Erichu

Congratulations!

Is Marichu from Cebu?

Thanks and congrats too! We are very happy for you too! I know you couldn't stop smiling too because of the approval. Same here!

I am from Davao.

Marichu

We are so happy!!!

I checked online and called the USCIS today to check status but everything was the same - processing RFE received September 26. And what should arrive in today's mail? It's our NOA2 document!! The NOA2 notice date is October 11 but the notice says it is valid from 10/10/2006 to 2/9/2006. Maybe that is a October 10 approval. Who cares!! I must call in tomorrow to tell our government that they have approved us.

We are celebrating today!!!

I decided to call USCIS about my RFE they received over 2 weeks ago. The person on the phone, Officer Cluff said the computer shows my petition was approved on the 10th but it hasn't sent out the notification yet! She said she note it since I called to see if it doesn't send out the approval emails within the next couple of days, she will do an inquiry - something about a glitch in their notification system!

Ayeeeeeee! Should I jump for joy or wait until I have the confirmation email?

Congratulations guys!!!

I read your entry today and tried what you did - called the USCIS hotline. In our case we got the same old news that our status was not approved and that the RFE may take 60 days. Was feeling very happy for you but sorry for myself when I opened today's mail and there it was - NOA2 letter showing the notice Date of October 11. I still haven't received emails or online status change but looks like we're moving too. We are very, very happy now!!!

Good luck in the next step!!

Congrats to you guys!!! We're very happy for you and happy to get our approval as well. The CSC lets us guess how we find out. No email or online status change for us, just the NOA2 letter!

But good news is good no matter how it arrives!!

The sentence that has got me wondering is this one, "In 1998, fewer than 2,500 foreign women applied to become permanent residents under the Violence Against Women Act, which allows abused wives to apply for residence without the support of their husbands. In the fiscal year that ended in September, 9,500 applied. " I wonder how much of the dramatic increase in VAWA claims is due to real abuse and how much is due to the fact that a claim of abuse can improve the odds of getting someone a green card who wouldn't otherwise qualify?

I'm sure that much of the increase is due to true abuse, but I also suspect that much of the increase is driven by opportunism, so the statistic - and the basis for IMBRA - is inflated to some extent.

Yodrak

I think the NY Times article is anything but sympathetic to couples affected by IMBRA and the answer to the issue of increasing reported abuse can be found in the article. It reads...

Helped by the Internet, international matchmaking has mushroomed. In 1999, a report by the immigration service found some 200 international dating agencies in the United States. A study in 2004 found 500.

The immigration service said 37,500 women entered the country last year on fiancée visas or temporary visas for spouses of American citizens. That was a 50 percent increase from 2002, when the temporary spouse visa came into existence, and a fourfold increase over the 9,500 women who entered on fiancée visas in 1998.

The number of couples has gone up four-fold while the number of reported cases of abuse has done the same. There's no trend of increasing abuse at all. The question not mentioned in the article and not brought up before signing the legislation is whether the rate of abuse is any different than for domestic couples.

The internet makes it easy to meet people internationally in all kinds of ways. From what I can see, a great many of the websites for meeting international singles are no different than for meeting singles in the USA through Yahoo Personals or Match.com. The article focuses on a few "old fashioned" services that offer foreign vacation packages with functions to meet hundreds of local women. These are a small fraction of all couples who meet through the numerous other avenues available.

I think the "mail order bride" label is incredibly insulting to the women moving to the USA as a fiance. From what I can see, most of the marriages here are between two people who want a better life and have found someone they really love. The problem is that the world is years behind in understanding how much the internet has closed the distance between people wherever they live.

I was going to agree with the OP that perhaps as CSC is now getting some approvals from August/September in under 90 days their focus may have been directed elsewhere. And that would be understandable - if there wasn't people still waiting from March, April, May and June. But they can't (shouldn't) just throw all the pending files in a box to work on something else.

We all pay our $170 which is supposed to cover all USCIS costs so they don't need additional funding (apart from backlogs). But any backlog initiative from 2001 would not have been targetting IMBRA backlogs.

As usual $$$ rule the world! I still think it's wrong that an employer can pay the premium processing fee but a fiance can't.

I know Kitkat and Kristen are well informed, but God I hope they're wrong! The thought of anymore delays is just too depressing.

We have received touches this week but no NOA2. I can easily believe the issue of fiscal year end and reduced funding - very typical of government. We were told in our RFE receipt email that preliminary processing was done so less time than usual will be needed to approval. Since then, four more touches over two weeks and still waiting. The unpredictable and unfair treatment is tough on the nerves. Managing a workoad in a first come first served situation is really not that hard.

I think there have been a few other mentions of waiting after submitting the RFE....

Has everyone received an email or online update after turning in an RFE?

We mailed our RFE from England and used International Signed For (big joke!). I believe it was delivered as we check USPS' site, but it said the 98677 Laguna Niguel Zip instead of 98607 where the PO Box is...Then on top of that, it as received on the 10th at around 3:30pm...it's been a couple days (I know, only a couple of days...but it seems they have done it no problem in the past!)....there mail room must not be aware of those Christmas bonuses or something...the rest of the departments caught up and were working but the mail room seems to be dragging....or they need more employees!

I just can't wait till our petition finally leaves California and we can deal with some more compitant people (even if only by a little....)

Sorry for my complaining, and yes I know there are probably other threads like this or maybe other people have been sitting longer waiting for ANY RFE response...which should just make everything more irritating as some people have been waiting what seems like forever! and still nothing has happened.....

What happened to the quickness that was happening in September??? It can't be quitting time yet?

The CSC is so mismanaged and random in their timing. My original I-129F sat for over three weeks before they opened the envelope and began the process. Others that arrived at the same time were opened within days. Same for the RFE. Most June petitioners received theirs in July/August. Mine was late September. And then the CSC received our RFE on September 26, just when others were being approved in a couple of days. I'm still waiting. I can't wait to get my NOA2 and then have a new aggravation to deal with!

Congrats!!

This is sure a hard process to go through but today you can celebrate!!

I'm planning mine for tomorrow. (I hope!!)

Congratulations!!! Your news is good for you and for many others of us on the same timeline. We got our notice from CSC today about receiving the RFE and that preliminary processing is already done so we may be next!!

Congratulations to you guys!

This is great news! We are also on the same track as well. Would be amazing if the CSC can give approval in a few more days.

Hello to all! Just want to ask how to schedule an interview in US Embassy Manila? and when to do it?

Thanks and congrats to all who got their NOA2 already. - Marie

You don't! Visa interview dates are assigned to beneficiaries of K1 petitions, and the current wait time is approximately 120 - 150 days from the receipt of your package by the USE from NVC. Mabuhay!

Thanks Uling for the info. God bless!

Hello to all! Just want to ask how to schedule an interview in US Embassy Manila? and when to do it?

Thanks and congrats to all who got their NOA2 already. - Marie

waiting for the IMBRA RFE as well. but its gonna be too soon now! we can smell it, hope im correct!

please add us on the list: on K1 visa, filed at CSC last June 12 and got our NOA 1 last July 03. Just waiting for the RFE now. Thanks! Really hoping to get the RFE letter very soon. Goodluck to all.

Hi to all! Just new here. Want to share that we were touched last July 8 but no more for now. Hope to get more touches and also the RFE letter!

Happy weekend to all!

Mari