agripa

A constant question on VisaJourney. And the real answer is: nobody knows! More seriously, there are a whole host of reasons why some applications get processed faster than others, my lawyer (who used to work at one of these service centers) told me the following:
Your application required additional security checks, which will slow down your application. The service centers aren't some kind of assembly line. Applications don't move in a single straight line, rather there are different distinct groups within each service center and incoming applications are spread amongst the groups. Some groups will work faster than others. The country you're beneficiary is from. Although the official policy of USCIS is that the country doesn't matter, documents from certain countries are scrutinized more thoroughly and of course some countries are prone to additional security checks (see point 1 above).  The length of your marriage; more recent marriages are given slightly more scrutiny. These are only some of the reasons why you might have been "skipped" over.

Do NOT send any additional evidence to USCIS after your initial submission. There's no guarantee it will get linked up with your application. It's best to wait for either an RFE or you can submit additional evidence at the NVC stage (commonly referred to as side-loading on the VisaJourney website). I'd highly recommend you wait for one of these two options.

Take a look a the VisaJourney timelines. My own processing of the various I-130 threads indicates that USCIS (Nebraska) is taking 6-7 months for normal processing. After this, there is a 2 week period until the NVC receives your application. After that it's taking ~2.5 months (10 weeks) for a case complete. So right now, it's taking 9.5 months to just reach a point where your interview will be scheduled.
 
But yes, everyone else is correct. There is really no point in contacting USCIS prior the six month mark and really, there's nothing they will do until the pass your priority date. Currently, USCIS Nebraska is processing applications as of August 2, 2016.

Don't worry about it. They will assign you to the appropriate embassy/consulate. In fact it says on the I-130 form -- "Designation of a US embassy or consulate outside the country of your relative's last residence does not guarantee processing by that post. Acceptance is at the discretion of the designated embassy or consulate".
 
I think it basically means whatever you write is a "suggestion" and that the NVC in conjunction with the consulate decides finally where you will be interviewed.

Do NOT send any additional evidence to USCIS after your initial submission. There's no guarantee it will get linked up with your application. It's best to wait for either an RFE or you can submit additional evidence at the NVC stage (commonly referred to as side-loading on the VisaJourney website). I'd highly recommend you wait for one of these two options.

In theory there should be no problem. There's no rule or law against sponsoring a second spouse. However, stories from VisaJourney suggest in general that certain "red flags" will cause greater scrutiny of your application, your story has several flags including --
Sponsoring a second spouse. Getting re-married and sponsoring a second spouse within a short time-frame (<2 months). None of these things will disqualify you outright, but you should expect to have greater scrutiny and hopefully you've included ample evidence of a bonafide marriage. 
 
Currently, the whole IR1/CR1 process is taking 10-12 months (this time has increased steadily over the past year). Good luck!

Hey July I-130 fliers,
 
Just wanted to let everyone know that the Nebraska Service Center has officially updated it's processing PD (as of December 31, 2016) -- from July 2, 2016 to July 28,2016. Not a huge movement, but if you have a PD before July 28th, you are now officially beyond normal processing times.

I'm sorry you've been put through the ringer like this. However, from reading things here on VisaJourney, you're lawsuit is highly unlikely to succeed and worse, it could lead to a denial of your petition.  The principle of consular non-reviewability is pretty strong and it's surprising that your lawyer has has success with this action previously. However, if as you've said you've tried and exhausted every other route (contacting senators/congressmen, info pass appointment, contacting the embassy, etc.) and are willing to live with the possibility that your application may be rejected forcing you to start all over again, then by all means proceed. I would strongly urge you to contact an additional lawyer to get a second opinion. Best of luck and I hope things work out.

I'm sorry you've been put through the ringer like this. However, from reading things here on VisaJourney, you're lawsuit is highly unlikely to succeed and worse, it could lead to a denial of your petition.  The principle of consular non-reviewability is pretty strong and it's surprising that your lawyer has has success with this action previously. However, if as you've said you've tried and exhausted every other route (contacting senators/congressmen, info pass appointment, contacting the embassy, etc.) and are willing to live with the possibility that your application may be rejected forcing you to start all over again, then by all means proceed. I would strongly urge you to contact an additional lawyer to get a second opinion. Best of luck and I hope things work out.

I think what @Penguin_ie means is that you should fill out corrected versions of all forms and keep it ready. You should send it in one of two instances: (i) when they send you an RFE (request for further evidence) for your I-130 application, or (ii) if your I-130 application is approved and sent to the NVC; send in the corrected forms along with your other application materials at that time. You can write a note stating what the mistake was.
 
These are probably the best options. If you send in the corrected forms right now, there's no guarantee it will synch up with your application. It's best to wait for one of the two situations I've outlined above. However, if you're really worried about it, feel free to call the customer service for USCIS and if you're lucky enough to reach a human being you can ask what exactly should be done.

Where you live in the United States has almost no bearing on which service center your application was sent to. You need to look at your receipt number which was on the NOA1 and the first three letters will tell you which service center your application was sent too. For example, LIN = Nebraska Service Center.
 
Are you saying that it was 4 months before you received your NOA1? This is an absurdly long time. Are you able to check you status on the USCIS website? In either case, unless your application was sent to the Texas Service Center, you are still within normal processing time. If you've been sent to Nebraska, it will likely take 5-7 months, based on current estimates.
 
Good luck!

There have been a few cases mentioned on VisaJourney where there were no updates on either the website or via text, yet a NOA2/RFE was mailed out to the petitioner. Fingers crossed it's an approval for you!

Please read the guides . See this link here for examples of evidence.
 
Commonly accepted types of evidence which have been sent in (in order of strongest to weakest evidence):
Proof of having lived together, e.g. copy of a lease with both your names on it. Proof of having met, e.g., copies of boarding passes, stamps on your passports, receipts from hotels you might have stayed at. Proof of financial co-mingling, e.g., having each other's names on work health insurance or beneficiaries on each other's financial accounts or joint bank accounts. Proof of your wedding, e.g. copies of invitations, receipts Proof of ongoing communications, e.g. snapshots of chats, phone calls Photographs of the two of you over the course of your relationship. Sworn affidavits from friends/family. Good luck!

The Chief of Staff for Donald Trump announced that they are considering adding additional countries to the list this morning on Meet the Press; Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia were mentioned by name. It is something to be concerned about, but all conjecture at this point. All you can do is wait and see.

Your are WAY behind normal processing deadlines. Nebraska, according to their very own "official" estimates, is processing applications with a priority date of July 2, 2016. More over according to VisaJourney's immigration timeline tracker nearly everyone from March 2016 has been approved; more over many people on the July - September I-130 flier threads have already been approved. Here are concrete steps you need to take right away --
Call the National Customer Service center and ask to speak to a Tier 2 representative. Don't let yourself be pawned off on a regular customer service representative. Insist on speaking to a Tier 2 representative. This will take some persistence, but keep on it. When you finally get through tell them you're WAY behind normal processing deadlines and ask for an immediate update on your application. They will like ask for a supervisor review of your application, try and get them to give you a concrete date by which they will get back to you. I notice you are from California. Contact Senator Diane Feinstein and Senator Kamala Harris and tell them your application is way beyond normal processing time. Senator Diane Feinstein has a convenient form for you to fill out and fax to her office. Follow up with a phone-call to each and ask to speak to their immigration aide. They will likely have a waiver for you to sign after which they will contact USCIS on your behalf. This does not guarantee the success of your application, but it will definitely help to shake things up. Good luck!

The official order has been signed and released to the press. You can view a copy here.
 
The following has now been CONFIRMED and OFFICIALLY signed by President Trump. Here are highlights -
Immigrant and non-immigrants from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia will be banned from entering the United States for 90 days starting today.  The Secretary of Homeland Security will review "security procedures" in ALL countries to see if they provide enough information to adjudicate a visa application. Countries which DO not provide enough information will have 60 days to begin providing such information. If at that time they do NOT provide enough information, these countries will be added to the ban list (i.e., immigrants and non-immigrants from this country will not be allowed into the United States). The Secretary of State along with the FBI director and Secretary of Homeland Security have to implement a NEW screening program for ALL visa applications. This NEW screening program must include - an in-person interview, a database to make sure that duplicated documents aren't provided, NEW forms to weed out frauds, as well as make sure that the applicant will be a contributing member of American society, and make sure that the applicant isn't a terrorist. What does this all mean for IR1/CR1 and K1 applicants?
 
If you are a citizen of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia:
Regardless of whatever visa you might have (IR1, CR1, K1, B2), you will not be allowed to enter the United States for the next 90 days. What does this mean for existing visa applications? Hard to say, but it seems very likely that they will be held up or delayed.
 
If you are from another country:
Within 30 days a new list of "problem" countries may be released. These countries will be ones which were found not to provide "sufficient" information (whatever the hell that means) to adjudicate a visa petition. Such countries will have 60 days to "fix" these problems and if they don't they will also join the banned list.
 
On top of all this a new screening program has been ordered to start. It's hard to say what exactly it will mean for existing applications or even when/if it may be implemented (a lot of what's being asked for seems to already exist). But this NEW screening program will apply to people of ALL countries (whatever it is and whenever it may start). 

The Chief of Staff for Donald Trump announced that they are considering adding additional countries to the list this morning on Meet the Press; Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia were mentioned by name. It is something to be concerned about, but all conjecture at this point. All you can do is wait and see.

The official order has been signed and released to the press. You can view a copy here.
 
The following has now been CONFIRMED and OFFICIALLY signed by President Trump. Here are highlights -
Immigrant and non-immigrants from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia will be banned from entering the United States for 90 days starting today.  The Secretary of Homeland Security will review "security procedures" in ALL countries to see if they provide enough information to adjudicate a visa application. Countries which DO not provide enough information will have 60 days to begin providing such information. If at that time they do NOT provide enough information, these countries will be added to the ban list (i.e., immigrants and non-immigrants from this country will not be allowed into the United States). The Secretary of State along with the FBI director and Secretary of Homeland Security have to implement a NEW screening program for ALL visa applications. This NEW screening program must include - an in-person interview, a database to make sure that duplicated documents aren't provided, NEW forms to weed out frauds, as well as make sure that the applicant will be a contributing member of American society, and make sure that the applicant isn't a terrorist. What does this all mean for IR1/CR1 and K1 applicants?
 
If you are a citizen of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia:
Regardless of whatever visa you might have (IR1, CR1, K1, B2), you will not be allowed to enter the United States for the next 90 days. What does this mean for existing visa applications? Hard to say, but it seems very likely that they will be held up or delayed.
 
If you are from another country:
Within 30 days a new list of "problem" countries may be released. These countries will be ones which were found not to provide "sufficient" information (whatever the hell that means) to adjudicate a visa petition. Such countries will have 60 days to "fix" these problems and if they don't they will also join the banned list.
 
On top of all this a new screening program has been ordered to start. It's hard to say what exactly it will mean for existing applications or even when/if it may be implemented (a lot of what's being asked for seems to already exist). But this NEW screening program will apply to people of ALL countries (whatever it is and whenever it may start). 

The official order has been signed and released to the press. You can view a copy here.
 
The following has now been CONFIRMED and OFFICIALLY signed by President Trump. Here are highlights -
Immigrant and non-immigrants from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia will be banned from entering the United States for 90 days starting today.  The Secretary of Homeland Security will review "security procedures" in ALL countries to see if they provide enough information to adjudicate a visa application. Countries which DO not provide enough information will have 60 days to begin providing such information. If at that time they do NOT provide enough information, these countries will be added to the ban list (i.e., immigrants and non-immigrants from this country will not be allowed into the United States). The Secretary of State along with the FBI director and Secretary of Homeland Security have to implement a NEW screening program for ALL visa applications. This NEW screening program must include - an in-person interview, a database to make sure that duplicated documents aren't provided, NEW forms to weed out frauds, as well as make sure that the applicant will be a contributing member of American society, and make sure that the applicant isn't a terrorist. What does this all mean for IR1/CR1 and K1 applicants?
 
If you are a citizen of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia:
Regardless of whatever visa you might have (IR1, CR1, K1, B2), you will not be allowed to enter the United States for the next 90 days. What does this mean for existing visa applications? Hard to say, but it seems very likely that they will be held up or delayed.
 
If you are from another country:
Within 30 days a new list of "problem" countries may be released. These countries will be ones which were found not to provide "sufficient" information (whatever the hell that means) to adjudicate a visa petition. Such countries will have 60 days to "fix" these problems and if they don't they will also join the banned list.
 
On top of all this a new screening program has been ordered to start. It's hard to say what exactly it will mean for existing applications or even when/if it may be implemented (a lot of what's being asked for seems to already exist). But this NEW screening program will apply to people of ALL countries (whatever it is and whenever it may start). 

The official order has been signed and released to the press. You can view a copy here.
 
The following has now been CONFIRMED and OFFICIALLY signed by President Trump. Here are highlights -
Immigrant and non-immigrants from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia will be banned from entering the United States for 90 days starting today.  The Secretary of Homeland Security will review "security procedures" in ALL countries to see if they provide enough information to adjudicate a visa application. Countries which DO not provide enough information will have 60 days to begin providing such information. If at that time they do NOT provide enough information, these countries will be added to the ban list (i.e., immigrants and non-immigrants from this country will not be allowed into the United States). The Secretary of State along with the FBI director and Secretary of Homeland Security have to implement a NEW screening program for ALL visa applications. This NEW screening program must include - an in-person interview, a database to make sure that duplicated documents aren't provided, NEW forms to weed out frauds, as well as make sure that the applicant will be a contributing member of American society, and make sure that the applicant isn't a terrorist. What does this all mean for IR1/CR1 and K1 applicants?
 
If you are a citizen of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia:
Regardless of whatever visa you might have (IR1, CR1, K1, B2), you will not be allowed to enter the United States for the next 90 days. What does this mean for existing visa applications? Hard to say, but it seems very likely that they will be held up or delayed.
 
If you are from another country:
Within 30 days a new list of "problem" countries may be released. These countries will be ones which were found not to provide "sufficient" information (whatever the hell that means) to adjudicate a visa petition. Such countries will have 60 days to "fix" these problems and if they don't they will also join the banned list.
 
On top of all this a new screening program has been ordered to start. It's hard to say what exactly it will mean for existing applications or even when/if it may be implemented (a lot of what's being asked for seems to already exist). But this NEW screening program will apply to people of ALL countries (whatever it is and whenever it may start). 

The official order has been signed and released to the press. You can view a copy here.
 
The following has now been CONFIRMED and OFFICIALLY signed by President Trump. Here are highlights -
Immigrant and non-immigrants from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia will be banned from entering the United States for 90 days starting today.  The Secretary of Homeland Security will review "security procedures" in ALL countries to see if they provide enough information to adjudicate a visa application. Countries which DO not provide enough information will have 60 days to begin providing such information. If at that time they do NOT provide enough information, these countries will be added to the ban list (i.e., immigrants and non-immigrants from this country will not be allowed into the United States). The Secretary of State along with the FBI director and Secretary of Homeland Security have to implement a NEW screening program for ALL visa applications. This NEW screening program must include - an in-person interview, a database to make sure that duplicated documents aren't provided, NEW forms to weed out frauds, as well as make sure that the applicant will be a contributing member of American society, and make sure that the applicant isn't a terrorist. What does this all mean for IR1/CR1 and K1 applicants?
 
If you are a citizen of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia:
Regardless of whatever visa you might have (IR1, CR1, K1, B2), you will not be allowed to enter the United States for the next 90 days. What does this mean for existing visa applications? Hard to say, but it seems very likely that they will be held up or delayed.
 
If you are from another country:
Within 30 days a new list of "problem" countries may be released. These countries will be ones which were found not to provide "sufficient" information (whatever the hell that means) to adjudicate a visa petition. Such countries will have 60 days to "fix" these problems and if they don't they will also join the banned list.
 
On top of all this a new screening program has been ordered to start. It's hard to say what exactly it will mean for existing applications or even when/if it may be implemented (a lot of what's being asked for seems to already exist). But this NEW screening program will apply to people of ALL countries (whatever it is and whenever it may start). 

10 months is highly optimistic. But as many people have mentioned here it is nearly impossible to give a precise timeline, there are so many factors which come into play including -
Your nationality The service center your application get sent to Whether you receive an RFEs or not How long it takes to get to the NVC and whether or not your receive any checklists at that stage. How backed up your Embassy is (I know for a fact that the Cairo embassy has quite a long queue). If you take the current average of all timelines on VisaJourney you're looking at 12-14 months. And of course, it's hard to say what impact the new administration and the soon-to-be proposed "extreme" vetting procedure may take. This whole things sucks of course, but there's nothing you can do but be patient.

I think this article from Vox most cleanly outlines what these executive orders are going to do. He hasn't signed the Visa/Refugee ban order yet, but the text has been leaked and it is likely to be accurate. Highlights important to VisaJourney members :
Suspends entry into the United States from Iran, Sudan, Syria, Lybia, Somalia, and Yemen starting 30 days after the executive order's issuance. This will apply to all immigration and as such will include K1 and IR1/CR1 visas. People with applications from these countries will almost certainly be delayed for the foreseeable future. The Secretary of State and Director of National Intelligence will evaluate all countries to see if the provide sufficient information to vet visa applicants for terrorist risks. They will then tell Trump which countries provide insufficient evidence and at that time the country has 60 days to fix this problem. If they don't fix it within 60 days, nationals from that country will be prohibited from entering that country.  

The leaked executive order (which I believe will be accurate) references an Act passed a year or two ago. It's simply using a list of countries specified in a previous law. These 7 countries are correct.

They are not obligated to look at any new evidence that you bring to the embassy. This is not a sign of anything. If you look at interview stories all over VisaJourney, 90% of the time the CO doesn't look at any evidence which you bring (even though they often ask for it). This is why people on VisaJourney highly highly recommend front-loading your petition with as much information as possible before hand. It appears that the CO often makes up their mind prior to the interview itself.
 
Again, it's hard to read too much into this. On the surface it appears this is done because the CO expects that the AP process will take some time and wants to make sure you have your passport if you need to travel. On the other hand, there are numerous cases where the passport was returned but the AP was short.
 
You cannot sue (or it is very very very difficult). Visa decision made by consular officers are protected by a principle called consular nonreviewability. Basically, since you're not a US citizen and you're in Egypt (hence not subject to the protection of US laws) you have no standing to sue. More over, bringing over your spouse or fiance to the United States is a privilege not a RIGHT, so you're fiance cannot do anything either.
 
Bottom line - it sounds like from your story you have certain red flags - age gap (with the woman being older) and a previously (denied??) tourist visa you applied for. As you'll often see here on VisaJourney administrative processing takes as long as it's going to take. The only concrete steps you can take are -- (1) have your fiance in the US contact her local congressperson/senator and have them send an inquiry to the consulate. Note they cannot change the outcome, but they may at least be able to get you some more information; (2) have your fiance move to Egypt if possible, spend some time together, get married, and then try for a CR1/IR1 visa. There's really not much else you can do, but wait and keep emailing the embassy for more information.