The Earliest We Can Be Together

[geowrian 22,335]

There's no way to speed up the process except to have all your forms and evidence prepared (to avoid RFEs). Other than that, it's purely a waiting game. The stats here on VJ should give you the best guess at when your application will be processed...even more so than the official USCIS website can provide IMHO. It'll likely be 12-16 months based on what I see. It could be less, but it could also be more. Part of the delays are caused by background checks, which vary based on your individual circumstances and history, and others could be from the foreign consulate processing your application. VJ does a good job of consolidating this data to make estimates, but it's only as good as the data it has. USCIS can suddenly get very busy sometimes, too. With the new president coming into office soon and his statements regarding immigration as a whole, it could spark an uptake in applications that VJ just doesn't have the data yet to know about.

Many (most?) people on this site are either in the same or similar shoes, or were in them at some point in the past) as you. We want to be with our loved ones, but we just have to be thorough and patient. Best of luck!

[Wooderz 314]

Look nobody can say exactly. Luck plays a huge factor. Why did my husband's green card take 8 months (we did k1) while my friends who filed at the same time only take 3-4. It wasn't because of anything we did or didn't do or my friend is did or didn't do. It was luck of the draw.

I know the wait is hard. And painful. And stressful. As someone who waited 300 days for a k1, I would pass on this advice to anyone waiting (or myself if I could go back in time)- focus on work, family, or a hobby. Obsessing over the visa only makes the process more difficult emotionally.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

Try to shift your focus from how fast to how prepared do I have to be.
It is really not all about being the fastest way but the best possible prepared way that results in an approval.
A K1's and CR1's can get denied too and then you have to either start over (K1) or go through a lengthy re affirmation process
(CR1).

Read the guides so you have a clear understanding about the process and read the threads about what you should and should not do.
They cross check previous applications so all data must be consistent from then and current petitions.

Read your regional forum and see what others wrote in the embassy review, how many marinated in AP,

how long from NOA2 to the interview, what they consistently want to see in your well thought out relationship evidence

which you should front load by the way ( enter front loading petition in VJ search to read threads ).
You are in it for the long haul and you have to accept that it takes however long it takes.
Took us 5 years and we were in AP for 16 mos and then denied and had to start over.
That is an extreme, we had no idea that extreme would happen to us.
12-18 months from start to interview for a CR1 is about all you can expect as members told you.
It is a long process, it is a roller coaster ride so buckle up and be prepared.

Best wishes on your visa journey, hope it is smooth and speedy for you.

[Mel & Jaybee 1]

Look nobody can say exactly. Luck plays a huge factor. Why did my husband's green card take 8 months (we did k1) while my friends who filed at the same time only take 3-4. It wasn't because of anything we did or didn't do or my friend is did or didn't do. It was luck of the draw.

I know the wait is hard. And painful. And stressful. As someone who waited 300 days for a k1, I would pass on this advice to anyone waiting (or myself if I could go back in time)- focus on work, family, or a hobby. Obsessing over the visa only makes the process more difficult emotionally.

Try to shift your focus from how fast to how prepared do I have to be.

It is really not all about being the fastest way but the best possible prepared way that results in an approval.

A K1's and CR1's can get denied too and then you have to either start over (K1) or go through a lengthy re affirmation process

(CR1).

Read the guides so you have a clear understanding about the process and read the threads about what you should and should not do.

They cross check previous applications so all data must be consistent from then and current petitions.

Read your regional forum and see what others wrote in the embassy review, how many marinated in AP,

how long from NOA2 to the interview, what they consistently want to see in your well thought out relationship evidence

which you should front load by the way ( enter front loading petition in VJ search to read threads ).

You are in it for the long haul and you have to accept that it takes however long it takes.

Took us 5 years and we were in AP for 16 mos and then denied and had to start over.

That is an extreme, we had no idea that extreme would happen to us.

12-18 months from start to interview for a CR1 is about all you can expect as members told you.

It is a long process, it is a roller coaster ride so buckle up and be prepared.

Best wishes on your visa journey, hope it is smooth and speedy for you.

There's no way to speed up the process except to have all your forms and evidence prepared (to avoid RFEs). Other than that, it's purely a waiting game. The stats here on VJ should give you the best guess at when your application will be processed...even more so than the official USCIS website can provide IMHO. It'll likely be 12-16 months based on what I see. It could be less, but it could also be more. Part of the delays are caused by background checks, which vary based on your individual circumstances and history, and others could be from the foreign consulate processing your application. VJ does a good job of consolidating this data to make estimates, but it's only as good as the data it has. USCIS can suddenly get very busy sometimes, too. With the new president coming into office soon and his statements regarding immigration as a whole, it could spark an uptake in applications that VJ just doesn't have the data yet to know about.

Many (most?) people on this site are either in the same or similar shoes, or were in them at some point in the past) as you. We want to be with our loved ones, but we just have to be thorough and patient. Best of luck!

Thank you all for your help and advice!!! And I'm sorry everything took so long, it's difficult for him with job options being somewhat low where he is and with his qualifications. We just want to be together, and we're both so young, it's hard to come to terms with that this may be a possible reality.

I called the USCIS today to get an update and better understanding of the K-3 and how I could ensure that the K-3 would get sent to the NVC first so that it would be processed accordingly and I informed the operator I was on call with of the things I had read concerning the virtual pointlessness of the K-3, and was assured that the K-3 is sent first no matter what. Which now makes me confused -- does the operator simply not really know the modern circumstances of the K-3 visa? And why not? I suppose I may still be a little confused as to why the K-3 doesn't work anymore and what's stopping it, because from what I read, it seemed like it was a USCIS problem with sending the petitions at the same time, but now I've been assured that isn't the case by USCIS. Is this more of an NVC problem?

THANK YOU!

--Mel

Edited December 21, 2016 by Mel & Jaybee

[Kastrs 723]

Thank you all for your help and advice!!! And I'm sorry everything took so long, it's difficult for him with job options being somewhat low where he is and with his qualifications. We just want to be together, and we're both so young, it's hard to come to terms with that this may be a possible reality.

I called the USCIS today to get an update and better understanding of the K-3 and how I could ensure that the K-3 would get sent to the NVC first so that it would be processed accordingly and I informed the operator I was on call with of the things I had read concerning the virtual pointlessness of the K-3, and was assured that the K-3 is sent first no matter what. Which now makes me confused -- does the operator simply not really know the modern circumstances of the K-3 visa? And why not? I suppose I may still be a little confused as to why the K-3 doesn't work anymore and what's stopping it, because from what I read, it seemed like it was a USCIS problem with sending the petitions at the same time, but now I've been assured that isn't the case by USCIS. Is this more of an NVC problem?

THANK YOU!

--Mel

USCIS operators give out incorrect information ALL the time. They are commonly refereed to as the misinformation line on here.

Processing time for a K3 petition is exactly the same as that for a CR1 petition (99.9% of the time), and both are sent to the NVC at the same time where the K3 is administratively closed and the process continues down the CR1 path. It is possibly, although highly unlikely, that your husband will be granted the K3; however, if he were granted the K3 you should still expect the process to take a year or a bit more and he would not be able to work on arrival ect.

[jwcir12016 32]

I understand your desperation, my husband and I with a small child were in your shoes about a year ago. We filed the K3 hoping to be one of the .00001% to receive it, but we weren't! When our case reached NVC, it automatically turned into a CR1 visa. Our entire process took just under a year and that is a very realistic timeline. We had one RFE and were granted an expedite for our child's surgery, which really didn't expedite anything. Your best bet is to accept that you are going to be in this for a year, after that make sure you do lots of research and have everything in order for each step of the process so that you don't get held up at any point for anything silly. The visa process really isn't complicated, it's just the frustration of dealing with USCIS and NVC while being separated from your loved one. Good luck to you. You are not alone, we've all been there.

[Prystine 184]

This is your reality now, and in this process you have to have a lot of patience as you will be waiting for what seems like forever; however, the end result will be worth it. Just keep trudging along, be prepared and understand that yes it will take that long to get through it. We have all been here, it's the waiting game and we all have to go through it.

[JenniferNangel 137]

After me and my husband were married we started to look into the different visas and saw the k3 was supposed to be the fastest but it actually takes more time than going a i130/cr1. I was still with him in his country and pregnant and I didn't want to wait a year or more for my daughter to meet her father and vice versa. The fastest way is dcf but not every consulate allows it and sometimes you need residency requirements luckily sdq allowed me to file my husband app at the embassy and it took a little over 2 months from start to finish to get his visa

[GabbyBird 53]

Just takes time, patience, and due diligence. We had to keep on our toes with our CR-1 because USCIS/NVC kept screwing up, losing our paperwork, and actually changing forms half-way through the process. Ended up granting us an expedite at the NVC due to their errors. Very stressful time being apart from your spouse so long.

In our case, we were living together years and married before our CR-1 process. My wife was forced to return to Russia due to an old J-visa (student) homestay requirement that had 6 months left on it from when she was a high-school exchange student. It was rough and un-waivable, but we got through it.

Edited December 21, 2016 by GabbyBird

[Boiler 43,426]

Sounds like you were living in Nepal, could you not move back for a fair chunk of the processing time, as others have said it is a long process.

[pm5k 127]

For what it's worth, we made sure to send tons and tons of information with our initial I-130 package (CR-1 visa).   I applied in February, and my wife was in the US in September (end of) of the same year.  As others have said, it is a mix of luck and preparation.  We made sure all documents were checked multiple times before sending things in.  

[indokayak 2]

On 12/20/2016 at 3:56 PM, Mel & Jaybee said:

We actually tried the route first; we originally couldn't file for a K-1 visa because by the time it would be processed and accepted, we would no longer be engaged but married.

 

Are we just going to have to wait and sit through the half-a-year to maybe OVER a year waiting process until we can be together?

 

Yes, we are all suffering this same problem. I can tell you, the K-1 is not always faster.  I have been waiting nearly six months just for a NOA2.  I would advise to plan for the long haul.  If you really love each-other, it will all work out.  Keep calm, and try not to cut corners.  Im sorry, and I know how you feel.