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Mine is Santa Ana. Seems to be some issues there. I saw on the internet the Santa Ana office is quite understaffed. I think that is why you can't even make infopass apppointments anymore there. I tried a few times over the last 2 months and every time, I am not allowed to make any appointments no matter what topic/reason I choose. What a mess California is (as usual!). I have not received any waiver or interview letter; we are fairly close in our filing and update timings, too. I think you are a month or so ahead of me when I saw your last update status.

Hi Jr and Jr. Thanks. Last status we have seen is "as of march blah blah, our case is ready to be scheduled for an interview" we have not received any REQUEST FOR EVIDENCE nor INTERVIEW WAIVER up to date. Is your local office at santa ana too?

yes, I hope we hear something soon.

What office belongs to you? I'm in Santa Ana, California

My wife's status just changed to ready to schedule interview on May 5 so I guess it will be quite some wait since you didn't get yours yet

wow you got the updated status regarding ready for interview? at least you got that far! Wonder why mine is stuck with the old update saying April 26 unless fingerprinting/interview needed. Maybe because we did the fingerprinting in late March (we needed to get a marriage cert for additional ID which set us back 3 weeks from the original fingerprinting date in early March).

I will apply AP for now. My wife is anxious to see her family back home. ;/

Hi Veeveean,

Would be very curious to know when you get your AOS interview date as I am also nearest to the Santa Ana office. Feel very discouraged by the fact they are working on cases from July 2014. Just in a waiting game now as we did the fingerprints a month ago but no update. The weird thing is the USCIS website case status says there should be an update by April 26 which has passed already. Called the 1800 number and two agents said it is just a "guideline" and not really a update is guaranteed..

Yes I called too and told me they were working on cases from July 2014 ? it could take up to 7 months. My case online at one point it said I should receive an update by May 22 unless an interview was necessary, then it changed to ready to be scheduled for an interview which has not changed since April 3rd. I will keep you updated.

When did you file?

Hi Veeveean,

Would be very curious to know when you get your AOS interview date as I am also nearest to the Santa Ana office. Feel very discouraged by the fact they are working on cases from July 2014. Just in a waiting game now as we did the fingerprints a month ago but no update. The weird thing is the USCIS website case status says there should be an update by April 26 which has passed already. Called the 1800 number and two agents said it is just a "guideline" and not really a update is guaranteed..

Congrats !!!! How long did AP take?

She said 2go texted and will deliver today!

2go's site still says invalid. So weird!

HI DID YOU RECEIVE YOUR VISA YET?

HI DID YOU RECEIVE YOUR VISA YET?

Congrats!!

My fiance is also in Issued status yet 2go site still says "invalid" using passport, application or case number. It's been "invalid" since the first day and even a day after "issued" status on CEAC. Is this odd or normal? Other posts say you can use that identifier to track on 2go Etrace...

I was with my fiancee during her interview at USEM last Feb 18. The actual process took less than 30 min combined. But the waiting was long. Almost 8 hours! Lol we brought with us lots of documents of our proof of ongoing relationship ,but only the usual paperwork were asked: Birth Cert, NBI, Cenomar, affidavit of support form with a copy of my 2012 w2 and ITR. I also gave the Fil consul the original certified copy of my divorce paper. They did not bother looking at our pictures. When my fiancee was called by the American Consul he saw me and I was told to have a seat. He will call me if he has any questions. I was seated right infront of him and i can hear his questions to my fiancee. He only asked a few questions : when did we meet? How did we meet? What was i doing in the philippines the first time we met? What did we do on the 3 weeks I visited her the second time. Thats it. He did not say if the visa was approved. All he said was thats all the questions and wait for the window to call her number. At the window for 2go I ask if we were approve and was told most likely since the consul kept the pp and no further documents were needed.

Our CEAC status first 3 days was ready then went to AP for 2 more days and finally issued yesterday. We are just waiting for 2go to text us as we opted for the visa ro be pick up at MOA. Thanks again for all the help and advice. Our journey is almost over.

me too po, AP status pala

Maybe will check again mid-next week. Not expecting a faster update but one can pray ^^;;;;

Congratulations! Anyway, what does your status says on ceac? Just wonderin if AP status s normal after the interview?!

how much time should we wait after embassy interview to check 2go and CEAC site? It's probably too early for me but my fiance finished her interview yesterday (Feb 19). CEAC says Ready but after closely checking it's ready for scheduling the embassy interview...

2GO has no record found using passport or case number

Its still in the embassy. You can also track your Passport via 2go e-trace tracking by just inputting either your case number, passport number, or UID number located at the bottom part of your appointment confirmation notice. Goodluck.

Definitely agree with that and what everyone else said. When I first did the I-129F I probably mis-read the instructions but the part where it asks about my fiance and her kids, I put our baby on there so it's honest and upfront...but being too honest backfired! lol

salamat sa diyos! I will be checking CEAC like a hawk until the visa is issued! ;;

Congrats. Your child should not have been on the I-129F, as she doesn't need a visa or medical. You probably created a bit of confusing by having her on it with no medical included.

Thanks both of you for your fast replies! I feel a little better now but will have to wait until I can call my fiance later today to get more details.

Indeed, I hope it was just the releasing window person saying that and not the CO. That is one of my many questions for my fiance when we speak later today~

I checked CEAC site now and it's in "Ready" status, I suppose that's a good start ^^;;

So paranoid and nervous. Miss my fiance and baby girl so much!

Rarely doesn't anyone hear the word APPROVED at the embassy. My wife is still waiting to hear those words... They didn't give your fiancee a 221g, just told her to wait for delivery... so all is good!!

Congrats!!

You are correct, your USC daughter should never have been listed on the I-129F... that may be confusing someone

Hi All, a little confused here since I was not with my fiance yesterday during her interview, i am even more confused...

Short background...I used to live in Manila over a year and half where I met my now fiance. We lived together and had a cute baby girl together. She is a US citizen now too with a US passport.

Yesterday was my fiance's interview at the Embassy. She told me she asked the officer and the releasing window person if she was approved and she was not given a firm answer. The "releasing window" person advised her our baby needs a medical exam...#######? The releasing window person also said "wait at home." Why our US citizens required the same as the foreign applicants? I remember emailing the embassy a month ago asking about requirements for children and confirmed at that time if not a K2 applicant, no need for the medical. If US citizens are required to have a medical, would have been smarter to take our daughter off the I-129F application when it was filed I suppose.

Wait at home..I assume this means we need to wait for an update or notification to be mailed or if I am optimistic, it means she was approved and wait for home delivery?!

Do you think this was just "advice" to have a medical before going to the US or was it a definite requirement? I checked CEAC site for a status update but it's probably too early (?) for the system to update either way (guessing here...).

So lost as to why the embassy can't even say yes or no for the approval after going through all that waiting time at the embassy.

Thanks for your inputs po!

That is ridiculous really! You should call them again and demand an explanation. That is unacceptable.

I was told it takes a week then if nothing, to call back. When I called back I found out they made an error inputting one of my

many details (when you are on the call you need to recite everything even if it's on their screen). One of the idiots there delayed

the expedite request about 2 weeks and was forced to do it again.

What did your hardcopy say? It should give more details as to the next step. Mine said "your case is now being adjudicated" and please wait

up to 45 or was it 60, days for a decision.

I did get a letter confirming my expedite request. It came almost 4 weeks later. However when I did initially request it, they said I should hear a decision within 30 days...fat chance on that.

When the 30 days came up, i called again and they said they would put in a service request and I should hear something within 5 days... Well guys what... Fat chance on hearing anything again!

So i called again and the person on the phone said... The 5 days to hear from is just a suggestion and it may take another 30 days to hear anything about our petition... I was like #######!!!

At that point i was pretty pissed and annoyed as hell. I asked to speak to someone higher up and they transferred me to an immigration officer.

The officer stated that our petition went our for security background check and that since USCIS did not handle that, there was nothing USCIS could do. I said, so now its a waiting game? The person responded...pretty much. I asked how long it possibly may take and the person said, a few weeks to several months!!

Aarrgghh!!!

This sucks cause like i said, while others can start to live their lives together, start a family together... We are friggin stuck in limbo... Both of us not being able to have defimitive plans or timetables on anything about our lives together!

Did you get anything in the mail about your expedite request? You should've gotten a hard copy acknowledging your request and more explanation in that letter.

If not, you should call USCIS call center back and confirm they got your information correctly and specifically ask if the request was approved or not.

Good luck!

I actually did call for an expedite on dec 13 and the expedite was approved but from then, no update on anything.

Congrats! I hope that means I am closer since you are approved from CSC...come on CSC!!! today please!! been waiting too long considering I am on expedite status T__T

Our NOA2 was approved yesterday (9th Jan), so thrilled!

sorry to hear that about the photos but congrats on the approval! It seems like all service centers have really slowed down. Surprised it took 3 weeks to get

your NOA2 based on a passport photo RFE.

I am still waiting for my RFE reply but mine was worse; I sent G325 instead of G325A. Maybe it takes more checking and such

hi, I just wanted to add my RFE - I was very thorough, except that I my "passport style photo" wasn't to their liking. I went to cvs and had them do it and returned it the same day I received the notice in the mail, and now 3 weeks later we got approved!

so go to cvs for your passport photos, you can find a $2 coupon off online!

Calling USCIS during the NOA2 is quite useless. I've been trying to do that and I did not get anywhere. Feels like I am talking to a telemarketer reading from a script. They just say to keep waiting and waiting...

My case is confirmed expedited but still waiting for NOA2. I guess this is not a good sign for people under regular status.

I am happy you guys got approved)) But I don't think calling or anything during the NOA2 wait time is going to make it go any faster for me. I think maybe all Philippines cases are getting processed exponentially faster than most other countries.

Congratulations though)

It seems really hard to get any useful information or updates from USCIS via their toll free call center. I tried to ask today about my RFE status and all they do is read verbatim the words from the USCIS website after inputting my receipt number. I already know what it says so I tried to probe further and ask if there's any issues or such and they just say no and that it takes up to 60 days to get a reply.

I confirmed that I am approved for expedite status yet the process is moving abnormally slow for an expedite case, imo...

As for speeding things up, if you call and email, often times you will get information that would take weeks to get if you just wait for them to contact you. So while it may not speed some things up, it is not a bad idea to call or email or both because it can possibly allow you to move on to the next step (ie gettting your case number faster from the NVC). For example, I still haven't been notified that my case was sent to the NVC and that I have a case number via the email/text system that they have. But I called and got all of that information and have been able to move on to the other steps much quicker. Hope that makes sense. All I can say is be patient, but like I like to say, "Push with patience!"

Seems like CSC is a lot slower now. Not happy about this at all. They were doing quite well until this happened (and perhaps the holidays?).

USCIS announces workload transfer from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently began transferring some extension of stay casework from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center to balance workloads. The affected casework includes the following form:

• I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, filed by an employer to extend the stay of an alien to perform services as an H-1B specialty occupation worker.

To learn more, visit our website: http://go.usa.gov/ZZnQ

Hi Gwapo (btw, nice nick name lol)

All I got was a hard copy letter from the CSC acknowledging my expedite request and it said "your case is currently being adjudicated" after which a few days after I got the RFE and I sent the G325As for me and my fiance asap which was Dec 20. After that, no update at all.

I did some searches on VJ and other people who got a letter like mine for expedite confirmed that letter is equivalent to an approval for expedite. The whole thing is so confusing... but the weather delays and VSC transferring of workloads to CSC is what is concerning me now.

When you filed for an expedite request, did they ask for anything?

Also, how did you know they accepted the expedite request?

I have a feeling even CSC is now slowing down. I noticed on USCIS website on December 23 the VSC transferred work to CSC to balance workloads...

All of a sudden things are slowing down even more than expected with the holidays factored in. Been 2 weeks since they got my RFE reply and still nothing.

So nervous checking online everyday for a status update....please give me NOA2!!!

Man...that sucks!!

This is for the K2 visa right? I know in the Philippines, it's the same fee as the fiance K1 visa. Not sure if the country you are filing in has different fees but they must be paid separately.

question for anyone that knows....My fiance is bringing her daughter with her.... At the interview how much money does she pay for her visa? How much for her daughter ?

Congratulations!!! Wow, you got a great interview date (in my opinion). I thought I read on the forums here people saying the wait was until late April or May.

I am very happy for the both of you po! salamat sa diyos dba dba

We are so thankful for the very fast processed in our petition..finally set our medical and interview... we are hoping in less than 4 months we're done in this process and be together again Thank you so much Lord

Hi, just curious did NVC give any explanation as to why it took so long? I guess technically the timing was within their default guideline but it sounds like something got lost on their end? Maybe I am reading too much into it... but great you got the case number nonetheless. Congratulations and good luck!

Sparkle Pony you are always so kind and helpful to all the posters! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I hope 2014 brings a quick resolution to your K1 and you get married and live happily ever after!

I am trying to be optimistic and hope there are some ISOs working today and the rest of the week; I should be getting NOA2 any day now. My status as of last Friday was RFE response review. Please lord grant us the NOA2 por favor! hehe ^^;;;

Merry x-mas to everyone!

This week they will probably be very slow... our case file was received by the embassy on the 23rd but on the CEAC webpage it still says "In Transit" So, I am guessing they haven't even looked at it... It is thrusday, so I don't think we will get any updates until the 2nd or 3rd of January... I just wished I knew my interview date! Oh well, at least we will be starting this new year with some good news!

Good Luck to everyone

Thanks for your kindness! Yeah was expecting the RFE but had to wait for the hardcopy; I sent a reply via overnight mail last week. Hope they can review it this week including the holidays so I will tried to be optimistic too ^^

You can wait in the St Lukes lobby but it will be very crowded and not the most ideal place to hang out but having said that, not much else in that area either.

Have a great time in Manila. I miss it there sometimes. Best of luck to you and your fiance! Happy holidays!!

Thank you and good luck in your journey. I see you got the dreaded RFE. Hope it goes smooth. I agree the embassy interview date is way to far out there (past my k1 date) but maybe next month they will move things along quicker. Hey I am an optimist. I will be heading back to Manila in Feb. I am hoping my fiance can do her medical then as I will have a hotel in Manila. I am not sure if I would be allowed in st Luke's just to keep her company.

Keep me updated on your progress. I am sending some positive vibes your way

I hope you get your case number soon. The wait to get an interview date at the USEM Manila seems brutal. Too much patience required.

Well after the excitement of receiving an NOA2 in 10 days unfortunately since then it has been over 4 weeks and the NVC still has not received the file. On the plus side it was very easy to get through to the NVC today when I called and they were polite. They just gave me the standard "It can take up to 8 weeks to receive" line. Sigh. Need to get that case number to move things along. Hate the feeling of being stalled.