cwwils2

after nearly 10 months, APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Congratulations!!!!

8.5 months in..... We have also been APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you everyone for convincing us that contacting the senators was a good idea. We did that just 3 weeks ago, and here we are approved. Oh happy day! So glad Atlanta is finally coming through for us, one by one

and finally

Post Decision Activity

On June 12, 2013, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN.

im 9 months today!!!!!! yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, congrats h45549! I know it's been a happy week for you!!!!

I'm so confused!!!! Why are they doing files out of order??? I've been waiting 8 months, ahmed&raneen have been waiting 9 months.... makes no sense to me

Atlanta Georgia is where I live never said my petition was her.I sent my petition to USCIS and then it was sent to NBC so now I don't know if its still there so Iv called my attorney to have him locate it.

Atlanta Georgia is where I live never said my petition was her.I sent my petition to USCIS and then it was sent to NBC so now I don't know if its still there so Iv called my attorney to have him locate it.

LaDonna, we applied end of October for the I-130... Nothing still. Been to three info pass appointments in ATL and they're useless with information. A few Atlanta cases have been approved, but painfully slow. Yours is most likely in ATL as all Alabama and Georgia petitions were supposed to be transferred there.

I am short of word............ today is a blessing day. despite the fact that I was angry today and my husband birthday is tomorrow 25th of may, God surprised us by giving us what we have long been waiting for..to you all my people. wowwwwwwwwwwwwww we are approvedddddddddddddd..............

Post Decision Activity

On May 24, 2013, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

For approved applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include USCIS sending notification of the approved application/petition to the National Visa Center or the Department of State. For denied applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include the processing of an appeal and/or motions to reopen or reconsider and revocations.

AMAZING!!!!! So happy for you!!! With every approval I have more hope for us. I'll definitely be following up with my senator...7 months for us now. But smiling for you and your husband today!

ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD its official! Status just changed again online!

Post Decision Activity

On April 8, 2013, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM SO HAPPY!!!! I hope you ALL are next!!!!

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! Music to my ears!!! I am so happy for you abezyo!!!!! Keep in touch and let us know how the NVC stage goes!! My heart is going to leap with every ATL approval from here on out...yours is just the beginning!

Well, not all of the other offices... We are at the NYC local office, waiting for nearly seven months...

oh my God and did you ever contact them to know what is the cause of the delay ?

I called in recently to the Customer Service line and when I asked a basic CSR if she could give me the national processing time for I-130's (which CSR's are privilege to), she straight up told me that there is no standard processing time for I-130's any more, due to the very fact that the times are different by field office/processing center. That said, she noted that most places have waiting times between 6-8 months right now. I actually believe this CSR for once, because if you look at the NYC center, the Vermont center, and a few others, those folks have been waiting just as long as us ATL folk. I also talked to an immigration attorney recently (friend of a friend) and she gave me similar information. Her immigration law office is handling cases all over the southeast and she says that the typical waiting time for her clients has been at least 6 months, but typically 8-9 months

In short, we're definitely not alone. Not sure that fact makes me feel too much better though.

Well it April....hopefully we hear some approvals this month

Keeping my fingers crossed for all of us!! I'm like you abezyo, no more infopass appointments for me. I'm off to Scotland for two months this summer to be with the husband. The visit will make the waiting process easier hopefully.

Hello Treva. Welcome back.

Well my infopass was completely useless and just absolutely ridiculous. Im so angry and probably will be for a long time. Got there at 2pm for the appointment. Checked in and everything. Got called up. It was a white male who looked as if we had ruined his day or given him a bad day by coming there. Asked him about my file. Said it was there. Asked if he had been issued a number to be adjucated and said "adjucated?" as if I was speaking another language. I explained to him and he said no. He continued to say that none of the files had been reviewed at all. I asked him the processing time for Atlanta and how many files have been looked at and he gave me an attitude saying "I cant give you that information." I was like woah what? Its not like im asking specific details. He said he would be back and walked to the back. He came bsck and said he spoke with his supervisor and his supervisor said they are going to start processing stand-alone I-130s in 69-90 days. I was livid. I really wanted to get angry but I decided to just walk away and forget about it. It wasnt worth causing a scene.

The guy was a complete jerk. He was a short white dude at counter 3. If you get him dont waste your time. I dont think hes the real deal. Hes made me so mad. Ive given up on infopass appointments till May. Good luck to whoever goes its just going to be bad news lol.

Abezyo, I think I had the same guy last week! I had to go in to change the details concerning the consulate my husband would need to go to, and he helped me with all of that. He wasn't unfriendly towards me (maybe he was more sensitive to my being a woman), just not very informative. After I took care of the above details, I took the opportunity to inquire further about the processing. He basically said things we already know, that they've begun the "initial" processing already (he didn't clarify what he meant by initial), and that I need to be patient because it will take a few more months. When I asked how much longer (I asked twice), he strongly said he couldn't give me a timeline. So I kept going, and asked, "well, do you think it'll be a year, or 8 months, 6 months, what?" With those figures his eyes got wide and he said "I highly doubt it will take nearly that long" but when I pushed him for more, he kept repeating that he couldn't give me a timeline.

I didn't write any of this information in the forum because I didn't think it was necessarily new or helpful. In fact, I felt pretty lousy when I left immigration that day.

@abezyo: Member "cwwils2" stated this in his comments at the top of page 18. He even stated that he was told the first batch of cases will be approved within 90 days from 3/1/2013. I hope this is what might be happening. You can go back to page 18 and read the comment from "cwwils2" I will make an infopass appt early next month to check myself.

Right, the impression given to me was that they are giving themselves a 90-day window to have the first approvals go out. So August filers would be the first to hear back before or around that 90-day mark. I'm personally expecting to wait a bit longer as I'm an October filer. I don't understand how they do the processing, and it seems to me that they're all very unwilling to shed any light on this (I think mostly because they're just terribly unorganized), but I was told they would first assign these A-numbers to ALL of the case files, and then start back at the beginning to process them doing the background checks, RFE's, interviews if needed, etc. But what I was told at the end of February and what is actually happening could be very different things

TURNS OUT JAHLOVE WAS AT THE ATLANTA LOCAL FIELD OFFICE. FIRST APPROVAL! HER NOA2 WAS THE LAST WEEK IN FEB! ANYONE HEAR ANYTHING NEW RECENTLY?

(Sorry for the caps, Im excited now lol)

WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!! That's interesting though, since we were both told they wouldn't be starting on them until March. Who knows, maybe we convinced them to hurry on up!! Such good news.

Hey guys, There is a message from Jahlove which says ' Hello, I went to my local interview for my hubby yesturday and my I-130 was approved . Now I wanted to know what happens next?? ' . I think abeyzo is right, this guy petition is also from Atlanta field office, I think they've started processing it . Oh I can't wait to receive an interview letter from them

So this means that an I-130 filer in Atlanta has already been approved?!? What was her NOA1? Thanks for the update!

Aight so maybe you guys can help me out...

Since Im hoping for an approval within the next month or two...I want to go ahead and get started on the NVC process. Im going to go ahead and tell my wife to get her police certificate so that we can be ahead of the game. Jordan is all electronic processing so I know I cant do much but here are my questions:

I dont have an income. Im currently a family helper in the business and make no money what-so-ever. So my question is:

Do I need to obtain a tax transcript of myself stating I havnt filed taxes because I dont have any income? My father will be my co-sponsor so he will need to obtain his tax transcripts for the past 3 years correct? Im confused as to everything about the AOS haha.

Ill be leaving to Jordan May 24 and wont be back till July 5. So I want to go ahead and get everything going and be ahead of everything incase anything doesnt happen before then. Any help will be appreciated. I know this is a bit off topic but I notice a lot of people read this topic and I didnt want to start a new topic.

I'm in a similar position concerning the AOS. I haven't lived in the U.S. for more than 3 months/year for the past 3 years, so my income according to the IRS is negligible for those three years. The thing that the State department looks at most closely in the AOS is the previous year's tax return, so in your case, that will be your father's income for 2012. He doesn't necessarily need to provide transcripts beyond 2012 (though if he can, why not?); recording his gross income in the actual AOS for 2011 and 2010 should suffice. As for your form, as the other sponsor, simply put zero's in the places where it asks for income for all three years. Attaching a letter explaining you have no income and therefore have not filed taxes should be more than fine considering you will have a co-sponsor who DOES have a steady income and can show past tax returns.

My situation is strange, because my income for the past three years documents well below poverty level. However, an immigration attorney (family friend) has told me that as long as my current income is above the poverty line that my AOS should be approved. I'm still considering having my mother co-sponsor, just to be safe.

The impression I have gotten is that as long as the State department is convinced that they won't be responsible for the welfare of your immigrant family member, there should be no issues.

Yes I hope our prayers have been answered! The guy seemed very serious about them starting to process them starting in March, and realistically its about time they do! I suggest everyone make an infopass appointment and make that visit and see them! It doesnt have to be this week but atleast find out if they are processing them if you start going the first week of March. Im planning to go back Mid March to see whats going! Lets hope for positive things Atlanta!!!!

Good work abezyo!! I had my InfoPass appointment yesterday morning with a different immigration officer than you (name wasn't Garcia, I think Johnson?) He was also really nice and genuine! When I inquired about the I-130's, he told me the same that you were told, that starting March 1 they were going to begin processing the files. He mentioned that the backlog was due to the fact NBC not only transferred all of the stand-alone I-130 cases from August but also a big stack of deferred action cases (of all sorts) that involved petitioners/applicants with residence somewhere in the Atlanta field office jurisdiction. Our I-130 cases were put on hold until the deferred cases were taken care of.

When I asked about a legitimate time frame to expect to hear back about an approval, he said that their goal was to get the whole first "stack" of I-130's done within the next 90 days. He said they were first going through all of the files in this group to assign A numbers and then would "assembly-line" them into adjudication, starting with the earliest NOA1 dates. I asked him where my file was in the line, and he not only looked up my file in the system but went to check that it was indeed where the computer said it was (I assume he did this because he left the desk and came back with a printed copy of their internal records and pointed out to me the location, bin number, etc of where my file was in the building. Thus I know that my file is on the first floor, with a bin number of 0032, whatever that means). He then told me that ALL of the I-130's on the first floor (so mine included) were in this first group of files to be adjudicated. Woohoo!! My NOA1 date was October 24, so all of you before me can be assured that you'll hear something within the next 3 months!

Like abezyo, I encourage everyone to make Infopass appointments over the next month to ensure that they are sticking to their game plan. I personally don't expect to hear back in March about an approval because I'm a good two months after most of you, but I think I'll still go back in a month's time to make sure things are going smoothly with the adjudications. It'll be music to my ears to hear about any of your approvals over the next month or two!

And you are absolutely correct! I have an appointment tommorrow at 1pm and my friend whos NOA1 is September 19 and also in Atlanta is coming with me! So possibly the triple whammy will work! Im glad I rescheduled for tomorrow because I came down with a nastyyyy stomach flu yesterday. Still recovering today. Lets hope for the best tomorrow!

Oh no, hope you are feeling better!! But I'm glad there will be three of us asking questions in the same day!

I spoke with a friend of my mother's who worked for the State department for most of her life. Early in her career she worked on visa processing (so in the NVC step), but she suggested I focus on finding the answers to a few key questions:

1) Where is my file? Is it still in the queue in Atlanta?

2) What is your current processing time for I-130s? (If indeed they haven't started on these, when do they plan to start? What is their plan of action as far as completing these in a timely manner?)

3) What updates can you give me about the I-130 approval process specifically for Atlanta?

4) Is there an appeal process in which I can ask to have my case transferred for processing at another field office if there is no plan to start processing in Atlanta soon?

She also suggested to write concise and polite letters to every director connected with the Atlanta field office. These include those Treva posted: Denize Frazier (District Director) and Paul Onyango (Atlanta Director), but also: Donald J. Monica (Field Operations Director for the nation), and finally if necessary, the director of USCIS, Alejandro Mayorkas.

Good luck to everyone in Atlanta! We're all going to need it.

Posted Today, 10:24 AM

Just found this post. Filed our I-130 in October, and I was told it was transferred to Atlanta in December. Just broke my heart to see that there are August filers still waiting in Atlanta. Unacceptable. The more people we involve in this, the better. I'll be writing some letters this week, and have an InfoPass appointment scheduled for Tuesday morning. Really want to cry right now...

@cwwils2You don't need to cry because crying won't affect anything. this is my 5 months and 8 days and still we don't even know when they will start processing the petitions in Atlanta. I have cried, wrote some letters but still nothing but i have this believe that everything will be fine. I think when they realized that many people are sending in letters and coming to ask about their petitions, maybe they will find something to do. I will also schedule an info pass appointment this week by God grace. there one member here who is going on Tuesday.. We all are waiting for him to return to know what we are in for,Now that you are going on Tuesday also then its a good news and if we can put more pressure on them, maybe they will find something to do. All is well

Thanks for the encouragement. The waiting is hard, but what is harder is knowing that no action is occurring with our cases. I would be more content knowing that at least some cases in Atlanta were being approved, rather than none. I am trying to keep my faith and patience, and like you, I find comfort in the fact that our loved ones will be with us eventually. I'm hoping that the more noise we make in this situation, the more we will be heard. "Keep calm and carry on..." Taken from my hubby's homeland, that

I called USCIS this morning to be 100% my case file is in Atlanta. When I called in December, I was told by IO that my case was transferred from NBC to Atlanta on December 3. When I called back in January concerning a different matter, I asked them to confirm my case was indeed still in Atlanta. That second IO was confused and told me that my case was never transferred. Thus trying to get my facts straight. However, when I called this morning and was put on hold to wait for another IO, another CSR came back on the line and said "due to high volume, an IO could not take my call at the moment." I gave that CSR my call back information, and she said an IO would call back in the next 48-72 hours. We'll see if that happens...

In the meantime, I have an InfoPass appointment at the Atlanta field office tomorrow morning at 9 am. If there are any questions beyond the obvious ones that you all think I should ask, please let me know!! Also, any advice would be well received. I would like to be as prepared as possible when I go in for my appointment tomorrow. Also, I know that many of you have been writing letters to the directors there. If you would like me to attach your letters to the ones I have written, feel free to send them to me at cwwils2@gmail.com. The more, the better I think!

I know that abeyzo also has an appointment tomorrow? Perhaps the double-whammy will help.

Just found this post. Filed our I-130 in October, and I was told it was transferred to Atlanta in December. Just broke my heart to see that there are August filers still waiting in Atlanta. Unacceptable. The more people we involve in this, the better. I'll be writing some letters this week, and have an InfoPass appointment scheduled for Tuesday morning. Really want to cry right now...

Seems more like small offices are the ones who have been approving people but the large offices like Denver, Chicago, NYC, Atlanta etc...haven't really been on the ball.

It's not NBC that's messing up either. The USCIS is just a clusterf*** right now. They don't seem to know their head from their other anatomical parts.

Agreed. I called in December and an IO told me that my file had been transferred from the NBC to the Atlanta field office on Dec 3. I called back last week and talked to another IO who was extremely condescending and said my file had never been transferred to Atlanta. Confusing! They need to get their shiz together. I think I'm going to call back next chance I have to wait 1 hour on the phone to get a third opinion about what's happening with my case file.

Thanks for the help?

Thanks for the help!!*

You should consider getting a joint sponsor but I would not submit the affidavit to NVC. Just have the beneficiary carry it to the Embassy and submit it if needed. If you don't find one, you'll probably be OK anyway but it will depend on the totality of circumstances such as just what kind of job/career etc.

London is not a tough IV unit in financial matters.

It helps that you'll have several more months of employment before the interview.

Isn't the affidavit a requirement for the visa though? Or is that not true? But my husband will be interviewing at the consulate in Melbourne, instead of London; know anything about that one?

Thanks for the help?

I'm sponsoring my husband to come to the US, but am not sure if I need a joint sponsor. I've lived and worked abroad for the better part of the past three years, so my US tax returns show fairly minimal income. However, I am back working in the States and have been for the past 3 months. My current income more than meets the requirements but will my current income be enough for the AOS to be approved? Or should I consider getting a joint sponsor?

Thanks!

Same, still waiting on my NOA2, too, priority date Oct 24, 2012. I just called USCIS today to talk with a Tier 2 officer, and she told me my case was transferred from the NBC to the Atlanta field office on Dec 3... does anyone know if this is a good sign for progress??

Yeah, I just received access to my case status online, too! NOA1 was October 24. Feels good to know that they've at least started the processing!

When you are calling USCIS, how are you getting a person on the phone? All I get are recorded menu options and can't figure out how to get a real person on the line! Help?

I've been to an InfoPass appointment and they weren't helpful at all. The agent there could tell me nothing about my case because I guess they use the online Case Status tools also, and our case still isn't showing ;/.

Just joined the site, also an October filer! We filed end of October, received our NOA1 3 days after sending it. Haven't heard anything since and am not able to check the status online, but it seems most of us are having that problem. Has everyone who filed in October been sent directly to the NBC in Missouri?

From looking at the September filers, looks like we might start hearing back in January?! Hope so...