, one thing I did was create a spreadsheet to do statistical analysis based on previous similar petitions. I have found that the median (50%) is a good guess so far; withing +/- 1 week. Our case just got opened in Guangzhou on 6/8 and my prediction was 6/11 for a P3. We expect it within the next few days. The good thing about doing this is you can have 3 dates: a 50% chance date, 84% date, or 98% date. This helps you set reasonable expectations. You can find the spreadsheet at: http://www.visajourn...mp;#entry714531 I've made some changes since then for better accuracy but it's too big to post. Best of luck: PPFKL	ppfkl	Not Telling	China	2007-06-11 16:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	1st post former NSC adjudicator now petitioner	Hi HuskerKiev, Welcome. Part of the frustration you might hear about is that what happens at USCIS is completely invisible. From our perspective, petitions go into a black hole and come out at an indeterminate time. My solution is to over-analyze the data to come up with what feel like reasonable expectations. Perhaps you could provide an overview of the types of processing that happens and where delays are introduced into the system. Also, I'm sure that people would be interested in understanding the common mistakes to avoid when filing a petition. I understand that part of the purpose for the petition process is to prevent immigration fraud so I'm not asking you to divulge any of those red flags. Two specific questions I have are: What are the key metrics the service centers are measured on? Why is Vermont so much faster than the other centers (especially California)? Thanks for your insights and good luck with your Jouney from this side of the fence PPFKL	ppfkl	Not Telling	China	2007-02-21 19:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Touched FINALLY and quick question	Ok, I guess I'm really naive but how do I get my birth certificate certified? Thanks!	larig	Not Telling	France	2006-10-29 05:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Touched FINALLY and quick question	Hey, everyone. This has been such an informative website for me. Thanks! Anyway, I got touched today and am crossing my fingers that an approval is imminent. Anyway, I'm going to visit my fiance for 2 weeks and was wondering if for the interview, he needs my original birth certificate as it says all original stuff is needed from I-29F. Just wondering. I don't want to mail it to him and thought I could just bring it with me. Thanks, Lesley	larig	Not Telling	France	2006-10-28 05:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Just a couple of more questions...	I was wondering... I just saw my fiance and brought a certified copy of my birth certificate to him. However, it is not the one I made a copy of for the I129F application. Is this ok that he has this official copy, or will they want the original of the one I sent them a copy of originally? Also, I have also received a letter from my work stating that I work for them, blah blah blah. Does it need to be notorized or no? I gave it to him unnotarized. Thanks again! L	larig	Not Telling	France	2006-11-19 16:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Sponsors for Affidavit of Support	Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant whether or not the embassy will accept co-sponsors. I know one of my parents will be his co-sponsor.	Beth and Greg	Not Telling	Australia	2008-10-01 15:40:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Sponsors for Affidavit of Support	I've been trying to find out whether or not they accept co-sponsors, but I'm not having any luck. Should I just suck it up and call them?	Beth and Greg	Not Telling	Australia	2008-10-01 15:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Sponsors for Affidavit of Support	Hey all. Here's the run down - I went to Australia for 10 months, met the man of my dreams, got engaged, and then had to come back to the States. (Which totally sucks) We're applying for the K-1 visa and I'm looking at the sponsor requirements for the Affidavit. I'm 21, currently working part time and studying full time, and paying rent to my parents. Because of school I'm making under the poverty margin. I know that I can't be the sponsor on my own, but I have read in several places that I can be the primary sponsor and my parents can be the co-sponsors. Is that true? Because if it's not, then I'm going to have to find some other way of being with my best friend.	Beth and Greg	Not Telling	Australia	2008-10-01 13:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	My boyfriend came to visit on the VWP	I hate to be the wet blanket here, but I don't believe that route is possible. The AOS is an adjustment of status on a visa and the VWP isn't a visa at all, it's a visa waiver. You can't adjust the status of a visa that doesn't exist, whether or not the decision to marry happens before he enters the country or while he's here, at least, that is what I have been told by 3 different immigration lawyers while I've been researching how to get my fiance here. What you might want to do is look at getting a K-3 visa - get married here, have him go home and wrap up his things back in Oz (ie - empty and close his bank accounts) and in the mean time file the K-3, and then get his Aussie ### back here for your lovin'. I know what you're going through. I was in Oz for 10 months when I was studying and I met the man of my dreams and now we're trying to get him over here so we can get married. I haven't seen him since this past April - I even missed our one year anniversary. Just be strong. Keep copies of every single document you have - letters, emails, phone bills, etc. and take lots of photos! Good luck!	Beth and Greg	Not Telling	Australia	2008-10-01 12:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K-1 Question	Damn. I was afraid of that.	Beth and Greg	Not Telling	Australia	2008-10-19 23:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K-1 Question	So Greg and I have been toying with the idea of getting married in Australia and then filing the k-3. It's looking like it will take a long time. Too long. All of these options are. It sucks. He's suggested getting married over Christmas when I get to go see him and just not tell anybody and not tell the government so we can keep using the k-1 and then get married again here in the States. We're just getting frustrated because we are on the fourth time he has sent me copies of things we need for our I-129F and it's the fourth time they have gotten lost in the mail and/or sent back to him. Can we do that? Just get married and not tell anyone? I would feel kinda bad doing it, and that alone should tell me not to, but I just want this nightmare to be over. I just want to be his wife. I want him to be my husband. If I had the money readily available, I would study abroad in Australia again, but I don't have that kind of money and neither does he. I know everyone here is going through something similar.	Beth and Greg	Not Telling	Australia	2008-10-19 22:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Igor's list	QUOTE (Laura+Tom @ Nov 14 2008, 02:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Looks like an error as if you scroll near the top of those waiting for NOA2 there are petitions from 2003. That's what I highlighted in the original post, it appears as though all "open" cases (by open, I'm assuming these are just all the VJ cases that were never updated after NOA1 even though they're clearly out of date, on top of the ones currently being processed) are on the list. As a lot of these are no longer current, I hope whoever runs the list will notice and fix it!!	myperfectflaw	Female	Australia	2008-11-14 06:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Igor's list	QUOTE (Laura+Tom @ Nov 14 2008, 02:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It just takes all the information from timelines on VJ. It's important not to rely on it too much. I'm just curious why it changed by 400 overnight? I know it's not a definitive answer, but it's one of the few things we have...it's disappointing to see it all screwed up now.	myperfectflaw	Female	Australia	2008-11-14 05:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Igor's list	Went to go check the list out tonight, and the list had added another 400 spots from where I was yesterday!! Then noticed the top of the list says "Still waiting for NOA2 from CSC K-1 I-129F within the CSC processing time (2003-04-01):" What's this all about?	myperfectflaw	Female	Australia	2008-11-14 04:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Game : try to guess	I'm gonna say March 8th, as that's the date 2 years ago that we decided we were both deluding ourselves if we thought we couldn't make this happen, despite the time, money and distance. Here's to making magic happen! Char	myperfectflaw	Female	Australia	2008-10-28 22:00:00
Philippines	What if your girl is at the bottom of the Philippines	QUOTE (Filipina Lover @ Jul 8 2009, 06:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for the answers, normally I wouldn't care about the cost of anything, but since I just did all of this and spent about $10,000 and then lost my girl, now I need to be careful, try to save if I can. Now I am worried, what if the next girl changes her mind at the last minute. I just can't believe that happened, did all the immigration stuff, got the plane ticket, everything arranged, all ready to fly here and then changes her mind. Weird, one day it's total love for me, and the next I am nobody. It can take alot of time even if you have found your "special one".... it helps alot to visit Phili, if you haven't already to really get to know your lady and her family and culture well... and yes it can be very expensive... sorry to hear of your trouble, it can happen to anyone, and it does..best of luck next time.	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-07-09 16:05:00
Philippines	GOD is GREAT, SHERYL GOT THE PINK.	Congrats Abby n Sheryl...your story is inspiring...best wishes for a happy life together	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-08-18 09:13:00
Philippines	My wife got PINK	QUOTE (ski4evr @ Sep 3 2009, 08:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well I just got the call from my wife and she got her pink slip! Here is how it all went and took like 3 minutes. 9/4/09 at 6:30 am was the scheduled time. Questions were: What is your name? What is your birthday? When were you married? What is your husband's name? Where does he live? What does he do? "Congratulations and welcome to the United States of America" the interviewer said. He said the visa will arrive in under 10 days. She told the American interviewer "ohhh, you are gwapo, like my asawa" I am sure glad she waited to after the interview to say that and not before I want to thank this site for all the information. One great point she took with her was to look into the eyes of the interviewer when answering questions to show you are not lying. Anyway all, once the visa comes to her in the mail the plane ticket will be purchased. I am off to look at the message boards on plane flights. Any people planning on flying from Manila to the West coast of the USA in 2 weeks? I am so happy and so in love! Super congrats..to a fellow Spokanite SKI	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-04 12:01:00
Philippines	Anyone schedule a interview in the last week or so?	QUOTE (calico1 @ Sep 4 2009, 10:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> From case completed "Aug. 13" to interview "Oct. 23" 2009 is about 6 weeks for our case..could be a Phili holiday in between? Hope this helps..Good luck to all Make that 10 weeks, not 6...ohh numbers, dates and times...enuff to give a guy a brain freeze..lol	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-04 12:59:00
Philippines	Anyone schedule a interview in the last week or so?	From case completed "Aug. 13" to interview "Oct. 23" 2009 is about 6 weeks for our case..could be a Phili holiday in between? Hope this helps..Good luck to all	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-04 12:44:00
Philippines	How much time to allot for POE on her flight to USA??	QUOTE (rockhouse @ Sep 5 2009, 09:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Any others have experience at LAX? I wonder how long the line will be...every time i'm in that airport i can't believe how many international travelers are there. Came thru LAX last fall, our flight had 435 people aboard, and between finding your luggage " if it is not checked thru" and the customs counter people "immigration" is far right lane..it was a packed house..3 hrs. is a pretty safe allotment. I am in the same boat as you are, as my wife will be flying about nov.15 from CDO mindanao..and she is already confused enough..so we will probably stick with PAL and LAX..as wife continues way north to WASH state, LAX isn't really that bad..just very congested at certain times. There are several other carriers, and several POE's but do what makes you both feel most comfortable...Best luck, safe journey and again Congrats on your visa.	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-06 20:40:00
Philippines	St.Lukes info to Embassy	Your time schedule sounds very tight..the more time you can allow between ST.Lukes and interview the better..but nothing is impossible..just less stress if you have looser schedule.. best luck to you.	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-06 20:58:00
Philippines	Mistakes NVC makes that cost time	I have a sense of humor..after all.. how many can say they fell into the 1% group NVC makes mistakes with? Really I just posted this so if it happens to others they know it isn't the end of the world..just an extra test of patience..	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-06 23:29:00
Philippines	Mistakes NVC makes that cost time	In most cases, the petitioner is always praying he or she has made no mistakes to speed up the process. However, the NVC made 3 of their own in our case and it cost us an extra month plus. 1. Shortly after the I-130 was approved, a 6 month wait usually, NVC had on their records my wife was from INDIA..hard to believe since they just approved her from PHILIPPINES..this took a call to NVC and they had to pull our file to correct their mistake..this took 3 weeks. 2. NVC lost my 70 dollar payment for the 864 aos..this took 10 days for them to find..3. NVC misplaced my whole ds-230 packet and this was another couple weeks....So if any of these things happen to you..don't feel you are the only one. I will always be grateful my wife was approved..and I have no real hard feelings towards NVC..just seems at times NVC is a bit un-organized as they process peoples lives...I wonder if eventually NVC will have a more efficient system...because after all..life is short	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-06 22:12:00
Philippines	Embassy Interview Scheduled	Your almost there..Congrats to you! Have a safe trip!	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-07 15:47:00
Philippines	Phone and meeting in LAX	Right outside Tom Bradley is a good place..phones are fairly abundant thru-out LAX if her cell doesn't work..might be easier for her to call after she is out of customs/immigration area so she can take a deep breath and say..whew now i can relax some..best wishes and best luck	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-06 22:42:00
Philippines	Another PINK for the month of SEPTEMBER	It is always a wonderful thing to hear of another successful pink...Congrats!!	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-04 12:23:00
Philippines	pls help DELBROS payment how to check	Metro Bank should be ashamed..my wife paid them just 2 months back and they just take the money..and we are CR-1..hmmm.... Because the USEM and NVC wants original NSO documents now, delbros just isn't required anymore..sure wish we knew this 2 months back..thank goodness it wasn't that big of a loss.	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-04 12:36:00
Philippines	Birthday Gift for Filipina Aunt?	in a word...jewerly..	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-04 21:18:00
Philippines	Would you ride the ferry?	Took a super ferry from CDO to Bohol and back...not too bad going to Bohol, but on return trip was higher seas and one of the diesel engines broke down and a 7hr. trip turned into a 12 hr. trip. The ferry was rockin and rollin pretty good and a couple times everyone was pretty concerned. I don't care how good one can swim..if that thing would have rolled on it's side miles away from any shoreline..there would have been many causalties and or fatalities in rough seas. Many times the ferry's are overloaded and put out to sea when the weather conditions are hap hazard..I don't know if I would ferry longer distances again..but shorter runs like CDO to Camiguin probably safer.	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-16 21:01:00
Philippines	Flight!	Have a wonderful re-union and a safe flight.	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-18 10:51:00
Philippines	interview passed	Cool cool Congrats!	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-16 21:06:00
Philippines	Wonder what to do next...	Give love a chance to work it's magic..if it is truly meant to be..it will be very obvious to both of you..then the journey begins..good luck	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-04 21:25:00
Philippines	Anyone slated for an October interview?	Wife has hers Oct.23...St. Lukes Oct.7,8...After all it takes to complete this process, we felt a good couple 3 weeks between medical and interview was a whole lot easier on stress level. Sometimes Philippines can be challenging to try to get everything done "medical & interview" in just 1 week, many have done it..but why take the chance in case of an unforeseen delay? Very best of luck to all of us, also wife plans to fly to LAX.. POE about Nov. 15 via PAL..if any one else is on same plane ride look for a giant smile which is my wife's trademark..her name is Mabing..now on to the PINK! God bless	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-14 01:33:00
Philippines	Is it better to be a man or a woman?	QUOTE (tallcoolone @ Sep 20 2009, 03:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Walk the streets of Philippines, and be an American Male. You will find the answer out real quick You will be treated like Rock Star or a Celebrity. You will be called Gwapo over and over again, so much you might start to think your name is Gwapo And the bigger lump you have in your levis.."the wallet with the pesos" not the other lump..the more gwapo you will be called.. But getting back to the topic...being a male has it's ups and downs..but not nearly as up and down as some females can be with the monthly sickness, the tampo, and the sudden mood swings..then later the menopause..thank goodness for San Miguel, a man's little relief in times of a emotionally upset pinay. Or as I say to my wife with a smile.." Please don't be so hot headed dear..you will boil your eggs "	calico1	Male	Philippines	2009-09-20 11:11:00