a1cpat

How can this possibly be true when there are hundreds of VJ people on these boards who have done just that -- filed for a K1/K3/CR1/IR1 etc. and then visited their USC SO on the VWP? This question gets asked just about every single day, and every single day people answer the question by quoting from their own experience. I know you are a CBP officer so I'm really interested to hear your answer!

I clarified this by way of PM.

We recieved our notice that our AOS interview is scheduled for August 21st. But I have been reading through the timelines of some other VJ members who have adjusted status, but their timlines do not indicate an AOS interview. Does every AOS applicant have to have an interview? I have no plans to skip ours of course, I am just curious why some would have it, and not others.

Thats fantastic! We got our interview appointment date for August 21st, at the Portland office too! I hope that our experience is as smooth as yours was! Again, congrats!!!

Even with a name change, her original Ukrainian passport (with her maiden name) combined with either her AP document, or her actual Green Card (with her new surname) will be enough to leave Ukraine. We had our marriage liscence just in case, but never needed it. In our experience they really dont care where you are going...you just need to be sure you will be let back INTO the states when you guys get back.

We havent encountered any difficulty at the border in Ukraine.

We have gone back twice since she got here in December, and the only problem we had was a warning to me that I had almost accumulated too many days inside of Ukraine within a 90 period without a visa. I had stayed there for almost two months while we were waiting for her interview. Right now there is a waiver in effect for visa requirements for US Citizens and EU citizens. But only for short tourist stays.

Anyway, good luck to you guys!

Good Luck!

Sasha had her inteview yesterday at the consulate in Kiev. It was scheduled for 8:30 am, but we arrived by taxi at about 10 minutes past seven. There was already a huge group of people waiting outside of the immigrant visa section. It was cold, and the area is not well lit as it is situated in a kind of alley way between two buildings. We waited there until almost 8:30 when a man who had seen her photos told us they were the wrong size for the visa application. Nervous, she wanted to get out of line and go make new photos really quickly, so thats what we did. There is a passport photo store in the same alley (apparently they make alot of business for themselves in the early morning for people in the same situation. ). We got back into the line, and she told the guard we had an 8:30 appt. for the K1 interview, and he just took us out of line and led us into the security section. I guess that the immigrant visa people are taken somewhere else for thier interviews, and the K1 visas have a special section.

Security is really strict about what can be brought into the consular section. No cell phones, no bags...of any kind..Sasha couldnt even take her purse into the building. They allowed us to hand carry only our passports, and the folder with her documents.

Once inside we waited in a small room with about 20 other people. Sasha turned in her documents to a "reception" window, and that woman asked her some questions about our relationship, but nothing real personal...(how long have you known each other?, How old is he?) Then she asked us to wait until we were called by the consular officer. We waited for about another 3 hours, joking with each other to help calm the nerves! Then the officer came out and called her name. We walked to the window in the back of the room, it was protected by small screen, but other than that was open to everyone who was in the waiting room. So the interview wasnt private.

He greeted us both, and he seemed quite pleased to see that I was there with her. The first thing he did was ask if she wanted to proceed with speaking English or if it was more comfortable for her to speak in Russian. She chose English, and told him that she wont have a problem understanding him. He smiled, and then told her that he had to administer an oath swearing that all of her information was accurate. After that, he took her fingerprints electronically. He told me that he had read through our petition package about how we met, so there wont be any more questions about that, and that I did a superb job of documenting everything about the relationship (Thanks for all the tips VJ!!!).

He asked her only three questions. The first was about her English speaking ability, How long and where did she study. And then he asked her to tell him what she knows about Portland, where we will live. The last question was what we plan to do together. Which was a confusing question that seemed a little too broad for me. She said that we plan to "be together", and he said "I know that, but doing what?" She smiled and said, "Im sure we will find lots of things". Then he said "good enough for me".

He congratulated us, and then directed us to the federal express courier desk to arrange for the delivery of the passport and visa package. (that could take up to ten days he said)

Sasha and I were both stunned after the interview. We have waited so long, since February, and at every step we have had complications...with USCIS and getting caught in IMBRA, and then an unexplained delay at NVC for 8 weeks, and rude telephone calls with the consular office where we were repeatedly hung up on. Then our interview was flawless, and the officer was really kind! Every step had been worse than the one before it, and we were both expecting this one to be terrible too. But it was great, leaving us both speechless for a little while!

Anyway, I just wanted to share our interview experience with the VJ family. I hope it is useful for those of you who will have interviews in Kiev in the future.

I have been here in Ukraine for 8 weeks now, and I am ready to go home, but most importantly, I am ready to take HER home!!!

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Okay everybody, the hour is almost upon us. Sasha and and I are really tired, but niether one of us thinks we will get much sleep tonite because we are so nervous! We have checked, re-checked, and then checked a few more times to make sure we have all the documents, and all appears in order, but we are still nervous!

I want to give thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of you who posted to us for good luck, it almost made Sash cry to see so many strangers who care.

I will post again tomorrow with hopefully great results!

Sasha's interview has been scheduled for 8:30 am on Thursday the 30th! She is so excited and nervous! I'm just happy that I can be here with her for everything

Although, for those of you going through the consulate here in Kiev, don't expect much help if you try to phone them for information. They are rude to me, and VERY rude to Sasha, and they always just direct us to read the instructions on the website.

Despite that, we are hoping for the ultimate good news by the end of the week! Wish us luck!

And thanks for everyone's support, Sash and I appreciate it, and we wish everybody a smooth visa journey!

I really love it here, being with my babygirl and drinking vodka and her father's homemade wine. But I think I'm ready to come home, as the weather here has become very cold and I miss speaking English with people!

According to the DHL tracking my petition arrived here in Kiev on November 1st, and we turned in packet 3 on the 6th. Now they tell us to wait up to 12 working days till we get the reply with the interview. 12 working days could be a really long time considering the embassy closes every US and Ukrainian holiday, and every other friday for no apparent reason. Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and the bi weekly free days make for a few more weeks in the cold for me.

I don't need any advice. I just wanted to complain to somebody...in english! Thanks for reading and I pray everyone's visa journey continues to go smoothly.

cant these people get ANYTHING right???

It is better to be proactive than reactive, you did the right thing by telling them how to do it correctly.

But seriously...you shouldnt have to help them...unless they are gonna put you on the payroll!

Matako-seriously...nobody likes you. Stop posting on this forum. I feel really bad that you were approved, and I wish upon you many months of administrative review at the NVC.

I agree, Matako isn't the brightest bulb in the string. Though, I wouldn't wish AR on anyone. That would bring bad karma.

you are right mrc. I shouldnt say things like that for fear of giving myself further bad luck in this whole process. I am just really sick of that guy showing up and ruining threads that could be helpful for other people.

Thanks for agreeing with me KitKat....Matako/Majizee is a troll. I am going to take everyone's advice and add him to the ignore list.

Back to being pleasant.

Its not only allowed, but I highly encourage it! My fiancee and I filed in February, and I have come back to her country four times since, each time just as the stress of waiting was getting too difficult. Also, take lots of new photos during your trip, as they can be used as new evidence of the "ongoing" relationship during the interview phase. Good luck, and go see your loved one!

Matako-seriously...nobody likes you. Stop posting on this forum. I feel really bad that you were approved, and I wish upon you many months of administrative review at the NVC.

Sooooo??? Did you do what the "machine" told you to do and inquire with USCIS as to what the problem is or if its just a mistake?

FINALLY!!!!!

NVC HAS MY CASE!!!

Now I can relax just a little bit.

Thanks to everyone for their support!!!

I checked with NVC again today, and they say they still have not received my petition.

I have been in contact with my congressman's office and he got some information that it was sent to NVC on October 4th, and that my 2-4 week waiting period begins then.

I came back to Ukraine to finish the wait with my fiancee', and now it looks like I'm gonna be here awhile. (That's nobodys fault but mine, but they did say it would be forwarded within 4 weeks, and I gave them seven before I left to come here because I thought that would be more than enough time!)

I had seen in another post that mrc had faxed his NOA2 and had good luck with that, but I've done that twice now and still no love.

Sooooo...#######?!?! Is anybody with an early september approval still waiting like me? What do you do? Is there really no help in this situation?

Fantastic! Keep those approvals coming!!!

great!!! good luck the rest of the way!!!

Okay.

AKS, and everybody...

This was my fifth week after approval, and the NVC still says they have no record of me (only the previous petition that was never finished.) My sweetheart is pulling her hair out, and I had planned to go soon anyway. So I am off to Ukraine again, and this time I AM NOT COMING HOME WITHOUT HER.

I got an email from CSC that says they did in fact forward my case to the NVC on 10/04/2006 (only three weeks after approval! #######??!!?!) And I called the congressman's office and asked for some help again and the aide said he would get right on it.

I wish I had more information to take with me, but I dont. I will stay in touch with VJ and my close people here, but now I need to be with my girl....because SHE needs ME!

Good luck friends. Hopefully the mess at NVC will get sorted out for all of us really soon!

Cheers!!!

YAY!!! CONGRATS Michelle!!!!

Hi,

Whenever you email NVC, always put your beneficiary's DOB there.

I emailed NVC, twice in the past with no finding until I wrote them with beneficiary's DOB and this is what I got back:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Your inquiry has been received at the National Visa Center (NVC).

Please be advised the NVC case number assigned to Lola Folawewo's visa petition is LGS2006xxxxxx. Please be sure to include the case number in the subject line of all email inquiries.

The NVC has recently received the approved 129F petition filed for a fiancé of a US citizen. The file will be processed in approximately 2-4 weeks and forwarded to the appropriate Consulate General. The Consulate General may or may not request additional information before interviewing the applicant for a K1 non-immigrant visa.

Regards,

National Visa Center

ACB/ban

-----Original Message-----

From: Bobby

Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 10:15 AM

To: nvcinquiry@state.gov

Subject: Receipt # WACxxxxxxxxxx

Hi,

I received an approval letter from USCIS on my I-129F petition for my fiancée. And waited for 25 days before contacting you on inquiry for the NVC letter to embassy as USCIS instructed me, USCIS gave us limited time frame for this approval and I do not intent to start all over again with application. Kindly help us meet the time frame and locate our file, below are the information that may help you locate our file.

Case # from USCIS: WACxxxxxxxxxx

Petitioner name: Bobby

Beneficiary DOB: 00/00/2000 (Lola)

Approval date: 09/21/2006

Thanks for the assistance.

Good for you.

But what the #######???? How do they STILL NOT HAVE MINE????

I keep seeing these posts of people with later september approvals (and even one from October....ANDY....)that have been THROUGH NVC and on to the Consul...!!!!

Congrats to you, and I dont mean to ruin your thread by venting here....but I am getting really frustrated.

i would go ahead and start the jumping!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!!!

I guess those medicines they give people when they stop smoking are at it again.

If you are a smoker, keep smoking. Dont stop!!!

Hey...just stop posting. Nobody likes you.

Well...take Andy for what he is...or leave him...

Either way...he is with his sweetie having a good time, and they are finally together.

Hopefully the rest of us can be having fun like that in real short order!!!

Hi there, I just got an snail mail of NOA2 on october 17 and letter show that they approved my case on october 10 and there is no update on the website, after october 11th touch, this is very strange, I was so worried before that what is going on after that last touch, but I was surprise today to see approval in mail, I appriciate your help alot, and what sould I have to do now? I mean for my fiance to get ready all document, what kind document do we need for the packet 3 after recieving to the consulate abroad, I am hoping that they NVC will recieve my case in 2 or 3 weeks.

An approval is an approval is an approval. No matter how it comes! I never got a notification by email, but they DID update the site, and then the NOA2 came in the mail. Regardless of the USCIS inefficiencies, congrats on your approval, and I wish you good luck and a speedy journey the rest of the way!