bublik

Oh,

It only takes as long as the line in post office is:)

Fill out the forms, pay the fee, and they give the half of form back to you, stamped, and mail your docs. I think they also need copies of your documents.

You go to the post office and ask for those forms (need to fill two identical ones), and on this firm there is a list of docs you need to have copies off.

You can go home, fill them out, collect all the docs and go back and file.

My Russian internal passport is on maiden name (I never changed it), but my American passport is on married name. Didn't have any problems.

Just in case- bring your marriage cert where your maiden name is stated.

It is not a big deal at all- any post office does it. You will have to fill out couple of annoying forms and that's it.

I just did it in March when I was visiting.

How do you know it is still in NVC? Did you call them and they told you that?

Are you serious about the photo album? I just sent my application. I have all the proof necessary, such as boarding passes, hotel receipts, passport exit/entry stamps and etc.... But I also included a separate photo album of 153 pictures so are you sure I would get an RFE? Man I wish I had seen this post earlier.

Does anybody reads any instructions BEFORE submitting the petition? Here, on VJ. Called 'guide', and in the relevant section for K-1 visa, this is what they say about photos:

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Color Photo's of you and your fiance(e) together. Make sure you write your names, date, and location on the back of every photo. Provide two to five photo's. If you only have a single copy of the photo, then make a color copy and send that. If it is a digital photo, have it printed at a local photo store such as Walgreens (if at all possible) or if not on a high quality printer. Place photo's in a plastic bag or photo sheet and label the sheet. Note that you may not receive originals of photo's back.

------------------

i guess it just blows my mind that someone does something so important and serious as a petition for fiancee and doesn't bother to educate themselves, and then claim that it is impossible to DIY and one needs a lawyer...

I would not wait for anything in your place. 90 days!!!

You have the rights to get very mad. They should at least have the decency to explain something, not feed you the BS and give you random dates. If there is a valid reason (smth about your history, extra checks needed)- they should be able to say it. If they have no idea (files get lost), they should take responsibility.

Unreal.

File the request, go to your appt, and keep calling them, demand answers. Did you try contacting your congressman?

Today is day # 90 for us post RFE. Still no update since the March 23rd receipt of our RFE. Strange thing is, they even removed the sentence " you should receive a decision or case update by May 22, 2015 unless fingerprinting or an interview are needed.." from the My USCIS page.

Did you call and talk to Tier 2 officer? Did you demand the answers? If you didn't, you should, because the 60 days are over.

Also, email the ombudsmen's office (sorry, don't know how to spell that word). I did, around day 45 of waiting for NOA2, and received the answer from them at around day 60, right after I got my NOA2.

What have you done so far?

Well, then it is even easier. You know, just because the site is not free, doesn't automatically makes it IMB. There are more conditions to that. Plus, if it is not a US site, it doesn't have to adhere to the US laws and regulations.

If you have a letter from them, this is all you need, really. I didn't have a letter, this is why I had to come up with a lot of stuff to proof my point. I didnt even have 'terms of use'- the link on my site was dead.

Do not worry, you will be fine:)

Won't it be easy then to provide the information they ask- the consent form or something like that? This is the only thing that is required in addition if the dating site is and IMB. Either that, or the site might provide you with the document (email) where they state that they do not fall under IMBRA.

Did she sign any consents when she joined the site?

I did make it through... in 55 days:)

I just wrote a letter explaining what kind of site it was, how we used it vs what in IMBRA act is described as an IMB.

Since I couldn't get any response from the site, I printed out the front page, bunch of other pages showing that the site was a dating subsite of a bigger corporation and was not producing any income by charging clients, but only by posting ads.

I also went line by line over the definition of IMB from the act, explaining in details why our site doesn't fit the definition.

I has a 3 page letter with 10 or so exhibits.

"I'm sorry you feel the adjudicating is inconsistent, but you're barking up the wrong tree and should be well aware that this process isn't consistent or fair. If it were I wouldn't have waited 199 days for approval. "

Actually, 199 days is extremely consistent. TSC waiting time is 7 months plus right now, so you aren't even over the expected time yet. Can't be more consistent than that.

You would have an argument if you were waiting for 8-9 months, couple months longer than other people IN THE SAME SERVICE CENTER. But I bet you aren't going to get this either.

I'm not missing the point, you don't think the adjudicators should have any discretion. But they do. A ton of it. And their job is to use the proof we are burdened to provide. Their job is not to convince themselves. It's for us to convince them. There can be no hard-fast rules because truly every case is different. You nor I could know all of the pertinent facts about every other case that seems similar to ours. There could be criminal issues, multiple petitions, etc that make someone's case different than yours and there's no way for you to know about that.

Yes, they have discretion. Why would you think they wouldn't? There is no cut and dry because we all have different stories and different facts and different backgrounds.

I understand you think there should be a list of "approved dating sites" and maybe there is something of that nature. But again, if they have any questions the burden is solely on you as the petitioner. That is a fact and very clear in their manual.

I'm sorry you feel the adjudicating is inconsistent, but you're barking up the wrong tree and should be well aware that this process isn't consistent or fair. If it were I wouldn't have waited 199 days for approval.

I am sorry, but you are not making any sense at all...

we are not comparing different petitions that might have different issues (crim history, etc). This has nothing to do with anything.

We are talking solely about petitions that got RFE for dating sites.

And no, this is not our burden to interpret the law for them. Actually, when I was doing my RFE I researched the IMBRA act in details. While you might think it is ambiguous on the first glance, it is really really not.

Another thing- you are completely missing what I said above. If we had a burden to proof this, EVERYBODY who mentioned one way or another that they met online would have gotten the same RFE.

This is not the case.

Also, if a dating site is KNOWN to be not an IMB, what is exactly the point to prove it again and again? This should be established once and for all.

Also, you are mixing so many things in one pot. For example, the proof of the relationship bona fide- this is up to the discretion of the adjudicator, because there can be no rules, and very often everything looks perfect on paper, but there is an instinct that something is fishy. Can't make rules for that.

The IMB problem is not one of those. The site either is a broker or not. And if a specific site has been around forever and known to be a broker, there is not such thing as burden to prove it again and again.

I am also guessing you are not the one to wait for weeks for your RFE decision.

Wooderz,

I think you are still missing the point.

See, there are some requirements that are set in stone and do not depend on the adjudicator's absence of knowledge, experience or other factors.

Didn't meet within 2 years of applying- RFE

no evidence of ending of previous marriages- RFE

etc

RFE for the dating site situation is totally dependent on the adjudicator. We have seen here so many different situations:

- people only mentioning that they met online- approved with no problems OR got an RFE

- people stating explicitly that they 'met on a dating site'- approved with no problems OR got RFE

- people naming the site- same thing, either approved or RFE

so how exactly this makes any sense? If there were set rules (say, met online- need to explain when and how etc, providing a specific site name)- then everybody would have gotten exactly the same RFE despite the fact that these requirements are NOT mentioned in the instructions for I-129F. But this is clearly not the case, so...

There are no rules about it.

If there are no rules, then it depends on the adjudicator, doesn't it? Which means, that it is THEIR responsibility to educate themselves and not produce unnecessary paperwork and delays. So, as the previous poster mentioned, the cheat sheet of all known not IMBRA sites should be easily available and be a must.

Especially if they are not allowed to spend much time on the internet researching stuff.

Sending RFE for a lack of knowledge is a lack of responsibility and lack of proper training.

sorry, my post was interrupted...

so if it had a colored stamp and 'ORIGINAL' stamp on it, it was still a copy, but prepared for your fiancee. The 'original' is still kept in the courthouse, and all they do is make a copy (or print out a scanned file), and stamp it again.

So it is not big deal at all. Your buddy has to go to the court and request it. Once he does, scan it immediately and never ever submit the original you get from the court to anywhere. The xeroxed copy from it in black in white is enough for all your purposes.

I am guessing if your decree had a color court stamp and the stamp 'ORIGINAL'

Hmm...

I live in SF, California. And as an 'original' divorce decree all I have is a copy from the courthouse with the stamp, a copy only. The original is kept in the courthouse, and they scan it and keep the original and give out only printed copies, in black and white.

May I ask, how did you 'original' look like? Did it have a colored (blue) stamp on it?

Thanks!

I am not worried too much, just wanted to track it I guess.

Got our case # yesterday, and all I get is 'no data found'.

Is it the problem of not being updated yet (maybe it takes few days) or is it the site problem? People with I-130 petitions have been complaining lately about not being able to file and calling and getting information about the site being down. But it was back in May and looked like it was fixed by the end of May.

Can anybody trace their cases now on this site?

Thanks!

Also, in Moscow the medical can be scheduled once the case # is known. This is another reason to have a case # before it officially arrives with the Embassy letter. If you can't do it in Montreal, then really, you don't 'need' to call NVC and find it out. Unless you want to be able to track your case online from NVC to consulate and in consulate.

If you aren't curious, then you don't really need it:)

As I said, all Embassies are different in how they do things.

If your packet 3 is pre-interview step, then by all means, do as they say:)

Texas SC updates online when they send case to NVC, California SC doestn't do that. Neither do they send any letters in the mail. I think Texas does.

Once your docs are ready in the Embassy, the petitioner gets an email stating that the interview date now can be set. JThis email has a case number that you will need to set the interview and to submit DS-160. I am of course explaining how they do it in Moscow Embassy.

Also packet 3 is sent AFTER the beneficiary has made the interview appt, and it is send via email to the beneficiary, and it contains the list of docs to be scanned and emailed back to them.

Each embassy is different. Others send a paper copy of packet 3 in the mail to the beneficiary home address once docs in the Embassy are ready.

YOu need to figure out which way your Embassy does this.

Packet 4 is the appointment confirmation also via email.

Yes, without the case number you can't do much, so you either have to find it by calling NVC, or to wait for the Embassy to communicate to you in some way about your docs being ready, and the letter will contain that case number.

I got my NOA2 after sending RFE for the exact same dating site issue 4 days before their 'due date' of 60 days.

they received a response March 23, due date was May 22, I got NOA2 on May 18.

This happens. As everybody always says here- do not look at other's timelines and assume yours will be the same. I was so convinced that the response takes up to 2 weeks, that the 8 weeks wait was pure agony.

You will get it shortly, no worries

You need to keep calling them They answer the phones until midnight EST. If you call in the last hour, it is very easy and no wait. I already called them at least 7 times and every time I have to redial 4-5 times, and then the wait is <2 min before the live person answers.

YOu need to call immigrant line. I also called a non-immigrant # (same time), and the live person answered immediately.

Call them and figure out what is going on. They might not have received it yet (as in not started processing), but most likely your case is already in the Embassy, but you can't track it on CEAC site without the case number, which you need to obtain from NVC.

Also, you will receive an email from the embassy (as least this is how embassy in Moscow does it) once your documents are processed and the interview date can be set.

Packet 3 is for a foreign fiancee after he/she submits DS-160. YOu won't receive it.

Got RFE on March 10

mailed response March 19

response received march 23

Noa2 may 18

They want you to submit taxes for 2014. I am assuming they weren't done at the time of submission, but now they should be done. They want them. Why is it strange?

About 125%- I am not sure how there could be a confusion? Either he is above it or not. Maybe you didn't account for children in the household or his kids? How many people are in your household including ALL kids either he or you are responsible for?