US Immigration from United Kingdom

Seeing there are lots questioning the USCIS website timeline and the times being all over the place, some long, some very short....I thought I would make this post to follow along with any updates on what I'm getting in 'myprogress' tab. The advice given here was that it currently takes about a year for the I130 process. I'm posting this in hopes that it will help others who were given very short timelines see that it's not always accurate. I have seen others say that sometimes they can be processed sooner but that doesn't seem to be the usual case. There's always hope though, right? Anyway, as I go along with my application, I will update my data here to keep it current until my I130 is completed. As you can see, my dates are all over the place.

My visa journey website estimate for I130 March 9-28 2025

US citizen moved back from the UK to apply for the I130 online

Married 21 years as of 2024

I-130 March 18, 2024 Application submitted online

I-130 March 18, 2024 NOA1, PD

USCIS MyProgress:

March 18, 2024--2 Months

April 12, 2024--2 Weeks

April 15, 2024--3 Weeks

April 22, 2024--2 Months

Is the DS-160 fee x the number of persons in the family?

i.e $205 x 4?

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/employment/temporary-worker-visas.html#fees

Hello,

I was refused my visa at interview in London I m a UK citizen, got a waiver of ineligibility ( same as in 2017, I have a conviction got visa and went to USA few times ) If they request my passport for visa issuance how long do I have to send it back, I go to Greece soon and don t want to lose

my holiday or my visa chance.

eg. If they say I only have two weeks to send it back while I m in Greece I may lose my chance after a six month wait.

I had my medical exam at Knightsbridge earlier this week so thought I would give a little explanation as to how it went...and hopefully this can help some other people who are anxiously anticipating their appointment! These are the documents I took with me;

Valid Passport
4x Passport Photos, UK or US size
GP Summary - 5 pages detailing medications, problems & issues, diagnoses, allergies, treatments etc
x2 Letters from GP
x1 Letter from Psychologist (I opted to pay for a mental health assessment prior to the medical just to ease my anxiety)
Vaccination Records
ACRO Police Certificate

US Questionnaire
NVC Welcome Letter

Appointment Details

My appointment was booked for 10:30am. I had arrived at Kings Cross at 9:15am so I was exceptionally early...since it was a lovely day, I decided to walk. This is about a 40 minute walk give or take and isn't difficult to find whatsoever. I am also aware that Bond Street Station makes it easier to get to the medical if you're crunched on time. It's down a little side street and is covered in scaffolding, it isn't hard to miss at all.

Checking In & Chest X-Ray

I entered at around 10:15am and was instructed to wait in the waiting room until my appointment time. 10:30 came and I was called to check in. I was given a sheet of paper with a couple of questions mainly asking if I've ever had chicken-pox amongst other minor things. I was not, at any point, given a more detailed questionnaire to fill in. I waited for around 10-15 minutes until I was called by a lovely lady to do my chest x-ray. She was full of joy, was willing to make conversation and made the whole experience very comfortable. She instructed me to remove any clothing and jewellery on my top half and change into a gown. It was over in about 5 minutes. I had a quick peek at the screen and she instructed that everything looked fine but I am aware that it would be reviewed. After this, I was led back to the waiting room with the blue gown and waited another 15-20 minutes to be called up.

Doctor

Next, I was called up by a lovely doctor. I can't quite remember her name. She sat me down and had all of my documents laid out in front of her, mainly my GP Summary. The first 10 minutes or so was just a basic chat about my medical history. I don't have much of a history and I only take medications for a minor condition (PCOS) but figured I would still supply them with a brief report from my GP. I do also have a mental health history that spanned across 3 years. She asked me to explain to her the treatments I had and the medications I took, how I was feeling right now etc...at this point, I supplied her with another GP letter and a letter from a psychologist stating my current mental state. She read carefully through this and made notes on another piece of paper...I assume this is for the Consular Officer to skim through at the interview? I asked her in her opinion if she thought it would be enough, to which she nodded. She then proceeded to go through a form and asked me some questions, have I ever smoked, have I ever taken recreational drugs, TB etc...she never asked me about alcohol consumption and didn't press anymore after I had answered.

Next up was the actual physical. She took my height & weight and did an eye-test. I was expecting her to mention something about my weight but she didn't. She just made a note of it on her documents & moved on. She instructed me to remove my clothing, change into the blue gown, lay on the bed and to call her when I was ready. She checked my lymph nodes, my temp, my collarbones (?) I'm not a doctor so medically speaking, I have no idea what could be there haha. She then laid me down, opened up my gown, checked my arms & legs for any scarring, felt my ankles, pushed around a little bit on my stomach...I assume checking for any abnormalities. She then sat me up, checked my lungs & heart, had a little feel around my boobs and checked my spine. I'd like to add, she was letting me know the entire time what she was doing and I never once felt uncomfortable with her. She was so kind & professional. She then checked my blood pressure, took some blood and that was that. She told me to get dressed again, wished me luck in life and that was that. I then went back to the waiting room for another 10 minutes.

Vaccinations

I was called up by another really nice lady to go through my vaccination history with me. She mentioned I was up to date with everything apart from a COVID booster. Now, I had no idea that a COVID booster was required in the last 12 months, so please be aware of that when you're getting ready for your medical. She explained to me that they don't offer COVID vaccines there so I would need to get it done outside and provide them the proof via email. She said a picture would suffice. This part was literally over in about 2 minutes.

I then had to wait to be checked out by the reception staff. I was called up after about 10 minutes, was given a receipt to say I did my medical, my passport and another piece of paper with information on about the vaccination I needed. I was not given the form required for AOS, I did ask the receptionist about this and she said it would be sent to me via email once I had sent them proof of my COVID vaccination. I left 385 lighter (that hurt) and was very satisfied with the appointment from start to finish. Everyone was super lovely, the exam was not invasive in any way and if you're currently awaiting an appointment, please don't nervous. You will be absolutely fine.

I did leave with a few questions though which I'm hoping can be answered on here. Just how long does it take for the file to be sent from the office to the embassy? I'm in bit of an anxiety period right now. Also, does the ENTIRE file get sent to the embassy? GP Summary, Letters etc..

I m thinking that this has been asked before, but I couldn t find it with a quick search.

For a friend, what are the rules about travelling after green card approval but before receiving card itself again? She just got approved and is meant to be flying home to Ireland on Tuesday. Does her advance parole not work anymore? I suppose she could leave and have someone send her the card when it arrives, but that s risky. Is this the instance when you re to get a stamp in your passport? She s not sure if she ll be able to get an appointment before she has to leave with it being the weekend coming up.