Tell us your good stories about the process/processing

[frankielove 5]

People are frustrated, the process is time consuming and expensive and it is easy to get stuck in the negative....so let's hear about the good stuff already! Why is this worth it?

Tell us about people who went out of their way to help you at USCIS or the Service Centers. Or tell us about people in the world who supported your immigration journey. I know they are out there!

[patient2010 93]

I went through the process with no RFE everytime i called the people were helpful in the end it was all worth it!

[JeannieL 44]

Other than the wait time between the NOA1 and NOA2 and the wait time for the interview after receiving packet 4 (Montreal of course) Everything has been a breeze because of the great support system in Visa Journey. I only ever contacted DOS to find out about if Packet 3 was sent, then logged, each time I called they were very pleasant and somewhat informative. I have made many new friends on this journey. Many of whom I will keep in contact with for many years to come. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for me, I can almost see it. I can't wait to be in VA with Kenny. Of course then comes the next step of AOS, but at least we can be together in that time.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I've had a very simple, hassle free process. The wait time sucks, like Jeannie mentioned. 5 months for an NOA2 and I likely will not get an interview until May or later. But oh well. Everything's going as smoothly as I could have hoped.

[KiwiBird 132]

Good processing stories? Okay, here's one. Back when I filed my I-129F, I misunderstood the directions. I send just the I-129F form and the fee. I did not send any evidence of having met, proof of citizenship, or even the G325 Biographical Data. They 'accepted' my petition anyway.

In November, I found this site. I started to panic since I now realized everything I was supposed to send. I started a post here, and everyone who had done the same exact mistake as I had.. they had all waited 5 months and then been denied. Not an RFE, but an actual denial. They were forced to file again.

So I was expecting a denial. At BEST, I was expecting an RFE. There is no way they would be able to approve my petition since it was so incomplete. All phone calls were met with more questions, and I never could get an answer I was happy with. "Just wait and we will request more evidence from you" is what they told me. "But everyone that has done the same has been denied. No RFE." I would say. "Well, then you might need to reapply, but you have to wait until Feb to find out if you get an RFE or are denied."

I put together all the information they needed, and attached a copy of my NoA1. I made a copy of the whole packet, and mailed it to the Service Center, with the hopes it would be put with my original petition. After that, I got no confirmation by mail, phone, and my case still hadn't been touched since mid-September.

However, a few days ago, I got my email and text message approvals. My only idea is that my paperwork was matched to the original petition, since there is no way I'd avoid a denial or RFE otherwise.

So with everyone all upset about the 'service' from USCIS, I have to say... Yes, the wait sucks. But in those walls, there are some people that actually care about the petitioners and their lives. (Otherwise they would have just thrown my packet out since it was not in response to an RFE.)

And there you have it: An actual GOOD processing story.

[B_J 2,752]

So with everyone all upset about the 'service' from USCIS, I have to say... Yes, the wait sucks. But in those walls, there are some people that actually care about the petitioners and their lives. (Otherwise they would have just thrown my packet out since it was not in response to an RFE.)

And there you have it: An actual GOOD processing story.

You know, I think that's a good thing to remember. There's really not a lot of good things to say about the wait and the whole process; but you're right that those are regular people working there. They're doing a job that I'm sure can get pretty monotonous, but I'm sure they have no bad intent for any of us.

Now I wish those nice people would read this and move my petition to the front of the line.

Edited February 6, 2011 by B_J

[Messybrownhair 251]

We were fortunate enough to have a smooth-sailing k1 journey and we are hoping for another good AOS journey.

Hang in there and Goodluck!

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

We had a relatively trouble free process so far. Petition was submitted back when CSC was only taking about 3 months. There was a little hangup responding to packet 3 because a typhoon flooded my fiancee's house. We bucked the trend at the consulate, and her interview was only four questions (the first was "Do you speak English?"). The AOS interview was completely painless - the IO was very friendly and seemed to enjoy her work.

In retrospect, everything was much smoother than I expected. I don't credit luck for this. I credit good preparation, knowing what to expect at each stage, knowing what the weak points were in our case, and how and when to address them, and the confidence of knowing we had a backup plan at each stage in case we failed. VJ provided all of these things for us. If it weren't for the collective experience of everyone on this site, there's no way it would have been as easy for us. There's a wealth of knowledge here for anyone willing to learn.

Thanks, VJ!

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Why is this worth it?

Well, because he's sitting here right next to me in our little house. The dogs are snoozing next to us. My son is upstairs.

That's why.

[Lisa & Vinko 9]

The first six months of the process has been full of fearful, gut-wrenching times. And when I got my RFE after waiting for five months, I just thought this process was done and "we" were done. But then I realized that knowledge is power, this site has been verrrrrrry helpful...and to procure the attitude of "this is going to happen no matter what"...then things have been much easier. There is nothing worse than having fear of an unknown, seemingly unfriendly process. Of course, it sucks being away from your loved one, especially when you don't get to spend so much time with them in the first place...I've been away from mine for 8 months. But then again, I've been shown how strong my relationship is also as a result of this process. It is a lot of up and down...but I am really hoping to say at the end of it all that "it was worth it"...much like giving birth to my two lovely boys...

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Even though my general process has one from H-ll including a denial, Marc Ellis is a great help and several times when calling USCIS or NVC the perosn would go out of their way to make sure things were on schedule. We actually got an extremely fast interview date the second time when most couples had to wait months apparently after I requested it due to end of year work commitments.

[Barbara J 115]

Well I have to say ours was fairly smooth too. Apart from the waiting it was ok even though we got RFE's. My now hubbie sent 129f off as I sent him everything he needed to know via email. Sent it off without evidence and letter of intent lol We started 22nd Feb, receipt 9th March, got Rfe 12th June I sent it back right away and we were approved 22nd June . SO 3 months was not too bad and then September I got here and married 11th. I was fortunate I was able to see him through the time as he had a visit to OZ end Jan and then I came back over here March though to June. 1 week before we were approved lol. Now the AOS again a waiting game but again another RFE our 2nd with AOS but I don't get too phased about it as we are dealing with government offices same as back home in OZ and they will always go at their own pace. But after all the tears and waiting I am here and now it seems a drop in the ocean what we had to go through because at the end of the day I am here and with the one I love and want to grow old with.

I never had VJ when I started did it all myself with lots of reading.

[Bsze 50]

We actually received a hand written note from (we assume) the person who adjudicated our case. They had returned what they thought was my husband's original birth certificate (it was just a certified copy from the county) and the note was tucked in with it. It said "Good job! Your original. :)"

It was a nice personal reminder that the USCIS has people who do care. That's my opinion anyways.

[jken 2]

It's a long process no doubt about that. We filed our i-129f in April of 2010 and we had visa in hand in November 2010- p.o.e'd Dec 3, 2010 - Married Dec18th, 2010. The 'why' is it worth it - kept me going trhough this process - I/We had a goal and that was to be together. This site...turned out to be a treasure along with some people I have mingled with on here! Good Luck Everyone....It does happen.

Edited February 6, 2011 by jken