MajaB

7 minutes ago, PaddyGirl13 said:

Ask for a "titre test" for the required vaccinations. 

Thanks!! This is a very helpful information.

I am actually surprised there aren't that many people talking about this.  

On 8/10/2017 at 8:43 PM, PaddyGirl13 said:

I called the HSE when I needed my record of vaccinations, I told them my date of birth (1973) and the guy laughed and said, "nah, we'll never find those". Ended up getting the blood test and it proved I had all required vaccinations. All I needed was the tetanus as it'd been over 10yrs. 

What are the blood tests you had to do to prove you have the required vaccinations?  I need to get them done as well. But don't know how to ask for them.

28 minutes ago, cleon86 said:

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL FRIENDS!! I just checked our case and the status changed to at NVC!!!! I'm trying to get a mani/pedi and I can't stop crying at the nail salon!!!!!! I'm so so happy!!!!

Congratulations!!!   

Hey I didn't know they were updating the system on Saturday's too!  When was the last time you had checked before just now? 

If your boyfriend is ready to get married like it sounds like, I advise you get married in Romania as soon as possible, before the baby is born. 

As a note of reference, gathering all the documentation for a civil marriage with a foreign in Romania is a lengthy process. Keep that in mind in case you choose this route.
Because the paperwork requirements are not the same as marrying someone of the same nationality.

Afterwards, once you give birth, his/her father will be able to apply for the baby’s citizenship. Gather a list with all the requirements ahead of time. Make sure he meets the requirements. You’ll find them on the embassy’s website.  

Once your baby is registered and has his/her documents squared away you can start the cr1 visa process for yourself.

You should discuss with an attorney what your best options are plus the best timing for applying.

However, I do not recommend you go through trying to get there prior to your birth. There are many reasons why not to, travelling on a b2 being pregnant and staying for so long is not recommendable and can diminish your chances for immigrating at a later date. The health care issue should be your biggest concern in relation to delivering your baby. It’s extremely expensive and I don’t see why you would do it even if you had the money. It doesn’t help the baby or you in any way, quite the contrary.

Plus like someone else said, going there on k1 visa is not necessarily a faster process, and the k1 visa is a non-immigrant visa. Basically, you can’t do anything except exist there for a good while until you settle your paperwork that will allow you to work, drive etc. Is not a desirable situation to be in this limiting situation with an infant.
 
 

10 hours ago, brad walker said:

hiya'll, 

i just got back from spending the month of june in brazil with my gf, she is now working on the process to visit me in the US with a tourist visa, and then later apply for a k1 and do the whole process until were married here. 

i need to send her a letter of invitation as required. to my knowledge theres a couple types of letters available. one of them stating that the US resident (me) will provide for all the visitors (her) expenses during her stay. i may or may not have the records/documents i need to be able to prove that i can. what documents do i need to provide to show such information? can my dad (living with him) be the one to write the letter and provide employment documents? and does anyone have any experience with helping a brazilian enter the US with a tourist visa?

anything would be so great, thanks so much  guys- brad

It sounds like you are confusing the requirements for k1 visa with tourist visa. A k1 is a non-immigrant fiancee visa, and a b2 is a tourist visa. These are not related in any way. The requirements for each one are unique and related to the actual desired status (tourist or fiancee). I have heard many people talk about the "letter of invitation" in relation to tourist visas throughout the years. This letter is not a real requirement for any of these 2 types.  If she applies for a tourist visa she will have to prove ties to her home country (financial situation, employment,family connections etc),  there is nothing for you to be doing or showing in regard to it, as this first of all makes no sense, and second of all it makes her look suspicious -  that she could be applying for a tourist visa with the intention of immigrating ilegally at any point.

My advice is that you guys talk about this and find out what are your mutual goals and desires for the future. Then create a plan of action based on that.  Finding a good lawyer can help determine the proper legal plan of action, once you two have determined your stance of course.

Hope this helps.

56 minutes ago, internationall said:

Hi,

My wife is American and I'm from Sweden, we got married a little over a year ago and are working on filing my CR1 visa. We were wondering whether or not there is any rule against my providing her with the $535 fee for filing the i-130 form. We haven't combined bank accounts yet and I have the money to cover it, but she doesn't at the moment. We need to file this but we aren't sure if it is against any rules for me to pay for her to file it, or if that looks particularly suspicious.

 

Thanks!

It doesn't look suspicious because you are married, and your immigration application is based on your relationship. And alttough you keep your accounts separate it is still expected that a wife and husband would help each other.

Does it give you more specific info on the type of priority date? The only time I heard this term being used is while waiting on the USCIS approval. And that info would be the PD from your NoA1. Which I see you received on 2015, June 12. 

The other priority date it could be referring to is the scan date of your files at NVC, the date they received them on. 

You should call the NVC and ask to make sure.

She should use the name that appears in her documents at the moment she applies. Because the only confusion would arrive when and if they are trying to match her documents with the name provided in the application/s. 

So if she is planning to get married and change her name, she should first change her paperwork and then start the petition. The very few people I heard had an issue had changed their personal documents after they had started the petition. So while they were waiting on their case to be reviewed. 

Therefore you simply make sure you go with go with the name provided in the  personal documents, and don't start changing your name in the middle of all.

29 minutes ago, jakelake said:

The only problem is that the USCIS website has not updated. The site is still referring to cases being processed for August 30, 2016.

Also, when you say that your case was off by over 2 months, what do you mean? Did you get approved 2 months sooner or 2 months later?

You have not really provided any information that would assist anyone who is still waiting for approval.

The USCIS website has been updating every 2 months lately, in the last 6 months at least.

They still show August because they still have to process some August cases. That's what that means.

Now that doesn't mean they have not moved on to process cases petitioned at a later date.. But that helps people who have petitioned in August to not get desperate, to feel forgotten. To know that they are still within "normal processing" times too.

In fact I was just talking to someone who petitioned  in June that got approved recently. I petitioned in August and got approved just last month. So where is the logic there? That's my point.

My case was approved  over 2 months if not later  then the VJ timeline showed .  Honestly I don't even remember because like I said earlier, I had to stop looking at the VJ timeline.

I think I am providing a very useful message for the people who are still waiting.  “ Don’t go by the VJ timeline. It does not apply to all cases.”. I think I made that pretty clear in the message earlier. 

Guys, just a friendly advice from the heart, to alleviate stress. The VJ timeline does not apply to all cases.  In my case it was off like by over 2 months I think. Basically, I had to stop looking at it because it was giving me really bad anxiety. 

It is much safer to go by the USCIS information  Altough I was given this same advice from the start I didn't want to believe it because I saw so many cases being processed fast,  so I hoped mine would be as well. But all cases are different. And some people do get lucky and get processed faster, but those are exceptions. 

By the way, when you contact them to enquire about your case they will go by their own official  timelines, not the VJ one.  

Good luck!

On 5/12/2017 at 8:17 AM, NewlyEnteredHere said:

Hi folks, what are your thoughts on VJ estimated processing times on the profile timeline page? Anyone found it to be accurate?

For me it wasn't. I waited well over 8 months.

I had to stop looking into it because it was causing way too much anxiety. The official processing timeline from USCIS was  a lot more accurate in my case.

I can't talk for other cases though. I know that many people around here got done in less than 6 months, but I also talked to people who waited more than I did.

So overall I think it's safe to say that people should try to not think about it too much. The wait is different for everybody. 

17 minutes ago, inloveVEN said:

I needed to apply for it. My applications was inside USA. If you are applying abroad i understand that this arrive to your home.

Oh I see.  That's why I was confused. Thanks. The more info the better.

21 hours ago, inloveVEN said:

Yes i understand, my wife always was celebrating every step buti was always low profile trying not to "over feed" my expectations. I was always with hope but taking it easy.  In the interview, The officer was not rude but not a friendly person. The interview tooks like 15-20 minutes. She was putting like fakes "ugly faces", always grimacing i imagine that this was with the intention of putting us nervous. I was expecting at the end of the interview a something like my GC approved, instead of that she filled a paper telling that she in the moment cannot take a decision.  My wife asked her if it will take long and she said "i answer my cases soon". I didn't know how to take it LOL. My wife was always quiet and full of happiness because they will approve it but i was devastated because i read that it can take years to define a situation and in those days you know what it means to be here with the feeling that you are in the middle of nothing. This next sunday we went to the park, to see a flower exhibition  the next monday it was too hard to go to the work. But suddenly things starting change, first telling me that my case was approved, later my green card was ordered, Your green card was mailed to you. And 2 letters one to my wife and another one to me, Welcoming to USA. 

Well I wish you the best

Keep me posted and "GOOD LUCK"

 

Thanks!!

Yeah, I think I will delay any celebration or excitement until I actually see the GC in front of me. 

I'm confused about the SSN. Did you get yours at the same time with the GC?

What I am asking is, does it arrive as a package or does it come separate? 

43 minutes ago, inloveVEN said:

Hi

we went to the interview on March 24th. i left the office with a letter that the will decide later. And the next mondayi received the good news. "Approved" and when green card arrived i realized that the case was approved the same March 24th.

When we started the process, everybody says that it will take not more than 5 month but last year apparently was delayed because of the change of the process ( all the cases were moved to NBC) and a lot of people asking for their naturalization so this impact at the level that they didnt report any statistics and they promised to start a quality process but the entire process in my case took like 10 month. we called in January and they say that the case is fine.

in which step are you now?

wish you luck

 

 

Wow. So you're done! 

Definitely, the process doesn't take 5 months like they say.Maybe for some, but it seems most people I talked to had to wait this year for 7 months minimum...

The wait for me was 8 months and 9 days .

I am at the stage where my file was sent to the DOS. So NVC is next. We are doing the consular processing. Not sure when will this be done. I don't want to put my hopes up for a timeline because I am afraid of getting stressed over it again.

 I am glad everything turned out good for you after all.

On 3/10/2017 at 2:43 PM, inloveVEN said:

you are fine. we filled on Jun 2nd, 2016 and receive the appointment letter on Feb15th, 2017. 

 

 

Hi. Did yours get processed after all?

10 hours ago, Ulovelexy said:

I filed in July. I feel like the Nebraska location is a little slow when it comes to processing. 

Have you sent a case inquiry? You should be able to because they are passed July.

SabRob,

Maybe someone actually walked with your file from Nebraska to Portsmouth, NH.

According to this site, it sure looks like that could explain it 

https://www.distance-between.com/from/us/nebraska/lincoln/to/us/new-hampshire/portsmouth

I have heard that the average time is 2 weeks to a month for that.

25 minutes ago, SabRob said:

YES!! CONGRATS! Good luck with the NVC! 

Thank you. Same for you guys!

This was a long wait. 8 months and 9 days. 

Hopefully, things will go faster with the NVC. 

On 4/10/2017 at 7:29 PM, SabRob said:

Hi there! Just dropping by to see if your case has been approved yet or if you have any news at all! 

Hi!

I just logged in to update you that I got approved yesterday!

4 minutes ago, SabRob said:

We didn't get any online updates, no text, no email, we just found the approval notice in the mailbox. 

 

Hopefully they update their processing times in a couple of days since it's almost the 15th and you can submit one! Good luck, hopefully April is your month and let me know if you have any updates! 

 

I will definitely let you know. 

The reason I asked you how you found out is obviously because by now we know their online system is not consistently updating the progress. 

By the way, is the date on your notice current?  I am trying to understand if they mail the letters out as soon as they've adjudicated a case, or if there is another waiting period between then and when they mail out.

I have heard both possibilities from other people, it is almost like the more I ask the more confused I get. At some point, you just have to smile and wait and see.

13 hours ago, SabRob said:

 must be heart wrenching to wait that long! did you submit an inquiry or call them? Our just got approved last week after it was transferred to Texas.

That's great. Texas is way more efficient sounds like. 

You much feel such a relief. How did you find out?

No luck on inquiring.

Can't go forward with it yet as long as they are not 30 days passed my application date, as Nebraska is concerned. Their processing time information is still Aug 9. So because I am August 16 I am considered "under regular processing time". 

1 minute ago, SabRob said:

Hi there! Just dropping by to see if your case has been approved yet or if you have any news at all! 

Hi:) No new developments/updates. And still, haven't seen any other Romania based applications being processed.

I feel confident that it can't take much longer at this point.

6 hours ago, mallafri76 said:

We were stuck at NVC for about eight months and contacting our Senator is what got our case moving and to case complete. 

 

Not sure what the USCIS standard processing times are these days but if you're beyond that time, your Senator may be able to help. They'll have a form on their website where you can request help.

Thank you for writing about journey. It helps us the ones waiting like you did  get a good idea of what to be expecting...or what we should be considering while waiting....like the congressman idea. 

You have had quite a ride...I hope you're doing good and are happy now. 

I  wanted to ask you a question via your timeline. At what point did you get your SNN?  Your dates show it could have been upon entering the country. 

5 minutes ago, Zebracakex said:

I was in the same boat few months ago.

Our PD was March 29th, 2016 and didn't get an approval until December 9th, 2016 ( NO RFEs ). 

I spoke to TIER 2 supervisor multiple times and also opened up a couple service requests. All I ever heard was it is in PROCESS.  We contacted our congressman too.

I don't know why it took so long. They never told me why it did.  For some the whole process takes 9-10 months but, for me that wasn't the case.

I remember giving up. I told my husband a couple days before our approval I am moving to Pakistan. I didn't know what else to do. I was so exhausted. The wait is horrible.

But, we are through that and you will be too. Our case is completed and we are waiting on an interview date.

I am sorry. I exactly know how this feels. Have you contacted your congressman ? It didn't help me but, for some it did. 

 

Hang in there. Will keep you all in my prayers and good luck.   

 

Thank you. I have heard many people mentioning the congressman idea on this forum. I just don't know how to go about it..

Maybe something I should seriously consider looking into ....

2 minutes ago, Phason said:

I'm so very sorry Maja.  it's not a great system.  All we need are realistic expectations, and answers.  Waiting in the dark is an awful experience.   If a considerable time has passed it would be nice to simply give us a courtesy update with possible file goals.   I truly feel for the ones who have waited longer than us.  According to processing times Nebraska has only moved 7 days in the past few months.  I follow USCIS on facebook and they state their procedures are as follows. 

 

USCIS Processing Time Information.
How We Process Cases.
We generally process cases in the order we receive them. This page shows estimates of how long each office is taking to process different types of cases. We update this page every month (around the 15th of each month). Please note that these data may change without notice.
To check processing times for your case, you will need to know:
Which office is handling your case
The type of form you filed, and
The date we received your case
You can find this information on the receipt notice we mailed you.

 

That's true.

Having a functional updating system would do the job.  Being informed is what we need. Not that much to ask.

What they have now is a joke. It looks like it's supposed to work... And you think "of course this is going to work, why would it not?"

 And that could have been the case if the forms were submitted electronically. Then a program could have picked up the processing stage of a certain case number and delivered a response on our end.

But given that they are using actual paper forms. It's scary to imagine that in 2017.

Anything can happen. Even with the best, most responsible employees. 

Their monthly updates are there to keep the appearance that they are keeping a certain schedule. I took them seriously the first 5 months.Because I wanted to believe they were accurate. It helped the stress.