Our journey

[jayn 0]

Hello everyone,

I have read and learned much from all the people on this forum during our journey through the immigration process. I have never posted before and am posting now to provide information about how our process went to help others as I have been helped. Currently our whole journey is complete and we are together.

Information:

My wife is from the Fiji Islands and we got married back in February, and I filed I-130 in March. The USCIS process took a little less than 4 months, while the transfer from USCIS to NVC took another month. After that another 3 months passed before we were reunited. The total days apart was 3 days short of 8 months.

Here is the timeline:

Married: 2/26/2011

Mailed I-130: 3/11/2011

Received I-130 @ USCIS California: 3/14/2011

Mailed I-129f: 4/8/2011

Received I-129f @ USCIS California: 4/11/2011

Received Email for completion: 7/13/2011

Police report for NVC: 07/25/2011

Received Email for NVC case number: 08/05/2011 (Emails sent prior said NVC had not received case)

AOS Bill Received: 08/05/2011

AOS Bill Paid: 08/07/2011

AOS Payment Receieved: 08/09/2011

AOS Packet mailed: 08/17/2011

DS-3032 Emailed: 08/10/2011

I-129F Administratively Closed: 08/15/2011

IV Bill received: 08/16/2011

IV Bill Paid: 08/17/2011

IV Payment Received: 08/19/2011

AOS Packet received: 08/22/2011

IV Packet mailed: 08/22/2011

IV Packet received: 08/25/2011

RFE over phone(income different from W2): 08/26/2011

RFE mailed: 08/31/2011

RFE received: 09/06/2011

RFE email: 09/01/2011 (For previous RFE)

False RFE: 09/07/2011 (for police report from Fiji, talked on phone was told to have it ready for interview)

AVR Case complete: 09/09/2011

RFE email: 09/12/2011 (*explain in detail later)

Interview date assigned: 09/13/2011 (Interview at 10/31/2011)

Medical completed: 09/22/2011

Got medical report in hand: 09/26/2011

Email US Embassy regarding their receipt of police report: 09/28/2011

Reply from US Embassy: 09/28/2011 (Report not yet received - the one requested earlier went to NVC only)

Panic mode: 09/28/2011

Sent wife to capital city Suva to do police report completed: 10/03/2011 (Requested urgent processing at double fee)

Email from US Embassy regarding Police Report: 10/16/2011 (Police report received)

Interview: 10/31/2011 (Approved **details explained later)

Visa received: 11/01/2011 (***details explained later)

Entry into US: 11/03/2011 (****details explained later)

*(RFE email received 09/12/2011) = In this email I received a letter asking for the following: 1. My W-2, which I sent with the AOS packet. 2. My employment letter verification (which I sent with the AOS packet). 3. Co-Sponsors I-864 (I sent in I-864a with the AOS packet). 4. Co-Sponsors residency verification (did not send in with AOS packet).

--This email requested that my wife bring all of the following listed above to the interview. I sent everything requested plus a copy of my I-864 and her visa application just in case to her via USPS/EMS about a month before interview. She received the packet 5 days after mail date.

**Interview (10/31/2011) = Interview was scheduled at 8 am, she was there at 7:40am. I did not go with her. She went in and waited to be called. At about 9 am she was out of the building with her interview completed. Officer told her the visa would be mailed to her by 11/03/2011. No documents were looked at, I sent phone records, pictures, invitation cards, etc. The documents requested were not asked for as well ( I have those requested documents in my room right now).

Questions asked:

Husbands name?

Where does he live?

Who does he live with?

What do you plan to do in the US?

***Visa: I was expecting them to give her the visa the same day in the afternoon (happens quite a bit in Fiji by the way as many people have received the visa the same day!) and thus I booked her plane ticket on 11/03/2011. She asked to pick it up the same day, but was denied at the time. She forgot to say that she can come and pick up the visa herself rather than wait for the mail to deliver. I talked to her immediately after the interview finished and then hatched a plan to contact the embassy via phone to tell them that she could pick up the visa.

10/31/2011 (can call embassy regarding visa only between 2 and 4 pm) = Call got a unconfirmed answer that the visa will be ready by 11/01/2011 3 pm. I did not call again so I would not be annoying and thought I would check in the following day for confirmation.

11/01/2011: Called at 2:30 pm local time, was told visa would be ready for my wife specifically until the following day 11/02/2011 between 2 and 4 pm. I ask the lady to hold the visa and call my wife when it is ready so she could pick the visa up since picking up the visa save us one night of waiting. We were concerned because she was staying with relatives and not at her home (the embassy is about 4 hours by road from her house) and would have a difficult time returning and packing if the visa was late. I thought about flying across the country to the International airport as a last resort, but that would mean she would not have time to say bye to many friends and relatives but only her close family members.

11/01/2011: 3:30 pm = She receives phone call from embassy that the visa is ready and she can come and pick it up.

11/01/2011: 4:15 pm = Visa in hand!!! Very happy. She is relieved that she can pack her own bag and see friends and family.

****11/03/2011: POE = She came in through Los Angeles. I flew there and waited for her to come through. Flight landed around 12:20 pm (landed early) and she came out from immigration and customs around 2:30 pm. No problems/questions in immigration just a bit of waiting for the paperwork to be completed.

Now our journey is complete. If anyone has questions regarding Fiji I might be able to help answer a few questions from my experience.

Again thanks to VJ and all its members for helping me get through this process.

Edited November 7, 2011 by jayn

[carocaro 22]

Congratulations!!!!

[calibob 73]

Lucky dog! We're still waiting due to various and sundry reasons......over a year now but I'm very happy for you two!!

Bob

[Mrs Green 6]

Congrats! Thanks for taking the time to share

[MrsP2010 20]

So happy for you.

[Leatherneck 693]

Great job...Congratulations!

[MalaysianGirl 26]

I like how it seems like you breezed through it all, since you didn't post anything until now Congratulations! Fiji is a beautiful place; my Australian cousin got married there. Too bad I couldn't go for the wedding.

[jayn 0]

Thank you everyone, I am just glad it is over. I had a lot to think about during those 8 months.

[Ryan H 3,932]

Congratulations!

[PQ12 0]

Hello everyone,

I have read and learned much from all the people on this forum during our journey through the immigration process. I have never posted before and am posting now to provide information about how our process went to help others as I have been helped. Currently our whole journey is complete and we are together.

Information:

My wife is from the Fiji Islands and we got married back in February, and I filed I-130 in March. The USCIS process took a little less than 4 months, while the transfer from USCIS to NVC took another month. After that another 3 months passed before we were reunited. The total days apart was 3 days short of 8 months.

Here is the timeline:

Married: 2/26/2011

Mailed I-130: 3/11/2011

Received I-130 @ USCIS California: 3/14/2011

Mailed I-129f: 4/8/2011

Received I-129f @ USCIS California: 4/11/2011

Received Email for completion: 7/13/2011

Police report for NVC: 07/25/2011

Received Email for NVC case number: 08/05/2011 (Emails sent prior said NVC had not received case)

AOS Bill Received: 08/05/2011

AOS Bill Paid: 08/07/2011

AOS Payment Receieved: 08/09/2011

AOS Packet mailed: 08/17/2011

DS-3032 Emailed: 08/10/2011

I-129F Administratively Closed: 08/15/2011

IV Bill received: 08/16/2011

IV Bill Paid: 08/17/2011

IV Payment Received: 08/19/2011

AOS Packet received: 08/22/2011

IV Packet mailed: 08/22/2011

IV Packet received: 08/25/2011

RFE over phone(income different from W2): 08/26/2011

RFE mailed: 08/31/2011

RFE received: 09/06/2011

RFE email: 09/01/2011 (For previous RFE)

False RFE: 09/07/2011 (for police report from Fiji, talked on phone was told to have it ready for interview)

AVR Case complete: 09/09/2011

RFE email: 09/12/2011 (*explain in detail later)

Interview date assigned: 09/13/2011 (Interview at 10/31/2011)

Medical completed: 09/22/2011

Got medical report in hand: 09/26/2011

Email US Embassy regarding their receipt of police report: 09/28/2011

Reply from US Embassy: 09/28/2011 (Report not yet received - the one requested earlier went to NVC only)

Panic mode: 09/28/2011

Sent wife to capital city Suva to do police report completed: 10/03/2011 (Requested urgent processing at double fee)

Email from US Embassy regarding Police Report: 10/16/2011 (Police report received)

Interview: 10/31/2011 (Approved **details explained later)

Visa received: 11/01/2011 (***details explained later)

Entry into US: 11/03/2011 (****details explained later)

*(RFE email received 09/12/2011) = In this email I received a letter asking for the following: 1. My W-2, which I sent with the AOS packet. 2. My employment letter verification (which I sent with the AOS packet). 3. Co-Sponsors I-864 (I sent in I-864a with the AOS packet). 4. Co-Sponsors residency verification (did not send in with AOS packet).

--This email requested that my wife bring all of the following listed above to the interview. I sent everything requested plus a copy of my I-864 and her visa application just in case to her via USPS/EMS about a month before interview. She received the packet 5 days after mail date.

**Interview (10/31/2011) = Interview was scheduled at 8 am, she was there at 7:40am. I did not go with her. She went in and waited to be called. At about 9 am she was out of the building with her interview completed. Officer told her the visa would be mailed to her by 11/03/2011. No documents were looked at, I sent phone records, pictures, invitation cards, etc. The documents requested were not asked for as well ( I have those requested documents in my room right now).

Questions asked:

Husbands name?

Where does he live?

Who does he live with?

What do you plan to do in the US?

***Visa: I was expecting them to give her the visa the same day in the afternoon (happens quite a bit in Fiji by the way as many people have received the visa the same day!) and thus I booked her plane ticket on 11/03/2011. She asked to pick it up the same day, but was denied at the time. She forgot to say that she can come and pick up the visa herself rather than wait for the mail to deliver. I talked to her immediately after the interview finished and then hatched a plan to contact the embassy via phone to tell them that she could pick up the visa.

10/31/2011 (can call embassy regarding visa only between 2 and 4 pm) = Call got a unconfirmed answer that the visa will be ready by 11/01/2011 3 pm. I did not call again so I would not be annoying and thought I would check in the following day for confirmation.

11/01/2011: Called at 2:30 pm local time, was told visa would be ready for my wife specifically until the following day 11/02/2011 between 2 and 4 pm. I ask the lady to hold the visa and call my wife when it is ready so she could pick the visa up since picking up the visa save us one night of waiting. We were concerned because she was staying with relatives and not at her home (the embassy is about 4 hours by road from her house) and would have a difficult time returning and packing if the visa was late. I thought about flying across the country to the International airport as a last resort, but that would mean she would not have time to say bye to many friends and relatives but only her close family members.

11/01/2011: 3:30 pm = She receives phone call from embassy that the visa is ready and she can come and pick it up.

11/01/2011: 4:15 pm = Visa in hand!!! Very happy. She is relieved that she can pack her own bag and see friends and family.

****11/03/2011: POE = She came in through Los Angeles. I flew there and waited for her to come through. Flight landed around 12:20 pm (landed early) and she came out from immigration and customs around 2:30 pm. No problems/questions in immigration just a bit of waiting for the paperwork to be completed.

Now our journey is complete. If anyone has questions regarding Fiji I might be able to help answer a few questions from my experience.

Again thanks to VJ and all its members for helping me get through this process.

First of all, I am glad to hear your journey was successful and were reunited with your wife once again. My wife is also from Fiji and we are in the NVC process. I do have a question regarding the police report. Where did you have it sent? It looks like you had it sent to the US Embassy there in Fiji, correct? I've looked at the application to acquire the police report. It asks for passport information? Did you wife have need her passport information. Right now Fiji is backed logged. They are out of physical passports to issue so we are still waiting for hers. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

PQ12

[jayn 0]

First of all, I am glad to hear your journey was successful and were reunited with your wife once again. My wife is also from Fiji and we are in the NVC process. I do have a question regarding the police report. Where did you have it sent? It looks like you had it sent to the US Embassy there in Fiji, correct? I've looked at the application to acquire the police report. It asks for passport information? Did you wife have need her passport information. Right now Fiji is backed logged. They are out of physical passports to issue so we are still waiting for hers. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

PQ12

Sent you a PM.

For my case, the NVC didn't receive the police report that I had my wife send them. When I called they said to have it at the time of interview and that they didn't need it at the NVC, even though their instructions say to mail it to the NVC. The police did ask my wife to bring her passport. T