jbed81

Good call on not rescheduling. She provided the letter and course curriculum as well as my travel itinerary. The IO asked her boss if she could proceed without me. She was allowed and approved her after a short interview. I got the notice by email about 15 min later saying the card is being produced.

You should definitely not reschedule the day before the interview.

It's hard to tell what is the best option since people have been denied when they have tried to reschedule their interview because USCIS felt it wasn't a good enough reason. And this includes being outside the country...

I might be wrong but I would probably have her go with the letter from your boss. I think the only thing that might happen then is that she gets called for another interview. At least she showed up which is better than nothing.

Did you leave before or after she got the letter stating you had to be there?

Yeah I've been gone for two weeks now. I think she should just go as well. Basically she was told on a weds that she has an appt next tues at a time that will come in a letter. The letter didn't come by Friday. A second level officer told her go without me. That letter giving the possibility of reschedule came Sat. That gives the choice of try to resched the day before or just go without me. I emailed her the letter from my boss with attached course curriculum I'm teaching . My company provided ticket to JFK, my customer provided ticket to Azerbaijan, my customer provided ticket from Azerbaijan to Heathrow, my company ticket from Heathrow to Seattle. Another document showing my hotel while here and a little letter from me explaining why we use customer provided tickets to save the customer tons of money. I mean they gave us a short notice appt what do they expect.

My wife entered on a fiancé visa. We got married as planned and filed for AOS. She got her notice for an AOS interview next Tuesday. It is a marriage based visa, so it says I need to be there. I am out of the country on business until the following Friday.

Plus lets back up a notch. I got the e-notification on her case on Mar 9 for an interview at an unknown time on Mar 15. So on Friday she still didn’t have the letter and I asked her to call USCIS and ask for a time and place and if I should come. She called and spoke to a level 2 officer who told her what time, where to go, and to go without me.

I had my boss write a letter and email to her (not signed but on letterhead with contact numbers) that states I am out on official business and when I will return etc. I can via facetime tell her where all of the documents etc they are asking for are, so she can gather them up. The only thing I cant do is be there.

She got the letter on Saturday that tells her what to bring (including me).

So should she go as the level 2 officer told her or reschedule? I told her to call to reschedule, but to go anyways to the appointment because I read a lot of stories where the field office never got the word and they were considered a no show. I also read a lot of stories about people going with military orders for their spouse or letters like I got and the interview is passed and everything OK.

Again, should she go or try to reschedule on Monday the day before the interview?

Yep, you are right on the money on keep reviewing few times before mailing. I found many errors in my package that I prepared to mail. My package for the petition was ready but I hold it for a weak and reviewed it every day and keep finding errors till it was error free for my own eyes and then I let someone else review the package who has experience of going through the process, and on top of everything visajourney was the best to answer all the questions.

Now I already started working on gathering the papers / documents that are needed during the interview.

looks like you got the right idea. Do keep in mind that if for some reason your process drags on like mine did... that some of the documents need to be recent. Every embassy is different, but Hungary had some documents for the I-134 couldn't be more than 6 months old and some just had to be within a year. As for getting tax transcripts from the IRS (apparently the consulates like this over the tax return copies)... they only take maybe a week or so to get. They are pretty fast. Hungary wanted tax documents notarized. So be advised that a bank won't do that. its not within their scope. However, the UPS Store was on point. They did 4 documents for me this morning for the price of 3 and have a larger scope of notary ability than a bank. Just look up your state's notary verbiage and print it out as required. By that I mean a page that says that I lkjdflsd by the state of kj;kJ;kJ county of kljl;jj verify the document to be true and original blah blah blah. and a place to sign and stamp. Its easy to find on the net. The bank right pissed me off. Called them on the phone and asked if they could. Got there and they backed out and sent me to UPS Store. Another $30 bucks to immigration woo hoo lol

You will get an electronic notice for sure. Don't worry about that. I was at TSC, and I am sure they are all the same, but either way they where always very prompt in sending a text/email when any movement happened on the case. We got our notice on Dec 17 that it was accepted on Dec 15, 2014. We got approved June 30, and we got a text at 8pm pacific time saying it was approved. Days later it said mailed to DOS. I think our NOA 1 was texted well before we got the letter, and same to the last two things I mentioned.

A word of advice... check your paperwork, then check it again, then check it again, and check it again. Then send it in. Seems every time I look at my papers I find another minor error until about the 4th look. Remember these agents at the service center are detail freaks. The littlest thing I have seen get RFE's to people.

Further advice, do your homework on the different phases. We are at the consular phase, and if not for doing my homework using VJ or ***removed***, state dept websites etc etc etc There is no way I would have sent her with the right documents today. Plus hey, it gives you something to do.

Now for the good part (bank account willing). See the thread "yes you can visit", because yes you can. My fiancé was here for the past 3 months on an ESTA. There are allot of caveats to this though, so read up and ask questions.

Best of luck to you, and try not to worry too much. Hopefully california is still pushing them out every 45 days.

OH and KEEP ALL YOUR PAPERS!! Make an exact copy of anything you send in. Things get lost sometimes. It will all work out, keep strong

From everything I gather, in order to make an appointment you need to do a DS-160 on the website, then pay a fee, then an appointment will be arranged from that. Now I have seen differences from country to country as to whether or not you must interact with the embassy first. Meaning whether or not they want something back from you as indicated in packet 3 to mail directly to them prior to submitting or perhaps at the same time as submitting the DS-160. Sound accurate to anyone?

In other words I don't thing from my research that there is any case where they just make an appointment for you, because it is dependent on having filed an application (DS-160) for the visa, and having paid a processing fee. Therefore, she could hang out here for another 2 months and as long as she could get her medical appt, and criminal record stuff quickly then she would make the 4 month cut off.

With that said, does anyone think that we could do her medical evaluation here in America at an approved physician? Transportation wise it would be easier than getting her to Budapest. Price wise, well thats another story there.

Hello,

I am helping my fiancé fill out her DS-160. It asks for her mother's address. She hasn't really spoken to her mother since she was 14. Her mother has estranged herself from the entire family. No one speaks to her, she speaks to no one. We know the city she lives in, and we know her birthdate. Is there a known way around not knowing a father or mother's address for the DS-160. Thoughts?

Does the packet 3 or first contact from the beneficiary embassy come with an appointment scheduled on it or do you do a list of things it says then make an appointment? I have my fiance here in USA now on an ESTA and we got notice online that we were approved and NOA2 to come soon after. She is sched back in HU on Aug 12. We got the electronic notice (NOA2) on June 30.

I ask this because we dont know if we need to move up the ticket a few weeks so she can be home ready for the package to arrive (because an appointment will be already made), or just go home as scheduled and take care of it when she gets there (because she will make the appointment when she is ready)????? I cant find a single piece of info on this (especially for Hungary). So, a collective answer from anyone willing to answer would be great!! Thanks -- J

I am working with Budapest, but moderator please dont move this to Hungary region forum again. I would like to hear from anyone for a collective answer. I have this in other wording that you moved to Hungary region forum and its gone unanswered for at least a week, and moving tickets now is cheaper than even 1 week from now. Thank you.

So when the stuff comes from Frankfurt in his case or your embassy of choice... Does it come with an appoinment scheduled on it or do you do things it says then make an appointment? I have my fiance here now on an ESTA and we got notice online that we were approved and NOA2 to come soon after. She is sched back on Aug 12. We got the electronic notice June 30. I ask this because we dont know if we need to move up the ticket a few weeks so she can be home ready for the package to arrive or just go home as scheduled and take care of it when she gets there????? I cant find a single piece of info on this.

I am curious how the appointment for the K-1 visa interview is set (particularly Budapest, Hungary). Do they make an appointment for you and give you time to complete the items they need (medica etc), or do they send you the letter with list of items to comply with and you make the appointment when you are ready. I ask because my fiancé is here on a visit until Aug. it's highly likely we will be approved at USCIS any day now. We don't want to have to pay to move the ticket if it's not necessary. So if it were approved tomorrow it would probably not be in embassy hands till late July so there would be a just over 2 week gap before her scheduled return time.

The next question is how does the process go once her embassy gets it. Do they assign an interview from the beginning or do they send you some mail then you accomplish some tasks and report when ready to be interviewed and receive an appointment. My reasoning is that if it is up to her to schedule then why reschedule a plane ticket and lose that money if it just sits awaitng her action. I'm not talking forever, just maybe a week or two. If it was to be approved today then it would likely be a month until Budapest gets it and she would fly 2.5 weeks later on 12 August. I'm not a rich expat anymore so paying 100 to reschedule a ticket is not something we want to do if not necessary. She is here now and the time apart will be the same whether or not she left tomorrow or in 6 weeks.

No we don't know to what extent of a report to ask for. I believe she left a power of attorney to her father to do just these things if need be Hungary is one of those uber specific countries, so we didn't dare guess at what to ask for.

My fiancé is here in the U.S. On a visa waiver. We suspect that the noa 2 will come within a month. How long until she needs to return home after receiving the noa2. I've been told the nvc holds it for nearly a month. I've seen evidence to suggest it can be much shorter. Plus there is some time between the nvc handover to the consulate before they attempt to contact the beneficiary. We are dealing with Hungarian embassy. My thoughts was send her around 3 weeks from the approval of our k-1. Any better ideas?

We had a general inquiry put in place after they hadn't responded to our outside normal processing request for 4 weeks. They, like you, promised a response after 2 weeks by mail, but 5 weeks later and they still haven't assigned the inquiry to an officer. Got NOA2 in the meantime. Good luck and I hope they catch up on all the work they've missed!

Interesting. See I've heard of a service request which according to a immi lawyer usually ends up expediting it. I've never heard of the general inquiry thing. We are statistically speaking to be approved late June to mid July so probably we will see an noa2 like you did (prior to anything being done on the inquiry).

The referral #starts with WKD if that helps ends in TSC

What is a general inquiry? I decided to call USCIS on their BS. Tier 1 gave me the well Texas is processing September right now etc etc story. I told her that she and I both know that's bullshit and I know if I have heard of the Internet then so has the government. I know well that TSC is processing petitions all around mine and a bunch from 2015. I said you guys promised me 2015 wouldn't be touched until mine has been processed (Dec 15. 2014) last time I called. She said you may speak to a tier 2 if you'd like but they would say the same thing. I told her ok then I'd love to hear it from them too. I got called back by a tier 2 an hour later. He verified me and before I could speak said wow you're way outside processing times for that form And said he would place a service request immediately and I will hear in two weeks. I asked hear what. He said they will open your case and if the response is favorable to you you should get that response in two weeks time. Anyone familiar with this? And looking at my USCIS website it says a general inquiry has been opened but not yet assigned to an agent for processing. So, in just wondering what exactly I started. She is in on a visa waiver for 2.5 more months so I'm sure it will process normally any day now by the visa journey stats, but I just felt compelled to prod them a little. I basically told them that people share their stories on websites and I know damn well what applications are being processed and I'd like a reasonable answer on what's going on with mine some 6 months post submission. I was polite as can be, but like many on here I'm tired of waiting on them to do what takes 45 days in CSC. Rant over lol but the main question here is this. He said "service request" which I'm familiar with. The USCIS site on my petition days "general inquiry". Same? Different? Other? All of the above?

Add one more important item I forgot. He asked her if in the stack of papers did she have her birth certificate. I told her just to bring the whole package I submitted. She has original signature documents (duplicates) plus the original documents like birth certificate. Her answer was key I think. I think this because I feel he was trying to see if she was prepared to marry in the US which here and I assume other states requires an original birth certificate along with ID. Her answer was yes, but only because my fiancée told me to bring the entire package that was submitted just in case. I wont try to get married this trip I know I cannot do that. So, if you fiancé like mine is not familiar with how to answer without giving too much info, then do as we did and practice those typical questions that they might ask. It prepares them on how to answer concisely and how to embellish with facts about the process. I think it was very key that often she established with him that she knows the rules. I even prepped her to say that it would be crazy for us to try to marry and AOS on this trip, because we will be approved in as few as 45 days and to change now would be a few months to drop the k-1 petition then wait god knows how long on the AOS to get the same yes or no that we know we will get within 90 days. Yes I know I am talking out of my ### on the timeline, but im sure every CBP officer doesn't ready visa journey stats like we do.

In short, maybe leave the original birth certificate home should you chose to travel with your entire k-1 package.

So we succeeded at Seattle POE, but barely. Ill save you the story and be prepared with evidence such as letters from employers and if you have to admit to having a fiancé as she did, then you will be ok (hopefully). Read on for the details:

She was on her second entry on her existing ESTA that we got prior to filing her K-1 package.

We are 160 days into the process at Texas purgatory

She went to the kiosk and went to the woman at the desk.

She was asked why are you here -- vacation

Where are you staying -- xx

Who lives there -- my name and before she could list other names she knows there...

Who is he -- my fiancé (she wont risk lying to them)

At this point she got the red card and docs taken away and escorted to a desk in the back office. She waited for a while, and a male officer came and sat down and asked why are you here. She told him that she was here to visit and understands that she can only stay for 90 days., It had been nearly 6 months since we saw each other due to delays and showed him the NOA1. He asked if she worked, she told him not in the true sense but has a letter from the man who pays her to help him translate and help his wife (he took the letter and read it). She told him her parents are both doctors and she doesn't feel any need to break the law to stay. She wasn't in a hurry, her life is good in Hungary. She just wanted to visit. He asked my name and read a letter I wrote to them stating I could lose my security clearance and job for defraud the US govt. same with my reserve career. He looked me up and I popped up on the screen and he read about me for a while and said he didn't want to see more he would allow her entry. She also had a letter from her father who she told him she works for when his assistant is out (letter said this). Took her about an hour and ten minutes to get out of the holding area. Very suspenseful, but successful. This shows once again its up to preparation then ultimately up to the mood of the CBP officer in that moment. Good luck guys!!

POE Portland was really a pain in the ###.

When it was my turn, I gave the IO my passport and the customs form. He scanned my passport and stared at his computer for about 5 minutes, did not say anything though. He did not ask for the purpose of my visit.

Where are you going to stay during your visit? - At the Mariott Hotel in Salem. You can see the address on the customs form. - Mhm. Who do you know in Salem? - My fiancé lives close to Salem. - What are you doing in Austria? - Jobwise? - Yes. - XXX at company XXX. - What is your fiancé doing? - XXX. - Do you have marriage plans? - Our plans changed as I got a good job offer in Austria. He will move back with me. - Is that possible for him? - Yes. - For how long? - With a visa "D" he is allowed to stay up to 6 month. - He already has a visa? - Yes and no. We are going to pick his visa up at the Austrian consulate on 17th. - Mhm. And he will quit his job and move to Austria? - Tomorrow is his last day at the company, so yes. - Sure? - Yes, sir. I do have proofs if you want to see anything. - Like? - Our both return flight tickets, confirmation of my job and so on. - Let me see the return flight tickets of him. - Here you are. (Showed him the ticket...) - Mhm.

Gave me my passport with the "approved" stamp and the customs for back.

I picked up my luggage and gave the customs form the officer next to the exit. He said that I have to wait a second. He looked something up in the computer and said: Let's see what the problem is. - Problem? - I don't know yet. My computer is pretty slow today. - Oh! (I started getting nervous!) - Let me check your bags first. Do you have any food with you? - 2 chocolates, it's not a whole bar, it's like 1 package with 3 little bars, so 6 bars all together. (I started answering really detailed as I did not want to make any stupid mistakes or get into an awkward situation.) - Any drinks? Alcohol? - An approx. 5 cm high bottle with Mozart Schnaps. It is very small. - Anything else? - No. - Money? How much money do you carry with you? - About XXX in cash and XXX on my bank card. - You have proofs? - Right. (Showed him my folders.) - You said your fiancé is going back with you to Austria? - Right. He is moving to Austria. - I see, you filed for the K1? -Yes, but have withdrawn it as he is moving. - You are not married yet. Is that possible? - With a visa "D" it is possible, yes. - He already has this one? - Yes, it is already approved but you have to pick it up in person in Los Angeles. That's what we will do on the 17th. - Okay. Let me take a closer look to your folders. - Sure! (Showed him every single folder and told him exactly what is inside. He was really interested in the whole papers.) - Well.. I see you are well-prepared, I believe what you say. You can go. Welcome to the States! - Appreciate it, sir. Thank you!

That was mainly what we talked about.

I am pretty sure that they see the petition in the computer as I did not say anything about it and he asked for my K1.

Anyways, after 45 hard minutes I made it through customs. Yay!

The best of all: David and I got married during the trip and are both in Austria. He lives with me now and we start our lives together here! We will visit Ohio and Oregon in September. Let's see how that goes as his wife... and I am pretty sure that we will move to the States on day in future. We want to stay here in Austria for at least 2 years though

So I guess, I'll switch to the VJ spouse group now...

I wish you all lots of luck, patience and love on your ways!! <3

I have always wondered if they knew. I worked in the government for several years and typical the right hand isn't sure there is a left hand much less do they know what it does. This sort of thing worries me, because my fiancé lived with me in HU and quit everything and moved home for the "4-6 month" wait on the k1. Well that was about 5 months ago, so we don't have any real "proof" that she will return. We are planning a visit for her in a few weeks and I'd lie if I said I wasn't skeptical that she can get in. This would be her second ESTA entry. I think I due to my job would stand to lose more if she didn't return (could be sacked for defrauding the government). Need to buy a ticket soon, but worried it will be a huge waste of money and a let down. Especially if Seattle is a pain like this.

Don't worry, your in the fast lane. That is unless the "workload balance" joke turns CSC into the new TSC. Right now CSC averages 45 days unlike Texas 200+ day waits. http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/stats.php?cfl=

Take a look at your "homepage". Should have a link saying California service center processing status. That will show you the 15 most recent approvals from folks online here who are at CSC.

I'm still pissed off at myself for not knowing when I filed that the address used dictates where you land. I was from WA like you and moving back to WA. I used my folks address in TX because I was living in Hungary for 3 years with my now fiancé. Had I used a WA address she would have been here around next month.

Happy for anyone who gets their loved one here quickly. Good luck!

Anyone have any issues or interesting experiences entering through Seattle?

Yup it was the new mobile interface that only let me see the beginning two pages. Cycled it and now wow it goes all the way to recently.

So, couple quick questions:

How long of a visit is recommended. I'm thinking maxing out the ESTA would look suspicious. (This would be her second entry on this ESTA). We were thinking 3-4 weeks then bump out the plane tickets once she is in.

What sort of proofs could she bring understanding the following. She moved in with her dad after she moved out of my house (we lived together in Hungary 3.5 years). She doesn't own the car she drives. She has allot of suff there. Our two pedigreed and rather expensive dachshunds will remain there during the visit. She has s full double original copy of her k1 petition. She didn't get a real job because we didn't expect to end up in TSC purgatory when three girls recently went on K1 in 5 months even. She trains my friends german Sheppard for spare income plus I funnel her some cash through our joint account. It's not hard to generate letters with stamps here in Hungary. Her dad is a well respected doctor who co-owns a practice. Could she "work for him"? So knowing all this, what do yall think would be our best shot at showing ties to HU. We've got no intention of marrying while she is on visit. She will return to finish the K1 process.

We would have set ourselves up better for a visit if the lawyer we talked to would have made it seem even remotely possible yo visit. Glad we didn't use him. Looks like he doesn't know much. I'm in HU visiting as we speak and I just happened upon this thread at 120 days into TSC purgatory.

Would a letter from me help? I'm a guy with ties to the military and a security clearance that would be jeopardized by pulling dishonest stunts with the government (CBP).

The topic is current. Scroll back as many pages as you want to read plenty of experiences covering the last few months including mine.

Must be the iPhone interface. I only see 2007. I'll check regular version.

I'm sure all the vets on this board are tired of this daily question, but keep in mind that dozens of people are just starting this process every day, and the "can I visit while the application is pending?" question is one, if not the, most pressing matters to most of them.

Information about this is all over this site, but scattered. I for one am a person who likes to hear personal experiences too, so I can make a decision based on what others in my similar situation have gone through.

The answer is yes, visits are allowed. But whether you will actually be admitted lies entirely in the hands of the officer questioning you upon entry. And face it, hearing you've got a sweetheart you're intending to/have married waiting for you in the US is going to set off a "he/she is just going to stay here forever" bell to that officer. It's your job to convince that officer that you have a life back in your home country that you fully intend, and will, go back to.

Anyway, I'm hoping people will post their experiences visiting the USC before and during the visa journey. I'm sure that all of us do visit legally, and do leave when we're supposed to. So, is there anything that worked for you? Hindered you? If you were ever denied, why? Were you able to remedy the situation and try again?

Going through customs can make your stomach turn, and make you feel like a criminal even though you've done nothing wrong. So, let's try to calm each other down and tell each other our experiences. I think we'll find that most of us are admitted (albeit with a little hassle, perhaps).

Vets, maybe this will cut down on having to answer the question 5 times a day!

Michele

I wanted to bring this topic back to life. I think allot has changed in the world of immi since 2007. I'm interested to hear of recent experiences. I'm particularly interested in what evidence people have used recently to enter the U.S. I realize there is no magic formula. We aren't interested at all in breaking the law or AoS from a marriage while visiting. We are 120 days in process at TSC. We don't think it would behoove us to try to marry ANG AOS. I think that would solve a short term problem of being separated, but delay the long term problem of getting a final approval to remain in the US. Just would like to spend some time together during the wait. We also have friends in the neighborhood she'd like to see again. I should also state that she has entered before on an ESTA visa waiver that still has entries and time remaining on it. She aquirred approval for the waiver prior to submitting the k1 petition.

You know you posted in the Philippines forum right?

Yeah I saw that once too late. I didn't know I was in Philippines or how I got there. Can't see a way to move it from the iPhone version.