k-1 NOT touched??

[lindak2u2003 0]

I'm a little confused. I received my 1st receipt for K-1 visa on July 27th. Since then I have not heard a thing. I see on here, where some timelines showed that they have been "touched". I'm not sure exactly what that means as I havent heard the first thing about my application. Should I be worried? We are getting to the deadline of the 5 months they say it will be processed. Do I need to do anything or just wait patiently???

[Ryan H 3,812]

Some cases never receive a "touch" between NOA1 and NOA2, so the fact that your case has not been "touched" is nothing out of the ordinary.

[Ryan H 3,812]

I see on here, where some timelines showed that they have been "touched". I'm not sure exactly what that means as I havent heard the first thing about my application.

This quote from Kathryn41 best explains what "touched" means:

When you sign up for online status update of your case with the USCIS website you can check to see if the date listed as the 'last action" date changes. If the date changes but the message doesn't, that is considered a 'touch' and it means that someone has accessed your file on that date. Touches may or may not be significant as your file can be touched if it is being moved from one location to another as well as when someone is actually working on it. As well, not getting touches is also not significant as many times USCIS staff will be working on a file and it is not registered on the online status update system. VJers have been known to obtain their visas, the green cards, even their citizenship oaths and their on line status hasn't changed from the initial submission date and message of 'we have received your file'. So, while it is nice to get a touch as it re-affirms USCIS is still doing something it doesn't really mean anything if you don't get a touch as well.

For now, the best thing for you to do is to wait. However, I will say and I think it's safe to say I can speak for most people here in this one and only instance when I say waiting sucks. There is no sugarcoating that.

Good luck and best wishes to you!

[C and Lore 3]

Keep your eye on your filing. From others on VJ, some dont receive (or acknowledge receiving) any touches between NOA1 and NOA2. If you havent gotten to 5 months give them time and be hopeful. If you get past 5 months and still no changes then start digging for information regarding your file and why you're case is past the processing times.

Honestly they aren't going to do much for you anyway if you inquire before the 5 month mark anyway as they have the processing goal of 5 months and are still within that mark for your case. If theres nothing complicated about your case then there is no reason to freak out yet.

[mikaila 0]

I worried before too when i didnt see a "touch" in our case since receiving noa1 but you dont have to worry it. Just wait, the waiting game is insane but once you have the noa2 is a relief.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Most K-1s are never touched. Most of the "touches" you see now are the petition being sent to another service center. That's all. Moved from one pile to another. Means nothing at all.

In the perfect world your petition sits in a pile until it is gotten to, it is opened, reviewed while the background check is done (takes about 30 seconds for a clean background check) and approved. The entire process takes less than 20 minutes. The first word you get after they receive it is an approval. That was our case. Sent it. Heard nothing. Got an approval in the mail. The online system was never updated and we are still in "initial review", even though we are actually having conditions removed (biometrics this week).

The online update system is fairly useless.

The touches are nothing to be thrilled about really. What are they? Your petition going from one pile to another, your petition being handed to someone else to check a problem with the background check, your petition being given to a supervisor to determine if the evidence you sent is "ok", your petition being handed off to get an RFE, your petition being handed off to another adjudicator because the one you had is going on maternity leave...etc.

People seem to have the impression that approving a petition is an onerous task requiring several committee meetings, discussions, they imagine that each "touch" is when the committee discussed THEIR petition (YeeeHaaa!) and that it keeps moving up the line to a higher authority and finally approved after the 3rd or 4th "touch". Nope.

The service center is what is called a "cube farm", hundreds of workers in their cubes. There are about 400 at the VSC, not all of them are adjudicating petitions. Petitions get dropped in their cubes, or more correctly on shelves in their department. The petition you sent has already been torn apart and put into their folder in their order (so much for all the art work you did, paper clips would have been just as good) The adjudicator takes several months to get to yours because there are THAT many petitions (they do not ONLY do fiancee petitions...can you imagine?) Then they open yours, key your pertinent data into their computer for a background check and go through your petition. They go down their checklist, they actually HAVE a checklist. If you have all the items they need on the checklist, they check them off, look up at the computer screen which now displays the results of your background check. If it is good, your petition gets tossed in the "approved" file. That's it. Done. Just as romantic as all that. You get an approval, no touches. You are happy. If something is missing it gets tossed in the RFE file and you get a "touch"...how wonderful! A few weeks later you will get an RFE instead of an approval. If your name comes up with a match on a bad guy list, your petition gets thrown in the "manual check" pile...and you get a "touch". If you have the evidence but the photos are bad, they can;t read the passport stamps, your nirth certificate is not clear, etc...it gets tossed in the "supervisor" pile...you get a "touch". Sometimes the manual check or the supervisor approval takes only a day or two and 2 or 3 days later you get an approval and them you run to the computer and tell everyone on VJ that you got "touched" and 3 days later you got approved! You would have been approved 3 days sooner if you had sent clear copies. Manual background checks can take minutes...or months.

They DID NOT read your 3 page letter about how you met and talked and looked into each others eyes which they couldn't possibly care less about. You met the qualifications, you got approved. Alla the extra information you attached was in the back of the folder and they never looked at it. They verified...

1. You are a citizen...check

2. You are both free to marry..check

3. You have met in person at least once within the last 2 years...check

4. No criminal records on thier system...check

5. You both signed letters of intent...check

Approved.

Prepare for your new life ahead. There will be temendous changes coming your way and your foreign fiancee needs YOU to be ready. Staring at computer screens and telling them the same thing every day does nothing for them. Check your mail...you know, in the mailbox at the street, and when the letter comes from USCIS, you are approved.

[GhLove 4]

Some people on this site have a really nice and "friendly" way of putting things... Thats sooo encouraging!

[captal 2]

Great post. Are you making an educated guess or posting from experience?

[FawkThisSite 13]

Nobody informed the OP of the obvious question here...

I'm a little confused. I received my 1st receipt for K-1 visa on July 27th. Since then I have not heard a thing. I see on here, where some timelines showed that they have been "touched". I'm not sure exactly what that means as I havent heard the first thing about my application. Should I be worried? We are getting to the deadline of the 5 months they say it will be processed. Do I need to do anything or just wait patiently???

Follow this link... http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Touches

It will provide you with a detailed explanation on what a "Touch" is and how to set up an account with USCIS to view your account and see if it has in fact been "Touched".

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Great post. Are you making an educated guess or posting from experience?

See the pinned topic above in the K-1 forum.

We have personal friends working at VSC including management and adjudication. Alla is an interpreter for USCIS. I am not guessing.