DarwishAE

Elizabeth -

You're much farther along the process than I am. I'm just at the RFE stage and 'language' definitely came up in the huge list of Evidence they needed. I sent them my husband's school certificates showing he studied in English. God willing that will be enough and we get our approval soon.

Stay strong sister. You're an inspiration to all of us! I'm making some prayers for you and your hubby. You're so close to the finish line. God Willing you'll be there soon.

~ Sofi

Thanks so much for your kind words. We also got an RFE but it was for my husband's birth certificate. I remember when were just starting and the time has flown by. Today the embassy called him and asked for his passport so he went right away and sent it. We are crossing our fingers that means the AP will be short.

You guys will make it I'm sure. If you ever need help please feel free to send me a message. We will send some prayers your way as well!

I find comfort in this...

It always seems impossible until it's done.

― Nelson Mandella

Oh, love that!

Thank you Everyone for the information.

My wife and i have been in this process for over a year (Filed 1-130 in May 2013) and it's just been really frustrating that it takes THIS long. I understand security and background checks, also the sheer volume of visas that are applied for to go to the US. I guess i just assumed for a IR1 or even a K1 visa that the process would be much faster due to my wife being a citizen.

agbcha, Can you tell me more about the how to get your congressman involved? My wife is from Colorado, so obviously we need to contact her Senator, but just the general steps you took, so IF we take longer than 60 days (yes, I plan to contact them again after 60 days, too) we can use this as our next step? Any information is useful. Thank you.

I completely understand your frustration. Me and my husband filed in April 2013 and are stuck in AP now since September 1st. They say we get priority as citizens but it still takes way longer than it should.

To contact your senator or congressman have your wife find the represtantive for the District she lives in in Colorado. On their websites you can usually find a link for citizen services/help. You have to fill out an authorization form for them to be able to inquire about your case. Send that and a letter or email describing what you need and they should get back to you fairly quickly.

I recommend contacting your Senator, the embassy always responds to them in a timely fashion. That's what I did when I needed information or updates during our prolonged AP. Good luck!

They finally emailed me but all it sad was "your case is pending recieving the passport." they definitely didn't answer my question. My husband didn't leave his passport and they haven't requested it. But I do have a congressmans office who has been helping us and they also contacted them.

Thanks Elizabeth, its been over 30 days since my attorney sent in my RFE, but we have still not seen a status update. I will attempt calling USCIS tomorrow and see if they can give me a better answer. Havent had much luck with those guys as of yet.

I would definitely recommend just asking to speak to a tier 2 rep right off the bat. The reps who answer the phone can't see enough about your case usually to be able to answer specific questions.

I've got a "under review" email from NVC last Thursday how long does it usually take ?

Often it is just 30 days. Although with the NVC being backlogged you might be waiting longer. Hope it goes through. Expedites can be tough to get.

Hello VJ people,

I was married in May of this year on the 17th and I filed the petition I-130 on July 18th got my NOA1 on Aug.4th 2014 then mailed out the I-129F on Aug 28th priority mail and have not gotten any thing as yet is this normal? also I am watching the Vermont status of our petition and it goes from 49 to 50 to 52 can some one please explain this process to me. How long do I have to wait for a reply for the I-129F?

Thanks in Advance foe any advice...

USCIS goal processing times are usually 5 months. It is highly unlikely you will receive a response from the i-129f. Since the i-130 is usually approved before or at the same time the i-130 is what moves forward to the NVC.

Once you receive an NOA 2 your case will be forwarded on to the National Visa Center (NVC). At the NVC you will submit an online visa application, and an AOS and IV package. You will need original documents such as a birth certificate, military record or exemption if applicable, marriage certificate, and a police certificate. Also, be advised you will need to provide certified translations of any documents not in English or at least most embassies I know of want that. So there's a quick snapshot of the next step for you. Best of luck.

I user my wife who was in America it is the applicant I hope I'm not even much cekat 5 months I have been waiting for approval i130.

So from what I've read, your case is now moving to the next stage. If you and your wife are not familiar with the NVC process, start reading the NVC filers threads. You can easily search for them by month and year. 5 months is actually quite good for i-130 approval. The NVC is slower than usual right now but try to get all your documents submitted as soon as you can and triple check everything. Best of luck.

Can anyone provide any feedback? It appears that its customary to get an RFE received letter from the Service Center.

Hello! My husband and I got an RFE at the USCIS stage which was now a year and a half ago, but we did receive an email confirming they recieved our response and to wait 30 days for processing. It also updated on our online status. But, that online status system for USCIS can be really crappy. So don't always rely on that.

Definitely give USCIS a call and if a tier 1 rep can't help you, ask to speak to a tier 2. Although, if it's anything like it used to be, you could wait 4 hours on hold to speak to a tier 2. I hope you can find out easily.

I know quite a few people who have been having issues with the CEAC site lately. It's a buggy system. Heck sometimes the whole thing goes down and you can't even look at anything. If you're really concerned, give the NVC a call. But I'm confident in the next few days the issue should resolve itself for you. ?

USCIS initially checks to see if the docs are correct. The embassy serves as the gatekeeper for the issuance of the visa because the circumstances vary from country to country. In Egypt there is a history of visa fraud that becomes part of the checks that are imposed to try to limit the volume of fraud. This is an unfortunate part of the journey that in this case has made it very difficult to endure.

The O P in this case has done well to survive this so far and must continue to stay strong until this is finally over. It is a true test of wills That everyone considering obtaining a visa from Egypt should review because it happens to many cases there.

Spot on. Cairo is a tough embassy. I'd say 95% of everyone I've met and become friends with doing this process in Cairo has gone through AP that was 6 months or longer. While the rate of denial seems low, AP is pretty much a given. We waited 5 months for an interview and are over 700 days into the process. Giving up is not an option. We made it this far, we can handle another 6 months if we have to. Our case officially updated to say AP today on CEAC.

Should also note, for the other poster, I see that you are going through Cairo. Front-load your paperwork. Send as much good evidence that you have. In our case we didn't have a lot when we filed the i-130 and had to keep adding more.

I always had a response through email.Mostly was not personal until they made a decision to approve then it became more personal.I emailed the embassey every other day I was calling DOS too every other day.

Haha you were definitely determined. I probably need to bug them more. But I found out the congressman who has been helping me already made an inquiry for us. So I'll wait to see what they tell her.

I'm sorry for these difficulties. Didn't you have to send in evidence of bona fide marriage with your I-130 (the initial petition with DHS)? And the embassy said it still wasn't enough? DHS and state should coordinate their activities more. It doesn't make sense for DHS to approve petitions and then the embassy tells people it's not enough info.

Yes, we sent evidence with the i-130 and then at the NVC stage since I went to see him while the i-130 was processing.

I placed a medical request for expedite in a week ago and was wondering how long it takes on average to here back whether it was approved or not. Uscis says 30 days. Is that what others have experienced?

Trying to figure another flight to visit before he's approved to return to the US.

Thank you!

When my husband and I filed an expedite it took about 45 days to get approved. I hope yours will get approved, expedites can be tough to get.

AP is unfortunately an open ended process. It can be a few weeks, months or be a year or more. Although, if it has been an unreasonable amount of time a Writ of Mandamus can be filed, to in a sense force the embassy to make a decision. Try to relax. My husband is in AP too.

Just curious how long it took to get a visa to Algeria. I have sent in all the documents 2 weeks ago. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

What type of visa specifically have you applied for? That can greatly affect what the timeline could be.

My husband is in AP too, but in Egypt. I hope yours will go quickly!! Best wishes.

I've submitted everything to the NVC, including both document packets, all payments and all online forms. On the CEAC website, most things have updated to reflect that. However, the section for both supporting documents still says N/A.

Additionally, I haven't heard anything via email or hard copy letters suggesting they have officially received my mailed in packets, although my tracking number indicates it was received at the beginning of August. Is this normal? Should I call? Does anyone know what that N/A means?

Thanks in advance!

The CEAC is often buggy. Just like the USCIS site where you can check your i-130 status. A friend of mine had submitted everything as well and the NVC confirmed with her over the phone. But on the website it would show incomplete or N/A. Definitely give them a call if you're worried. I never recieved noticed they got our AOS and IV packages. But I sent them with signature confirmation so I knew they had them.

Best of luck on the rest of your journey!

Not once has the Cairo embassy responded to my emails, recently and in the past. I'd like to find out if they have received the documents requested for my husband's AP. I've read calling them is usually a bust. Any suggestions?

Hello, i finally spoke with the NVC this morning and i got the invoice number to be able to log in online. Now i am about to fill the DS 261 form but it indicated that it is advisable to put a US address for mail delivery, i am actually living in South Korea. And again, the DS 261 form is all about me right? cos it shows my surname and first name already in the form when i logged in. Please kindly put me through more on how to fill the DS 261 form.

Also, the affidavit of support fees is not available to make the payment but the IV fees is only showing NOT INVOICED and can't be clicked/selected for payment. Do i have to complete the DS 261 form before the AOS and IV fees can be paid?

Hope to have a comprehensive responses

Thanks

The DS261 is filled out as whomever you want to receive mail and other information about your case. Commonly the US citizen (petitioner) is selected because of having a reliable mailing address in the US for any important documents or communication. But, you can definitely have it be yourself and put your mailing address as where you are living in SK.

Correct on having to submit the DS261 before you can pay the IV and AOS fees. Once your DS261 is submitted the NVC will make it so you can pay those fees and submit the DS260.

I would recommend printing out all the confirmation pages from the CEAC site or saving them to your computer.

It breaks my heart to hear you that you're going through this. And I really hate that you had put the disclaimer in that you don't need any negative comments but it is true with this site. Sometimes people get on and say stop your whining oh we're all going through the same thing. Blah blah blah. But is not why we're here. We're here for support we're here for information not to be criticised or admonished.

I am very sorry that you're going through this I will say a prayer for you. I pray things get approved quickly

J

Thank you for your prayers. We all have to stick together.

I don't think you should feel the K 1 would have been easier from what I have seen related to Egypt. Your case has been difficult but in the end you will have what you worked and waited for. You are making an investment in the future of two people that will forever change those lives.

If it helps I will tell you my own case took a very long, difficult 408 days but here I am and now a U S citizen with a good life. It was worth every painful minute. I hope the same for you.

For the few that may have seemed to abuse you there are many more that truly understand and want you to succeed.

One thing we really liked about the CR1 is he could get a job fairly quickly. Waiting the 90 days with a K1 would drive my husband crazy. Work is really important to him.

I think we're at about 700 days now. But 408 is definitely long too. It's way longer than it should be. Thanks for your words of support.

Hang in there. Sadly is not fair process and the waiting time sucks. Just have faith and try to keep yourself busy. Once he get the visa you will forget all of that waiting time. I was under AP for 14 months, 2 interviews.now and after being in the USA I don't even feel or think that it took me that long to get the via.

Ask your family members and friends to send some eemails to the embassy explaining to them how much you guys live each other.... that might help.

As I used to say that the USA embassy in Egypt is just a clean version of hell.

Good luck

Under what circumstances do they do a second interview?

With the emails, I just don't want to do anything to compromise our case in any way. I want to throw more evidence at them but I don't want to do too much.

You had a very long journey, props to staying strong. Agreed on the Cairo embassy being a clean version of hell.

You will go through, like everyone else does. You will get your husband home. Stay strong sister. Sounds like you have enough evidence of a genuine marriage, may be embassy in Egypt is really tough! But the thing is if it's a genuine marriage, and your sounds like it, your husband will have his visa.

I have no tough love for you, only compassion. Do you have a support system at home? I hope at least you have some family nearby. Clinical depression is no joke.

On the plus side, your husband's AP is not for security check(I think), but for processing of more evidence of genuine marriage. It should not take too long. Again, stay strong, it's easier said than done. But most of us here have been through various types of setbacks during our own immigration process and have lived to tell the tale.

The embassy in Egypt is known to be tough. Although, most of the time it's just lengthy AP, not flat out denials.

I do have family close to me. But I moved fairly recently so all my close friends are in Utah or a 5 hour drive from where I live now. Thankfully, my husband is a pro at calming me down when I'm having an episode, it's just more efficient when he can be there right beside me through it.

As far as we know it is only for evidence of our marriage. Not any security checks or whatnot.

I really appreciate your words of support.

I think you have a good heart, and things will work out for you, but no one knows how long it will take, just hang in there, and be strong, "as you have no idea the feeling" what it is to get on an airplane, traveling to the USA, with your loved one.,.,..,.,,IT is a great feeling!

Was there any chance you could have done a K-1 visa..,.,.,.,SO much easier, and quicker.,.,.,...,.,???

Looking back we probably should have just done the K1. We didn't realize how much easier it was. When we got married we hadn't done a ton of research into the different ways to go about getting him here. I've had the K1 rubbed in my face a few times now because of our timeline and case in general. I've been told none of this would be happening had we just done the K1. But, I wouldn't change the decision to get married. Even with the distance, the past two years have been the best of my life. I'm proud to call him my husband.

Call your Senator for help.

Unfortunately senators and congressmen can only inquire about your case. They have no authority with the AP process.