I am new to this painfull process :(

[Waiting_Sugar 1]

So It has been a month since i applied for my husband overseas in Lebanon. I am a US citizen and we sent the I30 form in Augest.They then sent me a msg on augest 24 saying that they approved it and sent it to the california service center for processing. Now im just playing the waiting game waiting untill they finally approve my case. I am hoping this will not take long because it is very hard being seperated by my husband for very long. 1 month was long enough. So basically i am on this site for people who have been through or are going through what I am going through to keep in touch and let me know all about their processing journey. Maybe this will help me relax my nerves a little...

[canadian_wife 1,831]

They haven't approved anything, it is sitting at California waiting to be looked at

we waited 178 days! It was a long wait, I am pretty sure they have quickened up since then though

Good luck

[Waiting_Sugar 1]

Thankss! I know that timing is all luck because I can tell some people's processing times are taking 4 months while others are taking 8.. I just wish we can have a specific date of when they would finish instead of making us wait like this being clueless of what is going on..

[Ning 619]

So It has been a month since i applied for my husband overseas in Lebanon. I am a US citizen and we sent the I30 form in Augest.They then sent me a msg on augest 24 saying that they approved it and sent it to the california service center for processing. Now im just playing the waiting game waiting untill they finally approve my case. I am hoping this will not take long because it is very hard being seperated by my husband for very long. 1 month was long enough. So basically i am on this site for people who have been through or are going through what I am going through to keep in touch and let me know all about their processing journey. Maybe this will help me relax my nerves a little...

It sounds like you got what is called NOA 1 which is the reciept for the fee & the notice they have begun to process the case.

At some point in the future you should recieve NOA 2 which is the actual approval notice from USCIS. Many people are reporting about 6 months for that to happen.

The case is then sent to NVC for further processing. See the guides here for more info & a flow chart that will help you understand what happens.

To take this journey we must accept the idea that it will be a long one. Thinking this will be of short duration causes people to become anxious; more nervous. Educating yourself as you are here will make the journey easier for you.

I am sorry to say Lebanon can be a difficult place to endure when it comes to getting a visa. You should expect a longer timeline due to this aspect.

[Waiting_Sugar 1]

Well I hope it will not take longer then everyone else.. I dont think it will matter what country the other person is from for them to take a long time to process it unless they request more evidence which will affect the time. I think i sent enough evidence with lotss of wedding pictures.

[Done--Really 331]

It matters immensely what country he is from--don't kid yourself--the MENA countries take a particularly long time and need tons of additional evidence, so prepare yourself accordingly

[Waiting_Sugar 1]

It matters immensely what country he is from--don't kid yourself--the MENA countries take a particularly long time and need tons of additional evidence, so prepare yourself accordingly

Once the approval comes, there should not be anymore waiting right? Well at least not as long as I wait for the approval..

[Done--Really 331]

Start here for a general idea of what to expect, and then read everything in the Lebanon portal for more details

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list.php?op6=All&op7=Lebanon&dfile=No&op1=&op2=&op3=&op4=1&op5=5%2C6%2C8%2C10%2C11%2C13%2C14%2C15%2C16%2C17%2C18%2C20%2C21%2C22%2C25%2C26%2C27%2C28&cfl=0

[Ning 619]

Once the approval comes, there should not be anymore waiting right? Well at least not as long as I wait for the approval..

Coming from Lebanon will make a huge difference in time. Study the guides & all other info here on V J to get a better idea of what the future holds.

You are now waiting for the NOA 2 which is the USCIS approval. You will then respond to the requirements of the NVC process to get that approval. The case is then sent to the U S embassy in Beruit where they will request additional documentation. Once that has been submitted & reviewed they will assign an interview date. Hopefully the interview will result in the issuance of the visa. However many times the case is put into A P for futher review. See the portal for Lebanese cases for info on this aspect.

My case took 408 days so I know what the waiting can be like. You will have to prepare yourself to endure the months ahead.

[tan&tuyet 15]

My best advice to you is to keep busy and not think about it. If you keep thinking about it you will go insane!!! :bonk:

[amandas1216 8]

ha good luck...been waiting since may 16th....some go faster...some slower...be prepared...csc is slow these days!:(some from vsc have went real quick!luck i guess....

[HateAP 0]

Hi everyone, My case is in Lebanon!!!!

Well i just signed up for visa journey...Hope everyone is still SANE!!

I had my interview at the U.S embassy, on June the 2nd and they required further doc. they received them on the 25th of July. and told me that my case was being processed...on the 25th of August they sent me an email requesting to hand in my p.p to bring my case to completion and so i did...and was given a red card/receipt and told to pick it up the next week... then the next day the call me to pick up my passport because they are not done with AP...and told me to wait until they contacted me again....that day was an extremely horrible day!!! mind you that they sent two emails to me to give them my passport!!!

Has this happened to anyone? does anyone know where this AP takes place? they told my in the US, just earlier my wife contacted the DOS and they told her it's pending in Lebanon and they have approved it at their end, and whats worse my wife has just given birth on the 8th of sep. and I am so pissed.

Any suggestions? I have become a professor in this matter until AP came up

All is fine until it gets to the embassy, and that is where the real waiting game starts, after interview, they say Administration processing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its been over 3 months now...so best advice to everyone is try not to think of it, it will cause you nothing but pure insanity!!!! GOOD LUCK...

[Heartwarming 15]

Well I hope it will not take longer then everyone else.. I dont think it will matter what country the other person is from for them to take a long time to process it unless they request more evidence which will affect the time. I think i sent enough evidence with lotss of wedding pictures.

CSC approved (issued) an NOA after 60 days to someone with a spouse from Lebanon this week. So, I think you can not guess on these things. It is like tossing a coin. I think they play musical files, they sit about 20 of them in chairs and they process whichever one they sit on. LOL-Ok, maybe not a good joke but I really feel this way nowadays because I see approvals zip out in like 16 days and here I am 63 days past NOA1 and others 5 and 8 months waiting. It is really sad!

Edited September 28, 2011 by Kurkure

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Well I hope it will not take longer then everyone else.. I dont think it will matter what country the other person is from for them to take a long time to process it unless they request more evidence which will affect the time. I think i sent enough evidence with lotss of wedding pictures.

Hey there and welcome to the fun world of the US Visa process Unfortunately there is not a lot of information in the immigration timelines for IC/CR-1s from Lebanon. You are correct that the time to approval by USCIS does not change much by country.. After that you will go to NVC which is another month and possibly longer and again the country will not make much of a difference - but if you are not ready with the additional paperwork the NVC requires it will take much more time.

After the case is closed the NVC will schedule your appointment based on availability at the appropriate consulate. This varies greatly by country though looking at the past few from Lebanon it looks you are in luck in that the date seems to take less than two months from NVC completion - but the database entries for your country is small so the even though the news is good I would not count on it...

Based on the last four Lebanon IR/CR-1s (there are only four for the past 2 years). The fastest time from NOA1 to interview is 222 days and the worst just over 300. A small sample but you can probably count on the fact that 222 is about the best you can hope for but numerous bumps could easily push you past the 300 day mark. Start working now on the paperwork for NVC so that you have a shot at that best case scenerio of a March/April interview.

Also as previously mentioned - Lebanon is most likely a very difficult interview and (in my opinion anyway) there is extra discrimination against men from these countries going through the process so you really need to be prepared with relationship evidence.

Edited September 28, 2011 by OnMyWayID

[Robert&Karen 264]

I opted to track a LOT of timelines here to get an idea of how my case would go. It's like watching the world's longest yet most exciting greyhound race.