M+M's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: Megan Beneficiary's Name: Charaf VJ Member: M+M Country: Morocco Last Updated: 2023-08-21 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for Megan & Charaf:

USCIS I-129F Petition:       Dept of State K1 Visa:     USCIS I-485 Petition:   USCIS I-765 Petition:       USCIS I-131 Petition:       USCIS I-751 Petition:   USCIS N-400 Petition:

K1 Visa Event Date Service Center : California Service Center Transferred? No Consulate : Morocco I-129F Sent : 2017-09-28 I-129F NOA1 : 2017-10-02 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2018-03-23 NVC Received : 2018-04-05 Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : 2018-04-05 NVC Left : 2018-04-10 Consulate Received : 2018-04-11 Packet 3 Received : 2018-04-12 Packet 3 Sent : 2018-04-29 Packet 4 Received : Interview Date : 2018-05-16 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2018-05-17 US Entry : 2018-07-06 Marriage : 2018-08-17 Comments : Case went into administrative processing for one day and then the visa was issued. Our case moved really quickly after we received our NOA2. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 172 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 226 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

Port of Entry Review Event Date Port of Entry : JFK POE Date : 2018-07-06 Got EAD Stamp : No Biometrics Taken : Yes Harassment Level : 0 Comments :

Adjustment of Status Event Date CIS Office : New Orleans LA Date Filed : 2018-09-04 NOA Date : 2018-09-13 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2018-10-01 AOS Transfer** : Interview Date : 2019-07-30 Approval / Denial Date : 2019-07-30 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : No Greencard Received: 2019-08-03 Comments : Case Status Changed: Interview Scheduled: May 6, waiting on letter via post to find out actual date of interview Interview Schedule: June 10, 2019, had to reschedule due to traveling complications. Waiting on new interview date. Received an email from USCIS, stating that we would have to wait up to 60 days for a new interview. Received letter with new interview date on July 12. New interview date: July 30. Our interview was scheduled for July 30, 2019 at 8:45 am. My husband (beneficiary) and I (petitioner) arrived about half and hour early. The security officers and receptionist who checked us in were friendly. The directed us to the waiting area, where we waited until about 9:15 am for the officer to take us back into the office for the interview. The officer then took our passports and state IDs to verify our identities. We took the oath and began answering questions: Questions for beneficiary (my husband) 1) Name and date of birth 2) What is your social security number? 3) Do you have a job? Where? 4) How much are you getting paid? 5) Address and zip code of current residence 6) Questioned about the previous work in Morocco before arriving in the U.S. 6) Several questions read verbatim from I-485 application. Questions for petitioner (me): 1) Name and date of birth 2) How long were you in Morocco? 3) When did you return to the U.S. 4) Where do you work? Interview was about 30 minutes. The USCIS agent was very friendly and informative. He was also able to answer a couple of questions for us as well. They kept several documents that demonstrated our shared financial situation, such as taxes, shared bank statements, and current lease. At the end of the interview, he gave us an overview of the green card approval process and reminded us that it would be a conditional green card that would need to be renewed in 2 years. Finally he stated that he had enough documentation in order to make a decision, and that we should be hearing something within the next 2 weeks (he didn't specifically say that we were approved or denied).

Employment Authorization Document Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method : Mail Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2018-09-04 NOA Date : 2018-09-13 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2018-10-01 Approved Date : 2019-02-14 Date Card Received : 2019-03-18 Comments : Received NOA2 via post: 02/19 Still waiting on EAD/AP combo card: 03/05 There seems to be a disconnect with the new site and old site updates. We received our NOA2 in the mail but according to customer service, we were not approved as of yet. Had to submit a case inquiry: 03/07 03/12: Card is being produced 03/14: Card is being mailed Processing Estimates/Stats : Your EAD was approved in 163 days.

Advance Parole Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method :   Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2018-09-04 NOA Date : 2018-09-13 RFE(s) : Date Received : 2019-03-18 Comments : Received NOA2 via post: 02/19 Still waiting on EAD/AP combo card: 03/05 Had to submit a case inquiry for our card: 03/08 03/12: No update, hopefully we will receive a combo card. We received an EAD update. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your AP was approved in 163 days.

Lifting Conditions Event Date CIS Office : Texas Service Center Date Filed : 2021-06-24 NOA Date : 2021-07-02 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2021-08-16 Interview Date : Approval / Denial Date : Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : Green Card Received : Comments : Bio Metrics were waived Received 18-month extension (07/02/2021) Received 24-month extension (11/08/2021) I-751 was moved to a different office and has jurisdiction due to N-400 filed (05/04/2022) Transferred to MSC (05/13/2022) Received 48 month extension (03/2023) Interview was waived. Was approved at naturalization interview.

Citizenship Event Date Service Center : Lewisville TX Lockbox CIS Office : New Orleans LA Date Filed : 2022-05-03 NOA Date : 2022-05-12 Bio. Appt. : 2022-05-12 Interview Date : 2023-06-13 Approved : Yes Oath Ceremony : 2023-08-10 Comments :

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Morocco Review Topic: K1 Visa Event Description Review Date : May 16, 2018 Embassy Review : K-1 Visa Interview: May 16, 2018 Background about our case: - Female petitioner, male beneficiary - Petitioner served in Morocco as a Peace Corps Volunteer 2014-2016 - No age difference, no previous marriage/divorce, no children - Different culture, different religious backgrounds (He is Moroccan, I am not. I also did not convert) - I lived in Morocco for 2 ½ years. We met during the summer, 8 months into my service and we began dating shortly after. I returned to the US in 2016 and made a total of 3 trips back to Morocco. My fiancé was dressed in a business casual/comfortable fashion: black jeans, white shirt with a button-up collar shirt over it, with white shoes, accompanied with a fresh haircut and shave. Upon arrival, he went through several layers of security. He passed through three different areas, one area to pay the visa fee and then he moved into another room and was asked to provide information about himself. Then, he submitted the required documents (I-134, translated documents, DS-160) and his passport. There was about a 5-minute wait between each transition. The interview was conducted in the last area, he was asked what language he wanted to do the interview in (English). Questions asked during the interview: - When did you meet your fiancé? (included lots of details about the day we meet) - Where did you meet her? - Where does she live in the US? - What does she do for a living? The CO was an American man in his 30s. He was very friendly and made small joke, which made the overall experience pleasant and he seemed genuinely interested in our case. There was another woman who observed the interview and also commented on the proficiency of my fiancé’s English. The interview took a little over 5 minutes from start to finish. The CO did not ask to see any chat logs, wedding planning, or other types of proof of our relationship. He didn’t look over any of the evidence that we had prepared. Overall, the interview was easy and the officer was friendly and spoke to my fiancé like a friend. The whole process took about 15-30 minutes from entering to exiting the embassy. Note: The CO asked the same questions that the doctor’s asked at the medical. I believe the doctor does a small pre-interview that plays an important role in the overall interview process. I think this consulate gets a bad rep but if you relationship is genuine and you didn’t rush into your relationship or the engagement, then you have nothing to worry about. Advice from my Moroccan fiancé: •Arrive early and dress like you normally do. Don’t overdo it by wearing a suit. Make sure to be clean and presentable in your appearance. •Make sure to organize your papers because they may ask for them and you need to know where everything is •Use welcoming words, such as good morning, good afternoon, how are you, and thank you. Sometimes we forget in stressful situations. •Try to use English in your interview but if you are not comfortable, it is okay, use what you are comfortable with. •Be nice to everyone in your vicinity, especially other passing the interview. People within the embassy are observing how you interact with other •Try to be as calm and collected as possible. In our country, we yell at each other just to talk and we are very expressive, try and avoid that. •Just be you! Just talk to them like they are your old friend and you are telling them about your relationship. (updated on June 14, 2018) Rating : Very Good

POE Review: JFK Event Description Entry Date : 2018-07-06 Embassy Review : We arrived around 6:30 pm on Royal Air Maroc (a direct flight from Casablanca to JFK). We were able to stick together until after I (the USC) check in with one of those automated machines. After that we were separated and he had to go to a different line. My fiance gave all the necessary documents to the immigration officer. The first officer did not ask him any questions, he just stamped his passport and he took his fingerprints. Then he was moved to a different room where there as a line of visa holders. He waited for about 30 minutes and then he was called up to another officer. The officer asked him a questions that was previously asked in his interview. My fiance said that he tried to keep a smile and an upbeat through the whole process. All in all it was a very easy POE, with low harassment levels and little wait time. (updated on July 9, 2018) Harassment Level : Low

Local US CIS Office Review: New Orleans LA Review Topic: cis_topic Event Description Review Date : July 30, 2019 Embassy Review : We originally received our interview date for June 10, 2019. We had to reschedule due to travel complication. We received an email from USCIS, stating that we would have to wait up to 60 days for a new interview. We received letter with new interview date on July 12. Our interview was scheduled for July 30, 2019 at 8:45 am. My husband (beneficiary) and I (petitioner) arrived about half and hour early. The security officers and receptionist who checked us in were friendly. The directed us to the waiting area, where we waited until about 9:15 am for the officer to take us back into the office for the interview. The officer then took our passports and state IDs to verify our identities. We took the oath and began answering questions: Questions for beneficiary (my husband) 1) Name and date of birth 2) What is your social security number? 3) Do you have a job? Where? 4) How much are you getting paid? 5) Address and zip code of current residence 6) Questioned about the previous work in Morocco before arriving in the U.S. 6) Several questions read verbatim from I-485 application. Questions for petitioner (me): 1) Name and date of birth 2) How long were you in Morocco? 3) When did you return to the U.S. 4) Where do you work? Interview was about 30 minutes. The USCIS agent was very friendly and informative. He was also able to answer a couple of questions for us as well. They kept several documents that demonstrated our shared financial situation, such as taxes, shared bank statements, and current lease. At the end of the interview, he gave us an overview of the green card approval process and reminded us that it would be a conditional green card that would need to be renewed in 2 years. Finally he stated that he had enough documentation in order to make a decision, and that we should be hearing something within the next 2 weeks (he didn't specifically say that we were approved or denied). He said that we would receive the approval notice in the mail within the next week or so and we should receive our green card shortly after. Harassment Level : Very Good

Timeline Comments: 1



*Notice about estimates: The estimates are based off averages of other members recent experiences
(documented in their timelines) for the same benefit/petition/application at the same filing location.
Individual results may vary as every case is not always 'average'. Past performance does not necessarily
predict future results. The 'as early as date' may change over time based on current reported processing
times from members. There have historically been cases where a benefit/petition/application processing
briefly slows down or stops and this can not be predicted. Use these dates as reference only and do not
rely on them for planning. As always you should check the USCIS processing times to see if your application
is past due.

** Not all cases are transfered

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