Feeling depressed, is CR1 processing really taking 2 years+ for US citizens?

[Romin 1]

Hi guys, I am a US citizen who recently got married to my wife who is Nepali. We don't have any kids. I didn't realize until recently that the process to get her here via CR1 could actually take more than 2 years!? Is this really true? Seems very depressing if so, I wish I had gone the K1 fiancee route 

[powerpuff 6,594]

Yes, it could take 12-24 months on average, sometimes longer. K1 is taking almost the same with COVID delays worldwide. So you didn’t really miss out much. 

[SteveInBostonI130 3,402]

17 minutes ago, Romin said:

Hi guys, I am a US citizen who recently got married to my wife who is Nepali. We don't have any kids. I didn't realize until recently that the process to get her here via CR1 could actually take more than 2 years!? Is this really true? Seems very depressing if so, I wish I had gone the K1 fiancee route 

 

Here on VJ, no one has regretted doing CR1 over K1.  Several have regretted doing K1 instead of CR1. 

 

Here are the "fun" you are missing out with the K1 process (this is all after arriving to the US with the K1 visa):

• Filing for adjustment of status (AOS), including the employment authorization (EAD) and advanced parole (AP)
• Waiting 8-10 months to get the EAD/AP
• Waiting about 18 months to get the AOS approved for the green card
• Not being able to get a SSN until the EAD
• Not being able to get a DL until at least getting the EAD
• Not being able to get added to a bank account until getting an SSN
• Having to file taxes as married filing single because of no SSN for the spouse (or file for ITIN with a paper tax return for months of processing time versus weeks for electronic filing)
• Having to renew the DL every 2 years because the EAD is only good for 2 years.   Not being able to renew online because the immigration documents need to be inspected in person.
• Having difficulties getting health insurance because of lack of SSN (it can be done, but many HR people do not know this)

 

And as @powerpuff mentioned, the difference in processing time for a K1 and CR1 visa is just several months nowadays.  In some places the CR1 is quicker.

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from Process & Procedures to Progress Reports.

[SalishSea 17,714]

2 hours ago, Romin said:

Hi guys, I am a US citizen who recently got married to my wife who is Nepali. We don't have any kids. I didn't realize until recently that the process to get her here via CR1 could actually take more than 2 years!? Is this really true? Seems very depressing if so, I wish I had gone the K1 fiancee route 

That is the reality of US immigration.  K-1 would not be any faster these days.

 

Maybe consider moving to her country if the wait time is too long for you.

[Dil & Malar 91]

Please file I130 and please follow the process by filling I129F for K3 visa.  This way you get attention.   Just do not look at the processing time in the USCIS site and do not come up with it takes 2+ years.  It is of-course is a year long process.. but I130 gets approved in 6 month average then to follow NVC process.

[Ovid3 22]

12 hours ago, Romin said:

I didn't realize until recently that the process to get her here via CR1 could actually take more than 2 years!? Is this really true?

I can take 2 years or more at the moment, but it can be substantially shorter (or longer) depending on your situation as well as your luck. Estimates for the first step, which is filing I-130 at USCIS, are all over the place. Some people get through it in less than 3 months, others are currently still waiting for their February application to be processed. Generally speaking, count 6 to 10 months for that step alone. The second step, which is NVC, has a 3-month backlog and is currently processing September and early October submissions. Assuming you get everything right on the first try, ie no request for evidence at either stage, the road from filing to DQ is somewhere in the range of 7 to 12 months for most people at the moment. If you do get a RFE, add a few months to that estimate (especially at the NVC stage). 

The real unknown is how long it takes to get an appointment at a consulate when you are DQ. This is arguably the part of the process that was hit the hardest by the pandemic, as many consulates have had to shut down and have, consequently, amassed a considerable backlog. The good (or bad) news is that not all consulates are equal. Some have years worth of backlog, others are processing cases with little or no backlog. From the small pool of IR1/CR1 timelines on VJ, it looks like the consulate in Nepal belongs to the latter category. All in all, in the current situation, your case would probably take 11 to 15 months, give or take, from start to finish, so long as it is not a difficult case and doesn't get hit by RFEs.

It is still a very long and stressful process, even in the best-case scenario. But, so long as your case is straightforward and you do your due diligence, the entire process should, at current rates, stay well under 2 years.

[millefleur 5,045]

All these estimates are ballpark and there are variations from case to case, but it's best to be prepared for the worst. K-1 would not have been any better under current Covid circumstances. Best thing is to plan to visit each other during the wait. Not that it helps but a bunch of other people are in the same boat, just look around VJ and how many are waiting.

 

4 hours ago, Dil & Malar said:

Please file I130 and please follow the process by filling I129F for K3 visa.  This way you get attention.  

Some people have filed I-130 and then filed I129F for K-3 to "bump" the spousal visa petition. This isn't officially recommend by USCIS but anecdotal evidence says it worked for some people. If you don't mind more paperwork and spending more money you can always try that. I'm sure USCIS doesn't mind getting more fee money. I would not assume it to be a guarantee of faster processing though, could end up just being a waste.

 

[Loren Y 2,755]

14 hours ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

• Not being able to get a SSN until the EAD
• Not being able to get a DL until at least getting the EAD
• Not being able to get added to a bank account until getting an SSN

Depending on how motivated you are, these can all happen on a K1

We applied for my wifes SS card 14 hours after clearing POE at LAX, had SS card a week later, No issues.

Wife had her drivers license 2 weeks after arrival, real ID compliant also as she was already on a joint bank account and utility bills ( True, First license was good until I-94 expired ( 90 days), second was good for 1 year after EAD received, then after Green card, full term license) but she was able to get it.

Added her to my bank account and opened her own the day after her SS card arrived in the mail.

Filed taxes no issues, added her to my insurance no issues( She had her SSN 8 days after arriving so all this was possible)

While I agree, now a days things are about even, but saying you can't get a SSN until EAD is wrong,  DL, or State ID is more state specific, but 37 out of 50 will issue without EAD, and everything else is really based on the SSN like you said. But as long as you apply for the SSN within 74 days of arrival, you can get it before EAD, and many things are possible. The K1 while requiring more effort and money overall is not the death sentence you make it out to be.

[millefleur 5,045]

38 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

We applied for my wifes SS card 14 hours after clearing POE at LAX, had SS card a week later, No issues.

Was this before or after Covid?

[Loren Y 2,755]

38 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Was this before or after Covid?

It was before covid, but my friend I helped with his K1, she arrived in August of this year 2021, and he followed my exact same steps, and the only difference was the 2 weeks he had to wait to get into the SSN office because they were appointment only. DMV was the same, he had her added to bank account and everything with not too much longer a period. It did take 2 and a half weeks for them to receive their SSN card in the mail after the appointment. So, during covid it has extended the times by a few weeks, but all still possible. I was just helping him get his taxes ready for next year because he never filed MFJ before. So, add a few weeks to the SSN process.

[A&K2021 33]

On 12/30/2021 at 8:40 AM, Dil & Malar said:

Please file I130 and please follow the process by filling I129F for K3 visa.  This way you get attention.   Just do not look at the processing time in the USCIS site and do not come up with it takes 2+ years.  It is of-course is a year long process.. but I130 gets approved in 6 month average then to follow NVC process.

I did the k3 visa to push my i130 and none of them has been approved. My i130 is being reviewed since June 9 2020. I don't  know what else to do. There is a link at the USISC to send a notice when it is delayed. I don't IF that really works. Im really desperate and Im travelling ever 3-4 months

[Dil & Malar 91]

3 hours ago, 1380anthony said:

I did the k3 visa to push my i130 and none of them has been approved. My i130 is being reviewed since June 9 2020. I don't  know what else to do. There is a link at the USISC to send a notice when it is delayed. I don't IF that really works. Im really desperate and Im travelling ever 3-4 months

Sorry to hear this and you are waiting for more than 18 months on I130.  I am sure the K3 (I129F) should be able to give some positive effect since the timeline for K3 is around 6 months.  Also the form is correct.. usually they respond with some news in 2 to 3 weeks.  Keep calling them and do EMMA chat to see how it turns up.

[Kader96 12]

5 hours ago, 1380anthony said:

I did the k3 visa to push my i130 and none of them has been approved. My i130 is being reviewed since June 9 2020. I don't  know what else to do. There is a link at the USISC to send a notice when it is delayed. I don't IF that really works. Im really desperate and Im travelling ever 3-4 months

Same here tried this and waiting 1 year 4 months nothing yet

Edited January 3, 2022 by Kader96

[A&K2021 33]

4 hours ago, Dil & Malar said:

Sorry to hear this and you are waiting for more than 18 months on I130.  I am sure the K3 (I129F) should be able to give some positive effect since the timeline for K3 is around 6 months.  Also the form is correct.. usually they respond with some news in 2 to 3 weeks.  Keep calling them and do EMMA chat to see how it turns up.

I will, Im pretty tired of all this. I cant believe it take them years to read an application once reviewed. COVID is just an excuse

2 hours ago, Kader96 said:

Same here tried this and waiting 1 year 4 months nothing yet

Wow