Charlene17

All went well at the interview! Finally done with this part of the journey! Yaaay! Think we may have the same wedding date too...thinking Nov 23 so we can marry on school holidays right before Thanksgiving!

We have the same wedding date:-), congrats on your interview date and congratulations to all the others who finally have your dates too,feels great doesn't it :-)

So happy to hear some of you got your interview dates this week! What a relief it is to finally get a date. My fiancé goes for his interview at 10 tomorrow! So excited and nervous!

Finally got an interview date!!! wooohoooo! October 25th...so a week from this Friday!!!! Words can't even express my happiness right now! Yesterday was Ryans birthday so what a lovely late bday present to finally get a date! 7 weeks from tomorrow is when we sent our forms so a nice little wait!

Well I'd emailed them at exactly 4 weeks and got the approximately 4 weeks response. Emailed them yesterday and just got an automatic response that they will respond to my email in 2-3 days. I had high hopes that my senators office would add a little political pressure as they were very willing to help, but it just so happened that right after they received authorization forms to look into the case that we had the government shutdown and their office is now closed. So it's just waiting.

I know it will eventually come but its so difficult waiting! We started the whole process back in December thinking that it may be done sometime this summer, but we were quite ignorant to the process and feel like we hit every bump in the process possible. Our petition was in that dreadful Texas transfer group and it alone took 8 months to be approved!

While it's nice to see that things have sped up in the USCIS phase and some people are very fortunate to get through the embassy portion fairly quickly, but it's very easy to grow bitter during the process. I'm glad that lots of couples have had a smooth journey with their k-1's as I wouldn't wish anyone to have to be away from their significant other any longer than necessary. At the same time, I really feel as through the embassy should have some sort of system to ensure that cases are being processed in the order in which they are received.

Wish I could just flick an off switch and be surprised when it comes but I have 2 small kids that ask every morning how long until Wyan (Ryan lol) has his special paper to move here? Even kids in my class asking how much longer until your you're married and we have to call you a different name? So besides the normal empty side of the bed reminders, there's always more throughout each day. It's a painful process for us all...but we all chose to go through it and it'll be well worth it in the end

Roll on next week...and hopefully a date!

:-( I had high hopes that you would off heard around the same time as me.I know how it feels to be left behind as its happened to me time and time again on here .since its now gone six weeks have u tried emailing the embassy again? I mean they do tell u to inform them after six weeks.I really hope you hear soon as I know that feeling of dread when another weekend creeps up and you still don't know.

I was frantically worrying for weeks and this week I've put it as far back in my mind as possible and things took a turn for the better .you'll get there it wouldn't hurt to email them though

Jola I'm going absolutely mental waiting on this interview! 6 weeks since we sent packet 3 forms off now and nothing! Was so hoping to head into the weekend with a date on the calendar

Looking out for CEAC update isn't always the best thing to do.I received no update regarding the logging of my forms or my interview being assigned .

Forms sent /medical 8th August

Medical logged 13th August

Forms logged 9th September

4th Oct Embassy told me to wait approximately five weeks after my forms being logged to receive a interview date

Just going off gut feeling I call dos they confirm I have a interview date Oct 22nd

11th Oct packet 4 arrives dated 9,th October

So all In all I'm just a few days short of the five weeks wait after my forms being logged to receiving a interview date

Those of you still waiting ,hang in there your time is comming!

The embassy told us that we can expect to wait approximately 4 weeks from the log date of our papers for an appointment to be issued. This past Friday was 4 weeks so I sent them an email at the end of the day Friday and got a response with the word "approximately" bolded. I guess I need to be a little more patient with it but that's easier said than done. My fiancé rented his house out in Scotland on October 1 thinking he'd be here by then Luckily he has some great parents who he's moved in with while we wait for the appointment!

I'll keep you guys updated when we hear something and please do the same Good Luck to you all!

We sent ours on August 29 and they were logged September 6. I emailed the embassy last week and they said wait approximately 4 weeks from the log date to be informed of an interview date. Emailed them this morning as its been 4 weeks and still nothing.

Finally forms got logged on today. Anyone know how long it takes after they log on the form to get a interview date? We already been waiting since beginning of September.

Joining the waiting room!

Packet 3 forms sent August 29

Packet 3 forms logged September 6

I received an reply email from the embassy and a CEAC update on September 27 stating we needed to wait 4 weeks from the log date...so this Friday! But nothing yet.

We filed our petition back in December so it's been a long long wait! Hopefully good news on Friday

Thanks guys I appreciate your thoughts on it. Hoping for the best but I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens with it. Can't believe we applied for this back at the start of December and we're still in the process. We were part of the horrid Texas transfer with the USCIS so that put a bit of a delay on the whole process. But at least we're in the last part of it! Good luck to you all and thanks again

Few quick questions...my fiancé sent off all of his DS forms and DS-2001 on August 29. They were logged on September 6. How long can we expect to wait to hear of an appointment date being issued. We did state on our cover letter that we would be willing to take a cancelation and our desired arrival date was October 1 in the US.

We were planning on a mid October wedding, but we are pushing it back to November now that it's cutting it so close. However, I'm a teacher and we have a weeks fall break mid October that we would desperately like to share as a family while me and the kids are off work and school. Only 4 weeks away...think there's a chance of us making it?

Hey Guys! Really excited to be joining this forum for the next steps of our visa journey! So much useful information. My fiancé Ryan (in Scotland) has an immigration attorney to handle the rest of this on the UK side. Of course I'm the kind of person who likes to be in the know of what's going on with every little detail of this process as it's us that think about it all at night before we go to bed...not the attorney! Pretty sure the attorney may hate me by the end of this all lol

So I had a quick question if someone would be so kind to answer. Our case was sent to London July 17. I have been tracking it online and it has changed from "in transit" to "ready". I called the DOS to double check and they said that London has received the electronic copy of the case and it still waiting for the physical file. So can my fiancé go ahead and send in his documents now or should we wait until London has the physical file? He has a medical scheduled for August 9.

Thanks!

Got a CASE NUMBER!!! woooohoooooooooo! Petition was shipped on July 10 and got the case number a few minutes ago! Get calling guys! Good Luck!

Got a CASE NUMBER!!! woooohoooooooooo! Petition was shipped on July 10 and got the case number a few minutes ago! Get calling guys! Good Luck!

Got a CASE NUMBER!!!!!! woooohoooo! It was shipped to the DOS on July 10 and called a few minutes ago and a got the case number! Get calling guys! Good Luck!

Very excited to call the DOS in the morning and see if we got a case number and hope that many of you do too! Good Luck!

Meanwhile for all of us who survived the Vermont-Texas transfer...this should make you laugh. I was checking the processing times of the I-129f at Vermont on the USCIS site tonight and this is what it said:

Effective April 30, 2013

USCIS National Goal: 5.0 months

Vermont Service Center: 5.0 months

USCIS National Average: 64.0 months (hahaha...typo? maybe not! Looks like someone's at USCIS is finally being honest about how long this thing takes lol)

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/CaseStatus.do

Couldn't figure out how to insert a screen capture of it but check out the link for a giggle

I got the same status update:

On July 10, 2013, we shipped this approved or re-affirmed case to the Department of State for visa processing. For more information, please contact them directly.

Hope it gets there soon!

Just got the same notice...

On July 10, 2013, we shipped this approved or re-affirmed case to the Department of State for visa processing. For more information, please contact them directly.

Looks like we're all going to have this by the end of the week hopefully!

Mail them off!

Guys I think these notices are a good thing...at least they say they're moving them on paper too. I have an NOA2 date of June 18 and didn't get any notification yet either. I've been in contact with congressman/senator but haven't heard back from them. Let's hope by the end of the week we all have this update notification and they get to the NVC. I highly recommend calling the DOS line to check on the petitions arrival at the NVC too. They are much more friendly and helpful on that line and I typically never have to hold...if so its on a matter or 1-3 mins. Good Luck to everyone!

Just called DOS and still no sign of the petition at NVC. NOA 2 was June 18 and we were a VSC-TSC transfer. the lady I spoke with was very nice and said it takes up to a month to get to NVC. I told her I had previously been told up to 8 weeks and she said that she hasn't seen it take that long, that it's typically a month. I also mentioned it was a k1. I have contacted my congressman over the matter, tried to talk to a Tier 2 at USCIS (incredibly rude and unhelpful), and have been calling DOS every weekday. Don't know what else we can do guys

Anyone know if any of the VSC-TSC transferred cases got the NVC # yet? I saw someone reported theirs at NVC but no number. We got the same message that it's up to an 8 week wait. When I spoke with DOS yesterday they said that USCIS is implementing some changes to their mailing process as of last Tuesday July 2 and that's why it's taking longer to get to NVC. Personally I think TSC is probably upset over taking on a case load from VSC...no one likes to pick up someone else's slack. These cases were transferred for "quicker processing" but they didn't tell us they were going to approve them and let them sit for a month before moving them on to the next step. Hope they're not waiting for the first load of transferred cases to all be approved before shipping as some people's petitions may have complications that will take longer to approve. They just told me they are sent off in batches and they must not have enough to mail yet. Very frustrating! I saw today that a few couples from VSC (my original center) who are US-UK couples (like myself and fiancé) filed 2 weeks before us and they already have their interviews scheduled 13 days from now. This transfer has proved to be a huge challenge and set back for us all. I hope that this all makes us and yourselves a stronger couple in the end of it all.

Nope I was a VSC to TSC transfer and we still haven't gotten to the NVC. Approved on June 18 and now we're being told it can take up to 8 WEEKS for NVC to get our file!!!!!! Ready to get started on this next part with the embassy.

Thank you so much Nich-Nick! Really appreciate your input on this!

Charlene--

Here's what London says about the I-134, particularly self sponsoring http://london.usembassy.gov/faffidavit.html

For a K1, there is no published amount such as 3x or 5x poverty level. It is a good rule of thumb. You just have to convince the interviewing officer that you won't become a public charge until you get a greencard and job. . I remember one who said they self-sponsored with $40k. I feel like its much less than people expect, but nobody comes back and reports. Some of the older members say they knew people who did it for $6-10k.

For a K1, your fiancé can be approved on salary of 100% of the poverty level, if that helps. There's no form to fill out when you self sponsor. The link I gave shows how to prove the UK person's funds. And because you do have a job, and maybe a better one soon, it wouldn't hurt to show your income also.

The Readiness form is basically saying he has everything. If you aren't doing an I-134, then he's ready when he has his documents and financial papers in order.

Your receipt of insurance benefits doesn't matter. I don't recall that being on any form you submit. What TennCare will do after you marry is a question you probably need to ask of TennCare.

Also a similar question to yours from yesterday http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/437608-form-i-134-affidavit-of-support/

This thread is so helpful so thank you all for the time you have put into your comments and feedback! I received my NOA2 on June 18 and am preparing for the next of this process. I spent the last 2 nights reading the entire forum to make sure some of my questions were not answered already and have only seen 1 post related to my question.

I am the USC who filed the I-129f and my fiance lives in Scotland. As of last thursday NVC had not received our case yet but I expect them to in the next 2 weeks so we can get this thing going My question is concerning the I-134 Affidavit of Support that I need to supply (along with the 2 forms of proof of income....tax returns, letter from employer, ect...) Let me give a little background information to explain my situation. I am currently employed as a teachers aide and have been for 2 years. I am desperately hoping to snag a teaching position before the summer is over and have had an interview this last week already...fingers crossed I also work as a nursery worker at church. However, given these 2 jobs and being very underpaid as a teachers aide, I do not currently make enough to show that I can financially support my fiance. I do however have a few family members that would more than likely not mind to be a co-sponsor for us.

With all that being said, my fiance has an immigration attorney and his attorney has ensured him that he will be able to sponsor himself financially given his savings/assets. The attorney has informed us that he will have to prove that he has 3 times the poverty limit (for our 4 person household; myself, fiance, and my 2 children) to ensure that he will not become a public charge once he moves to the U.S. I have not seen any information except 1 person who posted they were able to do this. If anyone has any information on self sponsoring please share.

So then my main questions are: Will I still have to fill out a I-134 for my fiance? If I don't will his paperwork be considered ready for the interview in order to mail in the Readiness for Interview Form when the time comes to do so? Any ideas on what forms he may be submitting to self sponsor? My fiance is planning on speaking with his attorney to answer some of these questions but I'm a little impatient :/ Many of you seem to be well knowledgeable of this process so I was hoping to get some of your thoughts on the matter.

My only other concern is that myself and both of my children are currently on TennCare Health Insurance (Tennessee's Medicaid). My teachers aide position is only 25 hours a week so I am not eligible for benefits through employment (nice way the school systems save them some money by hiring 2 part time aid with no benefits instead of 1 with). Prior to applying my children for this I had ran it by the immigration attorney and he said it would not cause any problems since myself and my children are both eligible for the TennCare. I've always felt a little iffy about this but at the end of the day its important that my children have health insurance. I know that my fiance would not be able to enroll in anything like this but will we have to drop the insurance one we are married? Anyone see any issues with us currently being insured through TennCare?

Sorry for the long post guys but and feedback will be greatly appreciated.

I completely understand the situation now and yes I know everyone else has been in my shoes at some point or another. We were misinformed and now have a longer wait than anticipated. We were told Belfast would be able to process our case and schedule an interview within 4 weeks of receiving info from NVC. I did not put any blame or anger on anyone here on VJ....the people here have been a lifeline through all of this. I simply did not find some of the comments constructive when feeling fragile over the situation like asking if I have many other K-1's. Anyway good luck to you with your journey.

You do realize that everyone on this site has been in your shoes right?

You "decided" that one was faster without having any information about it. How could you compare timelines from London and Belfast if one doesn't even do the type of visa you are pursuing?

You should be angry at your lawyer for being stupid and not checking a simple thing. You paid him/her to help you and s/he didn't. Not us.

Thanks. That's a little more encouraging to know London is pretty efficient. The attorney gave us the impression that it would somehow go to Belfast and that they scheduled interviews within 4 weeks of receiving info from the NVC, so after reading on Londons embassy scheduling 10-12 week it was a blow to us. Just means we're in the waiting game a little longer. But thanks for the info and the link...it will be very helpful.

It probably won't be longer (after all, there's no stats for Belfast because they've never done K1)! I don't know what estimate your lawyer or friends gave you, but a majority of the wait for most K1s after approval comes at the NVC stage, which would be the same regardless of the embassy your case would arrive at in the end. The embassy processing after that NVC stage is very fast in London (compared to other locations).

Really, London is pretty efficient. You'll get through just as quickly as everyone else who's in the UK! I'm sure it'll all work out for you. Good luck!

P.S. If you're at NVC/Consulate stage, I really recommend reading this forum thread from the London section. It'll help you anticipate the next steps so you can get a jump on the system and have it move as fast as possible: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/350185-london-2012-k1s-from-noa2-to-interview-thread/

P.P.S. Belfast DO do non-immigrant visas, just not the K1 (which is non-immigrant, also).