Piggus

We had the same issue, so I just printed out screenshots of the FaceTime call history of three or four recent calls, which shows the date and how long the call lasted. I doubt this was important as we had plenty of other evidence, but it should be a sufficient replacement for phone records.

18 minutes ago, Noeyjohns said:

Thank you so much for your quick reply @Piggus. I really appreciate it :). 

 

I wonder what was the right answer when the interviewer asking about the denied of tourist Visa?. Because the last time when I had interview about tourist Visa, the interviewer didn't explain why she denied it. She just gave  pink paper and said sorry. When I asked why?. She just said sorry and didn't explain anything.  It happened to others applicants before me as well. We didn't get any information why it was denied. 

 

Once again, thank you so much for all of your information.

 

Best of luck for you and Gaby

 

NJ 

Yeeeeah that's about how the tourist visa went for us as well. On the pink slip they give you near the top, it should have some sort of legal code that you can look up and get a very rough idea for why it was denied. In most cases, they deny the visa if you're unable to establish strong ties to your home country (good job, own a house, high income, kids, etc.) Don't worry about that having an impact on your K1 visa. They're handled totally differently and have completely different requirements. The only way you'd run into trouble is if the info you submitted for the K1 visa totally contradicts the info your submitted for the tourist visa.

When we applied for the tourist visa, Gaby was signed up for an English language program at a local university here. We figured that would make them more likely to approve the visa (she had letters from the school and everything), but nope.. They weren't convinced. So today when it was brought up, the interviewer asked if applying for the tourist visa was a way for her to visit me, and Gaby said of course. The interviewer didn't have a problem with this even though I or our relationship was never brought up during the tourist visa process (that's a big red flag for them if your mention a significant other since they'll assume you'll leave and won't come back).

16 minutes ago, Noeyjohns said:

Congrats to you and your fiance @Piggus. The waiting game is over and I'm so happy finally both of you can be together after this :).

 

I am in Hong Kong now for a week of trip with my fiance. We was talking about you few hours ago as we remember about the interview schedule of your fiance. I'm wanting to know about the interview of your fiance at Jakarta embassy. My tourist Visa was denied as well, and I was a little bit worried if it will affect my K1 Visa.

 

If you don't mind, May I ask some questions.

Mmm how long did the interview take?.

What was the questions the CO ask about?.

Did she get interview through the window or was it in a private/separate room because last time when I had interview for tourist Visa it was through the window. I wonder if Fiancee Visa interview in Indonesia on separate room or through the window as well?.  

 

I look forward to hear more from you.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

NJ

Thanks! And hope you're enjoying HK! We went there last year for a few days. 

The impression I got was that the interviewer had already mostly made up their mind based on the evidence we submitted in the petition. They never asked for the supporting evidence (photos, chat logs, etc).

The interview only lasted about 5 minutes. I believe the only questions were "tell me about your fiance," and she asked about the denied tourist visa. She also asked, "So the last time you saw your fiance was in Japan?" and my fiancee replied, "No, that was in 2015. We last saw each other in Jakarta." I don't know if the interviewer did that on purpose to ensure Gaby had her story straight, or if she just forgot when our Japan trip was. Regardless, it seems the main thing the interview wanted was for Gaby's answers to match what we had already stated in the petition.

The interview took place in a private room (or booth?), but there was also a glass window. 

By the way, Gaby said the interviewer (an American woman) was extremely friendly, unlike her experience with the tourist visa. She said the people who take/check your documents are a bit rude, but that the interviewer was very nice and commented about us being a really cute couple. So my advice is be prepared (we were waaay overprepared, but that's not a bad thing!) since every case is different and they may ask more questions, but don't be nervous. It ended up being much easier than anticipated.  

1 hour ago, Noeyjohns said:

Glad to hear there's someone from Indonesia who will get interview for K1 Visa this March 29th. We are January filers and still waiting for Noa2. Please let us know the information when your fiance interview is done.

Thank you in advance!

 

NJ

Will do! The good thing is that while I-129f petition processing has been slow, the US embassy in Jakarta is actually quite fast with their processing and has been good to work with so far. We actually got an email from the embassy saying they received our petition, and then a few days later I got notification from the Department of State saying the petition had been sent to the embassy lol. It only took them a couple days to procsss the petition and give us a list of documents and procedures to have ready, and they gave us an interview date a day after we told them we completed everything. 

1 hour ago, JimJesDuma said:

Oh party in Indonesia. Congrats!

You only check once a week? I check every 5 minutes...hahah...not really but seems like it.

Off to NVC for the 2 of you

 

Jim

Ha! I checked almost every day! But according to the app, our case status didn't actually change until the 19th even though it was approved on the 13th... Not sure why it took so long for the case status to change online. 

6 minutes ago, forena99 said:

Yay Piggus!

This is good new for all of us, you are a day before me.  Kinda random though, but congrats to your and your fiance!

The date on NOA2 should be the same date that the USCIS site states.  You should be good with that date, but up to you if you want to wait.

do you have the app?  Did it show up there?

So happy for you guys!

Forena

 

 

Thanks! Hoping everyone here receives good news soon as well! 

I'll update the timeline now. I just used the USCIS website to check it, but it also shows approved in the app. 

19 minutes ago, Ybhamster said:

Congratulations! That is so great and if you look at your timeline even though it says consult is Armenia, your timeline was close. You will need to update your timeline with the notice date on the NOA2 you receive in the mail. Are you about to update your consult to Indonesia please?

 

Woops, thanks for the heads-up. Not sure why it was Armenia lol. In that case I'll wait until I receive the actual NOA2 before I update the timeline. Thanks!

1 minute ago, stella03_smg said:

Yayyyy congratulations!!!! How long did you wait for NOA2?

Thank you! NOA1 was on November 3rd, 2016 with a received date of October 31st. 

Question: Do I update the timeline with the actual approval date (Jan 13), or do I wait until I actually receive an NOA2 email/letter?

3 minutes ago, mgsanch509 said:

 

Did you sign up for email & text notification? I selected both, even without notification I still check the USCIS website maybe twice or more a day! I hope to see APPROVED!!! This K1 Visa process has me going insane! LOL. Congratulations!

 

Thanks! 

I can't remember if I signed up for texts, but I definitely signed up for email notifications. 

Thank you Jim! That's very encouraging news.

1 hour ago, RandB said:

Lol... What's up with all the California hate in this thread? My experience of Californians is that they're super nice and laid back. And the weather's nice and the nature is beautiful. I've never been to Southern California though.

Well there ya go. Most of the hate is in fact directed at Southern California. The northern part of the state is very different from the Bay Area (which Californians annoyingly refer to as "NorCal" while ignoring the beauty that is ACTUAL NorCal), which is very different from the LA area. 

50 minutes ago, cdneh said:

 

I'm in AR as well, and I am also still waiting for that Southern hospitality thing. 6 years in, and no sign of it yet We are an hour north east-ish of LR.

 

I don't hate every last thing about it after so long, but I am the polar opposite, in that I cannot stand the humidity, and I love the colder weather. In the summer here it's like walking outside with a wet sweater over your face. This winter has been so peculiar, warm, and three days ago the weather radio was advising us to take cover as there was a tornado warning! Seriously? In the end of December?

 

We are moving, sooner or later. Where, now that is the question. I've a friend from NZ who is in Oregon, and is moving to TX as her USC Husband cannot stand the weather there. He is from CA, but isn't interested in living there.  My Husband won't go to the west coast either, or come to that, the east. He'd like 4 seasons, but at 65 and 4 years post transplant, seriously, how much snow does he really want to have to shovel? Zip.

 

Politics. I do my level best to ignore the entire thing, difficult as my MIL is the Republican Party Women's Chair here. I don't know anyone around here who isn't a Republican. I don't think I am a good fit for either party, really.  And everyone I know carries, including my MIL. 86 years old, and has a ruger in her handbag.

 

It's different, but having lived around the world a bit, I think I'd find that wherever I went.

OP, as Ontarkie has said, perhaps a bit further away from where you are is a good suggestion. You might not have to leave the entire state, to find somewhere you can feel a bit more settled.

I feel bad for your friend. There are a lot of Kiwis in Oregon since it's geographically similar to NZ. Texas by comparison is mostly hideous and has awful summers. HOWEVER every time I go there to visit family, I find something to love that we just don't have in the Northwest. Austin and parts of Dallas and San Antonio are pretty fantastic.  

Southern Oregon has all four season, no humidity, and fairly mild winters compared to places like the northeast and midwest. We also get 200 days of sun per year. People who move to Oregon always go to Portland, where it rains constantly. In reality Oregon is partially desert and it only rains a lot in the northern part of the state. As for politics, my county leans conservative, but it's mainly because other more rural towns outnumber my own town, which is one of the most liberal places in the state. 

25 minutes ago, Sedona and Thomas said:

... I was born and raised in Northern California, (1 hour south of San Fransisco),...

If that's "northern" California, what's the part of the state, which is larger than Ohio, that stretches from SF to Oregon?

As an Oregonian, you'd have to pay me big $$$ to live in southern California. A lot of Californians like to think their state is superior to every other state when in reality one of their biggest problems is their smug and, at least in SoCal, materialistic attitude. Here in the northwest, if you see a car on the highway with California plates, good luck getting that person to let you pass. Just one example of how the "me first" attitude manifests itself.

This is obviously a huge and somewhat cheeky generalization and I don't mean to offend other Californians here (my own sister is one now!) But the OP's concerns are by no means unique. Many Californians need to get out of their own state and see how people in other states and countries treat their fellow man. With that said, Southern California has its perks and advantages, and I think you will discover these more over time and learn to appreciate what makes California and the country as a whole unique. 

Thanks Jim!

Guess we're waiting until next year then.. Hopefully we get any update by the first 2 weeks of 2017, that would be a great way to start the year. For now, happy holidays to everyone!

I'm in the same boat. Got our NOA1 on November 3rd and haven't heard anything since then. :/

India should be safe.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/15/politics/muslim-ban-maps-donald-trump/

Here are the website which indicate what countries trump is planning on banning.

The Trump campaign never actually mentioned any specific countries. The US has a great relationship with Indonesia, and the Indonesian government has done a good job of cracking down on terrorism ever since the bombing in Bali. But who knows? I have hope, but I'm extremely nervous about our application.

For the people saying stuff like "don't worry, he only wants to ban certain countries," well some of us have loved ones in the immigration process in countries he could potentially ban.

If you go back and look at Paul Ryan's comments...The Republican party will not go along with this. Plus banning a group of people because of their religion is unconstitutional. Seriously, please don't be scared. There are way too many people that have their pockets lined with oil from these countries. It is all about the money. Reps all said the same thing he can't just ban people. <3 Good luck to you. Focus on the journey not him. Believe me the stress from the visa journey will be enough.

I'm not worried about Trump banning people based on their religion. That IS unconstitutional and he in fact walked back that proposal back in June or July. Unfortunately he didn't receive too much pushback from his updated proposal of suspending immigration by country, which is basically the same thing. :/

You're right though, we just need to stay focused. That's all we can do right now.

I am not a Trump fan at all. But I do have to say they pick and chose his words to scare everyone. He never said he was banning people from Muslim countries he said he wanted to put a temp ban on people coming in from Iraq, Syria, and countries like that until there is a vetting process in place to keep the bad people out. I have no idea where this same sex stuff came from.

The problem is, like most of what Trump says, there are no specifics. The campaign is vague and hasn't mentioned any specific countries that would be part of a hypothetical immigration ban. My fiancee is from Indonesia, a country the US has a great relationship with but one which has its own issues with extremism in some areas. We're on track for her to get the visa sometime in April or May, but that's plenty of time for Trump to create an executive order banning immigration from a number of Muslim-majority countries. Do I think this will happen right away? Who knows? If it happens, will the courts challenge it? Certainly. But how long could that take? What happens to visas currently being processed?

There's so much uncertainty, and that's what's scary about this. I love my country, and I know my fiancee will love it here too. But if she's not welcome, what choice do I have but to leave?

On behalf of my countrymen, I'm so sorry. Nobody deserves even more anxiety when they're already undergoing a stressful process...