cd55

What you're experiencing is totally normal, and really right "on time" for culture shock. I say this, not to minimize what you're going through in any way, but just so you can know that it's both normal and expected and that it will most certainly get better. Here's a handy reading about it: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/International-Students/Study-work--more/Culture-Shock/A-model-of-Culture-Shock/ Be sure to check out the graph in the PDF linked. For some reason this doesn't have general timelines associated with it, but from when I was being prepared to move abroad, I remember being told that the "honeymoon stage" lasts about 2 to 3 months and then you start to really struggle....
This is not to say either that Austin is the perfect place for you, or that you are wrong about the things you've noticed about US culture, just that it's not a coincidence that you're noticing it all now and it's bothering you. If it helps with some perspective, you may try to imagine your home culture through a foreigner's eyes (not like your co-worker's--he seems to be repeating conservative talking points, but someone who has recently moved there). Over the years, imagining this becomes more and more possible and you'll see that every society has some seriously messed up aspects to it. Some admittedly much worse than others, but still. If you think, for example, of Trump's "build a wall, deport them all" is horrible, see if you can find a similar situation in the UK (Calais, perhaps?) and try to listen to the rhetoric with "fresh ears", and how that may sound to an outsider. While you, the insider, may think that those people who say those things are racist xenophobes who certainly don't speak for you or the majority of Britions, imagine then that very well could be the case with Trump & Co. I have found that this sort of thing helps me gain perspective on how what I'm seeing/hearing/disliking may not be just a problem with the new culture, but more of a universal piece of ugliness that has different symptoms in different places. You may not feel the same, and that's ok.
In the very near-term, maybe these suggestions will help: refrain from any political talk. Not just about sharing your opinions, but if conversations start to veer down that road, see if you can gently steer it away. It's not considered polite at all to talk politics in mixed groups or with people you don't know very well. That said, there are a lot of seriously tone-deaf and impolite people in this world. Sometimes it takes being a bit more straightforward about not wanting to talk/hear about it. A pointed remark, half-joking such as "Oh, I don't prefer to talk politics with people who I want to continue to like" can get the point across. If not, just know that you're talking to a fairly rude person with no ability to take social cues. You can let their opinions speak for themselves about their critical thinking ability.
Don't be afraid to defend your home culture if you want to, just know that that can very often be more of a headache than its worth and suddenly you're defending literally everything that has ever happened in/done by your county ever in the history of time. I lived abroad from 2002-2003---right in the middle of the US invading Iraq and gearing up for the election which would eventually result in a second term for George W. Bush. That was fun times (heh). At some point, I found myself being asked to defend the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, and I wasn't even defending the invasion of Iraq. It's a mess, honestly, dealing with people who only know about the goings on of your country through history books and sensationalist news. Talking with more educated people, and people you actually know well, is much more worth it and can be really eye opening and productive.
See if you can find some more like minded people. Meetups can be great for that (some of them have no-shows, some can feel forced, but if you've got the time, keep on trying): http://www.meetup.com/cities/us/tx/austin/Even if you're not looking for political/religious like minded people, just finding people who share hobbies and interests can be a good start (so you're not stuck with whoever you know through work). There's even a British Expats of Austin group:
Beyond that, trying to find a place where British/ other Commonwealth expats congregate can be helpful. See what bars in the area show soccer and rugby (the European leagues), and go watch a game there. See who you meet. Worst case scenario, you have a good lunch and some beers and watch a soccer game. Just in general know that it *does* get better. And you won't lose yourself to this culture. You'll still be you, you won't become some ultra-conservative Jesus freak. I promise. You'll just be able to wade through these waters a bit easier, and have a different perspective on it. Basically, it won't bother you as much--not because you've accepted it, but because you know the ropes.
Good luck

no matter if you even email the consulate at Lagos, they will send you the packet that dwheels provided you. I think they have man power issues or something right now. There doesn't seem to be any applicant-specific letters being mailed.

ImmiFairy shows Feb hasn't really started yet. It's more January right now.

Thanks, I've done my research, Miss Manners. I just hadn't checked that USCIS link for months because it is completely, 100% useless to give yourself a timeline, so I didn't know that they lapsed to an 11 week delay. 6 week lag is their norm. I clicked on it today because I was curious to see just how off your advice to this poor guy really was.
This thread is about processing times and estimates on when you may receive your NOA2, because people were explaining to OP that he's not being discriminated against, that's what what the timelines are like. Then it morphed into a discussion on how to estimate your timeline. You have suggested using USCIS's published timelines. That is both incorrect (those timelines aren't meant to help you figure out when you'll get NOA2, they're to tell you if you're allowed to get help from USCIS) and really bad advice. I don't think it is kind or fair of you to give such bad advice to someone who is an actual newbie and who is clearly very confused and stressed out. You're talking about congressional inquiry to get stuff done, we're talking about projecting your approval date so that you have some sense of a timeline. Those are two different things.
For K-1s, NOA2 is particularly important because everything for us moves really fast after that, and it's almost uniform at 2 months from NOA2 to visa. That makes a really big difference in a lot of people's lives in terms of jobs, schools for their kids (K1s can bring their children), wedding planning etc etc.
So if you can't get further information about your place in line from USCIS, some people (not all but SOME) like to use data and charts to try to figure it out. Visajourney has done this for years (see "Immigration Timelines" linked above), but that data is limited and can be thrown off pretty easily by CSC filers who don't realize what service center they're in. Another service has managed to get a much more accurate picture of what's going on, and some people like it. People were telling this person about it, because if they ARE the type of person who wants a daily look at where they are in line, then they can have it. Or not. Up to each individual. You seem perfectly fine just waiting, and that is great. That's your choice, and if that's what makes you happy in this process, cool. Not everyone is the same. So that's why there's options.

Actually, I take that back. Normally they post things with 6 weeks lag time. This month, I guess they're giving themselves 11 weeks of wiggle room.

You must be new here.....
And in terms of USCIS's timeframes----Sorry, though, not at all. Absloutely not at all. The dates on the USCIS site (here: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processingTimesDisplay.do;jsessionid=abcBFfW1-iSlb6mZcCx6u),if you read in the gray box above the table is "as of April 30". They are reporting, in mid-July, what they claim they were doing 6 weeks ago. Worse, you can tell from both the VJ data, the Immifairy data, and just anecdotaly from looking at people's timelines here, that that date is false.
What's more: that chart is not intended for you to figure out if your turn is coming up soon or not. It is intended to control who can and cannot open an official inquiry--"seeking answers and making noise" into their case. They will only accept inquiries, like you said, if you are outside their posted "normal processing time". So what do they do? They post "normal processing time" as of 6 weeks ago AND fudge date, to minimize the number of people who are eligible for anything beyond calling the hotline and being fed stock lines. If that's cool with you, that's cool. It's not cool with most of us.

Nope, not telling anyone what do to with their money at all.
1. Good question.
2. You can tell that you've never seen a report because if you had seen a report you'd know the answer to #1*
3. Oh really? I suppose I hallucinated being man-splained how I'm being naive and wasting my money. Or being told to "do [myself] a favor and save the money". From someone who very clearly has zero idea what he's talking about (see #1 and #2).
4. Not really. That's the official USCIS line. If you want to buy it, go right ahead. The reality of the situation is that they spend about 20 minutes looking at each file. Before then, they sit on a shelf, or in a box or whererver TSC stores these things once they're sent from the Lockbox. Delays can happen *once someone starts working the file* if there's complicating factors such as criminal backgrounds, multiple times filing etc. But most people know if they are or are not in those categories and know to expect a delay. RFEs can happen due to mistakes on the petitioner's part. But to get an RFE, your file needs to be looked at. Your file isn't being looked at while it's in line. Timelines, or more specifically *accurate* timelines can give you a picture when it is likely that it's your turn to be taken "off the shelf" and dealt with.
5. The majority of people don't pay for a report because this service has been in existence for all of, what? 6 weeks? And is currently limited to September-March TSC K1 filers. And also because some people (ahem) like to make judgments on things they don't understand and/or just plain old will never understand data analytics. It's ok. We can't all be numbers people.
It STILL may not be worth it to you. And if not, that's absolutely your choice. No one is telling you that you need it, or even want it. But don't slam something that you haven't seen and don't understand. Or, more accurately, don't belittle people for choosing to participate in something that you haven't seen and don't understand but that they do understand, and consider adds value to their situation.