Confusion about online status. Too good to be true?

[SharksBelow 99]

Gosh I hope I'm posting this in the right place this time. I can't seem to get it right!

We posted our i-130 petition last month, it was received on the 14th of July. We were stressing because we were waiting for our NOA1, it had not been received by email as requested.

We got our NOA1 today in the mail so that's great.

My husband logged on to the portal with our receipt number and the status says "...we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN." That was mailed on the 28th of July. The NOA1 was postmarked 17 July, so it took 2.5 weeks to get to us (in Australia). I guess this will also take about that long, whatever it is.

It can't be the NOA2 can it? That quickly? Surely not. That's waaay too quick, right? It must just be the NOA1 approval? I don't understand.. Can anyone shed some light? Thanks.

[Hypnos 6,578]

Sometimes USCIS improperly approve petitions out of order.

[SharksBelow 99]

Wow that's interesting, well, I am skeptical still and I suppose we can just wait to see what arrives in the mail in a couple of weeks. I'm crossing my fingers. It will break my heart to be apart from my husband (he has to leave in February) so if we can make that time shorter, that would be wonderful

[Nordic Tim 95]

Gosh I hope I'm posting this in the right place this time. I can't seem to get it right!

We posted our i-130 petition last month, it was received on the 14th of July. We were stressing because we were waiting for our NOA1, it had not been received by email as requested.

We got our NOA1 today in the mail so that's great.

My husband logged on to the portal with our receipt number and the status says "...we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN." That was mailed on the 28th of July. The NOA1 was postmarked 17 July, so it took 2.5 weeks to get to us (in Australia). I guess this will also take about that long, whatever it is.

It can't be the NOA2 can it? That quickly? Surely not. That's waaay too quick, right? It must just be the NOA1 approval? I don't understand.. Can anyone shed some light? Thanks.

What does your online status say?? It sounds to me like you are APPROVED!!! We saw cases like that even during the backlog where cases were approved within a few days or weeks of reaching USCIS. Either way they have worked through the backlog now and are doing things much more quickly.

Hopefully that is the case and you are on your way to NVC!!! Dig in for a long wait and let's hope that you bring some of that luck with you to NVC and they start knocking out their backlog too!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

~Edited to correct a typo~

Edited August 5, 2014 by Nordic Tim

[SharksBelow 99]

Online status says "Post Decision Activity".

Looks like we have been transferred to the California Service Centre. Is that good or bad?

[Nordic Tim 95]

Online status says "Post Decision Activity".

Looks like we have been transferred to the California Service Centre. Is that good or bad?

You were transferred to CSC and they must have been so enamored with your petition that they just approved it right away!!!

Your petition has been approved. It will be forwarded to NVC sometime in the next 30 days. Then the fun begins. Head on over to the NVC thread and although it is very busy try to read up as much as you can. Read Saylin's wiki on the first post.

Here's to hoping the NVC picks up speed and gives you that same great experience.

Emotionally prepare yourself to be at the NVC for 6 months. Hopefully it's quicker!!!

[Nordic Tim 95]

Oh, and prepare for some people to be a bit put out that you were approved so quickly. Most people at NVC waited AT LEAST 6 months on USCIS. We were approved really fast in just over 4 months. Now USCIS is working really fast and it is making people a bit cranky. No worries though, it's just a bit of jealousy and again, CONGRATULATIONS on avoiding the dreaded months of uncertainty at USCIS!!!

[SharksBelow 99]

You were transferred to CSC and they must have been so enamored with your petition that they just approved it right away!!!

Your petition has been approved. It will be forwarded to NVC sometime in the next 30 days. Then the fun begins. Head on over to the NVC thread and although it is very busy try to read up as much as you can. Read Saylin's wiki on the first post.

Here's to hoping the NVC picks up speed and gives you that same great experience.

Emotionally prepare yourself to be at the NVC for 6 months. Hopefully it's quicker!!!

Thanks for that! So when it's transferred, I read that they don't let us know on the wiki so we just have to call each week to find out right? Then we wait for the package in the mail and start doing the forms?

My parents-in-law are co-sponsoring, so is this a good time for them to get their forms and info together? Tax returns etc? Sorry I should be asking this in another section probably!

I was emotionally prepared (as much as possible) for being apart for much of next year so I'm very happy to possibly have that reduced. All we can do is try our very best to ensure that we tick all the boxes, cross all the "t"s and dot all the "i"s.

I will read as much as I can in the NVC section. Thanks so much!

Oh, and prepare for some people to be a bit put out that you were approved so quickly. Most people at NVC waited AT LEAST 6 months on USCIS. We were approved really fast in just over 4 months. Now USCIS is working really fast and it is making people a bit cranky. No worries though, it's just a bit of jealousy and again, CONGRATULATIONS on avoiding the dreaded months of uncertainty at USCIS!!!

I fully understand this and honestly if I was in their boat I would probably feel the same way. So I will not take it personally.

[Nordic Tim 95]

Thanks for that! So when it's transferred, I read that they don't let us know on the wiki so we just have to call each week to find out right? Then we wait for the package in the mail and start doing the forms?

My parents-in-law are co-sponsoring, so is this a good time for them to get their forms and info together? Tax returns etc? Sorry I should be asking this in another section probably!

I was emotionally prepared (as much as possible) for being apart for much of next year so I'm very happy to possibly have that reduced. All we can do is try our very best to ensure that we tick all the boxes, cross all the "t"s and dot all the "i"s.

I will read as much as I can in the NVC section. Thanks so much!

I fully understand this and honestly if I was in their boat I would probably feel the same way. So I will not take it personally.

It sounds like you've got it all right. Yes, you can go ahead and get all the AOS stuff ready and prepared. Get all of your civil docs that aren't time sensitive ready.

Yea, you won't get notification from NVC for some time after so it's best to call after about two weeks.

I really do think that the same thing that happened at USCIS is about to happen at NVC. They are currently doing their best to handle the increased back log and I'm confident that they are ramping up and will be bringing wait times down by the end of the year.

Oh, one more question. Are you and your husband living in and filing from Australia?? There is a mysterious auto-expedite for USCs that live and file abroad. Many petitioners have benefited from this.

[SharksBelow 99]

It sounds like you've got it all right. Yes, you can go ahead and get all the AOS stuff ready and prepared. Get all of your civil docs that aren't time sensitive ready.

Yea, you won't get notification from NVC for some time after so it's best to call after about two weeks.

I really do think that the same thing that happened at USCIS is about to happen at NVC. They are currently doing their best to handle the increased back log and I'm confident that they are ramping up and will be bringing wait times down by the end of the year.

Oh, one more question. Are you and your husband living in and filing from Australia?? There is a mysterious auto-expedite for USCs that live and file abroad. Many petitioners have benefited from this.

Wow that is very interesting! I hope that we do benefit from that particular magical auto-expedite! We are indeed living and filing from Australia. Husband has to go back to America at the end of February, before his Australian 462 visa expires. Hopefully we will be well along in the process by then.

I'm also starting to collate all the places I've lived since I turned 16 and jobs I've had. Quite a process, though I am confident I have not missed anything, I'm only 30 after all.

I hope you are right about the backlog being smashed at the moment. Sending lots of productive and constructive vibes their way!

[NikLR 13,232]

Congrats!

You may not have to fill out the jobs if you're female and are currently working. On the NVC process wiki there is a link to the guide saying who has to fill out each section. I was fortunate and didn't.