Lex Specialis

Since this site diligently maintains accurate statistics (thank you for that) I should let you know that I am unable to find the consulate on the list of consulate's where my petition will eventually be sent. While Macedonia is on the list of countries, neither it nor Skopje (it's capital and location of the US consulate) is on the drop down menu. I leave it blank so my timeline selects Armenia automatically (probably because it is the first one) Can anyone please help me find it, or simply update the menu selection on the consulate list? thanks.

The one thing you should NOT do is call the USCIS phone line. They tell you that you ave got another two months because the July 18, 2012 priority date for CSC is the last one posted on the web site. You will note these are stats as of Dec 31, 2012 which is more than two months ago. They will NEVER give you more info than what is on the website. EVER. I have called for myself, I have called on behalf of clients, I have done it all and have NEVER received a single piece of info more than what I can discover on the website. If you had called today, or if you had called the day after the Dec 31 processing times were posted, they would have told you "you need to wait two months"

You can Info Pass it, but I don't think it's of much use now because as other pointed out to you, you are within the processing time frame. I know it is frustrating (My NOA1 is Sep 27 and both my fiancee and I are going crazy, she more so than I despite my best attempts to prepare her for this at the beginning of the process) but as of now you have got a good 2-4 weeks more of wait time. If by March 31, you don't get anything, I would definitely InfoPass it at your local USCIS office. You can schedule one on the web site on the left hand column. They will give you the same answer at the counter. Ask to speak to a supervisor.

The whole point of getting a Green Card is not to have to be dependent on maintaining legal status in the United States via any non immigrant visas like H1, L1, B1 visitor, etc. Once you have a Green Card, you are a LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT which allows you to live in the United States, work, and reside. Just make sure you are back to the US within less than 6 months after you leave because she will lose her residency status if you are out of the country for a longer period. And make sure you are back before the expiration date in Dec. And file the I-751 to remove conditions on her green card within 90 days before it expires, which would be sometime in Sep 2013.

Folks, Does anyone know the answer to this one?

I was ultra prepared and obtained my fiancee's documentation regarding police and court certifications of no criminal arrests or convictions at the time that I submitted the original Petition, which was Sep 2012. I included copies of it with that to the USCIS but kept the originals. Will it be a problem if at the interview this Spring, I bring these certificates which will be several months out of date, or should I have my fiancee new ones?

Thanks for any info you may have.

If I had to guess, I would say DACA (The Executive Order for staying deportation of illegals who came here as children, similar to the DREAM Act but definitely not the same thing) is consuming a lot of resources for USCIS because a lot of petitions have been filed. Meanwhile, with Congress slashing the federal budget left and right, I am sure they have not been able to hire additional officers to handle the extra work. Hence the longer backlog.

It's not Obama's fault. The Congressional GOP's delegation is the one insisting on budget cuts, which prevent more employees being hired. Having said that, My fiancee and I are beginning to regret the decision to go the K-1 route. Based on earlier processing times, I thought it would be faster than getting married abroad and consular processing for a green card, which takes about a year (or at least used to). If the K-1 timeline is now about the same, we could have married abroad and wouldn't have all to spend the extra fees on the AOS application, the EAD, etc.