The RFE we're all going to get (thanks London) is for four affidavits. The first is by yourself and your husband, stating that you have a bona fide marriage, detailing how you met and events leading to your marriage. Then you need three affidavits from other people stating that you have a bona fide marriage.

See the thread on Dive Into America; they've got samples up and everything.

http://forum.diveintoamerica.com/showthread.php?t=4503

Thanks a lot, London.

Don't know if it makes you feel any better, but the website has been updated and they are not processing applications recieved on the

** drum roll ***

20th of August

inching along and processing them more slowly that they're coming in it looks like. They've lost 2 days since the last update 9 days ago. humph.

AAAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHH!!

Deep Breaths. Nothing I can do. Ohhhhmmmmmm

Um, fraud?!?

*sigh* It seems there are delays at every single stage of this process at the moment USCIS approving late, NVC taking 4-6 weeks to receive and input the files, over 2 months now for the London interview... something tells me I'm not getting to the States in February

We're waiting for NVC - it's been just over two weeks since NOA2 and under what used to be considered "normal" circumstances, we'd be well on our way by now to getting our new case number and packet 3. I called NVC yesterday in case ours had somehow been sent in record time (you never know!) but obviously not... It's frustrating, isn't it, when a few months ago once the NOA2 was approved and it felt like most of the work was over: the rest of the journey was relatively quick and you could really get on making plans with a decent idea of timescales... whereas now NOA2 is a bit like getting a Mars bar when you're half-way through running a marathon!

Just read the Dive into America thread and while the examples are useful, I just wanted to point out what worked for us. Our "affidavits" were actually nothing of the sort -- in fact, they were all merely statements sworn in front of a solicitor (luckily our in-house solicitor at work -- she certified the signatures in exchange for a bottle of Becks!) which saved us a ton of money over getting them notarised in the UK (I should know -- I used to be one and I know how much I charged!).

The three quasi-affidavits went nowhere into the detail of the examples on DIA -- for example, I don't know why it would be unacceptable to have a testator who was at your wedding. There is nothing on the RFE that states this, and in the absence of specific instructions not to seek affidavits from such partied it would be acceptable. Also, I would beg to differ that the wording matters that much -- again, if it did, the Embassy would have included a sample AND you would have already heard horror stories on VJ about people having their affidavits refused for language. You do need to have the following info -- name, address, date of birth, citizenship (not necessarily exactly where you were born), how the testator knows the parties and how the testor knows this is a bona fide marriage.

I would also take issue with the example needing to include any language that the marriage is not a fraud or "arranged" -- it seems overly defensive to me and might set off someone's radar. Your testator needn't go into mega-mega detail either -- one of ours said she knew we were still in a marriage because I talked about my husband all the time in the office and she had received a thank you card for the wedding present. None of my testators wrote more than 3 sentences about our relationship, and in fact one of them had never even met my husband but had knowledge of our relationship from the aforementioned yabbering on in the office! But it worked.

Now, this may not be the case for everyone, but the affidavit I supplied about my relationship with my husband was specified to be from me as the petitioner only. Check the wording you get on the RFE for this though -- as I appear to have been one of the test cases, things may have changed since April. But if it says from the petitioner only, follow that. It stated how the boy and I met, developed our relationship and got married. It also (at the Embassy's request) stated how and when my prior marriage broke down and was dissolved.

I also backed everything up with photocopies of wedding congratulations cards, photos of us together and with our families over the course of our relationship, bills showing we lived at the same address (note: we had NOTHING in joint names, not even a tenancy agreement, but could prove we lived at the same address), etc. The whole package weighed in around one pound. Seems to have done the trick because I had the NOA2 turned around to me pretty much immediately.

Sorry if I've gone on about this, but as I've actually been through the whole RFE malarkey and popped out on the other side (*waves hi from America!*) I thought I'd let you know our experience. It really needn't be quite as difficult as you think it might be!

Thank you so much for the link Maven, I finally got around to reading it in full today.

Well it doesn't sound like it's that difficult, but a bit of a pain that it slows the process up.

I suppose I'll gather a few affidavidts and some evidence of a bona fide relationship together in anticipation. Out of interest, does anyone know of a reasonably priced notary in London?

Hey Hey, they updated the website again, and....

they are processing petitions filed on...

7th September


That means only a week or two for you Gwen666, and a month more than that for me. Whoo hooooo
I don't know how anyone survives non-DCF.

Course they probably shut down for a week or two over Christmas, so if i'm not approved by then, it will probably be mid-jan

Aargh aarghAARgH!! MOOOOOVE YOU STUPID DATE!!!! JUST FIVE DAYS!!!!

Aren't you still in the US Gwen666, it will probably be there when you get home!!!

We're not going home until this (*&0!!! interview happens!

Yes, we're in the US still. We're going to sort out everything from here, then go home a few weeks before the interview so he can do the medical, interview, and then we should be good to go. Which is good, as my UK residency runs out in March and I haven't bothered to collect supporting documents for that, nor do I have the money to file for ILR.

Well NVC have done their stuff and our case is now on its way over the big water to this side of the Pond. Just waiting for the clatter of Packet 3 in my letterbox...

Hope you get it quickly

Thanks Rosemarie! Even though I'm a Brit I'm glad right now I live in NL cos at least I don't have postal strikes to worry about.... plus the embassy is just a tram ride away! Nice and easy

Packet 3 just arrived!! I can hardly believe it.... the papers only left NVC 2 days ago! I'm sure they must've broken the speed limit... NOT THAT I MIND!!

NOA2 was on Tuesday. Now I'm joining the wait for NVC the packet 3.

weedebz, grab a coffee, put your feet up and relax while packet 3 wings its way over the water to you! Wishing you all the best. I got packet 3 today, a month after NOA2.

Wow storyangel, you're nearly there.....
2 days is amazing!!!!

There are a few people with NOA2 waiting quite a while to get to NVC so hopefully the box at CSC nearly full. I'm hoping to head over mid-march which i still believe is possible.....JUST!

Gwen - do keep us updated, it really shouldn't be long now.

I'll be very excited when I hear you've got your NOA2, or packet 3. Somewhere at the back of my mind I don't really believe them when they put the date up.

I'm expecting the expected RFE any moment now. The affidavits are here and notarized, the supporting paperwork is done, and I have an overnight FedEx envelope waiting just need the case number for the cover sheet.

I will keep you updated, since you're right after me!

Me too But mine was yeserday. I need to research this next bit a little more... Is there anything we can do before we get packet 3?

Apart from making sure you have everything ready for the interview, not really!

NVC officially received my DS230 pack on 26th Nov 2007. So now I am just waiting for them to complete this and hopefully schedule an interview ASAP. The lady at the NVC said they schedule every 2nd week of the month. Hope my DS230 and application is completed by NVC soon!! This waiting is so frustrating and hard!!!!

they haven't even recieved it yet!!!

from other people's timelines, once you get out of the NVC, it goes very quickly from there.

For any DCFer's like me out there, the London USCIS is now processing for the 17th Sept!!! They are really making up some time. I wonder if they're trying to get ahead, cos they close over Christmas or something??

Where the hell is my notice, then!

APPROVED!!

Letter arrived at mum-in-law's today - APPROVED, no RFE!!


*dancedancedance*


Now we can do all of the *other* fun stuff.....

Congratulations!

Sorry to post again. My message posted before I was finished and the edit function seems to have a few gremlins.

Where was I? Oh, yes...

Congratulations! You're over the worst part of the process, IMO. Waiting for the I-130 approval I felt so frustrated as I could do nothing other than wait it out. At least with the next stage I was able to be more pro-active and so I didn't feel quite so helpless. Before you know it, this whole visa process will be over for you.

Also, glad to hear that the London office of USCIS are making up on time. Here's hoping the other people waiting on this thread get their approvals asap.

Hope springs eternal, hun - there are a few over on Dive Into America who seem to have escaped the RFE stage.

You're next, so let us all know when you get word!