maggs

Hello Baileys

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, I updated my petition the day I got my USC. Unfortunately the NVC allocation of visas is unpredictable and I don't hold our breath until I get an e mail or a letter in the mailbox. When I applied for my daughter in June 2005, NVC were working on priority dates in April 2001. At that time there were a HUGE amount of applications made because of an amnesty of some kind (I'm sure someone will mention what that was if they know) and the visa bulletin moved about 4 weeks in two years. (Yes, you did read correctly)! We watched the visa bulletin every month and sometimes it didn't move at all. It was very disheartening but, it is what it is. The long wait will be over one day soon I hope.

Mansoor. Have you looked at the visa bulletin? It will tell you what year is being worked on at the moment and which country category. http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin...letin_4659.html

What is your priority date? Good luck.

Maggs

Hi

I applied for my over 21 daughter in June 2005 when I was an LPR. The I-130 was approved in Aug 2008 which was also when I became a naturalized USC. We are still waiting for a visa number to be available. The priority dates being worked on at the moment are at June 2004 so still quite a long wait. The visa bulletin sometimes speeds up and sometimes slows down so it is difficult to work out a timeline from it. The wait also depends on if you are an LPR or a USC because there is a different category for daughters and sons of LPR (F2b) or USC (F1). Also, the country of origin is a factor in how you have to wait. Good luck.

Maggs

What's the waiting time for Unmarried above 21 years old child of a US Citizen in NVC after the approval of the petition till the visa become available. I want to know the personal experiences of people and also general idea on this because I know the processing dates also there to see but those are official I want experiences and roughly guesses ideas.

Hi

I applied for my over 21 yr old daughter the day I got the I551 stamp in my passport. I photocopied it and sent the application off. My green card arrived a few weeks later. My application was accepted with the photocopy of the stamp. That was in June 2005 and we're still waiting as expected. It's hard waiting but nothing else to do.

Apply as soon as you are able to. Good luck.

Maggs

Hello

I just thought I would add a comment so we don't forget each other! It's comforting to know there are others waiting too.

Best wishes

Maggie

Thanks Mags.... he is just going to get on with his life for now... he is going to use the time to get all his credit cards down to zero so that he is debt free when the time comes.... one good thing is that he took over ownership of my old house when I moved here so he is building a good bit of equitiy and that will help him get established here when the time comes....

Kez

Hello Kez

I'm glad you have received the NOA for your son's I-130. I know it's the start of a very long wait and I know just how you feel. Tell him he is not on his own and there are quite a few just like him, similar ages, just waiting to be reunited with their family. It doesn't make the wait any shorter but knowing he isn't alone might make the wait more bearable. My daughter has now just decided to get on with her life and is going to travel to Australia for a while on a working holiday visa.

Maggie

Got the NOA1 today for my son's I-130..... and so the wait begins....

Kez

Hello Boiler

When the petitioner gets their citizenship and upgrades the petition to son or daughter of USC, putting them into the first preference category, if the son or daughter marries after the upgrade, is the petition still valid then? I've always wondered but not really known the answer.

Maggie

As soon as you get your Greencard you can file a I-130 for your son.....

Kez

Assuming he is not married.

OUT OF CURIOSITY what happens if they marry after u file for them ???????

Not a lot.

But when there petition becomes due they will be refused as there is not a category for a Married Child of a GC.

Hello Kez

I totally understand how you and your son feels. I too have had my daughter crying and asking why she can't come sooner and it is heartbreaking. When I came to the US in 2003 my husband and I were very green with regards to the immigration processes and didn't realise just how long the wait would be for my daughter. We thought it would be about 2 years to wait. We then discovered the Visa Bulleting. I think if we had realised just how long the wait was, we could have made a different decision about where to live. Now I have made the decision to wait and apply for citizenship which gives me greater flixibility in any decision regarding where we live in the future as my husband is UK/US citizen also.

I have no answers for my daughter either. It's very hard and some days I get very down about it and then I just think that it is what it is and we can only wait. I hardly ever check the processing dates and try not to check the visa bulleting, but it's hard not to as it's the only piece of information available from the USCIS.

On a brighter side, there was a poster on here a couple of months ago who waited 8 years and now has visas for him and his family which cheered me up no end.

The Beckhams have a totaly different type of visa like Boiler says and I don't even bother getting upset about that kind of thing. There are a lot of other types of visa that have a shorter wait time than our families have.

Keep in touch and good luck to everyone waiting.

Maggie

Hello Kez

I hear how you feel and know just how hard it is for you and your son. I applied for my daughter in 2005 and the wait seems to be a lifetime. I just wanted you to know you aren't on your own in this, that there are more of us in the same situation and to keep strong. I have just got back from UK today after visiting my daughter and it never gets any easier.

bye for now

Maggie

Just mailed off the I-130 for my son.... he was over on vaccation and he flew home to Scotland last night .... so I thought today would be a good day to mail it.... so I am thinking it will be about 8 years before a visa becomes available for him... but I will upgrade it once I become a citizen... that might save a year or two....

Kez

Thanks Maggie..... its so hard when your 6' 2" 26 year old son is in tears at the airport saying "Mum I so wish I could just stay" He can not understand how my Mum and dad will get their Visa's within 12 months of my citizenship but he has to wait years.... I have no answers for him..

Kez

Hello

I petitioned (with an I-130) for my over 21 daughter from UK in 2005. She has been over here to visit about 4 times since I applied with no problems. She can show ties to the UK but she also now has a history of returning to the UK after a couple of weeks vacation in the US. I don't know if that makes a difference but at least it shows that she is returning to the UK after each vacation.

Good luck and keep strong in your wait. I know it isn't easy.

Bye for now

Maggie

Hi,

I am single, over 21, a Canadian citizen living in Canada. My mother, who is Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) and lives in the U.S., is petitioning to bring me in.

My question is: once the petition (I-130) is filed what are my options as far as entering the US? Can I go for visits? Can I go to school there?

Any help is greatly appreciated,

ek

Hello Kez

I hear how you feel and know just how hard it is for you and your son. I applied for my daughter in 2005 and the wait seems to be a lifetime. I just wanted you to know you aren't on your own in this, that there are more of us in the same situation and to keep strong. I have just got back from UK today after visiting my daughter and it never gets any easier.

bye for now

Maggie

Just mailed off the I-130 for my son.... he was over on vaccation and he flew home to Scotland last night .... so I thought today would be a good day to mail it.... so I am thinking it will be about 8 years before a visa becomes available for him... but I will upgrade it once I become a citizen... that might save a year or two....

Kez

Thank you so much! I couldnt figure out where I was going wrong..........

Hello

Sorry YuAndDan, your info is not quite correct.

clairerubunda - this is where you have been going wrong:

The date you are looking at is the date for the approval of the I-130 for adult sons and daughter of LPR's which is Feb 2005. When that is approved, the next line to wait in is for a visa number to become available, based on the priority date of the approved I-130. The beneficiary (your sister) is not able to come to the US even when the I-130 is iapproved.

The place to find visa number allocation dates in on the Visa Bulleting on the dept of State website.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin...letin_3258.html

At present, the date for visa allocation for unmarried adult sons and daughter of LPR's is 8th Feb 1998, which means that people who applied on or before that date are having their visa worked on around now. This is assuming you are not from Mexico or the Philippines as that wait is much longer.

Adult sons and daughters of LPR's are in the 2B category which is a longer wait that 2A (spouses and minor children of LPR's). If your dad was a USC, then your sister would be in the 1st preference category and the date would then be July 1st 2001. Once again check the link to the Visa Bulleting to see dates.

The information I have given you is based on my own experience as an LPR and I have also applied for my adult daughter in July 2005 and the I-130 isn't even approved yet and probably won't be until there is a visa number available for her.

Sorry, but it's a much longer wait that you have anticipated and yes you were right the first time that the wait may take up to 10 years, hopefully a bit less if your dad becomes a USC. I was particularly saddened when I realised the full impact of the long wait but it's what we have to do as my daughter isn't eligible to apply for any other visa to enter the USA to live and work.

Good luck

Maggie

Hello

You quoted the wait time and link for the approval of an I-130 only at the CSC. Unfortunately the wait for a visa is much longer for an adult son or daughter of an LPR, see visa bulltetin here http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin...letin_3236.html looking at quite a loing wait of way more than 2 - 3 years. More like 10 years unless the LPR gets US citizenship and then the wait is reduced by a few years. Since 2004 the USCIS is also not approving any I-130's until a visa number is available. http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/I_130_07_01_04.pdf I am waiting for my adult daughter and I applied in June 2005 and there is still a very long wait of many years for us yet.

Maggie

Family Second Preference (F2): Spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters (over age 20) of lawful permanent residents. (114,200) At least seventy-seven percent of all visas available for this category will go to the spouses and children; the remainder will be allocated to unmarried sons and daughters.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/ty...types_1306.html

https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/Proc...eviceCenter=CSC Shows I-130 for children over 20 of LPR as Feb 05 so looks to be 2-3 years wait.

Hello again

Thanks for you well wishes. It's appreciated. Yes, I can relate to mothers and daughters arguing... did it yesterday! But we always take the time to talk it through afterwards and make things right! It's good to hear of someone like you and your family who have actually waited years to get to the stage you are at, which is now very close. Keep us informed of the rest of your journey as it's wonderful to hear of families actually getting to the end of this process.

Best wishes

Maggie

Hi Maggie,

Some good points there. America sure is a vast Country. It never fails to amaze me how miniscule and insignificant you feel. Especially when in Mountainous desert landscapes like Arizona.

Some distance apart often helps relationships anyway. My Mum does have my 2 Sisters living in Tucson and Casa Grande but they still seem to find time to have arguments and not talk for a few weeks! Families huh? Try not to look too far forward. The time has gone quite quick for us now looking back. You will soon be together I'm sure.

Hello

Unfortunately, like Boiler says, the VWP is not extendable and she isn't entitiled to visitors visa. We have already been apart since 2003 but couldn't I couldn't apply for the I-130 until 2005 because of the wait to process my IV. It used to take a couple of years at that time, hence the K3. I applied for her the day I arrived back in the US with the stamp in my passport, before I even got my green card in the mail, so that her process had begin and we had a priority date. I will upgrade it when I receive US citizenship which I will apply for in 11 months time.

She has always wanted to travel around Australia and it's a good way to forget about the processing times for the visa number. We see each other a few times a year and I will probably visit her in Australia at some point. I just hope some Ozzie doesn't sweep her off her feet!! We do miss each other but we talk on the phone almost every other day which is more than some families here in the US do! Also, I realised that with the huge distances between states, I actually see her more often than some people here see their children/parents! My hair dresser hasn't seen her mum for over a year. She is in Illinois and her mom is in Florida.

So sorry to hear about your mum's illness and I hope she gets you and your family near her very, very soon. It must be extremely hard for you and your mum to have to go through this so far apart.

Best of luck

Maggie

Hello again

Yes, hoping for immigration reforms but not building up my hopes, it is what it is right now, but if the wait gets less that would be wonderful. She is single and would love to meet a nice young American guy but she will only marry for love and at the moment isn't interested in marriage anyway! She's having far too much fun being a single girl! She is also going to take some time out in July and travel and work around Australia for 6 - 12 months so that the wait for a visa no is shortened and she's having a great time in the process.

B)

Good luck selling your house.

Maggie

Hi again

I noticed on one of your other posts that you were asking about changing the interview date at the London Embassy. I had to do this for my IV although that was in 2005. When I received the packet with the date we realised my husband was going to be out of town so I couldn't travel back to the UK because I had children/step children to take care of. (On a K3 with K4 visa at the time) I e mailed the Embassy to ask for another date and they were very helpful. They moved my date forward by 4 weeks which worked out perfectly.

Maggie

Hello again

Most people on the family immigration forums are fiance's or spouses or children/step children under 21 and aren't subject to the visa limit allocation. For those who can't stand the wait to be with your loved one, have a look at the wait times for the other family categories, it's many, many years. For anyone who is interested, here is a link to the visa bulleting.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin...letin_3219.html

It can be very demoralising when your own priority date is years after the date that shows up on the visa bulleting. For a long time I stopped looking at the dates as there was no movement for a couple of years, but as you are so very close after so many years of waiting I think I would be doing the same and looking every month!!!

In USCIS terms I think "touched" is when your file is looked at or moved or "touched" in any way, which gives people encouragement that something is happenning to their case. Was that the context it was meant?

Best of luck.

Maggie

Hello everyone,

My Mother filed for me and my Family back in April 1999. At last after 8 long years our wait is almost over! Our case has been completed by the NVC and was forwarded to the US Embassy in London on March 22nd 2007. Our priority date is April 22nd 1999 and the current date being given by April's Visa Bulletin is March 22nd 1999, so we are a Month away. (I'm hoping it moves forward by one Month when May's Visa Bulletin is released)

My question is... Is it odd that I have not heard anything from the London Embassy 3 weeks after the NVC forwarded the case, or will I have to wait until my Priority date has become "Current"? I would like to know when to book my medical and expect an interview.

After 8 Years, once you get this far you want it over with!

Thanks for any help.

Hello

I'm afraid I don't know the exact aswer to your questions, sorry. My guess is that you'll have to wait for your priority date, but it's not that often that we hear about adult children getting approved and being processed or what their timeline would be. It would be really helpfull if you could add a time line as I personally woud be interested in your journey and I'm sure others would be too.

I also wanted to say well done for hanging in there, I know how hard it must have been for you all with such a long wait. I petitioned for my daughter a couple of years ago and it's so encouraging to see that progress does get made eventually. Good luck to you and your family and the exciting adventure in ahead of you.

Maggie

Hello

I'm very sorry to hear about your father. I applied for my daughter in June 2005 and so the long wait is in progress, but knowing how long it took for you to get approved gives a timeline, and also hope, for those of us who are waiting. Thank you for posting.

Maggie

Hi there Evilcanuck

My son didn't want to move to the US with me either. He was 18 at the time so he stayed with my daughter and he was going to do the grown up man thing! Well, we (USC hubby) applied for his I-130 anyway and I am so glad we did as a year later, he decided he wanted to come here after all! He has been here 2 years now and is in his sophomore year at college and loving every minute. Now that I am a permanent resident I have applied for my daughter although it will take quite a few years yet.

What I'm trying to get to is this. If you have your permanent residency why not apply for your older son anyway. It takes so many years that by the time it is eventually approved he might just want to come to be nearer you. At least the application would be in place. If he gets to 25 and then decides he wants to come here there will be at least another 6 year wait probably more (unless you become a USC) so getting the ball rolling now would be a prudent thing to do.

By the way, my daughter is coming to visit in 5 weeks and 6 days ! I am soooooo looking forward to seeing her and giving her a great big hug that I don't want to end. Oh-Oh here come the tears!

Maggie

feel for everyone who had to leave thier kids behind... I left my 2 sons in Canada as well.

here is the situation...

I divorced in 2001, my kids father and I drew up our own seperation agreement...I offered him visitation etc, he said he 'couldnt commit to every second weekend' (he didnt even work ffs, but thats another story), so I amended the seperation agreement to 'Mother has sole custody and the father has reasonable access with reasonable notice' This was acceptable to him and he signed, the seperation agreement became part of the divorce......I dont need his permission to take the boys here, I dont even have to notify him...of course i would have to know where he was to notify him wouldnt i???? heh

so anyways the kids and I moved from our small Northern Ontario town to a small city in Southern Ontario where we lived for 3 years...fast forward to spring of 2004, my eldest was in 9th grade at a highschool of over 2000 students..after a year wracked with one problem with the school or another and issues with the home life (we were living with my sister because my ex stopped paying support and she is the most miserable person in the world and he was miserable depressed etc.) we decided to send him back up north to live with my other sister who was single, no kids and really wanted him there...we wre always a really close family so having him live with his aunt was not an unusual thing...so there went my then 15 year old but at least I knew he was safe, happier at home and in a better school with 200 students and perhaps the opportunity to rebuild a relationship with his father (in the year he lived there he saw him 3 tmes...2 times by accident bumping into him on the street).

So in July 2004 we applied for the K-1 and I listed both my sons on it, intending to bring them both over with me....I was met with much resistance from the older boy, and he was doing soooo well at my sisters, we decided if he maintained his behaviour and schooling he could stay there....better to allow him to stay than o frce him to move and have him resent me or run away back there right?

Ok on to the younger one...he was living with me in southern ontario at my other sisters....the miserable one....but he seeed to be able to tolerate her and her husband better than anyone...the trick was to stay in his room almost all the time lol. So we finally got our interview in Montreal in October of 2005, the younger one was already in 9th grade nd doing extremely well...my move was planned for December....not wanting to screw with his education, we all decided that he could remain until the end of the school year then move with me. We listed him as 'follow to join'. The lady who first dealt with us at Montreal, the one who got all the papers in order before the interview, talked this over with us both and really made me feel more comfortable with the situation. I was so appreciative of her insight into the situation without judging me for 'leaving my children behind'.

My younger son adamandtly refused to move with me at any time, demanding he stay in Ontario, not being an ### about it but asserting his adolescent rights hehe. He is a shy kid and has few close friends, that kind of took him a long time to make, He is scared to death about moving here and being 'the foreign kid' etc. ALl the fears of a teenage boy....so we caved in and said...if you do well in school and dont get into trouble...you can stay.

The eldest ran away from my sisters in Northern Ontario and is living in the same city as my younger son now....on his own, the big 18 grown up but he is doing ok and its only 5 hours to visit him instead of driving 10 He refuuses to come to the USA (he has a girlfriend he doesnt want to leave and some brilliant lawmaker says they are adults and can make these decisions).

Now...my sister who the younger one lives with emailed me the day of my wedding to tell me she is moving out west!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! The deal I made with my boy was he could live there with her in that city where his school and friends were....not just stay in canad ain general and i'll be damned if I am gonna let her take him to northern alfreakinberta!!! So....thank god I had him on all the paperwork, he is sending his passport in to Montral for them to put the visa on it and I will be picking him up this summer not for a visit but to live with me

He didnt put up any fuss, ddnt argue or ###### one time about it. I was amazed because he was so anti-moving before...I think he wants to be here just didnt want to admit it because he had made such a fuss about not living here.

We let the boys decide for themselves...they were 14 and 17 when the move took place, they werent 'children' although my eldest sister wont speak to me, I am the devil for 'abandoning my children' and she refuses to acknowledge my husband and marriage as she feels he should have moved to canada to be with me...he must not love me enuf, etc etc etc......

In the end....I get my baby here with me in a few months, the eldest.....I pray for LOL but as he says "you moved out on your own at 16 mom and you turned out ok, I'll be ok too" . Makes me want to pull my hair out because there is a LOT between 16 and now he has NOOOO idea about......kids...gotta love em enuf to let em go sometimes

Hello to all of you

I don't post here very often but I came across this post and had to reply. I also left my older daughter who was 21 when I left UK in 2003 and I have shared each and every emotion you have all written about. I too am crying because I miss my lovely girl and friend so much, not ever realising just how long we would have to be apart. The pain hurts so very much some days that I feel lost but nowhere near as lost as she does some days. I have a wonderful life here with my husband. I even have my now 21 year old son here and 3 step children but I still don't have my beautiful daughter and it hurts so much. I know that one day she will join me here in the US but I also know that it will take many years for that day to arrive. I feel for those of you that have younger children as I can't even imagine how you must feeling but I send you warmest wishes and speedy reunions with your child.

Maggie

name='Fetaria' date='Mar 2 2006, 11:13 AM' post='54758']

Anyone out there have a child still living in the country they moved from?

The same thing happened to us when we flew our dog over. We booked her as excess baggage on a United Airlines flight out of Heathrow to Chicago in 2003. We never did get charged for her! As you said though, we would have paid anyway. I also brought my 12 year old cat out a year later and she is having the time of her life here! That was with BMI out of manchester to Chicago. Cost aound 300 GBP.

Maggie

I bought my Staffordshire Bull Terrier from Newcastle to the States, we booked her through the travel agents when we booked our flights and were told it would cost £300 and that we would be charged at check-in. Anyway, long story short, for some reason they didn't cahrge us at all so she flew for free...yay!! Mind you I wouldn't have left her behind no matter what the cost.

Hi