I received NOA1 but not the Fiance

[pmakhija 20]

Hello All

I had a great opportunity Saturday evening to have dinner with and spend several hours with a director at the VSC. He is currently in charge of the department that handles I-751s among other things. His wife is an adjusicator that handles YOUR petition (if it went through VSC). His wife is Russian, arrived on a K-1 and is now a citizen. This man has worked for USCIS for many years and was at several local offices before being assigned to the VSC. His wife is a friend of Alla's and we were all at a dinner party for several American/Russian/Ukrainian couples Saturday. We had a long chat, he was very open and helpful. We talked about a lot of the things we see here on VJ and I was trying to remember all the "usual questions" I read about and pin him down for some answers. I also have asked him if he will give an "official interview" for VJ. He said he will check out the site and I will call him later this week. So, anyway I will try to cover what we discussed, he was quite frank and direct in his answers, not rude, not at all, but he knows his stuff and answers without hesitation. It turned into an impromtu and fun "interview" with me trying to remember all the hot button issues I see on VJ

I told him that the number ONE and number TWO "complaints" I see are Why is the VSC taking so long and why can't we get through to you guys?

Why is VSC taking so long, what happened? I was approved in 58 days!: We had problem with labor last year and lost many workers, we hired more last November and it took some time to get them trained. Some of the petitions were sent to California and we also assign people to different tyopes of visas. They will concentrate on one tyoe, get behind on another and then shift many people back to the other type. Lately we have shifted many, almost all, adjudicators to I-129fs, so that should make people happy. They will do that until they get caught up. Summer is a busy time for I-129fs, usually about June we get slammed with them. The winter or early spring is the slowest time for I-129fs, but then it depends what they have everyone working on also.

OK, why can't we get through to you? The 1-800 line is useless. Those are contract employees and they are trained to select answers from a menu of 14 answers. They pick which one is best for your question. There are thousands of visas being processed at any time and everyone is special and everyone has special circumstances and if we had direct lines we weould do nothing but field requests by petitioners to give them priority, we just can't do it. How would you feel if your petition got bumped because some woman called and cried on the phone and then her petition got moved up ahead of yours. We simply have to operate in a way that avoids any chance of fraud, corruption or unfairness.

So what about some people get approved ahead of others? Sme petitions have problems or delays, we do not hold back others for this. If an adjudicator has problems, he puts that one aside or sends an RFE and goes on to the next. The next one may be clean and gets approved right away, in just a few minutes, they adjudicate 15-20 petitions a day per person, and the ones with problems may wait weeks for the petitioner to respond to the RFE, or maybe it is a name check they are waiting for. Petitions are assigned as they arrive, when we are working on those petitions, but they do not go out the door in the same order they came in.

G-325a, Signed or Unsigned? Unsigned.

WHAT? Ok I have seen the memo but lots of VJ members got RFEs for unsigned G-325s, what gives? They do not have to be signed,they can be signed at the consualte interview. Some adjusicators haven't read all the memos, we get hundreds of the things, and maybe they make a mistake. If you want to be sure there is no mistake, sign it. Or send a letter expalining why it is not signed and request it be signed at the interview. Do you have that memo?


It is on the VJ website somewhere You can print a copy of that and send it with the I-129f and G-325a.

Fiancee intent letter? Signed or unsigned? Signed.

What about a faxed or emailed signature? When I was adjudicating, if I could see a signature, I accepted it, but many adjusicators will not. Signed is better.

Lawyer or no lawyer? For what?

Enough said. Now a hot issue, a very controversial one. There seems to be a trend in some countries of foreign men marrying American women and the women are considerably older. There is always a question if this is a problem. It never seems to be a problem for older men/younger women (My wife is 13 years younger, his wife is also considerable younger than him) Is it a problem? For us, USCIS, no. "Free to marry".

What about the consulates or for AOS or I-751? Consulates do what they do, it is not USCIS, some of them are bastards. Kiev is easy, they approve everyone (laughs), they used to be bastards but they got easier since they first started doing those in 2005, before then you would have had to go to Warsaw, you know. For AOS if they can prove they are legitimate we do not care about age but anything that is "not normal" for the culture will draw suspicion. They probably will not get a no questions asked interview (I had told him our AOS was "no questions asked")

What about birth certificates, some people have trouble getting them? This is a problem for us also. Some people, especially our younger staff, think all the world is like the USA. I remember one, when I was in the Kansas City office, the beneficiary was from Viet Nam, she was born in 1954 there was no birth certificate. The CO asked me about this and I looked at the file. I said "Do you know what was going on in Viet Nam in 1954?" She looked at me, straight faced and said "What, their computers were down?" If a birth certificate cannot be obtained they can usually get something from a church, a village official, something, and send that with a letter of explanation. Or just their passport and a letter explaining the situation (this applies to AOS more than I-129f as beneficiary birth certificate is not required for the petition, but I wanted to ask anyway, it seems a common question here)

What about extra documents? Proof of relationship? We don't need it, only that they have met for the fiancee visa.

What about the consulates? Consulates do what they do, as I said, some are bastards. They get whatever we get when it is sent on. I can't tell you what NVC and consulates do, I know some are terrible and some are really easy, but I do not know all the details of each. Kiev is easy, western Europe is easy, Nigeria is horrible, but you would not believe the scams from Nigeria, I get jaded. I am surprised a lot of them get visas and then we have to deal with them.

I have to ask for a collegue, Ecuador? Bastards.



What about changes? Are there any in the works? Is Obama ouching you guys to work faster? I am not sure Obama knows we exist. There have been no changes and no pressure other than the usual workload and shifting things around. I do not expect any immigration changes in the next year or two, at kleat not in rules or amnesty or anything like that. I do expect FEE INCREASES within the next year...across the board.

How much more? I cannot say, that is not my area, I just hear talk.

He added, "We try not to deny petitions, people really get angry and make lots of trouble. Denials usually come at the consulate or maybe AOS or sometimes even with the I-751. If we deny someone we need good reason, if they meet the criteria, we will approve it, they just have to give us what we need to approve them."

So how can I speed up my petition? You can't really. If it gets to be too long and if you can get a congressman or senator to call, that will get some action, but half the time those guys dont'' call or they do and the petition has only been there 3 months. Sometimes one falls through the cracks, gets overlooked, we are human. A congressman can get through and get them to dig it out if it has been too long, but I wouldn't call that "speeding it up". That's a fix for whn it is too slow.


we talked for some time more, about 5 hours altogether, briefly interrupted by Alla every now and again who had her own questions about the I-751 procedure which I posted in that forum, about VJ and other topics (his Navy days) He said he will check the site and gave me his home number. He said "call anytime but not 3 in the morning" I asked about an interview or answering prepared questions, he said possibly, he will check the site. He said many internet sites are advertisement for immigration attorneys or instructing people on how to pull scams, I assured him he would be very pleased with VJ and he thinks it is great that there is a good site for information and advice. (he never heard of VJ before this)

I can also say, that speaking to him, I heard so many of the same buzzwords or advice that I have seen right here, this is really a great site with some great folks giving some really great info.

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[sma1488 155]

Sorry, but you copied and pasted that (and didn't give credit) from a thread from 2009 pertaining to the Vermont Service Center, which no longer routinely handles I-129F petitions. The circumstances now are completely different, which means you can't really draw any conclusions about the situation now using information from 5 years ago.

I'm not saying that your estimate of 15-20 per day is wrong. I'm just saying it's impossible to know that and pointless to speculate and possibly mislead others looking for reliable information here on these forums.

[pmakhija 20]

I am sorry bud, but I just copy pasted what I had seen and read, again, I might be completely wrong about the current situation and the progress on how the visa issuance works. Hopefully, we all get our visas in time!

[pmakhija 20]

Credit goes to Gary and Alla for the information that I copied and pasted above!

[kehills 217]

Thank You folks. I appreciate it. I really hope that we can pull this off in time! Do you guys think I should post pone my wedding plans to april just to be on the safer side of things? I just dont know how this will pan out. I have sent in all required documents and proof, I know that the agents who look over our files do about 15-20 each day, then why dont they just send out the NOA's right after they have approved them? Why keep people waiting specially if there is no rhyme or reason to how they do not handle these applications on a first come first serve basis?

It depends what you mean by "wedding plans."

[pmakhija 20]

Wedding plans as in wedding dates, being of Indian Descent, the wedding will be 2 days long, so we were thinking March 20-21, so thats why we are now in a delima, I guess, we wont finalize the date until we have the NOA2 in hand, as after that, things usually proceed fairly smoothly!

[Ed and Gina 45]

well...As for things going smoothly after NOA2...not sure where you came up with that idea. There are just so many different factors that can affect progress. Such as the computer system crashing at State Department - which really messed things up. It could be Obama putting one of his famous DACA programs in place...which has had a drastic delaying effect on everyone! It could be that at the consular interview, your fiance may get a 221(g) - stopping everything dead in it's tracks. Add to this list, natural disasters...causing "emergency" situations at an embassy...if you can imagine it, it can happen...

You see...none of this is made up...all of it has happened to many of us here - at this time - so, don't pin your hopes on a specific approval date or month or, for that matter, year. As another has said - remain flexible. Until your fiance has that visa in the palm of their hand...then you can start to make serious arrangements. The government and the people working for it don't care about your plans nor your time table.

Hopefully, everything works out well for you and yours...just don't set yourself up for disappointment! With that comes aggravation, stress and a bunch of emotional ####### that you nor your intended needs to deal with.I'm fairly sure that many here will tell you of how this waiting game can put a terrible strain on you and yours and on your relationship. Do yourselves a favor - plan to make plans once the visa is in hand - not when your fiance has been approved - not even when it says ISSUED on CEAC website. Too many things can go wrong - and have for many people! And all of us thought that it couldn't happen to us.

[kehills 217]

Wedding plans as in wedding dates, being of Indian Descent, the wedding will be 2 days long, so we were thinking March 20-21, so thats why we are now in a delima, I guess, we wont finalize the date until we have the NOA2 in hand, as after that, things usually proceed fairly smoothly!

Nooo no no no. You have no way of knowing if you're going to get an RFE and sit in limbo for six months. What will you do if that happens?

There's a reason that they tell you, over and over, in all official documents and correspondence, to not do anything "permanent" towards wedding plans until you have the VISA in hand. If you plan dates, have people book trips, place deposits, etc and so forth, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will be able to use those dates unless you already have the VISA.

Can you afford to be in a position where you/your family lose the money from booking a two-day ceremony? Are your families able to eat the cost of plane tickets, or pay the fees to change them to other dates?

You will have time to plan a lavish wedding after the VISA is in hand. It might not be as fast as you want, but it will be guaranteed. Anything else, and you do risk losing a significant amount of money (and face). These aren't idle possibilities, either; as Ed and Gina noted, it doesn't take much reading around the forums to find horror story after horror story of people scheduling weddings when they thought it would be "safe" only to find that they were wrong.

[Ed and Gina 45]

Here's an example of why you should NOT make definite plans - just posted today...

Hello VJ,

I got issued today 8/8/2014, after patiently waiting for more than 2 months , it was not easy to wait and speculate negative things. But because of prayers, God always answer me in his time, today we are celebrating our 3 years anniversary and we are thrilled to receive a great news like this.

This is a person with a K1 visa (3 year relationship)...was not issued a 221(g)...and had an interview that went well...

[ddtenor2 80]

I agree with jaygee011 that a March wedding, while a possibility, is still cutting it close, and delaying the wedding by a few weeks may not provide much added insurance. Keep in mind that Germany participates in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows German citizens to enter the U.S. without having to get a visa. The program is called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). I've include a link to the website. http://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/esta

Worst case scenario, your fiancée could come to the U.S. for the wedding but you would incur the expense of an additional trip to and from the U.S. The only thing I don't know is whether your fiancée's status of applying for the K-1 visa would impact her ability to enter the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program.

Good luck!!

[Zedayn 486]

I agree with jaygee011 that a March wedding, while a possibility, is still cutting it close, and delaying the wedding by a few weeks may not provide much added insurance. Keep in mind that Germany participates in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows German citizens to enter the U.S. without having to get a visa. The program is called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). I've include a link to the website. http://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/esta

Worst case scenario, your fiancée could come to the U.S. for the wedding but you would incur the expense of an additional trip to and from the U.S. The only thing I don't know is whether your fiancée's status of applying for the K-1 visa would impact her ability to enter the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program.

Good luck!!

You will not be eligible for the K-1 visa if you are married.

[ramseeker 0]

I wouldn't plan a thing until your Visa is in hand. You can't guess at all when/if you'll get your Visa so don't make plans until you've got it. This visa stuff is complicated enough without adding wedding cancellations into the mix. Patience is a virtue when it comes to all this.

Also, keep those NOA's you get as you will need them when it comes time to the AOS stage.

[Memo199 4]

Once your Fiancee visa is approved, she has up to six months to leave the country and 90 days to get married after arriving to the US, plenty of time.. I am a late March filer, I am going to visit my fiencee in October, hopefully NOA2 gets in prior my trip.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Memo199

[generousjido 0]

Hello guys,

I want you guys to please clarify this for me. I just check the uscis website now to see the update regarding my wife and i (i130i) and we got this update below:-

On August 4, 2014, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

What is the next thing to do after receiving the notice? And please how long more does it take for everything to be finally done? My wife gets sad everyday cos i130 suspense is crazy. I would appreciate a detailed informations on this since it has been approved now. Thanks.

[HK12 273]

Hello guys,

I want you guys to please clarify this for me. I just check the uscis website now to see the update regarding my wife and i (i130i) and we got this update below:-

On August 4, 2014, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

What is the next thing to do after receiving the notice? And please how long more does it take for everything to be finally done? My wife gets sad everyday cos i130 suspense is crazy. I would appreciate a detailed informations on this since it has been approved now. Thanks.

Please start your own thread and post it in the IR1/CR1 visa forum, so you can get better responses. This thread here is about K1 visas.

Edited August 9, 2014 by HK12