xylo

I do feel your pain. They did give you a different reason that what they gave me, but basically the reason you and I both received was a complete joke in that a decision could not be made.
If you don't mind me asking, was your case pretty clean cut ? Mine was...I have no convictions, have been here a solid 3 years, minus a week in Mexico, no driving tickets or anything. I supplied all evidence and they had a computer problem at the USCIS office, so i'm waiting also.
What ticks me off even more is i'm following the other threads and I see in the Jan 2015 applicants people got a decision cannot be made last Wednesday 22 april and they have already received updates saying they are now in line for oath.
So I think the reason they gave you was pretty terrible, hopefully they get it sorted quickly and get you in for an oath ceremony.
If it helps. I spoke with USCIS about what you can do when a decision cannot be made and they said you can call again if you don't hear anything after 60 days and then schedule an INFOPASS just after the 90 day mark. Hopefully it won't come to that.
FIngers crossed for you

Some people have complicated cases.
Some people just get rude or unprofessional interviewers.
The overwhelming majority of interview experiences written up on VJ say something like this: "Interviewed today. In and out in 15 minutes. Approved. When will I get the oath letter?"
So my advice is, don't worry too much because chances are everything will be fine. If you do hit a road bump, then you'll know that you aren't the only one.

Visa has arrived! 3 working days after the interview and it got here at 9am, pretty good considering I only paid for the standard delivery. Hooray!

So wait a minute... you havent really explained "disaster" but I'll tell you this mate, I'm flying 3,500 miles to marry my fiance (ironically on the 29th) and let me tell you, If she lost her job and changed her mind and told me to go home, I'd be mighty pissed. I've sold everything I own except the clothes and few bits I am traveling with and have given up my flat. I'd be broke, jobless, hurt and homeless and I don't have the two kids she has with her with me! Think on it. You've got 90 days to make it or break it. I don't really know the circumstances as you really didn't say but I wouldn't want to return home to nothing.
-Jock

There's nothing wrong with setting up a payment schedule, Susan&Daniel...and you can negotiate a payment plan over time with the bank. I applaud you for wanting to stand by your debt.
___
Generally speaking w/credit card debt...you (general you here) racked up the charges, you should honor the payment. You may not legally have to...but people not paying their bills is kinda why we're all in this financial mess that we're in today (housing mkt anyone?). I say 'you incurred the debt, you pay it'

I don't know why nobody states the obvious, but it may be because they try to be as polite as possible. Luckily, I am not so cautious, so I'll get right to it, if I may.
There are currently about 6,800,000,000 people on this planet, of which about 310,000,000 live in the United States. That's less than 5% of Earth's population. Of the remaining bunch of about 6,5 billion (with a B), a guestimated 2 to 3 billion people would love to move to the US and work here, pay taxes, open a business, become contributing members of society. I myself read constantly posts where "good" people in Europe have small businesses, saved $50 to $250K, and are ready to invest it all in order to start over in the US.
Unfortunately for all of those, the US's immigration system is for the most part a family oriented one. If a US citizen marries a foreigner, the door opens wide. If not, the door is near darn impossible to open. Aside from the Green Card Lottery (DV-Lottery) for which Brits are not eligible, there are 3 basic ways to get an immigrant visa which will lead to permanent residence which is documented by a Green Card:
1) FAMILY: You are the immediate relative of a US citizen. That means you have a parent, a spouse, or a child over the age of 21 who is a US citizen.
2) INVESTOR: You are a multi-millionaire investor, able and willing to open a new, US-based business with at least $1,000,000.00 start capital. You'll also have to create at least 10 new jobs. (The requirement is split in half in a rural area where nobody would want to live anyway.)
3) JOB: You are a highly skilled professional in a field that is in high demand in the US. Think nuclear physicist, or brain surgeon with international reputation as obvious examples. The prospective employer would have to file a labor certification case, offer the position openly, and prove that none of the 310 million US resident can do what you can do, at a fair wage. Not easy.
The perfect scenario would be a buddy in a position offering you a job that not only requires your exact job skills, but also language skills in English, Chinese, and Suaheli, all of which you are possess. A custom-tailored job just for you, so to speak.
Aside from these immigrant visas, there are work visas, of which the H1B is the most promising one. But even here you will need a potential employer who is willing to invest a lot of time and money to get you over to the US. While it's not impossible to pull this off, it is anything but easy. You really need to focus on finding a potential employer first, and view this as the all-important first step before packing your suitcase. You'll need to be realistic about your chances of pulling this off. They are not great, so much I can tell you living in a country with about 30 million unemployed and many more underemployed people.

I'd just like to add as well, that I initially did my own passport photos (I'm fairly proficient with Adobe) and while I had EXACTLY the right measurements for the actual photo and also for the distance from chin to head etc., when it was printed it distorted slightly. When I measured the printed version it fell short of the required size. There was nothing I could do to stop this happening, so I gave up and went to Max Spielmann! The photo they took is pretty horrendous, but it is the required dimensions, which is what's important.

Both Zedbraguy and us got held up at one stage for a few weeks. Us at NVC. Them from NOA2-NVC, but here is a comparison. Theirs makes me hopeful! This should give you something to cut and paste and follow. Good Luck!
ZedbraGuy /KK
01/10/10 I-129f sent 22/10/10
07/10/10 NOA1 (electronic) 27/10/10
10/03/11 NOA2 (electronic)
11/04/11 NVC Recieved 15/04/11
15/04/11 Left NVC 29/4/11
18/04/11 Arrived in London
28/04/11 Packet 3 recieved 12/5/10
30/04/11 Packet 3 returned 11/5/10
06/05/11 Medical 13/5/10
13/05/11 Embassy acknowledge reciept of medical 20/5/10
20/05/11 Embassy acknowledge reciept of packet 3 21/5/10
27/05/11 Recieved Packet 4 and Paid MRV fee 17/5/10
10/06/11 Interview

Thanks for the advice, I've done something similar now!

Please note changes to fee payments!
The $350 fee must now be pre-paid before the interview will be scheduled. You do this by calling:
Callers in the UK: 09042-45010. Calls to this line are charged at £1.20/min
Callers in the US: 1-866-382-3589. Callers are charged a fixed rate of $16:00 for up to 7 minutes
1. Gather Documents for Packet 3
Packet 3 is available to download from the US Embassy London website here.

DS230 - part 1 which is pages 1 & 2 - Okay to sign (do not sign part 2)
DS156 - Okay to sign
DS157 - no signature required
DS156K - DO NOT WRITE BELOW THE LINE The consular officer will assist you in answering this part, so don't write/sign below.

DO NOT send these documents until you have received your P3 letter or the DOS has confirmed that your P3 has been sent. Doing so will cause delays to your application.
The postal address is:
Immigrant Visa Branch
United States Embassy
5 Upper Grosvenor Street
London W1A 2JB
If you hold a British passport and it was issued in the UK, this is the way to answer the passport issuance questions on the DS-156:
Place of issuance/city: UK Passport Agency
Country: Great Britain and Northern Ireland
State/Province: England
2. Gather Documents for Interview

Birth/ Adoption certificate
Divorce decree
Passport
Police certificate/s (see below)
I-134 (see below)
2 passport photos (U.S size) These are available in the UK at Snappy Snaps or Gould Pharmacy. The USEL also has a photo booth, but relying on it working is not advised!

Note: If more than 4 months has passed since the petition was approved, you will be required to furnish a notarized statement of your intent to marry within 90 days of your arrival in the U.S.
I-134
London likes Q.11 to state 'intend to support'.
Suggested phrasing is: "whatever sums necessary to ensure the beneficiary does not become a public burden."
Nich-Nick has a fab summary of supporting documentation for the I-134 here
Police Certificates
London requires a police certificate from every country you have resided in for more than 1 year after your 18th birthday and a UK ACPO certificate. The exception to this is if you were born outside of the UK and have resided in that country for more than 6 months after your 16th birthday.
Your ACPO certificate will come back with one of the following:
No Trace - this means that you are cleared and have no previous involvement with the police.
No Live Trace - this means that you have a spent conviction. It is recommended that you get a subject access from here before interview. Court and prison records may be required.
Convictions - court and prison records will be required, as applicable.
3. Get your LON case number from the NVC
If you call (603) 334-0700, press 1, then 5 with your EAC or WAC number ready. They can confirm when your file was forwarded to the embassy and give you the case number.
4. Confirm London has logged your file
After your file has left the NVC, the DOS is responsible for your visa application. Call (202)663-1225, press 1, then 0. They can also confirm if packet 3 has been sent, received and tell you your interview date, if you haven't received your packet 4. It is also the contact point if you have any matters arising (such as additional documentation requests or missed visa fee payments!)
Contacting the Embassy
In certain instances, you will need to contact the Embassy directly, for example when you're out of processing times (i.e. >2 weeks waiting for your visa after interview) or to ask questions about unorthodox situations like being in AP or other out of the ordinary situations (like not having paid your visa fee!) etc
Callers in the UK: 09042-45010. Calls to this line are charged at £1.20/min
Callers in the US: 1-866-382-3589. Callers are charged a fixed rate of $16:00 for up to 7 minutes
Press 3 to skip the voice preamble and get an operator. Ask them for the weekly code for e-mailing the embassy as they will not generally give you general case updates. This will get you to the attention of someone who has access to the paperwork who can check for you. They may take 2-3 days to respond to send you an e-mail response.
If you want to try and change your interview date, call and inform them, the operator will give you the email code of the week (ask for it if he/she does not). Then email the embassy with the email code in the subject line as well as in the body and also include your case #. Then explain in the body of the email how you want your interview date changed. You will get an automatic acknowledgment email from the embassy within 15 minutes to a few hours stating that they have "received your email, we are averaging 3-4 days to respond, please do not email again". And the embassy usually is very quick with a turnaround response and they will usually accommodate your request.
5. Book Your Medical
You can do this as soon as you have your LON case number. Your medical must take place before your interview, and they prefer it to be at least 5 days in advance to allow time for your results to reach the embassy before interview. This isn't always practical for those who live a fair distance away, so as long as your medical takes place before, you're alright. You also MUST take your Police Certificate with you to the medical. If you do not have it, they will not carry out your medical, requiring you to rebook.
It's worth getting your immunisations updated before the medical. Most adults will only need MMR and TDaP boosters. These are usually available free from your GP. Most children will require Hep B. Your GP will probably charge for these. You do not need to have any immunisations completed before your visa application, but it is required for your AOS after marriage. Some applicants have had problems with finding reasonably-priced Civil Surgeons in the US and complications with the required I-693 form the AOS process requires.
It is therefore recommended that you get all of your AOS required vaccinations completed prior to the medical - or at the medical so they can be recorded on the DS3025.
You will be given a copy of the DS-3025, which you should safekeep, as it will be required at the other end! Also keep a copy of your payment record and receipt, as you may be required to prove that you have undergone a medical and when.
If you have any history of mental illness (depression, self-harm, attempted suicide, bi-polar, etc.) it is strongly recommended that you get a letter from the treating doctor or your GP stating that what your current condition is, and specifically that you do not present a threat to yourself or others.
Have a look at the medical questionnaire as soon as possible. It has been suggested that if you answer 'yes' to any of the questions, you get copies of the related medical records to take with you. It's also worth having a general check-up with your GP shortly before your medical, in case it reveals any possible underlying conditions, such as high blood pressure. The Panel Physician will want to know that these are being managed before giving you a clean bill of health for immigration.
You will need to take your passport and a UK sized passport photo. You can use US sizes, but they cut them down.
Requirements for K-2/4s
A letter from the non-immigrating parent is required to obtain a dependent's visa. It must state that they permit you to relocate with the child to the United States for permanent residence. It must be notarized.
If you do not have any contact with your child's other biological parent, the following is acceptable: information needed!
See this thread for more info.
Previous K-2 applicants have suggested that an I-134 is required for each applicant, including K-2. For item 9 on the K-2's I-134, write 'fiancee's name, with this same petition' and the Relationship to Sponsor, write, 'daughter of fiancee'. Only one set of supporting docs for both affidavits.
If the father is not listed on the birth certificate, you may be asked about contact with him. Previous K-2 applicants have prepared a certified letter from their solicitor in lieu of the letter of consent, stating the beneficiary has sole parental custody under UK law, including the right to remove the K-2 applicant from the country. It also contained a paragraph showing a sworn statement that the biological father is unknown. In this case, the letter was not used, but it provided reassurance to the beneficiary at interview that she was as prepared as possible to meet any request, and thus avoid potential delays.
Helpful Hints for Interview Day
Do not bring any electronics. This includes remote lock car keys! You can store any such items at Gould Pharmacy for a £5 holding fee. See link for contact information and map.
This map designed by Nich-Nick shows all the relevant locations for embassy, medical and Gould, as well as a couple of member-recommended nearby hotels.

An expiring visa does not meet the criteria for expedite.
USCIS expedite criteria:
Severe financial loss to company or individual
Extreme emergent situation
Humanitarian situation
Nonprofit status of requesting organization in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States
Department of Defense or National Interest Situation (Note: Request must come from official United States Government entity and state that delay will be detrimental to our Government)
USCIS error
Compelling interest of USCIS

Here's my list of what you can prepare before NOA2
Petitioner:
1. Order your tax transcripts. Only the most recent tax return is required, but you can order three years at a time for free from the IRS. Tax transcripts are summaries of your whole tax return provided free by the IRS. They can't be faked because it's a copy/summary of your whole tax return picture, basically certified by the IRS because it's issued by them. That's why you don't have to include any 1040, Schedules, W2s or 1099s if you send a transcript. They are free from the IRS. Transcripts take the place of sending a complete tax return. (2010 transcripts may not be available if you just filed)
If you call 1-800-908-9946 (the transcript line), there is an automated system for ordering transcripts. You'll have to enter your Social Security number and the numbers of your street address. It will generate an automated request to mail your transcripts.
2. Start filling out the I-134 Affidavit of Support. It will have to be signed and mailed to the UK the slow way. Get familiar with the form. When the NOA2 is received is a good time to finalize it with the supporting documents and get it in the mail.
UK beneficiary:
1. Get some passport photos taken. You will eventually need


2 US sized for the Embassy
1 UK sized for the police certificate
1 either size for the visa medical exam.
(and for AOS in the US, 6 more US sized photos)
2. Go to your NHS doctor and get the immunizations you will need for Adjustment of Status. You can get a K1 visa without having any shots, but you will need them before AOS. It’s really wise to take care of it before getting to the US. Many NHS doctors will do them for free, but they are not obligated to do so for immigration purposes. If you had theses shots as a child, they must be no longer than 10 years ago or you have to do them again. Get the shots documented by your doctor to take to your visa medical exam. If you have everything needed put on your record at the visa exam, you will NOT have to pay a civil surgeon in the US to document your jabs. Here’s the shots needed for 19 through 59 years of age:


Td or Tdap - If not available in the UK, then get DT, DTP or DtaP and it will be accepted for AOS
MMR (if born in 1957 or later)
Varicella – Not routinely given in the UK but have seen reference to it being available; a history of having chickenpox excuses you from the shot. They take your word for it at the visa exam.
Influenza - During flu season only, October 1 through March 31. This was a new recommendation dated November 2010 for all ages over 6 months. Older lists will say flu shots for over age 50. It changed.
3.Order your police certificate. It takes some preparation because you need a passport photo signed off on by somebody officialish who’s known you two years. Here’s the application. Read the instructions. A police certificate is good for 12 months. Must take it to medical exam. http://www.acpo.police.uk/documents/Application_Form.pdf
4. Look at your passport and make sure it will have 8 months remaining after visa issuance. If not get it renewed now.
5. Study the list of original documents London wants you to bring to the embassy and get those in hand or ordered. http://london.usembassy.gov/interview_documents.html

I think something like falling in love with another person can happen in many different ways and surprise you, so I think USCIS are just checking it seems legitimate, regardless of how long you've been together.
In my own case, when I first met my fiancé (Chris) 2 1/2 years ago, I was in a long-term relationship with another guy who I had a house with. We were travelling around America at the time, and I met Chris at the wedding of my friend and his brother, in Idaho. Upon meeting Chris, I realised I would much rather be with someone like him than the person I was currently with, and so broke up with my then boyfriend a few days later. Because of the distance and the relatively brief meeting, I didn't ever entertain the idea of Chris and I being together (I didn't even know he liked me at the time) but I knew it wasn't fair on the the other guy if I wanted a different life than what we had.
Fast forward a year and a bit, and Chris begins emailing me out of the blue, saying he's coming to visit England and Europe. We meet up on the day he lands, and by the end of the week I've decided to go on a long weekend to Spain with him and our mutual friends. The rest is history: I've been over to see him 3 times (once for a 3-month trip) and he's been back to England again. He proposed just over 6 months after he first came to England.
Sorry this is quite a long story, I just wanted to show that chance encounters can change your life an awful lot, and it's no less legitimate than if you've known someone your whole life. I'm a pretty rational, sensible person, and yet my relationship with Chris is so 'right' and instinctual, it's different to any other relationship I've had. It's like I've been waiting for him all my life!