LilyR

Please also keep in mind that he is now here illegally and if he is picked up or brought to the attention of ICE he could be taken into custody, deported, etc. And be sure to collect plenty of evidence to prove that your upcoming marriage is bona fide since it could appear that you are marrying to allow him to adjust status.

(I had to go in for a "standard interview" since my husband and I married when he had overstayed by 2 weeks.)

I believe it varies with each consulate so I can only share my husband's experiences. My husband is in England and was not able to have his medical appointment until he had received his interview date from the embassy.

I agree with NLR. You need to send in evidence of a bona fide relationship. A marriage certificate is evidence that a wedding took place, not that there is a genuine relationship.

I sent in: affidavits attesting to the ongoing nature of our relationship (from me, my husband, his father, both of my parents, my sister, my coworker, and 2 friends), records of emails and chat messages exchanged and phone calls (skype) between us, greeting cards given to each other, several pages of photos of us together (with my family, with his family, on various occasions), etc.

I don't know how the scheduling changes for spouse visa vs fiance (we are going for a spouse visa), but it took 4 weeks for us to get our 1st interview date. We missed the interview, got a notice asking about rescheduling, and got our next interview date about 3 weeks after the first.

My husband's interview was about 2 weeks ago and he was there for about 4 hours total.

My only thought is - if you and your spouse married more than 2 years ago but have not been together in person since then, be sure to provide plenty of evidence of an ongoing "bona fide" marriage.

My understanding is that anything with a signature would be the original.

In my mind, it is a better choice to send the original (if you are uncertain) and take the time at that point to wait for things to be mailed to/from you and your wife, rather than risk a RFE or other problem down the road which can possibly slow down your process more than the slight delay up front.

Just reiterating what the other posts said -

other names are for names you have used in official capacities.

I have had 3 names in my life - my maiden name, my name from my 1st marriage, and my name from my 2nd marriage. My husband was born with one name, then changed his last name when he was a child and his mother got remarried. My ex-husband uses an alternate first name in his work setting and in some other "official" capacities (though it is not a legal name for him) but he would include those names.

Names friends and family call you aren't what they are asking for.

I am so confused so any help is greatly appreciated. I tried to read through the guides and threads but seem to be reading conflicting info.

We sent in our 2 packages to the NVC on July 10th (AOS and visa application). Today I received an email from the U.S. Department of State. The letter said the NVC has completed the domestic pre-processing for our petition which will now be forwarded to the London Embassy. The letter also includes the date for my husband's interview in London (September 12th).

When does my husband have to do his medical? According to some posts and guides it seems the interview wouldnt be scheduled until the medical is done, but my husband hasnt done his medical yet.

Any insights are greatly appreciated.

(I am just stressing out and dont want to miss something!)

You are not supposed to be required to provide a social security number to get married. However, many local governments still ask for it and are under the impression it is required. My husband and I got married in Virginia since they were fine with him not having a ss#.

I have no insights for you...but 2 years in AP in London .... hoping that we dont end up following your path. Do you know how you ended up in AP?

My NOA1 date was 12/21/12 (NBC). We received an RFE and notice for a standard interview on 3/20/13. Attended my interview at the Baltimore Field Office on 4/23/13. Got my approval the same day.

Good luck to everyone still waiting .... this journey is painful!

Will call NVC in 10 hours to resume my daily inquiry for a case number. At least I know they have our case. Now just waiting for the number.

Congratulations!!!! I am so glad it went smoothly.

seeing as how the petition was approved on the spot... could it have been a priority thing as the petitioner is active US military?

Anything is possible .. but keep in mind that many people are approved on the spot following a standard interview.

Interview for the petitioner?

Yes, a standard interview for the petitioner.

Interview for the petitioner?

Yes, a standard interview for the petitioner.

Hello everyone!!

Joining the group .... our NOA2 was April 25th. I called NVC today (April 30th) and our case is there, but we dont have a case number yet.

My husband and I have about 60 more days until we are together for my month-long trip to visit him. It will have been 8 months between visits and I am losing my mind. We agree that we will never be apart this long again.

Katherinn,

I received my NOA2 last Thursday (4/25). I called NVC yesterday and they said my case wasnt there yet. I called today and they said my case arrived yesterday but a case number hadnt yet been assigned. You and I are in pretty much the same place right now. Good luck!

First, I comfortably meet the income requirement. I have been a public school teacher for over 10 years so have my employment letter, paystubs, excellent job security. I have my tax documents for 2011 and previous years.

BUT I had to file for an extension for 2012. I will get a refund so the extension was no problem as far as the IRS is concerned. But I got my NOA2 on April 25th and am now moving to the NVC stage. WIll I be able to move forward or will the NVC not accept the extension that I filed with the IRS and require that I include my 2012 return? [The reason i needed to file for the return is to get my husband a tax-payer id number.]

It is not all that unusual for the US citizen to be called in for a "standard interview" during the process of adjudicating the 130. One of the most common reasons for being called in for a standard interview is if the spouse was in removal proceedings when the wedding took place, but there are many other possible causes. I also received a notice for a standard interview in the middle of our 130 process. (NOA1 - 12/21/2012; notice for interview received 3/20/2013; Interview 4/23/2013). I did some reading both here on visa journey and on immigrate2us and the good news seemed to be that for most people the interview was brief and easy and an approval was given within a day. My lawyer was very concerned for our interview, but it went very smoothly and easily. The officer asked me a few factual questions to start (my name, birthdate, parents name, husband's name, birthdate, parents names) then asked how we met, asked if the families all knew about our marriage, asked how my children felt about everything and that was it. I got a text message about 4 hours later with the approval and got the actual letter 2 days later in the mail.

I am not sure if I got my facts a bit scrambled in all of the posts ... but keep in mind -

Coming to the US on the vwp and then getting married here as originally planned and attempting to adjust status afterwards is misrepresentation. Some people are able to get away with it, but others have received bans for misrepresentation and need to file for waivers and jump through extra hoops for extra prices.

Also keep in mind that it has happend that the "revealing" information that some people have posted on message boards like this have made its way into people's immigration files (which can be a problem if trying to prove that someone didnt intend to try to subvert immigration law)

Is this a k1 visa? or AOS?

i knew a couple with 25 years old age difference and they got approved with their k1

they are married now and that couple is me and my wife

She said they are already married .... so I think they are trying to get a CR-1 ... she is not in the country currently so not AOS (right?)

Do you have (or can you get) affidavits from your friends and family and his friends and family attesting to the validity of your relationship?

Have you sent each other presents or gifts or care packages that you can photograph and document (perhaps with credit card receipts for buying the gift and/or mailing it?)

Do you have evidence of his trips? (via airline receipts/itineraries and/or passport stamps - it isnt proof he is coming to see you, but at least supports your claims that he is there consistently)

Do you have email confirmation for other things, like dinner reservations out to eat?

Have you been to the US to visit him? Do you have the evidence for that?

Do you or he have friends that you email who might still have those emails where you reference your spouse?

Do the two of you participate in any online forums or message boards where you could find comments toward each other? Or perhaps posts where one of you reference the other?

When he comes to visit you do your friends or family have any pictures or documentation of the trips?

Do the 2 of you use facebook? (and if so does your status reflect that you are married to each other? do you mention each other in posts or updates?)

Do you ever chat on skype online? (since skype keeps records of calls?)

Does he use a landline with a calling card to call you on a landline or do either of you use a cell phone where the records may be kept online?

Do you live with someone who can attest in an affidavit that you and he talk every other day? or coworkers who know you go off to talk to him regularly?

When he visits do you frequent a particular restaurant or something like that were a waiter or "neutral party" can confirm that you and he are seen together regularly?

Do you ever send each other money?

(trying to help you brainstorm for evidence)

I have no authoritative info for you, so can only share my experiences:

1. Our lawyer was not happy with our certified copy of my husband's South African birth certificate (she said it looked like a copy of a cert copy and wouldn't accept it).

2. The officer at my standard interview said she was glad my lawyer hadnt sent original copies with the 130 because she didn't need them but that it was good we had them handy because she said the NVC might need them (rather than the cert copies).

We were sent to our local field office (Baltimore). Our NBC NOA1 date was 12/21/2012. I got a notice on 3/20/2013 saying i had an interview at the local office on April 24, 2013 and I was approved the same day. So from NOA1 to NOA2 was 4 months for us, including a standard interview. I was quite satisfied with that since i have seen so many people waiting 6-12 months to get an approval.