Milan&Pam

So, from the responses so far, most people actually got theirs earlier than the estimation - interesting!

(I know it's completely case by case, but this was just a spur of the moment poll for the sake of it )

This was very interesting...and very hopeful!!! 4-5 months??? I hope our luck is as great as yours!!! Congratulations to all of you!

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I will admit that I, too, am in the beginning stages of this process, but from everything that I have read in these forums, you should wait to do anything until your fiancee has received her letter from the Embassy. This packet should contain all the instructions regarding what additional forms are necessary and where to go for her medical. This is the time when she will also set her date for an interview. As I understand it, that time will be 4-6 weeks AFTER the Embassy receives everything from USCIS and she receives her letter with instructions.

Also, I hope this isn't being too negative, but the Timeline you see here on VJ is based ONLY on the people that are on this website..NOT the actual processing time for your service center. You can check their actual processing times on the USICS website...and keep in mind, these change also. It would be such a shame to see you set a wedding date, get invitations prepared and then your VISA takes longer than expected. Although I keep my fingers crossed for you and wish you the best of luck and hope nothing goes wrong...so many things can happen between now the issuing of your VISA.

Good luck to you and enjoy your visit with her!!

Hi all, we are planning around end of March/beginning of April next year. I have a work contract that finishes the end of February and then I hope to be able to fly out to the States a couple of weeks later. We have a few complications in our case so we have allowed a few extra months in case of a delay. My fiance (the USC) has several previous conivctions which are relevant. Whilst we have declared that on the form and have sent the paperwork we think they need it is making me very nervous we will get an RFE or it will cause delays. I have a clean record though so should be fine with the Embassy in London. And the irony is i'm a criminal defence solicitor lol, although after so many hours of research for this visa process I think I could soon practice immigration law!

For wedding plans my family want me to make plans for them to come over but the more me and my fiance think about the more we are leaning towards a really simple ceremony with just us and immediate family. I will only have been in the States a few weeks and will have so much adjusting to do, I can't imagine trying to plan a wedding long distance. But there is much time to figure out the best plan for us.

I am very excited as Im flying to the States to see my man in 3 days time!!!! I can't wait as it has been almost 10 weeks. Our plan is to visit every 10 weeks until we are closer to the interview stage. But because of my work schedule I can only make trips for around 9-10 days at a time which goes by so fast. But i've been checking the weather for Arkansas where my fiance lives and it is getting HOT! Oh well, I will have to start getting used to the humidity there.

I agree the waiting is difficult, some weeks fly by and others I find myself checking my timeline twice a day! I am glad to be over the two month mark as hopefully we will soon be over the half way point. My timeline is saying the first week of August for adjudication.

Good luck to all of you!

Enjoy your time together!! By the way....I am also from Arkansas! Where in Arkansas does he live, if you don't mind me asking!

Hope this gives everyone a little hope. Just looked at the USCIS website for an update....

USCIS Processing Time Information for our

Vermont Service Center

Posted: May 16, 2012

I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(e) K-1/K-2 - Not yet married - fiance and/or dependent child 5 Months

If the office is processing a particular type of application in less time than our processing goal, you will see the processing times expressed in months (for example, if the office is processing naturalization applications in less than our 5 month goal, the processing time will state "Five Months")

********************************

I like this MUCH better than the 6-8 months they had posted before!!!!

Two months of waiting today for us! In the beginning every day seemed like forever, but April flew by. We have to give a three months notice here when we want to cancel an apartment lease. It is almost time to start thinking about the move and all that ... Have you all already made plans for that?

April DID fly by!! I hate rushing my life, but in this case I feel like my life is waiting. ) Yes, we are tentatively making plans for the end of October to move to the US. That is 7 months from NOA1 and SURELY we will have a closer idea of an approximate date by then. We are even planning our wedding for December. It is just going to be a simple ceremony. And YES, I am being optimistic however everything I have planned and paid for is either refundable or allows a change...just in case. But all of this planning is giving us something to look forward to and is making the time go by faster.

What is everyone else doing?

Awesome, congrats! May your life together be filled with joy

I just spent some time with my sweetheart. I feared a little to have problems when entering the States, but they didn't even ask anything about my relationship status. I had binding ties with me, but I didn't need them. We had a great time, and the best was, we forgot about the waiting for a couple of days Almost two months of waiting are behind us now! How is everyone?

That IS wonderful news! We too were so worried about Milan coming to the US that we decided to not even try it. But I have read some very positive experiences on VJ....and now your story...we may just have reconsider. Haven't seen each other in almost 2 months but it feels like TWO YEARS! I am am going to Macedonia for a few months starting in July...and keeping our fingers crossed...everything will go through and we can come back together.

This is so awesome...all of us cheering each other along.

Interview went well, she was approved and picked up her visa yesterday. We are going to go on a little vacation and then I will bring her back to the States in a couple of weeks!

good luck everyone!

This is wonderful news!!! So happy for you!!

ONE MONTH ALMOST DOWN!!! One month closer.....

Hope everyone is staying positive!

Wondered about that too. If she can use the VWP, why do you two meet in Canada/ plan to get married there? Why not the USA? It's perfectly legal for her to come to the USA and get married here she just cannot stay longer than the 90 days given on the VWP.

The problem is you cannot legally enter the US on a tourist VISA with the intention of getting married. And saying anything other than "I am getting married" would be fraud. And just saying that is going to be an immediate denial. For those of us that are trying to do it legally, immigration really leaves us with no choice but to be separated from our loved ones until the process is complete. Unless you can afford to stay or work in her native country until everything is complete.

I do not know why people are calling me a troll or saying I am making a big joke. I came here for help. I have other post. I have better things to do then go on forums and troll. I just wanted to see if anyone who was in my situation had some sort of help to me. Or someone has the best possible next step to take. I do not know if I can reapply or am I just in need to do some amending with a waiver. All things I do not know what to do. Sorry about the confusion, she is not my wife but fiance. I really do not know what to do because my fiances english is not that great. We studied english together in KOrea and I remember how terrible she was. SHe can talk but comprehending what someone says to her is an issue.

I am sure no one was intentionally trying to be rude. I think maybe they have just never heard of this happening before. This is a quote directly from the U.S State Department Website:

Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fiancé(e) (K-1): A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to the U.S. port-of-entry and request permission to enter the United States. You should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have authority to permit or deny admission to the U.S. Upon arrival at the port-of-entry, be prepared to present to the CBP officer your passport with visa and your unopened/sealed packet containing your documents. Travelers should review important information about admissions and entry requirements on the CBP website under Travel.

So yes...it is possible and apparently DOES happen. This is actually not the first time I have heard of this. Of course the good question is WHY and how do you fix it. I agree that you should contact an attorney that has had experience with this and knows the laws. Some will charge for consulation and some will not. At this point, you just need advice as to your next step.

I AM wondering if it wasn't the language barrier. I have found that some countries don't know the word "fiancee". My fiancee refers to me as his wife all the time when we are in Macedonia. ( I will need to relay your story before he gets to POE though!) I had to explain to him what fiancee was. And when I was going through passport control at Skopje...I told them I was visiting my fiancee. There officers there had no idea what I was tailing about. "Future Husband" is what got me in.

What is point of going through this ridiculously long process, detailed documents and intimidating interview for ONE guy at the airport to decide in 10 minutes you are lying. It is almost as of the VISA is useless. Something in this system definitely broken.

I am so sorry this happened to you! Not only does it kind of anger me, but worries me too. Please let us know how you resolve this...if you do. It would be helpful to give advice to those planning to enter on K-1 so they are prepared. Good luck to you!

Yep, it's the timeline from here. And true, it isn't taking into account the many people who don't use this website/have timelines... but I think the estimates are pretty accurate, as they're based off of how fast the service centers are processing real-life k1's (from months before all of us).

Oh let's hope so! Mine is saying the last week in July...which is about 3 months earlier than I expected.

"Based on timeline data, your I129f may be adjudicated between August 21, 2012 and September 6, 2012"

last time i checked it was august 10th to 19th

Is this the Timeline you are receiving from here? I was confused by this at first also but then I saw the fine print:

Notice about estimates: The estimates are based off averages of other members recent experiences

(documented in their timelines) for the same benefit/petition/application at the same filing location.

Individual results may vary as every case is not always 'average'. Past performance does not necessarily

predict future results. The 'as early as date' may change over time based on current reported processing

times from members.

Unless I am reading this wrong, those estimates are based only off people that are posting timelines on this site. It doesn't take into account the other zillion of people that have actually filed. Check the USCIS website for an estimate of their processing times. As I have reviewed a lot of actual timelines on here, I notice that it is pretty accurate. **It is still too long though. ***

It hard because everything is out of our hands but, we too, are planning for November or December. Makes planning a little hard but that is what VEGAS is for!

It is not necessary to hire an attorney, but I must warn you....there are a lot of forms and documents to gather. The process is very long, even if everything goes perfectly and nothing is forgotten. You will wait approximately 6-8 months. I hired an attorney because I was afraid I would miss something and hold the process up longer than needed. Not to mention I am currently in Afghanistan working while we wait this process out. My attorney is in the US but has an office in Italy and he worked with us through Skype interviews...and he did not require all the money up front and allowed us to make payments. Not all attorneys will do this so be careful. Good luck to you!

I am actually about to go through the same thing. I am in Afghanistan (where I met my fiancee) and when I return home, I will not need to work for quite some time. My fiancee and I have already filed our I-129 and I was worried too about "not being activity employed" when I am back in the U.S. Any yes, it could affect him. You just never know about the interviewer at the time. As I understand, you can base your support on your assets OR you can have a co-sponsor. This is what I am going to do just because I don't want to take any chances. I will file the Affidavit of Support and so will my co-sponsor...so there will be two. It surely can't hurt. Tell him good luck...and be prepared to wait it out. This is very slow and painful process.

Yes, everyone is correct...just wait out this painful process. Once you received your I-797 with your receipt number (which should be very soon), you can register online to check your status. https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/CaseStatus.do I have been told it isn't always correct, but it gives me something to do while I wait.

Good luck!!!

The difference between Priority Mail and Certified/Registered is that Priority mail is delivered within 2-3 days. Certified/Registered means that it has a tracking number in case it is lost. Also someone at USCIS must sign for it therefore you have record they ACTUALLY received it. I am sure everything will be fine with the way you sent it. You will know in the next week or so if you don't get your Notice of Approval in the mail.

Good luck to you!!!

Your situation is so frustrating to me also. My fiancee is living in Macedonia and we have just filed for his K-1 VISA. We too would like to file for a tourist VISA so he can stay while we wait for his approval....with every intention of him returning to his country for his interview. It is so silly to me, that in cases such as this, it is OBVIOUS your wife has intentions of moving permanently to the US therefore "ties" to her country are going to be minimal. For instance, my finance is in the process of selling his apartment, closing his business, etc, in preparation of moving to the U.S....LEGALLY I might add. Too bad there isn't one more VISA type that allows spouses/future spouses entry to be with their loved ones while they wait. Good luck to you and keep us posted!!

Thank you for your sound advice. I am leaning towards a co-sponsor right now. Again, there are a lot of "if's" involved but my main priority right now is to my soon to be husband. They really don't make this easy on you, do they? lol

Oh yes! I created the account and we share the login and password. Because this process is so slow, we only check it once a week though....just so we don't drive ourselves crazy.

Need advice for this situation...

I am currently employed but have requested a Leave of Absence from my employer until January as I plan to stay with my fiancee in Macedonia while we wait for his K-1 VISA to be approved. We received our NOA1 over a month ago and I do not foresee any problems with getting this approved before January. The problem is my employer has not approved my Leave of Absence yet. I originally had decided that, if they do not approve it, I will resign, spend the six months with my fiancee in Macedonia and find other employment before returning to the U.S. I make a six figure income (already reached this year) and have for the last three years. I have plenty of money in my savings account for living expenses for well over a year even if I am not "actively working". My concern is that without being actively employed, his VISA will be denied.

Should I contact the US Embassy in Skopje directly to see if they will answer this question for me? Should I maybe arrange for a co-sponsor? Or should I just reconsider resigning if not granted the Leave of Absence from my employer? Should we consider applying for a tourist VISA for him so we could be together in the U.S. while we wait for the K-1 approval? Yes, we are obviously impatient!

**The wait time for the VISA's are understandable but also extremely heartbreaking when you have to be apart this long. It has already been three months and I cannot imagine having to wait another 5-7 months while I am working in the US and he has to remain in Macedonia. ANY ADVICE WILL BE APPREICATED

Ok... so here's the deal. I applied in July for ROC. I knew my son would not have to do Bio, I did get the notice so I went for mine.

I just got my approval notice dated April 13th this week, and nothing for my 8 year old son (they always come together, any mail we get from USCIS) So I knew something was up.

I called and got to speak to an agent who told me my son is still pending because they require two passport photos of him. I did not think this was a requirement when I filed my 751 as I was under the impression that they use his AOS stats..

So fast forward to the present, I was told to make an InfoPass appmnt and take the two passport photos with me and he would be approved.

My question is, that I have never had much experience with US passport photos. I am taking them tmrw, do they need to be notarized on the back? I forgot to ask the agent as I was rushed off the phone.

Does anyone know how US passport type photos work? I only have experience with Canadian photos where the place that takes the photos stamps them on the back and you get them notarized. When I called the photo place, they had no idea what type of stamp I was talking about.

I don't want to take any chances, so I will get them notarized, but does anyone have any info to provide? Does the person notarizing stamp them? And do I just take my son with me with his ID? He's only 8 years old.

My appmnt is Tuesday and I want to be prepared.

Thanks

No they do not need to be notarized. Go to this website for the photo requirements; http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/pptphotoreq_5333.html. However, ANY place that takes passport photos should know this information. Good luck!

As we are going to “ride” together in this journey don’t you think that it would be nice to introduce each other?

So let me start. I am the beneficiary Silviya from Bulgaria (26 years old), my fiancé is also Bulgarian (age 38). We met through a mutual friend on Facebook and instantly fell in love last year while he was here to visit his family. I am currently in Varna, Bulgaria and unfortunately he is in Florida. If everything is ok with our petition I am planning to move to USA and I cannot wait to start my new happy life with him. We are going to have a small courthouse wedding in Florida and a few months later a big ceremony in Bulgaria. Right now there is nothing we can do except to wait patiently while this process is over. He will be coming here after 3 months and two weeks and will stay for approximately 2 months.

Hello Silviya I am Pam from Florida and my fiancee is Milan from Macedonia. We met while working in Afghanistan together last fall. Hard to believe I had to come all the way to Afghanistan to find the love of my life! He returned to Skopje almost three months ago...and it has been the longest and hardest three months of my life. I visited him in March for a few weeks and plan to go back in July for a bit longer. Where in FL will you be living? We will be living close to Destin.

Hello All....I just found this website today and am SO happy to see it! I have been reading for hours now. Some good news, some bad. It will be nice to be able to go through this process with others. We received our NOA1 March 19, 2012 from Vermont ...and so the wait begins. As I read these timelines, I wonder how many factors are actually involved; document errors, missing information, work load at the service center, etc. Any insight on this? ( I am still learning to use this site, so it might be right in front of me and I am missing it.)

Also curious if any of you used an attorney and if this will make any difference? I did, but this is because I am working overseas right now and it is difficult for me to gain access to all the required information. I was terrified that I would missing something important and delay this process further.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!