Janice&Ben

Generally the applicant has to have been physically present in the US more than half of the time used to qualify for citizenship. In your case she has to have been in the country for at least 18 months out of the 36 months preceeding the date of filing. Enjoy your trips and schedule accordingly!

It requires a whole bunch of patience. Can be very frustrating but you just have to hang in there. You will also hear many times that it's defferent for each case. Good Luck!!

Congratulations and Good Luck with the rest.

Packet 3 is basically a set of instructions on how to proceed once Yaounde receives your file from the NVC. Ours was emailed to me (Petitioner) - maybe b/c I had called them the week before to find out if they had received our case file. They tell you which forms you need to fill, picture requirements, what to bring as evidence of relationship and give you the contact info for the two doctors who do the medicals. They advice you to make an appoinment to do your medical at least two weeks before your interview date. The doctor sends the results directly to the embassy and you get a copy as well. You will need to call the embassy to schedule an interview. I hope this answered your questions. Good Luck!

Congratulations and Good Luck!

However many you decide to send make sure they are dated and indicate the location. Good Luck!!

"Frustrating process", indeed! There really isn't much you can do but wait. Cases are put in AP for different reasons and not even the embassy can give you a timeframe. Hopefully your case is one of those that get done in a few weeks. Hang in there and Good Luck! Maybe some members with experience from UAE will chime in.

Congratulations and Good Luck the rest of the way.

Congratulations and Good Luck moving forward!! We will be hitting the ONE YEAR mark in a couple of weeks. What a process!!!!

Congratulations!!!

What have you done in 10 months to try and get information on your case?

Is it name checks?

Is it at the embassy? and they are investigating the relationship? Did they ask for more proof?

Good Luck and I am sorry you have waited so long

Hi, sorry I've been busy at work. My Congressman AND Senator have both written to the embassy and gotten the same reply which is just a lengthy version of what we get. I made a trip to Cameroon last September and went to the embassy to try to talk to the CO but the guy at the window won't even let us see her, saying that nothing was needed from us at that time. I just don't see how it takes more than ten months to validate a relationship or any documents submitted.

Thanks and good luck to us all.

I hope you do get your Visa, and soon. When my fiancee was put in AP, I thought it was only going to be for TWO weeks like the CO said but we've been in AP for TEN months already. So, I understand what you may be going through. Hang in there and keep praying. If you can't get a reply from your embassy, try calling the NVC @ (202)663-1225 option 1, then option 0. Have ur case # ready.

Good Luck!

Happy New Year to all. We've been in AP since April of last year. I'm planning a trip to visit her early February for three weeks. Should I try to get an appointment to talk to the CO? Will it make any difference and will they even let me? Thanks in advance for your time. Timeline and Profile Updates are current!

AP=Administrative or Additional Processing=usually done in Washington-can take 1 month to years and may get a denial

AR-Administrative review=done at the embassy level-it can lead to AP in washington-usually less than 1 month wait

CR-counselor review-done at embassy-sitting on CO's desk waiting for his stamp of approval-takes 1-3 weeks

• What is Administrative Processing? AP is also called Additional Administrative Processing and is when the applicant is being checked more closely. It can be for security checks which encompass fingerprints and/or name checks or for document verification.

• When does Administrative Processing Happen? AP can happen at any time during your processing. It can happen at a service center, at the NVC level, or at the embassy level. It mainly is discussed here in the forums at the embassy level.

• Who can get Administrative Processing and Why? AP usually affects men and women from certain countries but anyone can get AP. Persons coming from T countries (Terrorist Countries) seem to have more security checks and have to endure AP at the embassy level after their interview. Common names, your nationality, religion, education, relationship of applicant, travels and job can all be factors for AP. Having incomplete or missing documents will also cause a case to be put in AP. In some cases if the embassy does not believe in the validity of the relationship they can investigate it further with a field investigation.

• What are the T-Countries? Although it is classified, the list of countries reportedly affected by these restrictions includes, but is not limited to, Afghanistan,

Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt,

Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,

Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia,

Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates,

and Yemen. http://www.abil.com/....0Wolfsdorf.pdf This list is complied from an attorney and the list of T-countries can change at any time.

• Can I check the status of my case? The embassy will not in many cases respond to emails until a certain amount of time has elapsed. The best bet is to contact Department of State aka: DOS and ask them for an update bi-weekly. They will not be able to give you details but they can tell you if the case is still pending in AP or cleared.

• DOS information: DOS can be contacted Monday through Friday during business hours. You must have all information concerning your case with you so that they can assist you.

Department of State's visa Information phone number: 202-663-1225

• Can I expedite this process? The simple answer is NO. No one can expedite the checks since they are considered a matter of National security. An elected official can only make a congressional inquiry on your behalf. They cannot get the checks finished any faster.

• Does AP have any time frame for completion? NO AP can last anywhere from days, weeks, months and in a few cases years.

Anyone that happens to be given a 221(g) or Administrative Processing letter must be patient and let them do their work. Do not call constantly and ask about your case. Remember each time your case is moved it can then end up at the bottom of the stack and your time can be extended. Each case is different so you cannot judge your case by any other and each consulate/embassy may have a different average time for completion of AP.

Now that I helped you answer your question can you help others by edit your timeline through your profile please.

Thank you

Excellent Response!!

You should be ok. Just make sure that when the time comes for the visa interview he has ALL the pics that you guys took together, labelled with date and place taken. Plus proof of communication - phone records, email, skype or whatever you use. Good Luck!

Happy New Year as we start another calendar year of waiting! I think it's unfair that the innocent ones get to suffer b/c of what others did or are doing. We have been in AP it'll be NINE months this January 18 and I think it's b/c we are from a "high fraud" country. Hang in there, I hope it ends soon for ALL of us! Good Luck!!

I doubt that the N400 will be processed to completion in three months and your permanent residency status has to be current in order to qualify for citizenship. So, I believe you have to renew the green card first, and then file for citizenship either immediately after renewing the GC or within the next nine years. If I'm wrong, I stand to be corrected. Good Luck.

Congratulations!! Good Luck moving forward.

All you should need is your passport with the visa in it - that's if you haven't been here more than 90 days already.

Sorry abt ur cousin.

The letter you received, I-797C, is your NOA1. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months or sometimes even longer to process.

Good Luck!

If your check has been cashed, it's an indication that your packet was received and accepted by USCIS. Meaning you already have a "priority date". It's the holiday season and USPS is swamped. Depending on where you are relative to where your NOA1 is coming from, it may take a little bit. Relax and enjoy the holidays! I'll get worried after 2 weeks from check-cashed-date.

Good Luck!

I feel ur pain and frustration (Check my profile). As previously stated, this begs for lots of patience b/c you really can't push. My Congressman AND Senator have both written to the embassy and they got the same response - each case requires a different amount of work and they'll do their best to finish processing in a timely manner - in a nutshell!! It is very trying. Just don't give up on each other and keep the communication alive. Hang in there and hopefully nobody else has to wait as long as i've been waiting.

Good Luck!!

Yes, she can get her ss # while AOS is pending.

Congratulations! And good luck with the rest of the journey.

I will have to agree with Yagisama and Br. Hesekiel. Post 911, authorities are quick to ask "are you a us citizen?" and if the answer is no, they want to see evidence of current legal status. Having your GC available will save you some time incase anything comes up. Happy Holidays!