Should have filed K3 Application?

[PhillipGalina 0]

We married in the US in June and filed the I-130 while my wife was here on a tourist visa. The California Service Center received it. There it sits (soon it will be 5 months from the NOA1).

I considered filing a K3 upon receiving NOA1. However, I decided not to file a K3 based on: 1) what I read at VisaJourney forums, 2) an unpaid discussion with attorney at a party, and 3) it is a redundant effort and why create more work for my understaffed government?

Now I read about delays at CSC. If I had filed a K3, would it have been sent definitely to California or could it possibly have been assigned to another service center? If the latter, the K3 could have been approved by now.

It is too late for us. However, should VisaJourney guides express with more emphasis the need to do both the K3 as well as the I-130 if the I-130 is sent to a slow service center?

I almost feel like filing a K3 tmorrow.

Good luck to all.

[JoannaV 174]

Nope. Looking at the various processing times, all service centres are currently processing I-129Fs slower than I-130s. So it would still be an unlikely bet to win. There's always an outside chance that it could work out for someone, because for sure some people will happen to have an I-130 that gets back-logged and an I-129F that somehow skips ahead in the queue, but even given that outside chance most people would find it still not worth applying for, as it for sure would cost extra money and paperwork, both before arriving in the US and afterwards.

[PhillipGalina 0]

Nope. Looking at the various processing times, all service centres are currently processing I-129Fs slower than I-130s. So it would still be an unlikely bet to win. There's always an outside chance that it could work out for someone, because for sure some people will happen to have an I-130 that gets back-logged and an I-129F that somehow skips ahead in the queue, but even given that outside chance most people would find it still not worth applying for, as it for sure would cost extra money and paperwork, both before arriving in the US and afterwards.

JonnaV, thank you for the enlightening response. Somehow I don't feel any better about the delay. :-)

[Ryan H 3,926]

Now I read about delays at CSC. If I had filed a K3, would it have been sent definitely to California or could it possibly have been assigned to another service center? If the latter, the K3 could have been approved by now.

I almost feel like filing a K3 tmorrow.

If you were to file an I-129F in conjunction with the I-130 to start the K3 process, the I-129F will definitely NOT go to another service center. It will will go to CSC because that is where your I-130 is and the two petitions are tied together. Furthermore, USCIS would tie the two petitions together by pulling your I-130 from its current place in the queue and placing it with the I-129F you will have just submitted.