Administrative Processing-- please help

[visajourney1234 0]

Hello,

I am the petitioner for a K1 visa. This is a same-sex engagement in the middle east. I am a US citizen currently living in a nearby country to my fiance. Because his family does not know about our engagement (he's not out to them) I need to be vague about the location. They have met me and they know he is applying for a visa to the US, but they don't know it is for marriage. Anyways, I filed the I-129F application back in January and it was approved and forwarded to my fiance's embassy March. The I-129F process went pretty smoothly, and I was expecting the same thing for the K1 process at the embassy. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The interview was in mid-June. The embassy asked for more documentation of relationship and my 2014 taxes. As an expat I did not have 2014 taxes filed yet (my deadline was 15 June because I live overseas, and I had filed an extension). So, I provided tax returns for the prior 3 years, plus reams of data regarding my financial solvency, which is quite good. They had some other questions about my ties to the USA and I addressed those as well. We filed the requested data within a week and then my fiance got a call two weeks later saying that we needed to provide more proof of relationship and also a joint sponsor. For the additional proof of relationship we provided over 6 months of whatsapp data using screenshots so they could see the emoticons and pics we exchanged. The joint sponsorship was much more difficult, especially since my I-129F was about to expire. This particular embassy is very difficult to reach--- the US traveldocs number just gets a recording and their email does not work (daemon mailer tried four times, with no luck), and they ignore their skype messages, etc. The embassy is equally impossible to reach-- even the special number for US citizens goes unanswered.

So, there was no way to ask anyone why I was being asked to provide a joint sponsor despite demonstrating that I have plenty of resources, and I could not ask anyone about extending the 129F deadline. At wits end I created an account and posted a tweet to the consular twitter account asking if they would extend my deadline and they said sorry, if I exceeded the deadline, there was nothing they could do-- I would need to file a new petition. Thank god, I was able to convince a close friend to joint sponsor my fiance and we were able to submit that with the other requested data before the 129F deadline.

That was 3.5 weeks ago. My fiance and I have travel plans in 1.5 weeks for which he will need his passport. The one method of contacting the embassy that has worked is the US traveldocs online form used for scheduling an application. So I asked what is the status last Tuesday, but have not heard back yet.

Today I checked the CEAC website, which in the past just listed the interview date in June. I was surprised to see that it now says:

U.S. Department of State
NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION

Administrative Processing

Case Creation Date:

16-Jun-2015

Status Updated Date:
30-Jul-2015

Your visa case is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take several weeks. Please follow any instructions provided by the Consular Officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed/available within two business days.

So... my question is, what does this mean? My fiance was miraculously able to get through to someone at the embassy today. The person there said that the visa "hasn't been printed yet." He then asked when it might be printed and she told him that she can't say. Unfortunately he did not ask her if this means the visa was approved. We both tried several times to reach her again with this question, with no luck.

Thank you.

[sandra3711 52]

It's a good sign that it has changed from immigrant to nonimmigrant visa application. Usually, once they are ready to issue your visa, it will switch from Ready->Administrative Processing-> Issued. So hopefully that means that the proof you provided was received and accepted, and your visa vill be issued soon!

[visajourney1234 0]

Thank you Sandra3711 that makes us hopeful.

[Boiler 43,422]

Sounds like we are talking about a T Country and it does vary depending on which one, but extended background checks for males are normal.

[visajourney1234 0]

That is very possible Boiler, but seems unlikely since he comes from a Christian family and he already has relatives who have successfully immigrated to the US.

[Boiler 43,422]

That has no direct impact, Consulate he is going through is more significant.

[visajourney1234 0]

2 brothers just got visit visas with no administrative processing. They were issued within a week or two of their interviews.

[visajourney1234 0]

Anyway... I hope it's not a security issue. Who knows. Such a stressful process.

[Ilovemyman 147]

Soon it will be issued, when changes from immigrant to noimmigrant that means they are ready to issued.

[Shauneg 762]

2 brothers just got visit visas with no administrative processing. They were issued within a week or two of their interviews.

Literally every single visa goes through administrative processing, some just longer than others. Switching to non-immigrant is a very good sign....

[Steven&Jelena 12]

Hello,

I am the petitioner for a K1 visa. This is a same-sex engagement in the middle east. I am a US citizen currently living in a nearby country to my fiance. Because his family does not know about our engagement (he's not out to them) I need to be vague about the location. They have met me and they know he is applying for a visa to the US, but they don't know it is for marriage. Anyways, I filed the I-129F application back in January and it was approved and forwarded to my fiance's embassy March. The I-129F process went pretty smoothly, and I was expecting the same thing for the K1 process at the embassy. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The interview was in mid-June. The embassy asked for more documentation of relationship and my 2014 taxes. As an expat I did not have 2014 taxes filed yet (my deadline was 15 June because I live overseas, and I had filed an extension). So, I provided tax returns for the prior 3 years, plus reams of data regarding my financial solvency, which is quite good. They had some other questions about my ties to the USA and I addressed those as well. We filed the requested data within a week and then my fiance got a call two weeks later saying that we needed to provide more proof of relationship and also a joint sponsor. For the additional proof of relationship we provided over 6 months of whatsapp data using screenshots so they could see the emoticons and pics we exchanged. The joint sponsorship was much more difficult, especially since my I-129F was about to expire. This particular embassy is very difficult to reach--- the US traveldocs number just gets a recording and their email does not work (daemon mailer tried four times, with no luck), and they ignore their skype messages, etc. The embassy is equally impossible to reach-- even the special number for US citizens goes unanswered.

So, there was no way to ask anyone why I was being asked to provide a joint sponsor despite demonstrating that I have plenty of resources, and I could not ask anyone about extending the 129F deadline. At wits end I created an account and posted a tweet to the consular twitter account asking if they would extend my deadline and they said sorry, if I exceeded the deadline, there was nothing they could do-- I would need to file a new petition. Thank god, I was able to convince a close friend to joint sponsor my fiance and we were able to submit that with the other requested data before the 129F deadline.

That was 3.5 weeks ago. My fiance and I have travel plans in 1.5 weeks for which he will need his passport. The one method of contacting the embassy that has worked is the US traveldocs online form used for scheduling an application. So I asked what is the status last Tuesday, but have not heard back yet.

Today I checked the CEAC website, which in the past just listed the interview date in June. I was surprised to see that it now says:

U.S. Department of State

NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION

Administrative Processing

Case Creation Date:

16-Jun-2015

Status Updated Date:

30-Jul-2015

Your visa case is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take several weeks. Please follow any instructions provided by the Consular Officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed/available within two business days.

So... my question is, what does this mean? My fiance was miraculously able to get through to someone at the embassy today. The person there said that the visa "hasn't been printed yet." He then asked when it might be printed and she told him that she can't say. Unfortunately he did not ask her if this means the visa was approved. We both tried several times to reach her again with this question, with no luck.

Thank you.

Maybe it will be easier if you just get married in the Middle east.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Steven&Jelena

[visajourney1234 0]

Issued today. ☺☺☺

[Adil & Jeanne 296]

congratulations

we all went thru this, some long ago, but the system had some recent problems and you just got caught up in them

[Cathi 5,609]

congrats!!!

Edited August 3, 2015 by mimolicious

[Cathi 5,609]

Maybe it will be easier if you just get married in the Middle east.

seriously? Same sex marriage is illegal is the Middle East. Even if he were to "come out" his life would be in danger in that part of the world. Unfortunately that culture isn't even close to allowing same sex couples to live their lives in the open.