Sheepwalk

Thank God, atleast those legal immigrants outside the country can now continue with their visa process without more delays.

I like to believe that this is great news for us!
Hopefully this executive order will be fully revoked in time. At least now it's being held at bay for the time being.
USCIS at TSC process those K-1's while you have the time!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/lawsuit-obama-immigration_n_6680366.html

Hello fellow January filers ,
Today I found out case was received by NVC and they gave me the case number. Good news as the conflict in Donbass is getting worse by the day, just today spoke with my fiance and heard explosions so near she had to go to basement. We are really hoping a peace agreement is reached. So tomorrow I will do the DS-160 online application with her and gather the required documents to be sent next week. Congrats to all the people who already have NOA 2 and good luck to those who are waiting.
Thank you guys!
Jose

Everyone accesses information differently. Some search, some don't. I think we should continue to be helpful, even when the question seems obvious. When helping, point to links they should have found, don't answer straightaway. This may have the effect of helping those folks find stuff on their own. But the big benefit, is that those links will come up in searches more towards the top and be more helpful to those who do fend for themselves.
Just my two pennies, but I believe in being as helpful as possible. Remember that your grandma still doesn't get what the internet even is

Four years. I've been doing this for four years.
Luckily, we're within driving distance of each other and we've seen each other at least once a month since January 2010. It's been a struggle at times but the ability for us both to maintain our independence has been a huge part of our relationship's growth. We're both in our 40s and the "oh my God, I would die without him/her in my life" stage is well behind us.
Now, about your case ... I hate to tell you this but your lawyer might be giving you some misinformation. Your state senator cannot help you get your case number. He/she can only do exactly as you can do: ask for the status of your file.
I noticed the word errors in my first post to you. I shouldn't be allowed on the internet after a few beer. You need to get on this YOURSELVES. Whichever one of you is the U.S. citizen MUST call USCIS and request to speak with a Tier 2 immigration officer. When you get that IO, ask him to open a service request to locate your file.
I don't want to tell you you're wasting your money on a lawyer, because you may very well have a special case. I don't know. But if you're a straightforward K-1 case, you should be handling it on your own and saving some money for your wedding.
Yay!
Another yay!

Thought I'd drop by with an update on our case. As a recap, we're August 15 filers through the CSC with a NOA2 date of October 2, and to date, the NVC has not yet received our petition.
I've contacted the USCIS numerous times. I've been repeatedly denied to speak to a tier 2 official or to put in a service request for it to be sent again to the NVC, with the tier 1 agents saying I had to wait 90 days before I could do so.
I called the NVC over and over, emailed asknvc and nvc research, and even contacted 2 different email addresses for the CSC to try and get some action, all to no avail. The emails I finally got back from the CSC and from asknvc after 6-8 weeks of waiting were completely useless, basically saying "we've received your request for information and will email when we have some information for you". Several weeks ago, I finally heard back from nvc research and they just said they would contact the USCIS on my behalf and would email me with more info, and that's as far as it's gone.
Today, I received a new NOA2 approval dated 1/7/15 with a new expiration date for April 7th (yippie?) I called USCIS again today. Finally, after my second call today and waiting 101 days since receiving my first NOA2, I was allowed to speak to an officer. He was surprised the tier 1 people had told me I had to wait 90 days to speak to an officer, but then he tried to quickly turn the conversation away from the wait we've had to go through. He refused to tell me what happened to my petition all these months and said it's best not to look back at this point and just concentrate on the fact I have a new NOA2 with a new expiration date. I asked how I can know if the petition is really being sent to the NVC this time and that I can't wait another 90 days to go through this whole process again. He just said I have to follow the instructions on the new NOA2 and call if I haven't heard from the NVC in 30 days.
So, I'm a little encouraged something new has happened finally but it still feels like I'm right back where I was 101 days ago. My immigration experience so far has been a nightmare. Please forgive my super long post but I hope this information could help some of you facing the same thing. I hope the rest of you who have been waiting as long (or longer) than we have are getting better results than we have and are well on your way to being reunited with your fiancees. Stay strong!

I received similar info reg my September approval.
I think i would be a fool to believe this after all the lies presented to us all. The only thing i'll believe at this point is something in writing from NVC or the embassy. I'm still going to hound them though.
I believe we are caught up in some sort of internal political game. We are being used for their gain. They don't have enough personnel after changes occurring due to immigration reform and decisions by Obama so they're using us as tools.
Yes, they want you to contact congress and the CSC director. They can use this to get more funding.
Maybe conspiracy theory but that doesn't mean it's not true.
BTW I worked for the feds for over 20 years and I've seen this trick played out many times.
It sucks....

Best news in a long time!
I just got off the phone with NVC. Our case file arrived today. We should have our number by the end of the week.

We can only hope. You never know it might be a surprise christmas present to all of us, approving our cases super fast before the new year. *Wishful thinking*

I've had the error ever since the site changed over. Phoned and our status is still the same. Rather a joke really... If the info from several who bugged the USCIS agents about this is correct, it has absolutely nothing to do with if they are working on our cases or not.. more like the government having an inability to know how to program websites and fix databases. You can expect it will remain broken until they go in and fix each case manually, or fix the problem altogether.

You were lucky for not getting an RFE! All the USCIS guides clearly state the the signatures on the documents must be originals and not photocopied or scanned or anything.

Just curious what you guys think. i just filed a k-1 visa for my fiancé the thing is this is the second k-1 that i applied for her. The first time was i would say about 7 years ago and it was approved (NOA2). We were just waiting for medical and interview part then thing went sour between us and didn't continue on with the process. Now we are back together and just filed another k-1 for her. Do you think the first k-1would have any kind of bearing on the k-1 that i just filed?.....thanks in advance.

I think you are confusing the I-129F petition filing fee with the K-1 visa fee. They are separate and you will pay for both (assuming approval.)
To make you feel better, back in 2010, right after we filed, they dropped the I-129F filing fee from $455 to $340 and instead upped the K-1 visa fee from $131 to $350. Due to bad timing, we got to pay $115 more than the new rate (and $209 more than the amount when we filed.) It actually seems that the visa prices have come down some since then.

Gratz, in spite of the fears and hearsay, the agencies involved actually do seem to work to assist with any problems and most just have to be dealt with bureaucratically. I was denied a new ESTA in may, I thought it was because I had my interview coming up but at the interview I was informed that someone had marked me as an overstayer which is why it was declined which was not true at all. I think someone in an office added up my days out of the country and put them in instead of the days INSIDE the USA.
Silly stuff but I had fast responses from https://help.cbp.gov/ when making sure I had no black marks against me.

Hi again,
Just an update, since folks on the forum probably appreciate seeing how different cases go. Interview date was 9 Sept and today, 19 Sept, we received an email notifying us that my fiance's visa has been approved!!
What an incredible relief this has been...needless to say it has been a sleepless couple of weeks!
Here are the actions we took after receiving the 221(g):
Night of the interview: Emailed, as per the exact instructions, the full copy of my fiance's prior passport.
Next evening: After looking up everything we could find about overstays, about times granted for B1/B2 visas, etc., we began to seriously suspect my fiance had overstayed a visa 9.5 years ago. The period of the overstay could not be determined, as we did not have his original I-94, but as he was only in the country for 9.5 months it could not have been more than a year. So we wrote a letter and signed it, describing why we suspected this might have been the case, describing the circumstances, and essentially apologising and asking them to update that information on my fiance's visa application so that everything remains true and correct as per our current knowledge. Thank you everyone on this forum for helping us to establish that an overstay was almost a certainty.
14 Sept (5 days later): Emailed a second letter with an attached record of my fiance's international movement records, which we obtained from the Australian government. I had noticed that many of the stamps in his prior passport were covered by a visa sticker to another country, and that he did not have an exit date stamped from the USA in his passport anywhere. Therefore, it seemed that we needed to provide more evidence of the longest possible duration of his overstay. Since we couldn't show that based on US immigration stamps, we showed it based on Australian immigration records.
19 Sept: Receive a courtesy email from the Consulate (!), which was wonderful and we were not expecting, stating that his visa has been approved and to expect to receive it in 1-2 weeks. Checking CEAC, we could see the status went from "No Status" to "AP" - Yay!
Still not 100% until that passport with the visa in it is back in our possession, but still it seems it has all worked out...and surprisingly quickly as well! I am impressed!
I am writing all of this because I am hoping this is helpful to people who may need some advice about how to prove the duration of their stay in the USA from another angle - and also I wanted to say thanks to everyone on the forum for pitching in.
Cheers!

Also: I copied for example the boarding passes on a preprinted paper where I stated at the bottom ex:
Date: xx,xx,xxxx
Subject: boarding pass New York - London for person xy
Occasion: me traveling to visit xy over summer
This way I did not need an extra sheet of paper to explain it but had all of it on one sheet.
As you can tell I am very detailed oriented - maybe a too much, but it's for my own sake and I feel better "over-doin" it than feeling like I missed something!!

Called the DOS this morning (as I have been once per week since our interview) and was advised that as of yesterday, they are NO LONGER TAKING CALLS CONCERNING K-1 FIANCE VISAS. Although they are technically a non-immigrant visa, the National Visa Center (NVC) is now responsible for addressing these inquiries. They would not even look into our case today. I advised that I called last week and was told to call once per week. They said yes, that was correct but it changed as of Monday January 27, 2014. <<insert sad face here>> SooOoooOoo frustrated! They were the BEST at helping find out what was happening with our case.
Last week I was able to find out what the status was, when things were being worked on, etc. Today? NVC states they have no information on our case after it leaves the NVC. I have to call the embassy.... who knows nothing. Beyond frustrated now.
**side note: Yes, I did call back and spoke with a different rep just to make sure the first one was not mistaken.

It took me about 2 months once I got my EAD. But I am not doing exactly what I would like so I am still looking around. I have joined a professional group in my field where I live which has made me MANY contacts and I have a had a few interviews recently. So meeting people and networking is key when you are new to the area/ country. I also don't have a lot of experience it has been difficult. But depending on your field try and meet some other professionals! Hope that helps.

Check out whether or not plastering jobs are unionized. If so, join the union, get jobs.

I hate to say it but I think that women who have been victims of domestic violence should at the most never petition for a foreign partner, or at least go extremely extremely slowly. They, unfortunately, are great targets for scammers and other abusive partners. From your timeline, you met him for one week after 4 months of talking online, and petitioned for him immediately. You have not even known him one year yet. If he comes from an abusive family then he is much more likely to be abusive himself.
Your friends care for you and if they think it is rushed, then I would listen to them.
You should read the posts by jensi, I believe it was? If anyone can help remember...
He will wait for you if he loves you. I would slow down and take a lot more time. Best of luck to you.

Actually its not. Unless this is embassy dependent. My previous petition was through the consulate in Colombia, and the visa was dated 6 months from the medical exam.
Haha you are right! OP I hope you and your fiancee made it to the US!

Actually a K-1 is a nonimmigrant visa (in the sense that it doesn't automatically grant you a green card upon entry), it's just acknowledged that they're typically used for immigrant purposes since they are allowed to have dual intent.
Tourist visa denials due to a lack of sufficient ties to the home country will have no bearing on any K or immigrant visa applications the alien is a beneficiary of.

To everyone who made some noise yesterday: WELL DONE!!! They heard us. Just received the following email:



Dear Stakeholder,



U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received communications from the public expressing concerns regarding extended processing times for Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed by U.S. citizens for their eligible immediate relatives. USCIS provides information below in response to the concerns expressed.



USCIS is ever-mindful of the need to process a U.S. citizen’s immediate relative Form I-130 carefully and expeditiously. The need is defined by the immigration system’s goal of preserving family unity. It is for this fundamental reason that USCIS has been focused on addressing delays in the processing of these Forms I-130 for several months.



Through concerted efforts, USCIS is now adjudicating U.S. citizens’ immediate relative Forms I-130 filed as early as February 2013. This is a significant step forward, as previously published guidance reflected the processing of these Forms I-130 filed in October 2012. Furthermore, USCIS expects the processing of these Forms I-130 to be increasingly timely in the ensuing weeks, culminating in the return to an average processing time of five months for these Forms I-130 by May 2014.



USCIS has focused on these Forms I-130 for the very reason that affected members of the public have expressed their concerns; the importance of family unity. Last month, in an effort to expedite the adjudication of these cases, USCIS began transferring stand-alone Forms I-130 filed by U.S. citizens for their immediate relatives from USCIS’s National Benefits Center to its Nebraska, Texas, and California Service Centers. This shift improves USCIS’s ability to adjudicate the cases in a timely manner.



When You Receive a Notice of Transfer of Your Case

If your case was transferred, USCIS will send you a notice listing the transfer date and where your case will be processed. Your original receipt number will not change and this will not further delay the processing of your case. USCIS will take action on your case within 60 days of the transfer date listed in your notice.



How to Track the Status of Your Case

We have recently updated the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov with processing times for Form I-130 cases filed by U.S. citizens for their eligible immediate relatives. Please check the processing times for your petition before inquiring about your case. If your case is transferred to another USCIS office, you should refer to the processing times for the office that has received your case.



You can check the status of your case at www.uscis.gov by entering your receipt number in the “Check Status” field. Additionally, you can sign up to receive automatic case status updates by email as your case is processed. If you have not received a decision on your case within the published processing time, you may submit an inquiry using e-Request or contact the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283. For TDD hearing impaired assistance, please call 1-800-767-1833. When making any case status inquiries, you should reference your original receipt number and indicate that your case was transferred to a new location.



If you have filed a Form I-130 and you receive a request for evidence or any other type of communication from USCIS, please read the notice carefully to ensure that you respond to the same service center that sent you the notice.



If you move while your case is pending, you can change your address on the USCIS website or contact the NCSC so that USCIS can notify you of any further action on your case. It is important that you notify USCIS of any change of address as soon as possible after moving.



We appreciate the concerns that members of the public have expressed on this important subject. We are mindful of those concerns and are addressing them with great diligence.



Kind Regards,

USCIS Public Engagement Division

Sure it has been done before, likely more than folks on VJ would ever know, as that those folks would likely not be posting on VJ. You can stop the process by withdrawing your K-1 visa petition, and essentially throw the money away, you can make that choice. This entire immigration process is all about dealing with huge government bureaucracies. It is all about their rules, regulations, guidelines and timelines. You have to be willing to accept that or it can drive a person crazy. This process is not for the faint of heart, or light of wallet.
Not certain about the Norwegian immigration process and associated bureaucracy.
You should consider becoming familiar with patience no matter which government bureaucracy you have to deal with.
Good luck on your immigration journey.

Hello fellow vjers here i am back again you knew the story so wont dwell
well i had my interview today at london and it went awesome
all very friendly and most of all was APPROVED
been a long wait and long day i can hardly keep my eyes open
now we can finally move on and start a life together
i want to thank most of all
nich-nick
nobbie
plus many others who have helped me
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
THE BIGGEST DREAMS STILL CAN COME TRUE
over and out