Dualie

I'm not sure anyone is being harsh. They are simply telling you what mistake you made and why USCIS responded the way they did.
They didn't check your application right away. They made sure the you provided the check and the necessary signatures and sent it off to be adjudicated. When that happened, they then noticed that you'd been attempting to apply for something you in no way qualified for. So they denied you.
Why would they send your money back? On what grounds? You made a mistake, unfortunately a costly one. There's nothing to do except re-file and do it properly. You're going to get nowhere if you attempt to make USCIS refund you. Not gonna happen.

Wow, people here are trying to help you understand what went wrong and you're speaking to everyone as though they are a bunch of knuckleheads. No one is being harsh, they are giving you facts.
The fact of the matter is, it was YOUR mistake, not theirs.Just because they had the cover letter, doesn't mean they read it. NOA1 simply means they received your petition, it doesn't mean they had actually started to process it, doesn't mean they read a single thing. It merely means they opened the contents, made sure the payment was there and put in line to adjudicate. You cannot adjust status ahead of time. Let's say they went ahead and approved your petition, and you didn't marry? Then what? Nothing about your case is a mistake on their part, NOTHING. They are under no obligation whatsoever to waive the fee for the second petition, hopefully for your sake they do, but don't bet the farm. Good luck.

You can do that yourself by monitoring the Oslo Embassy appointment calendar.
Lawyers can also slow the process down -- many simply can not and/or will not be as proactive about your case as you would.

If you are waiting on IR1/CR1 the priority dates mean nothing. IR1/CR1 visas are unlimited each year. Given what is being said in various threads here on VJ, if you are not expedited the petitions are approved randomly. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. They seem to be going by dates for a while, then some are whisked through really quickly for no particular reason, and then some (and I really feel for these folks) are caught in a backlog vortex and are bounced around from service center to service center for a year or longer. The eternal optimist in me keeps me checking, but I do not get my hopes up and I keep my expectations low. It is great to see the ones who are getting through in a reasonable timeframe, but I hold no illusions that that this process will follow any particular timeline. I will count myself lucky to hold my visa by November this year. If it happens earlier - fanfreakingtastic, if not...oh well. It is not something I can control.
To AlexandCarlos19, VJ has become my Facebook also. I actually spend more time on here than FB anyway, with the added bonus of the wealth of knowledge these folks have. I sure hope it doesn't take two years for the process to finish but at least if it does, you save a fistful of money! Good luck to you!!

Gee thanks! Yet another thing to check that's gonna drive me crazy...lol! Just kidding. Just downloaded it to my Droid, but like someone else on here mentioned I think it is best to back off checking too often. It won't make them go any faster and it only frustrates us and drives us batty. I think I will check once a week (just to make myself feel a little bit of power...yeah right!) but aside from that, I am signed up for email and text notifications so what's the point of stressing myself out unnecessarily? And now all the I130s that were fast tracked through USCIS are starting to stall and backlog at NVC. Just my humble opinion here, but if they do not hire more people to weed through backlogs, the backlogs will just be shuffled around from one step in the process to another.
All this being said, I am an eternal optimist with high hopes that everyone here will be processed fairly and expeditiously. Just my two cents worth on a chilly Thursday morning in Winnipeg!

When my husband and I decided to get married during the holidays, we knew I would be returning to Canada a married lady. That being said, when I crossed the border (by car, mind you) at Pembina, ND, I only answered what they asked (always). They don't need any details and if they do, they will ask. They asked the purpose of my visit, and that was to "visit my fiancé". I ALWAYS carry my car lease, six months of bank statements, employment letter, apartment lease to prove ties to Canada... and they have never asked to see anything or questioned me further.
It is not fraud to enter the US to marry, only with intent to stay. Answer only what they ask for, always be truthful and pleasant and you shouldn't have any problems.
Congratulations and good luck!

Finally was able to check the husband's mail this weekend. Petition received Feb 4, 2014, priority date Feb 4, 2014. Petition received and is in process Nebraska Service Center. Nice to finally see this on paper.

That will get everything and I mean everything, Mine was a few inches thick! But not sure if its any good for immigration! I don't have the pkg with me here in Nicaragua, so can't look at it. There may be an old UER in there that may work--just get it notarized!!

I have been down to visit my husband several times since our wedding. We just filed with USCIS. Just make sure he brings lots of proof of ties to Canada (lease agreement, employment letter, I bring bank statements too...anything that proves you need to be back in Canada). I have never been turned away as yet.
Always be truthful to the border guys. Only provide them with what they ask for, no more. Look them in the eye and be polite. Works for me every time.

Yes, and it's already getting hard on me and we haven't even started the process yet. Fargo is growing fast and there will be plenty of jobs in my field to keep me busy until I was to retire for good. The pensions I have here in Canada and CPP will do us just fine. No sense in killing myself for a few extra bucks in a pension.
Thanks for your time and advice!