Feeling depressed K-1 visa process

[Y&A1221 9]

On 7/2/2022 at 6:32 AM, mw & rg k1 said:

Our NOA1 is Dec 17,2021 ... and just waiting as well ... guessing 2023 for NOA2 based in VisaJourney emails ... aiaiai

Wishing you the best! I pray things speed up soon! It would be amazing to get NOA2 in 2022. Even if it is December 31, 2022 ! 

[AMAXX 2]

On 6/19/2022 at 4:59 PM, Y&A1221 said:

I’m beginning to feel depressed. I just want my fiancé to be here so we can get married and begin our lives together. We have started to argue a little more… but it’s usually my fault because I miss him. Ahhhh. Our first NOA is December 31, 2021. Do y’all think USCIS will actually speed up like they’ve been saying since March? Their goal is 6 months… but right now it’s taking at least 13.5 months to receive NOA2. I just want to hear yalls opinions on if you think they will speed up! And I also want to hear some feedback from other couples who may be feeling depressed with the distance, also. 

We were 13 December 2019 CR1 and my wife just got her visa on Saturday the 16th July 2022.

 

Depression was hard on me, and she cried a lot. We had Covid-19 interruption for almost 2 years, so have faith. USCIS is on it. Getting to NVC is such a rejoicing time, so keep up the faith! 

[Asadu 🇳🇬❤️🇱🇷 10]

On 6/20/2022 at 10:45 AM, EatBulaga said:

One thing to keep you pre-occupied while waiting for approval is to learn the details of each other.

And keep re-iterating the details to each other so that the information is second nature to each of you.

This will come in handy at the K1 and the AOS interviews.

 

For example before the consulate interview, I didn't even know how many siblings my K1 beneficiary had or their names, and vice versa. And we were together over 5 years before even filing the I-129F!

It took a few months for us to not having to repeatedly ask each other and not consciously recall the siblings names and be able to subconsciously verbalize the names like reflex--same for her parents names, or close friends, or aunties/uncles, etc.

 

It also came to my attention from these detailed exercises that I realized she had an aunt living in the US that was denied K1 and they had to actually go the spouse visa route. So in case the interviewer asks if she had any relatives in the US, she could answer not immediate relatives but an aunt, etc.

Other things to know about each other are like where your partner has lived before, where your partner went to school, what were their past jobs, what are the common interests/hobbies, etc. Knowing all these doesn't mean they will be asked at the interview, it just means that you have built a bona fide relationship by putting in the time to know each other.

 

Remember by the interview time, both of you would have waited over a year, and the stress could block any conscious communication to the point of having to rely on subconscious responses. This is similar to when I was cramming for exams in college and during the test time, I had mental blocks from the stress or the lack of sleep trying to consciously recall the knowledge or apply what I should have known earlier. Part of the interviewers job is to identify genuine relationships, and the more comfortable you are answering questions about each other then the more convincing you are to the interviewer. So if there are anything you don't know about each other, this is the time to learn and communicate so that you know each other subconsciously. Good luck!

Hello

 

I'm in the process of the K-1 Visa package I mailed everything off of March of 2022 yes I received a text message stating they received the payment. Now I'm just have to wait it's very hard I've been feeling depressed but I really like all the things that you put out there. I will sit back and ask my fiance more questions about yourself and in his hobbies because anything I know is he like to cook and he's an engineer. Thank you so much for sharing. That's on me and my fiance pray and fast and we have amazing relationship together is almost 3 years we've been together. 

[pasharapov 3]

The wait will test your patience, how strong you are as a person and even the love you have for one another. If the budget allows for it, make trips to see each other in a new country or place that allows both your passports. Or better yet, move to a different country where you can both stay 3-6 months. 

We applied in Nov 2019. Fiancé finally moved to the states in October ‘21, nearly 2 years of waiting - and now we’re still waiting for her GC interview. 
You haven’t waited long - do what you can that is in your control. Learn about the next steps and get docs ready, organized pdf’s on your computer.

Plan trips, watch movies/documentaries and discuss, focus on the positives as best you can. 
Wishing you both a quick & painless acceptance!

[Melissa and Keith 4]

On 6/20/2022 at 2:04 PM, JeanneAdil said:

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

 

current USCIS processing times for a K1 is 13 months 

and that is just the beginning

 

 

On 6/19/2022 at 7:59 PM, Y&A1221 said:

I’m beginning to feel depressed. I just want my fiancé to be here so we can get married and begin our lives together. We have started to argue a little more… but it’s usually my fault because I miss him. Ahhhh. Our first NOA is December 31, 2021. Do y’all think USCIS will actually speed up like they’ve been saying since March? Their goal is 6 months… but right now it’s taking at least 13.5 months to receive NOA2. I just want to hear yalls opinions on if you think they will speed up! And I also want to hear some feedback from other couples who may be feeling depressed with the distance, also. 

Don't give up hope! I am not sure of your specific situation. We sent the K-1 paperwork off in Jan 2021. That was not even a year into Covid. We got our first NOA in March 2021, our second in August 2021. He had his interview with the consulate in London in November 2021. He moved here in February, and we got married the same month. We didn't get our paperwork off for his AOS and work permit until June (had a couple of hiccups on our side when trying to send it before). He just got his biometrics appointment notice on Saturday, and it's set for 7/25. This is one of the hardest parts, waiting to reunite with your fiance. When I picked Keith up from the airport in February, it was the first time we'd been together in person since I took him back to the airport in Sep of 2019. We had no idea then that it would be nearly 2.5 years before we'd see each other again. I was going to go back in 2020, but Covid hit and threw those plans out the window. I say all that to say, you will make it. Don't pick fights out of frustration. That will not make things any easier. Be patient and trust the process. It does take time, but it will work out. 

[Beth Moskov 25]

Hang in there!! I know it's tough! We initially filled in November 2020 and my fiance got his visa approved June 5th 2022. We had to do all we could to stay connected.... Movie date nights, we had our out little book club to discuss books we read together, we would cook "together" online... Anything fun we could do virtually.... It is such a challenging and stressful process.... It's a wonder any couple survives... Communication is the key... Talk about the stress with each other and double down your commitment... We looked at this process as a way to get closer as we had to discuss EVERYTHING to get ready for his interview... We feel even closer going through this.... Hang in there! 

[gearheadgeek 1]

Hang in there.  Waiting is hard.  We had delays which made the wait longer.  One was because my (now) wife had lived in many different places since she was 16 and it was not possible to get a police report from all of them.  She found a place in Moscow that could generate an acceptable report but when she arrived to pick it up, she discovered that the place was being raided by the police.  So, she started over.  I had enough vacation time that I could visit for a week every three months.  Spending a week together helped keep the relationship fresh and helped us tolerate the wait.

[MeG@Am 110]

April 2021 filer here.  More than 15 months waiting now.  No NOA2 yet.

It is very hard to stay positive, when I read beneficiaries here in VJ and FB comments saying their beloved are already here.  Last week, I was OK.  Today, I just had to call out from work because I can't even get out-of-bed.

When I have those days like today, I ask my fiancé to be strong for us, because I just can't.  

I am an immigrant, went through the process from working visa, to green card, to citizenship.  But let me tell you, this is the hardest and the longest wait I've had.  It really affects our mental health as it is hard to function, especially with my kind of work.

I'm not expecting anything from USCIS anymore.

But I believe in God, and I believe He has the power to give and take.  So I am just asking God to give us our approval, then on to another long wait in NVC.

[EatBulaga 256]

22 hours ago, Asadu 🇳🇬❤️🇱🇷 said:

Hello

 

I'm in the process of the K-1 Visa package I mailed everything off of March of 2022 yes I received a text message stating they received the payment. Now I'm just have to wait it's very hard I've been feeling depressed but I really like all the things that you put out there. I will sit back and ask my fiance more questions about yourself and in his hobbies because anything I know is he like to cook and he's an engineer. Thank you so much for sharing. That's on me and my fiance pray and fast and we have amazing relationship together is almost 3 years we've been together. 

As @pasharapov said, the wait is the test of your relationship.

 

Other things you can do while waiting is to document your relationship with pics, organize a photo collage in chronological order. Take many videochat photos--pics with your family, pics with partner's family, pics with group calls of both families, reactions on special dates, etc. Provide the pics collage as evidence for your beneficiary to take to the K1 interview. It doesn't mean that the consulate/embassy will ask for them or even look at them. But keeping a running pictorial history is good evidence for building a bona fide relationship just in case, and they can be used at the AOS interview, or later on as well?

 

Prepare the I-134 for your beneficiary and keep track of any new form updates, and look at the UStravelDocs and DS-160 sites. Don't complete them yet, but getting familiar with them will help to fill them out quickly when needed. Find out how to get your employment verification letter, bank reference letter, IRS tax transcripts, 3-months of salary slips, etc. Get your own financials in order so you know how to organize your financials when your beneficiary gets to the US. Maybe even agree on a pre-up? I've even heard of the K1 petitioner add the K1 beneficiary to the credit card to pay for things like medical exam, MRV fee, etc. Remember things can move pretty quickly after the NVC sends your case to the embassy/consulate. The timing to get all the required documents is very critical. You don't want to get things too early nor too late. Knowing how to get the documents done quickly will help expedite your process.

 

Prepare ahead for the AOS forms. Remember to keep consistent with your I-129F form because USCIS will be comparing all the forms and information that you provide as well as any information that they can dig up? Talk with each other about name change since that will be needed on the AOS forms. Look at the I-864, and see how to keep it consistent with the I-134. Prepare for the wedding. How long will it take to get your marriage certificate? I've seen some couples get married and filed AOS within 2 weeks of the K1 beneficiary entry to the US. I was able to get the AOS filed in about a month of my K1 beneficiary's US entry.

 

Research your K1 beneficiary's cultural community near where you will be living like where to buy certain ethnic grocery and foods, etc. Remember your beneficiary partner will get homesick and access to the food that they are used to will help acclimate your beneficiary to the US. I was even able to find an online tv provider that streams tv channels from my partner's country.

 

The more you prepare--the less you think about the wait. In fact for me, I was a little apprehensive not from the wait, but from all the things that I could be doing to prepare for my K1 beneficiary's interview, to settle here in the US, and to get the AOS filed. So I hope this helps and good luck!!!

 

[explosive0 19]

403 days and counting since NOA1. This is getting tiring, but we have no choice but to hang in there. 

[Nuba 57]

When we filed for our K1 in Nov 2021 the USCIS estimate was 6-8 months. Now we will be lucky to receive NOA2 by Christmas.  I am fortunate that I am able to visit my fiancé in Colombia and we text and do video calls multiple times a day but the discouraging thing  is that the estimated time to completion has just kept sliding out month by month.

 

I watch the data in VJ closely and I see two rays of hope.

 

1 - There is some indication that the time to process K1 is leveling off in this month.  If this is true, at least our dates won't get pushed farther out.  Also, this leveling could be followed by the curve turning down which would mean that our dates could start getting pulled in.

 

2 - The processing times for the steps after the fiancé(e) arrives in the US are all decreasing: Employment Authorization, Advance Parole and Adjustment of Status.  This means that once we pass this interminable stage, the steps when we are together should be more reasonable.