nina.mb

Hi all -

Hoping that hearing all of your experiences might help calibrate my expectations for the next few weeks/months as we head into the post-NOA2 phase (wohooo!)

Those of you (specifically K-1s at TSC) who have recently received notifications that your case had been shipped to NVC on such or such a date, how long did the case take to show up at NVC?

1) Do you all have the impression that they actually put it in the mail on that date? Or did the case languish for a bit longer on an
anonymous desk at TSC?

2) I called the NVC and got the standard "up to 8 weeks" response. What have recent timelines looked like, from NOTIFICATION
OF SHIPMENT to NVC? (I know the stats are available on VJ for NOA2 to NVC, but specifically curious about from alleged date
of shipment)

Also, is DOS able to give the same updates as NVC? Confused about the relationship between the two entities. Any experiences with one being more helpful/responsive than the other?

Thanks in advance for your insight and advice!

I completely hear you, it's an overwhelming process!

Having already gone through the petition phase (I-129F with USCIS) I can tell you that you definitely don't need the I-134 until after the NOA2 (petition approval).

From there, according to other helpful VJers, you'll need I-134s from both you, the petitioner, and your co-sponsor (yay for supportive mums!) for the Embassy phase.

Afterwards, during the Adjustment of Status once you're married and living together in the States it seems that you (and again, your co-sponsor) will need to submit a different Affidavit of Support ( I-864).

To the best of my understanding, that is...I can at least vouch for the first phase!

Good luck with everything!

I am in a very similar position (about to enter grad school and mother will be co-sponsor). I am right now filling out the I-129f.

Am I correct that I do not need to submit the I-134 until later on (after NOA1), so that my fiance has it when she goes in for her interview?

I have read the guides as well, but it is a bit overwhelming and I keep mixing things up in my head.

Hi all,

Quick question for you guys re: DS-160 form. I emailed the Embassy to ask about the contents of the mailing that goes out upon receipt of the case ((what is that, Packet 3?) so that we can get a jump start on things. Can't have anything slow us down now

The DS-160 was on the list they gave me, and I'm just wondering if it's going to cause any problems if we submit it now, that is before receiving the official communication from the Embassy. My understanding is that it's just there for them to access when they need it, but want to be sure and not confuse things!

Thanks!

Everybody, I had my interview today!

I AM APPROVED!! :) unbelievable happy and now I can finally celebrate!!

I need a german beer hahaha

CONGRATULATIONS!! What a fabulous outcome to your loooooong journey, very excited for you!

Discard the I-864 forms. They are not used until adjusting status after marriage. You and your parents each provide an I-134 and supporting financial documentation. Additionally, your parents provide evidence of US Citizenship or Legal Permanent Resident Status. This can be photocopies of US birth certificates, Naturalization Certificates, passports or green cards.

Ah ha, that's the difference between the I-864 and I-134...

Thanks so much for the clarification, very much appreciated!

Hi all,

So I've looked through other threads related to joint sponsorship for K-1 visas, but still a bit confused (sorry to be dense )

I, the petitioner, am currently a graduate student and therefore do not meet the poverty threshold for sole sponsorship. My parents, who largely surpass the threshold, are happy to joint-sponsor.

My parents have provided 1) Form I-134, completed and signed 2) Form I-864, completed and signed.

It is my understanding that I, as the petitioner under the poverty threshold, provide my own Form I-134. Do I also need to fill out the I-864?

I would be grateful for any advice/insight from those of you who have encountered this situation. Thanks in advance for your help!

K & Z and Zhivago,

We are all three in this together! Just remember you aren't alone and that we three will have our NOA2s soon. In april we can call and start complaining until we find something out at least! I am sure we will have our NOA2s before that though))

Hang in tight, you both are in my mind always when I think about the process.

Those of you who are waiting for your NOA2s, hang in there!!! We're September filers and we just got ours last week and it was excruciating! But it'll happen, hopefully sooner rather than later...

I honestly found that it got easier once we passed the 5-mo mark because it gave us a leg to stand on when making inquiries. We ended up talking to Tier 2s, the Ombudsman's Office, and our home Senator before seeing any progress, so I would definitely suggest taking steps immediately. Plus, it just makes you feel better to be able to DO something finally!

Fingers crossed for you all!

This NVC thread is for CR1/IR1 visa filers, we have a very different NVC process than K1 filers. I'm not sure where there's a thread for K1 NVC, otherwise I'd link you

They can request at your interview that you get a new police cert if it has expired, but won't always.

Sorry, thanks for clarifying!! I'll poke around and see if I can find the K-1 equivalent...

Good luck to all of you CR1/IR1 filers...I know you all have much longer wait times, and as the dead last September filer to get their NOA2, I can definitely empathize! Hang in there, fingers crossed for speedy approvals!

Hi all!

Really excited to finally be able to post a question to the NVC thread...progress!!

My fiancé and I FINALLY received our NOA2 last week after an agonizing 6 months and 1 week and are waiting on some indication that our case has been shipped to the NCV. No NOA2 hardcopy yet...

My question is 3-fold:

1) what do we do with the NOA2 hardcopy once it arrives? Does my fiancé have to have it at his interview or just hang on to it for our files and send a scanned copy?

2) how should we receive the notification that our file has been shipped to the NVC? Another text alert? Change on the USCIS.gov website? Is it possible that we wouldn't receive any news but the case had already been shipped?

3) Anyone with any experience with requests to process an application at a different Embassy outside beneficiary's home country (fiancé is Moroccan but works in Qatar)? Can someone confirm that it is at the NVC stage that this request is considered? Any thoughts on the likelihood of that being honored?

Since our NOA1-NOA2 took AGES, we're anxious to keep these next steps flowing smoothly, so thanks for any info/insight you can offer!

Hi November filers!

Hope you don't mind that I'm crashing your thread - our experience thus far has been that our progress is more at November's pace than September's! Since most from the September group seem to have moved on to other threads, I thought I'd check in here and see what people have to say about the NOA2 to NVC step...

We FINALLY received our NOA2 last week after an agonizing 6 months and 1 week and are waiting on some indication that our case has been shipped to the NCV. No NOA2 hardcopy yet...

My question is 2-fold:

1) what do we do with the NOA2 hardcopy once it arrives? Does my fiancé have to have it at his interview or just hang on to it for our files and send a scanned copy?

2) how should we receive the notification that our file has been shipped to the NVC? Another text alert? Change on the USCIS.gov website? Is it possible that we wouldn't receive any news but the case had already been shipped?

Since our NOA1-NOA2 took AGES, we're anxious to keep these next steps flowing smoothly!

Thanks for any info/insight you can offer!

YAY! That's wonderful news!

See? You got the NOA2 after I did and you're already approved while I'm stuck waiting for paperwork.

Still no news on your papers?? Keeping my fingers crossed that those pesky documents come through quickly and that you speed through the last few steps to the finish line - so close!

Hi all -

First of all, apologies for the radio-silence the past few weeks; I decided that, for the sake of my sanity, I had to cut myself off from VJ for a bit. Being among the last waiting on an NOA2, I was getting dangerously obsessive

To all of you who have received good news in the interim, very heartfelt congratulations!

I am happy to report that we can FINALLY (after 6 months and 1 week, ouuuuuf!) share in the excitement...we received our text/email notification of NOA2 approval late last night!

Maybe the universe was just waiting for us to be together to receive the news. I had just arrived in Qatar to see R. early that day

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who were so helpful with emotional support and wise advice as we freaked over the delay. We're fairly certain that it was the Senator weighing in that finally tipped the balance...for future reference, Maine's Constituent Services Rep is incredible!

On to the NVC...I can finally shift my research to the next phase, wohooooo! I hear we pick up the pace from here on out?

I wish we could say the same. We filed on September 7th and we still have yet to be approved. We just got our SECOND service request ordered today and were told to wait 15 more days. I haven't even gotten my Alien Registration Number and it's been over 6 months... I mean is that normal? At this point I am a little worried that something is wrong but we're trying to remain optimistic. It's just hard when you see other couples who've filed after or around the same time as you getting approved. At this point, many people who've filed with us are at the interview stage or with visas in hand so it's tough. But, congrats to everyone and more waiting for us I guess. Is there ANYONE in our same shoes on this thread or has everyone already been approved?

I'm glad you finally spoke up! I thought we were the last ones waiting on NOA2 from the September group...

Today marks 6 months for us, and indeed it's been getting quite difficult to watch the approvals left and right for our cohorts (though of course happy that they are all one step closer to their loved one!) without any progress ourselves.

We've got the full court press on...inquiry in with the CIS Ombudsman's Office and Senator's Constituent Services Office has been in touch with USCIS.

Latest word is that our file finally made it back to USCIS after FOUR MONTHS of background checks (!!) - since we both have clean records and no previous marriages, we can only assume that it was the combination of his nationality (Moroccan - Arab, high fraud reputation, etc.) and my work (humanitarian relief) that takes me often to the Middle East.

Have you had any indication of what might be holding yours up? Do you have any major red flags in your file? Regardless, I would suggest getting more aggressive at this point - we're way past the 5-month mark so you have the right to know what's going on. Ombudsman's Office has been slow and provided only generic answers for us, but depending on your Senator (what state?), that's usually the best option. Call and have them inquire on your behalf ASAP.

We know exactly how you're feeling so please keep us posted! Anyone else waiting on NOA2s, please please chime in and update us on where you're at, as well.

I know this is gut-wrenching, more and more so with ever day that passes, but hang in there!

Hi all -

Yes, after 6 months of waiting, we've got the full court press on...inquiry in with the CIS Ombudsman's Office and Senator's Constituent Services Office has been in touch with USCIS.

Latest word is that our file finally made it back to USCIS after FOUR MONTHS of background checks (!!) - since we both have clean records and no previous marriages, we can only assume that it was the combination of his nationality (Moroccan - Arab, high fraud reputation, etc.) and my work (humanitarian relief) that takes me often to the Middle East.

The Senator's rep said that the case should be assigned "soon" and then they have a 30-45 day window to render a decision. I understand the 30 days - review takes time to go over the details, etc. - but the "soon" makes me uneasy. At this point, both my fiancé and I are scrambling to make the necessary adjustments with work and school to accommodate the delays, but "soon" makes it hard to estimate.

Any brilliant ideas out there of ways to either 1) respectfully request that the rep press USCIS harder for immediate case assignment 2) apply pressure from another angle??

Thankful for any suggestions that might help us keep our file from getting tossed back into the pile with Feb/March filers!!! Not looking for special treatment, but it really is our turn now

Actually they don't have an order of approvals by who sent it first. I saw a bunch of people that sent the petition after me getting their approval first.

Good luck

Truth. We filed in September and still waiting for the NOA2...you can imagine how disheartening to see filers from the NEW YEAR receiving approvals left and right No rhyme or reason to this process as far as I can tell...

Hang in there, those of you who are also still suffering in this awful limbo.

B will be here tomorrow! So excited!

That's incredible - through the entire process in under 6 months! Congratulations! I can only imagine how excited you must be...this is what, in my family, we call "wiggly", when you're so excited you can't even sit still

Unfortunately for the moment, we're living vicariously through the progress of our VJ peers - still no NOA2

So a quick update: I made my weekly inquiry to a USCIS Tier 2 and found out that our file wasn't even at USCIS. Out for background checks since Oct. 31, 2013 (!!!) My theory is that, in addition to my fiancé's Arab origins, I'm also contributing to the issue; I work in global health and am working in the Middle East on the Syria crisis. Lots of flights within the region, which I'm sure have taken awhile to verify.

Our friendly Senator's office is now on the case and have been very responsive. First update the Constituent Services Rep was able to obtain: file is FINALLY in transit back to TSC for actual review now. Step in the right direction anyway...

My question to all of you who have enlisted the help of a Congressperson: how often/hard did you push for them to follow up? Though there may not be any concrete updates to be had, I feel that Congressional calls nonetheless serve to put some pressure on USCIS to pick up the pace. Would it be appropriate for me to ask the CS Rep to call in a few times a week, just to "check in"?

So grateful for insight from those of you who have gone through this and successfully walked the line between effective and obnoxious - thanks!

Everybody, I just called NVC and we were getting our case number :-)! So happy,....

Ok BEFORE I start the DS-160 because I always read from people who say it is this or this answer, what do I have to take now for checking the status, NONIMMIGRANT VISA OR IMMIGRANT VISA....

I'm sorry just so happy to finally get the case number after waiting for everything so long, it is so exciting lol I really appreciate it so much that everything is moving much faster now, one or two weeks is nothing compared to what we were going through....

Love XxX

I'm so happy to hear that things are finding moving forward (and quickly) for you and your fiancé!

I've been following your trials and tribulations and I'm where you were about a month ago. At 5.5 months, we just received an absurdly vague response to a service request ("additional review" and "communication within 90 days" - uuugh!) and are feeling rather despondent. I keep going back to your example, of how you kept at it and pushed for answers and take heart from the fact that everything came through in the end. By the way, do you think that it was the Congressman that made the difference, or...?

Thanks for sharing the ups and downs of the process and best of luck with these next steps!

So my fiancé and I are about 3 weeks past the Estimated Processing Time for our K-1 petition (NOA1 September 13th, 2013), so naturally we've been doing everything in our power to figure out the source of the delay. We filed a service request when we passed the deadline, and this is what I received today:

"We have received your service request and researched the status of your case. We had to perform an additional review and this has caused a delay in processing time. Your case is currently under review. You should receive a decision or notice of further action within 90 days."

Essentially that the delay was caused by an additional review - obviously, figured as much - and that something will happen within 3 months?? I feel like no answer would have been more satisfying answer for all the illuminating information that this contains...

Has anyone received of this response to a service request? Was it a precursor to a RFE? Did it really take 90 days to receive the next update? Anyone, any insight? Would be grateful for anything that could shed some light, since obviously USCIS isn't going to do so...

Ouuuuf, really don't think I can take another 3 months of getting jerked around like this

Thanks so much for the suggestion!

Unfortunately, I've filed a service request, spoke to a Tier 2 representative a week, filed an inquiry with the Ombudsman's Office, and am in the process of engaging my Congressional rep...

I can only hold out hope that the latter might yield some speedy results, as all the others have told me the "our file looks like it's on track (no RFE or anything) and I should keep waiting, should be soon", "wait 30 days for outcome of service request", or 45 in the case of the Ombudsman.

You can probably imagine I'm at my wit's end here. Creative suggestions welcome!!

I definitely wouldn't assume 8mo to a year at this point! You filed in mid-December...you're 3 months into the 5mo estimated processing time. I know it's frustrating to see people flying through the process (BELIEVE me, I get it. We filed in September and we're still on initial review as well), but you're still perfectly on track, I'd say...

Hang in there, and fingers crossed for you!

Just wanted to put it out there that we're at approx. 5 months, 3 weeks (September 2013 filer crashing the November thread, sorry!), and I've been told repeatedly that we don't have a RFE or anything of the sort and that it's just a matter of time. The party line is actually that TSC is currently processing mid/late-September petitions, though looking at the approvals that seems like the tail end for sure...

Anyway, I know that's not necessarily the answer you're hoping for but just to tell you that - as far as I have been able to surmise - it does not necessarily mean that there's a problem, especially not at the point your at!

Reality check, please:

Is there ANYONE left on the September 2013 thread that has NOT yet received their NOA2? Have those people received any communication as to whether there is an actual problem with their petition or if it's just a matter of their petition making it to the top of a seemly compleeeeeetely random pile?

I know a lot of people just consult these threads without posting, but if you are in the same boat, I would be incredibly grateful to 1) know that there are others in the same situation 2) hear more about what you've been told vis-a-vis the delay. Please speak up!

Thanks!

Awww, thank you for the kind words.

Because you've passed the 5 months processing time, if you haven't yet, you can contact the Ombudsman at USCIS - do a search on here for it, for more info. I'm sure there will be much that you can learn.

After that, getting your congressperson involved is the next step. From all I've read on here, it really does help. And do keep us posted - we're waiting for good news from you soon!

Yet again, SparklePony, you brought to my attention another option I had no idea even existed - thanks! Even if it hasn't yielded any results yet, it just feels good to have another avenue to work on.

Submitted my inquiry at the Ombudsman's Office a few days ago and received the generic "your case has been assigned to an analyst and you can expect an update within 45 business days" response. MADDENING! 45 more days of this and I risk going full-blown crazy...I plan to add the Ombudsman's Office to my weekly Thursday check-in with the Tier 2.

I also gave our Senator's office a call (luckily, I'm originally from Maine, so they have significantly fewer constituents to deal with than other states) and spoke with a very helpful staffer who seemed eager to help and was meant to send me a Privacy Waiver by email ASAP so they could get started on inquiries. Haven't received anything yet...

As you can probably tell, I'm going full-court press now, so if anyone has ANY other ideas...hopefully these will yield something in the meantime, but starting to get rather weepy and despondent over here

Thanks again for your support and insights...VJ has been playing a crucial role in my sanity during this mess!

For what it's worth, when you call a Tier 2 rep and ask about TSC, they say (as of last Friday) that they are currently primarily processing mid-September petitions...

I'm a September 2013 filer at TSC and we're still waiting on our NOA2, but yes, there are people as with NOA1s as late as January getting approved. Absolutely no rhyme or reason to the thing.

Don't know if it has anything to do with the region (my fiancé's Moroccan), but I would work under the assumption of 5 months and then just be pleasantly surprised if it come through before that!

K&Z - thanks for checking in!

Sadly, no word yet. Fingers crossed for this week. I has to be soon, right?!? I spoke with a Tier 2 again on Thursday and, maddeningly, received EXACTLY the same answer as I did the previous Thursday, like right down to the day. "Everything in your file seems to be on track, and they are currently working on applications from your date, September 14th."

No movement for a whole week...come on now, TSC! If anyone has any brilliant ideas what I can do from here, I'm all ears, but I feel like it's probably just more waiting. Does the Congressperson card really have any effect? Is it time to go there?

Sparklepony - a particularly warm thank you to you for your support on here. Your comments are always so well-timed and insightful, just what I've needed to hear when I feel like I'm coming apart at the seams. It totally is the randomness of the thing that's getting to me most! Thanks

Hi there,

Just wanted to give you a bit of a gauge as a fellow Morocco filer at TSC! We received our NOA1 on September 16th and passed our 5-month mark a few weeks ago without any news. The torturous wait continues

I wish I could tell you that they're moving faster than that (though for some cases it seems they are - and no, beyond differences in nationality and background details, no one seems to be able to work out the rhyme or reason to some of these discrepancies in processing times). I would say mentally settle in for the full 5-month estimate wait time and then just be pleasantly surprised if NOA2 arrives before that...

I found this to be the best advice I've received from some incredibly supportive VJ members ...though initially not necessary what I wanted to hear, it's kept me from cracking to this point. We'll see how long I can hold out, ouf!

Hang in there and it'll happen!

Fingers crossed for you and your S.O.

We received NOA1 on Dec 5th from TSC and haven't heard anything about NOA2. I hate seeing they are still working on September petitions, but glad to know. I guess I too will be expecting to pass the five month waiting period. sighhhhhhh

Well, I guess this is one instance in which you can take heart in the total lack of rhyme or reason. I've been told on the phone that they are currently processing September 2013, but there are most certainly people on the November and December 2013 Filer threads who have already received NOA2s. Of course each case is unique, different nationalities take longer, etc. etc. but really can't even begin to guess what is causing these HUGE discrepancies.

Fingers crossed that you'll be one of the speedy ones! You (literally) never know!