Long wait on approval of I-130, I think something may be wrong, please help

[Necraa 10]

Hello, I'm an American citizen and I married my wife who is a Canadian citizen on June 30, 2012. We submitted our I-130 and got the NOA1 on Oct 1st 2012, it is now March 14th 2013 and I still have not heard anything back about my case. I have checked other people's timelines and several people who filed after us have already received their NOA2s and many have even progressed to the interview while I am still here waiting for my NOA2. I have had no RFe's or contact from them of any kind (will they be contacting me or her with a response?). The service center that I believe to be handling my petition is MSC (so it says on my NOA1). If anyone can provide any insight or explanation as to what is going on I would really appreicate it as I start graduate school in August and was intending to have my wife move in with me then, is this still feasible? Any help or advice will be greatly appreicated, thank you.

Additionally, if it is unlikely that my wife will be approved before August 2013 what can I do to allow her to move then and wait out the rest of the process there with me as she has scheduled a number of things to coincide to allow her to move then and if it is any later then moving will become much more difficult for us. Thanks again for any and all help.

[CHarvey80 72]

Considering you have only waited 5 months that is completely within their time limit.

If you they need more info they will send you an RFE, otherwise just keep busy and hang out until you get your NOA2. Easier said then done I know, we waited just shy of 7 months.

Your fine, keep your head down and keep waiting.

Also, your wife cannot move to the US until she get's approved and gets her visa. She will be turned away at the border if she has all of her stuff and is trying to cross without her visa.

Edited March 15, 2013 by CHarvey80

[ndu26 114]

No one seems to know why the approvals are not being done in order. Just as some after Oct filer have been approved, some may/june/july filers are yet hear something about their cases also.

[Necraa 10]

I am just concerned because I have looked at more than ten other timelines and there are numerous individuals who applied several weeks after I did and who have received a response a month or longer ago, I understand that the time is still within bounds, I am just concerned that my case is still being processed while others who started later than me are already almost completed.

[Cathi 5,849]

There are people from June and July who have not been approved yet. Stay strong and hopefully soon your time will come

Edited March 15, 2013 by mimolicious

[CanadianScott 2]

My wife (USC) and I submitted our I-130 back in May of 2012 from Canada. It took 8 months before we received our NOA2. My wife and kids, who are all USC, have been living in the US for the past 9 months. It sucks but I need to accept a great deal of the responsibility as I didn't do enough initial research. If I had, we would have delayed the families move until I had the visa in hand. The up side is that I've gained a much better appreciation for my family. Which in turn has changed my entire life outlook. Moving forward I will be putting my family before my career. As a type "A" career oriented person I needed a good slap in the head to reorient my priorities. Thus as difficult as the separation has been, it's ultimately been priceless. I hope you can get beyond the frustration and find something positive in your situation.

[NikLR 13,234]

It's because of the local offices. Whatever the local office that is working on your case is slower than another local office also working on cases. It's not unknown why the approvals are all over the place... THIS is the reason. Local offices are where people go to naturalize, get tourist visas or AOS. They had enough work to do most of the time as it was before the transfers and now they're dealing with things they haven't had to for some time.

There's nothing you can do to really speed up the process right now. Hold tough. I know it's hard.

[Necraa 10]

I have been reading and it says that if I apply for a K-3 then she could join me in the US to await the rest of the process to go through, in the event that the process does not finish by August (which it is looking like now) do you believe this would be a good option? The form I-129f says you can avoid paying the fee if "There is no fee for petitions for K-3 status based on an immigrant petition filed by the same U.S. citizen." I'm not sure what that means though? Can anyone provide feedback whether the K-3 is a good idea and what that fee waiver is referring to? Thanks.

[hikergirl 277]

You should start prepping for the NVC portion now if you haven’t read up on it yet. Start with Saylin’s Montreal guide: http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_for_Montreal_Beneficiaries_–_Electronic_Processing_and_New_Online_Forms

Make sure your wife has a long form birth certificate. The long forms would have her parents info as well as hers. They can take a while to order in.

Get a Police Certificate done for her making sure it lists all of her former names used or she has a printout of the submission showing that she requested it in her current name and all others (if applicable).

Make sure you have enough 2x2 passport photos on hand for NVC and the medical (5 at last count - unless I’m mistaken).

Once you have everything needed for NVC. Look into what is required for her interview & medical.

Are her vaccinations up to date as required?

The more you have prepped and ready to go the faster NVC step will take and the more in control you will feel. (or at least that’s how it was with me)

Good luck and I hope your NOA2 comes quickly!

[Robinhood 13]

I know its hard when you are so close. Did you call USCIS? and if you do not mind sharing with us your local field office.

[Necraa 10]

Yes, I called them about a month ago, the first guy I talked to said he couldn't help me then transferred me to someone higher up the chain of command, I waited an hour on hold, then when I got the guy all he could tell me was that it was "being processed". And I call the number that is listed on my NOA1 (1-800-375-5283), I'm not sure which is my local field office but I live in Tampa, FL if that helps?

[izabela 10]

I have been reading and it says that if I apply for a K-3 then she could join me in the US to await the rest of the process to go through, in the event that the process does not finish by August (which it is looking like now) do you believe this would be a good option? The form I-129f says you can avoid paying the fee if "There is no fee for petitions for K-3 status based on an immigrant petition filed by the same U.S. citizen." I'm not sure what that means though? Can anyone provide feedback whether the K-3 is a good idea and what that fee waiver is referring to? Thanks.

The K3 is a waste of time, especially at this point. We thought it might speed up the process also, so we applied for one as soon as we got our NOA1 for the i130, because there is no fee (just like you said), so we figured it was worth a try. However, it turns out that they keep both petitions together, so there is no chance they will approve the i129f before the 1130. And once your i130 is approved, they just close the i129f If you want to find out which local office is processing your application, call USCIS and ask to speak to a tier 2 officer (they will ask you for a reason, so tell them you know your petition has been transferred to a local office and want to know which one).

BTW, September 14 filer here

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

Yes, I called them about a month ago, the first guy I talked to said he couldn't help me then transferred me to someone higher up the chain of command, I waited an hour on hold, then when I got the guy all he could tell me was that it was "being processed". And I call the number that is listed on my NOA1 (1-800-375-5283), I'm not sure which is my local field office but I live in Tampa, FL if that helps?

Yep, your field office is slow. I've heard others complain of that region as well.

[Sidiqi09232011 0]

Hello, I'm an American citizen and I married my wife who is a Canadian citizen on June 30, 2012. We submitted our I-130 and got the NOA1 on Oct 1st 2012, it is now March 14th 2013 and I still have not heard anything back about my case. I have checked other people's timelines and several people who filed after us have already received their NOA2s and many have even progressed to the interview while I am still here waiting for my NOA2. I have had no RFe's or contact from them of any kind (will they be contacting me or her with a response?). The service center that I believe to be handling my petition is MSC (so it says on my NOA1). If anyone can provide any insight or explanation as to what is going on I would really appreicate it as I start graduate school in August and was intending to have my wife move in with me then, is this still feasible? Any help or advice will be greatly appreicated, thank you.

Additionally, if it is unlikely that my wife will be approved before August 2013 what can I do to allow her to move then and wait out the rest of the process there with me as she has scheduled a number of things to coincide to allow her to move then and if it is any later then moving will become much more difficult for us. Thanks again for any and all help.

[Sidiqi09232011 0]

Hello, I'm an American citizen and I married my wife who is a Canadian citizen on June 30, 2012. We submitted our I-130 and got the NOA1 on Oct 1st 2012, it is now March 14th 2013 and I still have not heard anything back about my case. I have checked other people's timelines and several people who filed after us have already received their NOA2s and many have even progressed to the interview while I am still here waiting for my NOA2. I have had no RFe's or contact from them of any kind (will they be contacting me or her with a response?). The service center that I believe to be handling my petition is MSC (so it says on my NOA1). If anyone can provide any insight or explanation as to what is going on I would really appreicate it as I start graduate school in August and was intending to have my wife move in with me then, is this still feasible? Any help or advice will be greatly appreicated, thank you.

Additionally, if it is unlikely that my wife will be approved before August 2013 what can I do to allow her to move then and wait out the rest of the process there with me as she has scheduled a number of things to coincide to allow her to move then and if it is any later then moving will become much more difficult for us. Thanks again for any and all help.

Please call them directly and ask what is happening. . . ask them directly if you are missing anything at this time and when you can expect to hear something. Don't wait. . . or you will just waste your precious time. . . good luck. . . it's a long process. . . Best Wishes always