biggish data

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Our petition was just APPROVED! I got the NOA2 email!
AWESOME news! Congratulations! Woo-hoo!
My fiance lives in Georgia, and gay marriage is not legal there, but we did not receive an RFE! YAY!

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-17 13:05:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Just to update, my partner and I recieved our approval today with no RFE. She's a resident of New York so I'm thinking maybe it might have something to do with the law in the state you're living in when you petition. Still! Better to be safe than sorry.

Congratulations on your NOA2!!!!

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-16 10:35:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

we got our RFE, requesting us to submit proof that we have meet,.. the adjucator is asking for my fiance' passport stamps... very silly and unnecessary. we submitted lots of photos together and still the officer is not convinced that we've meet.... though this upsets me much my fiance will be sending our boarding pass together that we were able to keep and a copy of his passport stamps that indeed he has been here in my home country.

though we did not include in our affidavit the place where the marriage will take place, they did not ask us for it possibly because my fiance is living in WA where same sex marriage is legal.

I know this additional evidence might sound silly to you but they really want to make sure there has been recent contact. I only sent about 27 pictures documenting my 10 year relationship, from 2003-2013, with my fiance and I thought that was not going to be enough. I live on the border of Mexico where my fiance lives and I see her on a daily basis. They dont stamp your passport for a simple border hop, nor do I have any records of my visits. I did inquire with a Customs officer one day when I was driving back. I asked if there was some way I could obtain a record of my daily crossings from them. He told me that crossing information was available to USCIS and it would be something that they would be able to verify for themselves because they cannot release those types of records. Not sure if he was lying or what the case might have been. I did get RFE but not for additional evidence of meeting in the past 2 years but for Intended State of Marriage. Gather as much evidence as you can find, send it back A.S.A.P. and you will soon have an NOA2 on your hands! Best of luck to you!

Edited by espared12, 16 October 2013 - 10:33 AM.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-16 10:25:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

I know this makes a lot of people waiting for NOA2 very nervous. I live in Texas and of course same sex marriage is not legal here. We made plans to get married in California. I searched high and low because there is no real law specifically stating that same sex marriage is legal. When I sent back the reply for the RFE, I sent back updated letters of intent for my fiancé and I. The letter was updated to specifically state that we had every intent to marry in Los Angeles, California. They only want the state, but hell I stated the city as well. I sent a copy of the Supreme Court ruling for Hollingsworth vs. Perry, and someone here on Visajourney posted a link for a memo sent out notifying all counties in California that same sex marriage was allowed after Supreme Court ruling, that went in my RFE reply as well. Let's not freak out here. USCIS just wants to make sure same sex marriage is legal in the state in which you have the intent of marrying. I know it's easy for us to say they are being discriminatory, but believe me I think the last thing USCIS wants is a discriminatory lawsuit on their hands and I am sure with my quick RFE response they are just playing it safe and not intentionally trying to give us a hard time.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-13 20:43:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

NOA2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! APPROVED!!!!!!! Just got the text and checked USCIS website, we are approved!!!!!!!!!!!

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-11 20:47:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

So my RFE package was picked up by INS EXPRESS today and signed for by M. Salcedo. I was worried because I forgot to waive signature, but it looks like the packages are actually held by USPS until someone picks them up the next morning regardless of waiving signature or not. I hope everyone else that has received an RFE has had an opportunity to promptly send back they paperwork. Now we wait...........

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-09 08:26:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Congratulations to all NOA2 recipients!!! I think getting RFE depends on petioner's state of residence. Which makes sense because we obviously cannot marry in Texas, which is where I'm from, and they need to make sure our intent is to marry in a state where it is allowed. I actually got the information requested for my RFE in the mail yesterday. I sent it through Express Mail. My only concern now is that I did not waive signature and the return address was a P.O. Box. I tracked it online and says the post office received package and it's ready for pickup. I'm wondering it the Texas Service Center has some sort of arrangement with USPS to pick up mail randomly at the post office.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-08 14:16:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Since Prop 8 happened and all the court rulings that came about after it, the CA law on this is fairly messy. You can send a copy of the Supreme Court's ruling declaring that the 9th Circuit Court should dismiss the appeal. You can also send a copy of the one line ruling from the 9th Circuit Court, "The stay in the above matter is dissolved effective immediately." http://cdn.ca9.uscou...ocument(44).pdf

Here is a timeline of long fight for the right > http://www.tiki-toki...-in-California/

And this is the memo from Gov. Brown telling all counties to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples from June 2013 > http://yubanet.com/c...hp#.UlGmqxAtpco

Awesome! Thank you so much!

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-06 13:21:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Espared, that was exactly the RFE we received as well. Here is the update on our progress so far:

Monday Sept 30: Received the hardcopy RFE.. (It was dated Sept 25)
Tuesday Oct 1: Sent our response, overnight USPS
Wed Oct 2: Confirmation from USPS package received
Thurs Oct 3: Official confirmation from USCIS, RFE response received and being processed.

I agree with those of you who believe that this is all step in the positive direction. I'd much rather know that our case has reached a real adjudicator and not still somewhere in the middle (or bottom) of a pile. From what I've seen, once most people send their response to RFE, the NOA2 is not too far away. This is an easy RFE to resolve as well, and is not a reflection on the strength of our case in particular.

I will keep everyone posted on our progress, and let you know when we have received our NOA2.

Everyone stay positive, we will soon make it through this process and be reunited with our loved ones!

Rob and Adrian

What did you send for the marriage law? I'm looking online and there are websites that confirm same sex marriage is legal in California but nothing official, nothing on the ca.gov website about same sex marriage. I going to send our updated letters of intent, the few webpages I found and the supreme court ruling for Hollingsworth vs. Perry. Do you think that's enough? What did you send?

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-06 09:11:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Got my RFE in the mail today, and it reads the following:

INTENDED STATE OF MARRIAGE
Information you provided on your Form I-129F indicates that you and the beneficiary are the same gender. Please identify the state in which you intend to celebrate your marriage and submit a copy of the relevant state's marriage laws permitting people of the same gender to legally marry.

And there it is. Getting everything ready to overnight on Monday and NOA2 here we come!!!!!

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-05 15:37:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

So lets see if anyone can answer this. Let's just say our RFE is for not mentioning specifically what state we are going to marry in. If I reply to USCIS that I will marry in California, which is what our original plan was, but if as time progresses another state closer to us allows us to marry, do we still have to travel and marry in California or can we just marry somewhere closer that will allow it?

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-01 11:31:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

relax.... that usually the average... I have seen many applications being approved within 2 weeks after receiving the response from the petitioner... you will be fine... as soon as you get the letter, reply and you will be approved in a blink of an eye... at least your case was looked at... lots of other people have been waiting for months and months and nothing... so look at the RFE from the positive side

You're completely right. I should consider myself lucky having them review our file before other people that have been waiting longer than we have.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-01 11:15:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Oh my God, this just keeps on getting better! I just updated our Timeline to reflect the RFE and now it added another month of estimated time that we will have to wait for our application to be adjudicated.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-01 11:06:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

I cant believe how much this RFE has stressed me in the last hour since I got the email and text for it. My neck is all tense. My fiance and I just had an argument over it. She does not understand this process and it doesnt matter how many times I try to explain it to her she just ends up more confused and I get frustrated quickly. I'm trying to calm down as much as I can, I dont even know what the RFE is for yet, for all I know it can be the simplest thing. I think waiting for the RFE hardcopy is going to be harder than waiting all this time after NOA1.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-01 10:41:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Does anyone know if I have to wait for the letter to arrive by mail or if I can call and theyll tell me exactly what they need? I am worried because I never received my NOA1 hardcopy by mail, I did receive my transfer notice hard copy so this makes me nervous.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-01 09:54:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

Hi fellow VJ'ers -

It may be worth updating the VJ website regarding two specific requirements for same sex marriage I-129F petitions to help prevent others from encountering the RFE that we just received today.

We filed our I-129F on June 28, 2013, just two days after DOMA's Supreme Court smackdown. Shortly after this, we read on websites like Immigration Equality that same sex couples should include verbiage in their "Intent to Marry" letters declaring the US state in which they plan to marry, specifically a state that allows legal same sex marriage.

Since we had already sent off our petition without it, we were hoping that including the intended marriage state was merely a "friendly suggestion" to help reduce the likelihood of generating an RFE. Unfortunately, we've learned today that omitting this info *will* generate an RFE.

However, in addition to asking us to "identify the state in which we intend to marry", the RFE also asked us for something we had not read anywhere else: to provide a "copy of the relevant state's marriage laws permitting people of the same gender to legally marry."

Since we are getting married in Maryland, we included a copy of Maryland's House Bill (438) that legalized same-sex marriage, as well as a USA Today /AP press article that identified that legal same sex marriage had begun. We contacted Immigration Equality who suggested providing both the legal documentation as well as a public article from an established news source.

Hopefully, this will help any of you who are starting out your journey, and I hope that VJ will update the FAQ's to point out this important requirement distinction for same sex couples.

Best of luck to all!

Rob and Adrian

Just got RFE guys, I'm a bit disappointed but oh well.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-10-01 09:36:00

Avoid unnecessary RFEs! (same sex marriage I-129F petitions)

In our letters of intent to marry I did state we would marry in a state permissible by law. I was not specific. I am still waiting to hear back, no rfe no noa2 yet. We'll see what happens.

espared12

Not Telling

Mexico

2013-09-30 20:40:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

RFE reply changed back to Initial Review, normal?

How long did they took from the day they received the RFE to get your NOA2

This is normal..it happened with us too. We received RFE on 20 june. They received our reply on 8 july and then status changed to initial review. Then on 26 july we received our approval. So just relax your NOA2 is coming soon. Good Luck

How long did they took from the day they received the RFE to get your NOA2

Edited by eljerryxp, 12 August 2013 - 11:47 PM.

eljerryxp

Male

Mexico

2013-08-12 23:46:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

RFE reply changed back to Initial Review, normal?

They received our RFE the same day but they havent touch our forms

eljerryxp

Male

Mexico

2013-08-12 19:02:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

RFE reply changed back to Initial Review, normal?

when did they received ur RFE

eljerryxp

Male

Mexico

2013-08-12 17:02:00

IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures

Just got RFE

that same thing happen to us i got a RFE asking for my wifes birth certificate on august 2, but the weird thing is that we send it the first time

Edited by eljerryxp, 05 August 2013 - 01:17 PM.

eljerryxp

Male

Mexico

2013-08-05 13:16:00

guys thank you all for the information, replies, encouragement and prayers! everything is moving forward now! got case number last monday and now i am eligible to schedule an interview! yehey! :dance:

happy bee! lol

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-03-07 01:22:00

Don't worry...you will have your case number malapit na!

thank you so much! i badly need that encouragement!

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-03-01 02:28:00

guys check this out!
this is so unfair! huhuhu

http://www.visajourn...ng-right-along/

i'm happy for them though B-)

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-03-01 01:27:00

1. NSO Birth Certificate
2. CENOMAR
3. NBI Clearance (Green)
4. Police Clearance if you have lived in other country for 6 months or more
5. Have your fiance work on the evidence of support
6. proof of on going relationship
7. Visa approved photos

if you are outside of manila and is planning to stay in a hotel for your medical, start searching for cheap and good hotels.
continue reading up on what to expect in the US, specially in the state you are going to stay. search for places you can go to or things you can do while there. read up on updated dmv manual.

im currently waiting for a MNL# and that's what I have been doing, except for looking for hotels.

thanks for the reply

honestly i've prepared all of those since we've been waiting for more than a month now but thanks so much for the info, as sson as i read your reply i compared the things i have with the list you provided

how long have you been waiting for your case number?
i hope we'll get ours soon! goodluck to us!

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-02-27 22:37:00

Most likely stuck in AP at NVC. Call once a week. Get your documents in order for the interview, that should be in a couple of months.

sorry. but could you please elaborate more on this line "Get your documents in order for the interview, that should be in a couple of months." what do you mean get our documents? from where?

we got our noa2 on feb. 14 until now we dont heard anything ...let me know if you got yours...

oh you're from PI too

sure i will! :thumbs:

goodluck to both of us!

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-02-27 10:19:00

hi everyone

i'm new here. so forgive me if i'm posting this in the wrong discussion. i'm just worried about our case. we got approved last january 22 and we've been trying to contact NVC but agents always tell my fiance it's not yet in their system. we tried to call USCIS as well but the agent told him they already sent it to NVC. now i'm just wondering where could our case be.

please anyone... enlighten us...

thanks in advance

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-02-27 08:36:00

Yes, I think it is a weekend issue. Also, make sure zeros are not entered as "Ohs", and vice versa. Classic data entry mistake. Good luck!

thank you... i will wait until monday and call if nothing still happens. oh PATIENCE, i need you now! :lol:

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-03-16 10:11:00

Or u can try call the embassy,because here in our embassy i cant shedule online for K1,u have to call for an appointenment.Good luck :-) ,everything will be fine!

i'll be waiting until monday. and if still doesn't work on monday, i will definitely call the embassy!

thanks so much for your replies, i really appreciate it. it takes the frustrations away

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-03-16 10:07:00

That was my first thought after I read Your post. Most likely it's not in their system yet, because it's Saturday. Don't fret. You'll be fine on Monday ;-) Good luck!

i actually thought of that a thousand times

for sure you know exactly the feeling of "waiting"

but thanks so much for your reply. it just feels better when you know that someone understands the excitement and frustrations you are going through with all these process... honestly, i feel better now

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-03-16 10:04:00

hello guys! :help:

i've been reading so many posts regarding scheduling an appointment online. i followed every step provided but i can't schedule an appointment. i always end up with this error message:

"No valid record can be found for the entered receipt number. Please validate that your receipt number is correct and that you have paid the correct amount for the visa which you are applying for."

i paid my visa last friday at around 3pm thru BPI. i was reminded that i should schedule it the next day at around 1pm since i paid later than 3pm. however, even up to now i still cannot schedule my interview. and it's really making me upset :crying:

i entered my passport number on the receipt number and even tried the receipt number provided when i downloaded the visa slip fee from the internet but none of them worked!

i was just wondering if anybody else is experiencing the same thing...
also, could it be possible that i paid on a friday so i should wait until monday, since saturday and sunday are not their operating days?
should i call the embassy to ask about this?
i need some advice please...
thanks in advance friends

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-03-16 09:44:00

USCIS to NVC delay

Hi everyone

I am petitioning for a fiance visa and applied in June 2012. Our I-129F was approved in January and we got a notice (NOA2) on 1/22/2013. Today is 2/22/2013 and it has been exactly 31 days since NOA2 and I have been calling NVC and DOS every day and they have not received it yet. I have emailed NVCResearch@state.gov with a scanned copy of my NOA2 three times (three emails) in the past 3 weeks. Still no responce. Furthermore, I have made an appointment at the USCIS office in our state and visited them. The USCIS officer told me it was approved on 1/22/2013 and was processed to be mailed out on 1/28/13. He said "I cannot see anything beyond that". Basically he told me it is out of USCIS hands and that I need to follow up with NVC at this point. The NOA2 approval letter says the petition has been approved and forwarded to the consulate (in Turkey). I think all finace visas go through NVC regardless of what the NOA2 says. However, I have also emailed the consulate about our file and they replied a few days ago that they have not received our file. I don't know what to do at this point. I call NVC every day and they tell me I just need to wait. It is not lost. I have looked at hundreds of timelines on this website and I have not seen a single person whose timeline indicates such a long delay from NOA2 to NVC receipt. This is really worrying me. Any tips or advice would greatly be appreciated.

we were approved the same date and have been calling nvc almost everyday but have not yet heard any good news either. plus we also sent an email to nvc inquiry and research team but still no response from them. i hope we'll get the good news soon.
good luck to us!

jshe25

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-02-28 10:18:00

assigned alien registration #

awesome, thank you

Santos19

Male

Chile

2013-04-17 12:28:00

assigned alien registration #

Hey everyone, I sent out our I-129f on April 10th and recieved the receipt number from CSC on April 15th. Today (April 17th), our case has been assigned an alien registration number. Is this a good thing?

Santos19

Male

Chile

2013-04-17 12:21:00

Having a non-legally binding wedding before the K1 visa is processed

I know that if you get married through the Catholic church, it is the same as getting married though the court. At least in El Paso, TX that is. They pretty much do the paper work for you by default (as in the marriage license paperwork) so you get a two in one wedding. It seems pretty risky as others have said! I would personally hold off on this just in case it puts your status at risk.

le_chat_fou

Female

Mexico

2013-04-24 11:52:00

Medical Exam

Nothing to worry about mate, you should be good to go

Chris and Eva

Male

Germany

2013-12-30 09:16:00

Non immigrant visa on DS-160 form???

If you need to change your address. You can call the consulate directly, it is mentioned at the bottom of your packet 3, or should be atleast. But yes, if you call the consulate or better yet email them, with your Case number on the Subject line, just tell them you need to make a change of address, shouldnt be an issue. As for the DS 160 online, My fiancee and I just filled that out about a week ago. I am pretty sure it was under immigrant visa even though its a non immigrant petition.

Chris and Eva

Male

Germany

2013-12-30 09:24:00

Re filing I-29f question

Yes, any evidence period, regardless of timeline is good. By putting in evidence from that long ago you show longevity in the relationship. However, make sure you put in recent evidence (last 2 years) to show that the relationship has been ongoing. Good luck and let me know if you need anything else!

Chris and Eva

Male

Germany

2013-12-30 09:13:00

Medical Exams for K-1 Visa/ Timeline

More information: The reason I am asking this is because I think I'm reading the form wrong, Mainly because i thought there would be more shots involved

Chris and Eva

Male

Germany

2013-12-30 09:29:00