I need to know i'm not alone in the boat!
Did you ,guys,read about the tremendous growth of the k1 petitions lately?
I'm not sure if i understood right, but did they say it could take up to 15 weeks to receive only the NOA1?????
i'm freaked out!

I have no idea I hope that it doesn't take that long, I just sent mine on the 3rd!

Oh, let's hope they're just saying that to cover they're backs!
thank you for replying.

That's old news. The service centers have caught up quite a bit and the mass inrush of applications has died down to much more manageable levels. Most people are seeing NOA1's within a couple weeks these days.

Thank you. that's encouraging!

Tell me about it...my fiance is mailing me his information on Saturday...I already have mine finished, so it looks like I will be joining you soon!!!

Dawn

welcome, and good luck!
You'll see this place is amazing!

Hey, looks like this thread is the new "official" January filers thread, so congratulations to all the new and future January filers on your next step in the process of reuniting with your loved ones. Best of luck to you all!

Thank you, Mox!

Well...this is my first post; I've been registered for months and was lurking for about a year before that, but any burning question I had was answered by this site with minimal searching so I'd had no need to post! But now we're about to file so I figure it's time to say hi. The whole package is assembled and ready to be sent - just waiting for Alex to be paid so that he can comfortably afford the fee. Should be dispatched this weekend!

It's hard to be back in gloomy ol' England when Christmas in California was so pleasant and sunny. Here's hoping we all get processed swiftly.

Darren says that too...Orlando to Brixham is quite a change...

Good luck to all the January filers!!!!! Hope your journeys will go smoothly.

Btw, we got our NOA1 after two days.

This is exciting, I can't wait until my fiance can come here for good hehe He just left on Sunday after spending the holidays here. He wont be here again until late march. When are you all seeing your loves again?

Due to monetary constraints and a lack of holiday days, probably not until I have the visa in hand.

Hey! What part of Cali? I'm going to be (kinda) near San Bernardino Nice to see lots of UK-ers here as well - makes me feel happy

Thought I would say welcome to the forum and I wish you the best of luck in your journey - it's a long road but it will teach you a lot about yourself and your relationship (not to mention the crummy government system ).

Keep the faith and remember that even when it is cloudy, the sun is always shining on the other side

*The Motivational Speaker has spoken*

Thanks for the welcome, makes me feel all fuzzy inside!

We were apart for 11 months last year so I know it'll be difficult but I'm keeping concentrated on our end goal and in the meantime will use all these upcoming months to prepare as much as possible. It's going to be such a relief to finally send the package out, it's been on my mind for months!

I was in San Jose - I love the Bay Area, and it was blue skies and sun for most of December.

Sounds lovely!!! Am trying to "collect" Cali peeps, esp if they are from the UK - will make me feel less scared... maybe What part of the UK are you from? I'm from Bristol

Well, feel free to collect me - I'm pretty harmless

Seriously though, it is great to have the support and good to meet more California people!

I moved to Sheffield to attend university and I've been here ever since. I've visited Bristol a couple of times and really enjoyed my time there!

Just waiting until the weekend now...thankfully these forums can keep me busy while I'm at work.

Haha - yeah they keep me too busy!! I was distraught when it was blocked before Christmas and very happy to find that afterwards it was unblocked!! Christmas present maybe?!

Have a Brits in Cali facebook gruop but is very tiny at the moment but you're more than welcome to join if you're that way inclined Surely there must be more of us out there?!

yee, not as soon as we would like to
But, hey, we're all together here, and this is great!
Good luck, people!

Hey I live in the bay area too! I do love it here, although last week's little storm wasn't a lot of fun. We still have traffic lights out over that.

Mox - I didn't realise you were in Cali!!! We defo have to meet up sometime

Fortunately I/we missed the worst of that, but I have heard from several annoyed friends who've been without power for a few days! We actually had a Bay Area meet up with people from another forum the day before the storm arrived, and the morning after (several guys slept over) everybody's mothers were ringing them to make sure that they'd be home before the rain started - and these were all grown men between the ages of 19 and 25! Bless.

But yes - I love the Bay Area and it's great to hear from other people who reside there. Funny how I used to have zero interest in even *visiting* the US...and now I'm going to be moving there!

I'll echo BryantAliona's 'good luck' and Jeraly, I joined your facebook group, so hurrah, it has four members now!

Yay for our (diminutive) facebook group! We need to get actively recruiting methinks so add the link to your siggie and nab any UKers that are moving to Cali *plots scheme to take over... something... not sure what...*

Hello!

I will be filing our I-129F petition next week. I've read over the boards for the past 2 months so we could prepare the paperwork while he was visiting over the holidays.

So we are officially joining the journey as January filers!

Wish us luck!

~Amanda

hi!im december filer and i didnt recieved yet even noa1,its goin 1month already since we filed.

HI All,
Woohoooo!!! I sent my I-129f for a K-1 on Saturday night jan 5th by USPS priority mail. I got a return receipt by email on monday the 7th from USPS. I didn't get the NOA1 yet but hopefully soon. I didn't use a laywer and with all the backup it was about 70 pages worth of stuff proving the ongoing relationship. Mostly phones records and Skype chat history log, along with other things. I am just alittle worried that maybe beacuse of its weight it may slow it down does it matter how much you send. Also I was just wondering is there any point or help, with calling and tring to get them to move the case along??? Or is it just a sit and wait for the the egg to hatch situation.

Also I wish good luck to everyone out here.

I mailed my I-29f to csc on 12/31/07 They recieved it 01/02/08, checked cashed 01/07 I recieved my NOA1 01/09/08

Just to calm your fears a bit, we filed December 5th and got our hard copy NOA1 in the mail on December 14th.
Congratulations to all January Filers!!!

It took me 6 weeks to get my NOA1. No need to worry at this point, I think they're just a little behind from the holidays. Chin up!

Hey Jan 08 Filers! I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I filled my hubby's K1 in Jan 07. Its hard to believe its only been 1 year! Good luck on your journey. Do not hesitate to post any (and all) questions you have on VJ. There will always be someone who went through the same thing or who can make an educated suggestion.

: )

Thanks reeses16!

And good luck to everyone else who's posted here.

Mine's being sent out later today! That is, if Alex wakes up in time...he's still awake right now and hasn't gone to bed yet thanks to insomnia. We were originally thinking of filing back in September but decided to wait until I'd been to visit in December so that I could organise and assemble it all together myself. I'm better at paperwork than he is.

I was starting to worry about not receiving the NOA1 yet. I filed on jan 3rd but I see it's normal because of holidays and I just need to relax! It's not easy to do

Nope; not easy at all!

Ours was just sent out, hurrah!

Gratzies!! Glad he got up in time

Hiya fellow Jan 08 filers! Guess we're all here for the ride together.

It's hard to believe ONLY three days have gone by since we filed. But then, those are three days closer to being with my sweetie!

I am (not so) patiently waiting for my return receipt from the USPS, and just can't wait to get our NOA1 and case #. I KNOW I'll be obsessively checking my case status everyday!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!

already a problem , they sent back my packet because they claim I didn't give them the $455.00 check, I know I did and looked at it before we sealed up the packet to be shipped out. Maybe they lost it? great. I have to send another one but have no checks so I think I need to order them or something for the bank? making it take extra time, its so stupid I thought something was wrong, now by the time it gets to them it will probably be febuary... like I really want it to take longer and longer.. and when my packet came back all the paper clips were gone, should I put everything in sections of paperclips again or no leave it as it is, they also put the pictures in one plastic holder type thing, before they were in separate baggies like they asked.. should I put everything back to they way it was or just get another check and put it on top of the blue paper stating how I never sent one when I did? thanks..

Dang, sorry to hear that. Make sure you put a stop-payment on the check number, so they don't accidentally "find" it and cash it.

I'd go ahead and re-assemble the packet like you submitted it before. Likely they were disassembling it to put it into their own folder system when they "discovered" your check was missing.

See if you can get some "starter" checks from your bank. Most stores and businesses won't take them, but the government will. You can usually get them from a teller. (I haven't done this for years though, so it may not be an option anymore.)

How exactly do I do a stop payment just call the bank? and I had starter checks when I opened my account and used the last one for this visa ugh I think I got to order checks hmm

Yes, call the bank. They'll want the check number. You might want to see if they'll give you more starter checks.

Oh, and instead of waiting for new checks, just give someone you trust cash and have them write the check for you. The check doesn't have to be in your name.

Ok I work tomorrow so I wont be able to get to the post office and bank until thur. I'll copy the blue notice then get a money order from bank and send it all over again I hope theres no future problems *fingers crossed* Maybe they lost the check because it wasn't paper clipped to anything? We just had it on top of the packet but the packet was in a folder. How did you guys give check and money orders, paper clipped?

I went a little overboard on mine. I attached mine to a piece of paper with a couple pieces of photo tape, and also paper-clipped it. The photo tape gives pretty easily but still holds pretty well. Paper-clipping it should be fine though.

You probably already know this, but if you get a money order then you won't be able to get your case number from the back of the cancelled check like you can with a personal check. Also, if they lose your file or money order like they did last time, you're out the cost of the money order. I wouldn't recommend it unless it's the only way.

gosh i didn't know that ! I think I'll have my mom write the check and then i'll put money in her account because I don't want to lose any more time ordering checks and waiting! should i put the check in like a sandwich baggie or something and paper clip that, I just don't want it to get lost again, never heard of photo tape I don't think.

Yep, we just paper clipped ours to the Cover Letter
I wish you the best of luck!!

Money orders are a faster option if you have no more checks.

I believe Alex put our cheque in a ziplock bag and then paperclipped it to the cover letter.

So, here I am playing the waiting game...I'm beginning to understand how frustrating it is for people! I keep going over the package we assembled and wondering if we could have done it any better.

that suvks.
Happened to us pretty much the same.
And they messed up all the filesto cut the shipping weight.
we got our petition back twice in 1,5 months.
If it would come back the third time, i'd go crazy.
Thank God it didn't!
Have faith!

Got the USPS Registered Letter receipt back today, stamped 1-14-08 by VSC!!

Hopefully that means my NOA1 is on it's way!!

do you think I should bother canceling the other check since they say they never even received it. I know I sent it though. Theres not a high chance of them finding it one day and just cashing it is there? wouldn't they check to see if my case already started or something? If they somehow do cash both checks I have the copy of the paper saying they never got the first check so they couldn't legally do it right? I just rather not pay the cancellation fee if theres not real chance they would cash two checks for the same thing you know? I have been spending enough money as it is! thanks

Is there a fee to cancel a check?

I would cancel it anyway. If they do find it and decide to cash it, that's a lot of cash to be out of pocket with until you get it squared away with the bank.

Yeah, I'd cancel the cheque...it's annoying that there's a fee, but it's better than being out of pocket another $455.

Our cheque cashed today! Hopefully the NOA1 will arrive soon.