SalishSea

13 hours ago, Abenamaame said:

Hello everyone,

 

I recently filed for my husband who is in Ghana. We are waiting to be Dq’d. I am five months pregnant and sincerely need a lot of support from my husband. How can I expedite my process. Wish he would be here before delivery. Thanks !

Pregnancy is not a reason for expedite.

12 hours ago, cryptic4798 said:

Thank you for the response. The main issue with the spouse visa is that its currently taking anywhere from 4-5 years to process from submitting application to approval of visa. 

K-1 for Pakistan will be no quicker than a spousal visa.

especially with the denial you will get if you do “wedding functions” first.

12 hours ago, cryptic4798 said:

No i believe he is in not AP he is just waiting for an interview date. But it’s been about 3 years since he started the process. The problem is the Islamabad embassy, they are taking more time since they have a big backlog of cases. 

You do realize that k-1s would be subject to the same backlogs at that embassy?

4 hours ago, justin9696 said:

Crazy Cat I love your feedback and it's really helpful. Thank you so much!

This is comforting to know.

We want to schedule the wedding in September. My esta will expire early June. Does that mean that I'll be illegal in the country for about 3/4 months? Am I correct? And does this have any risks involved? Or is that okay as soon as I end up marrying my fiancée in September and apply for adjustment of status right after?

Thanks so much!! Really appreciate all the help.

Why in the world would you willingly choose to be here illegally???

8 hours ago, justin9696 said:

With the Christian context I mean that traveling back and forth right now could cause danger while we're still dating and not married since we're already dating for 1.5 year.

That makes no sense.

She absolutely needs to tell the truth about the reasons for her visit, and who her contacts are in the US.  

2 hours ago, FONA said:

Can you even have an immigration lawyer for DV lottery cases? 

 

The crimes:

 

Threats through email to a journalist

 

Harassment - through Instagram to another journalist

 

violent resistance - when I was being pulled over by cops

 

threat against a public official - in this case, the same cops that pulled me over, because they "felt" threatened by my actions. 

 

In conclusion they sound serious, but yet tho they are 4 crimes, I got 4 months, these were my first crimes, happened in 2021/2022

 

 

 

IMHO you're not getting an immigrant visa for the US, DV or otherwise..

I can’t imagine those will be issues.   The DOS is very well versed in the identification of gang tattoos.

12 hours ago, smilingstone said:

The chart indicates that applications which received an NOA1 on those dates, from those centres, are due to get an NOA2 shortly. TSC is notably slower at processing than CSC and VSC, which is why the dates differ.

End of Oct 23 to end of April 24 = approx 6/7 months.

99% of I-129F K-1 petitions are processed at CSC.   The other 1% are criminal background cases which are sent to Vermont.

For other petition types, processing center assigned is unrelated to petitioner’s state/region of residence.

12 hours ago, Hopeful Dreams said:

 

Sorry what do the terms CSC , TSC, VSC mean? I'm assuming for the K1 visa its from October 2023 to April 2024 but is that only for NOA 2 or is that the time frame to actually have the visa too? 

Those are the processing centers.   Yours is CSC.   That is processing time only for petition approval, which is just the first step.

14 hours ago, Hopeful Dreams said:

 

I have an ESTA, but I thought you can't reside there whilst we wait for the approval? How would I go about doing that? They are more than capable in supporting me 😕 

 

Yes you are right but the issue is they don't want me to get a new job, they are trying to force me out of my current one to just stay at home and follow their demands.. So If I do try to get a new job they want me out of the house there and then its really complicated

You cannot reside in the US on ESTA.

How old are you?   You stated that you’re adults, but if so, how are your parents able to so closely control your life like this?   Maybe it is time to look for better/full time employment and a more independent living situation?

11 hours ago, mar24 said:

We got our NOA1 in January and according to trackmyvisa, our case is close to being reviewed, that's what I meant! I'll keep an eye on this timeline too, thanks!

Doubtful.

You sent the petition three months ago?   Processing time for I-129F is currently 13.5 months.

Seems a bit odd to discuss marriage within mere weeks of meeting someone, especially when you’ve already had a bad experience with a foreigner…..

5 hours ago, KP&RP said:

Can we not say she’s unemployed? Because she’s a senior citizen, so technically she is retired. @SalishSea

Again, I think it will be likely that she’s seen as an immigrant risk.   
 

It’s your $185 to try your luck though.

54 minutes ago, bren123 said:

Hi, we were DQ'd in March, and given an interview date in May at the Dushanbe embassy. We just figured out that the Dushanbe embassy does not accept medical tests from Moscow, only from Dushanbe. This means my wife is required to take the COVID vaccine, which is a hard no for us. The Almaty embassy accepts medical tests from Moscow which does NOT require COVID vaccination, so we would like to transfer out interview there. 

Has anyone else had success transferring an interview to Almaty? 

I think you’re misunderstanding the requirements.   Individual consulates do not set their own medical requirements.

33 minutes ago, Madame_apple said:

Hi everyone I would like to hear your thought on this.

my timeline:

▶️September 25, 2023 recieved NOA1 for I 130
▶️April 1, 2024  AOS package delivered to Chicago ( on cashed out, no text , no NOA)

My question is :

Should I cancel my I130 process in September last year and restart to AOS concurring file? 
I saw people process so fast when they are filing AOS package altogther.

the waiting game start to be frustrated to me. I ve been married to USC for 15 years with 2 children. We lived outside USA together for the past 10years . However, my case should be the most straightforward case yet taking so long. 

Thank you for your opinion

Where are you located now?

7 hours ago, KP&RP said:

Thank you for the information @SalishSea! What do you mean by “unemployed is negative”? Will it be a negative impact on her application?

Yes, it will be a negative.   B visas are judged on the applicant’s ties to their home country, and a job is a reason to return.

Sure, anyone with a spare $6k can file a WOM.  Go for it.

1 hour ago, Chaudhary Awais said:

Hi, I was denied by F4 visa on December 2023. The CO asked me to file a Waiver. I filed the waiver in February and I got a notice of notice of receiving from the Department Of Homeland Security. 2 days I got an email asking to submit my passport to the embassy. I wanted to know after submitting passport what are the next things they can ask for so I can be prepared ahead of time. Thanks

They can ask for literally anything.  

14 minutes ago, Mickey344 said:

Is the estimated processing time for I-130 of June 21, 2023 on  Visa Journey accurate? Just curious because my I-130 was filed on that date with first active review on Sept 14, 2023 and radio silence since then. 

It’s as accurate as the info VJ members are inputting on their timelines.   The processing times on USCIS (by service center) is what I’d go with.

43 minutes ago, AA102023 said:

Before I got married and before I even met my husband, I obtained a whole life insurance policy. After our marriage, I updated the policy beneficiary to my husband and used the policy as evidence of our marriage for the CR1/IR1 visa process. Recently, I have conducted further research and determined that this policy is not a worthwhile investment. I am considering canceling it, but I am concerned about how this might impact my husband's visa process. Does he need this life insurance document for the NVC stage? 

Do you have other assets/investments which list him as a beneficiary?   Whole life policies are not common.   
 

If you have retirement or other investment accounts you can name him as a. Beneficiary of, I wouldn’t worry about cancelling that policy.

4 hours ago, wildbug100420 said:

Fire that lawyer. Once you have case number from nvc, you can schedule interview and medical, and fill out DS-160. If you don't know the case number from nvc, you can make email inquiry. 

Don’t you think that lawyer could possibly have been referring to interview wait times for that consulate…..?

11 hours ago, Dashinka said:

You will submit the I765 with the AOS package to apply for an EAD.  Once you get the receipt notice for the I765, you can request an expedite with a valid job offer.  Have your boss put together something formal saying they want to employ you for the expedite.  Also, apply for your SSN number a day or so after you arrive.

 

Good Luck!

Job offer for foreign remote job?   Not sure that would compel an expedite….

12 hours ago, KK_Shanks said:

I will be entering on a K1 visa. Does that give me the EAD?

 

Can take 6-8 months, which is a well known drawback of the K-1.

You cannot work remotely prior to having an EAD or GC.

1 hour ago, beloved_dingo said:

The fees for AOS alone make the K-1 a very undesirable option now, imo. (And this is coming from someone who chose the K-1 back in 2018) 

Same here.   Would never do a K-1 today.

1 hour ago, Howard L said:

 Hello, I’m the Filipino beneficiary. I am hoping to get my K1 visa issued within this month.

 

I was reading on posts here that it is very important to marry AND file for AOS within 90 days. What I know so far is, when I get to the States:

1. Apply for SSN

2. Marry

3. File AOS

4. Name change on SSN (later on, not sure when)

 

If that’s wrong please correct me. My main question though is this: given this timeframe right now, where my fiance and I are still not together in person in the US, are there any specific steps we can take in advance as of right now? Just based on everyone’s experience, was there any document you wished you have requested or applied for earlier, or is everything a pretty smooth process?

 

Just a little concerned, because it looks like many couples file for AOS past 90 days. It made me wonder whether it was very time-consuming to gather documents or something.

I think the recent huge increase in fees is what is preventing people from filing within 90 days more than anything else.

There is not much else you can do ahead of time, since you will be waiting to apply for a marriage license and then later for the certified copy of the marriage certificate before you can proceed.