annaquin

Same for me as well -- not sure what the issue is!

Hi everyone. I've posted a few times about my fiance's K1 Visa case being in Administrative Processing at the US Embassy in Colombo, and unfortunately it's been over 1 year now. He was placed on AP under 221G and no other information was requested, so we assumed background checks, etc.

Anyway, I checked the CEAC about 2 weeks ago and noticed that the status had been updated to "Expired." It has been the same since. Since we were put on AP,  I checked nearly every day and noticed that we never got "Expiring Soon" or anything like that, and other than vague email responses from the embassy, neither I or my senator's office have not received any meaningful letter, request, or notification at all.

I, along with my senator's office, emailed them right after I realized the status change, and neither of us have received any reply or notification of any sort. Calling is pointless because they will only tell me to send an email to the embassy, which we have already done. 

Is that it? is our petition cancelled? I thought that AP cases were renewed until completed and would not expire, but now we are worried and confused. Might anyone know what's going on or what our next course of action should be?

Thank you 

On 4/12/2019 at 3:46 AM, Harsha85 said:

FYI,  there was a printing issue in Colombo, so all the immigrant visa cases were placed in AP. However last week, it was resolved.

Not sure, if this incident had an impact on your case. It had a 30 days delay on my case though. 

 

when was your interview? we've been waiting for over 7 months now-- still in AP status on CEAC

No, they gave his passport back. They kept his original birth certificate though.

Hi everyone ~

my fiance had his K1 Visa interview at Colombo Embassy, Sri Lanka on 4 September 2018. After his interview, he was given 221g with no additional documents needed. CEAC site said "Ready" from day of interview up until just yesterday. It now says "Administrative Processing." Has anyone had a similar experience? Is this maybe a good sign?

@kmmthw2014  how long did the CEAC website say that your case was in "Ready" status? Did it ever change to AP? Our case has been in "Ready status" for over 100 days now.

@MandW  my fiance and I are going through that exact thing right now, and reading about your experience makes me feel a little more hopeful. My fiance had his interview in September 2018 and was given the 221g which had only AP marked, with no additional documentation needed. They gave his passport back to him as well. Since his interview date, the case date has updated a few times, but the status has never changed from "Ready." I noticed that not many people have had this issue as well - usually it changes to AP right away! The embassy keeps telling us that our case is in AP as well, regardless of the case status, so hopefully we are issued the visa also!

@NearEthereal  that's actually exactly what we're scared of. We're scared that AP will last a while and be sent back during this time, leaving us in the dark. I'm afraid that if it is sent back to USCIS, that we won't be informed until way later, or perhaps not receive a decision/letter at all. I wish this process wasn't so ambiguous but we're hoping for the best.

Nope, they actually gave his passport back but kept his original birth certificate! I'm just worried that they'll send our case back to USCIS for "review" and we won't know until many more months go by. Do you think the fact that they're waiting on clearances a good sign?

Hey everyone ~

My fiance has been on AP at the US embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka since 4 September 2018 and our status on the CEAC site still has not changed from "Ready." We've emailed the embassy once a month and have gotten pretty generic responses. Our latest inquiry yielded this response ...

"Our office is waiting for certain clearances to further process your case. We understand your difficulty because of the delay in the processing. The timing for these clearances are generally based on the history of the case. Our office will contact you as soon as your case gets the clearance."

My fiance was born in Dubai, UAE and I'm aware that AP usually takes longer if the beneficiary is from a MENA country, so we're not really surprised.

Has anyone else's status been stuck on Ready? Also, does anyone else know what the "certain clearances" could be? Any advice appreciated!

-Anna

My fiance had his interview on 4 September 2018 and was placed on AP. Our case status on the CEAC site still says "Ready." It has been updated a few times since his interview date. I wonder why the status hasn't changed to "Administrative Processing" yet though. Would anyone know why?

Our K1 Visa case was put on Administrative Processing on 4 September 2018. It was a yellow 221(g) sheet, basically saying that they need to review our case further before a decision is made. They returned his passport after the interview. My fiance and I both know that AP can take a while, so given that we've already been apart for over a year now, we would like to visit each other this winter. Is it okay for my fiance to travel while our case is still in AP? We would like to visit Dubai again together.

@Greenbaum   it's a yellow sheet and states ...  

We are presently unable to issue you a visa because at this time you have been found ineligible under section 221g of the US Immigration and Nationality Act or regulations issued pursuant thereto. Your application is therefore being held for additional processing. Next steps are as follows:         No further action is currently required on your part. You will be contacted when a final decision has been made or if additional information is required for your case.

My fiance had his interview not long ago and received 221(g) sheet which states ...

"We are presently unable to issue you a visa because at this time you have been found ineligible under section 221g of the US Immigration and Nationality Act or regulations issued pursuant thereto. Your application is therefore being held for additional processing. Next steps are as follows:

No further action is currently required on your part. You will be contacted when a final decision has been made or if additional information is required for your case."

What exactly does this mean?

He said the consular officers (there were two interviewing him - is this normal?) were very rude and condescending. He said that they quickly flipped through our proof of relationship and photos (there were at least 100) and more or less disregarded it all. He said that the CO would ask a question, and that when he was responding, would interrupt him halfway with another question. I feel that they didn't take him seriously, ridiculed him, and generally treated him unfairly. They gave his passport back with the 221(g) sheet. He said that two others interviewed for the K1 were treated similarly.

Is our case going to be left to die? I feel so depressed, where do we go from here?

Thanks @Greenbaum and @Tommal !

we have a pretty solid and straightforward case. I'm just worried that I'm depending so much on my family member as a co-sponsor. I'm afraid it looks bad or something, that I go to uni full time and don't work at all.

My fiance's interview is in about 12 hours and we are drowning in anxiety - tips anyone?

Hi everyone -

Our case has had Ready status since the end of June.  NVC says packet was mailed to him on July 16 but he has yet to receive it and we're getting a bit worried. We have most of the documentation (police certificates, etc.) completed and ready to go but haven't filled out the DS-160 yet. He has yet to complete his medical as well, as we were waiting on the instruction packet to make sure everything was done perfectly. Now I'm not so sure. We have emailed and called the embassy several times, only to receive that they're having "technical difficulties with K1 cases with the electronic attachments." They also keep saying that as soon as this issue is resolved, that they will schedule my fiance's appointment. We're thinking the last part is a general response since he needs the packet before he can schedule the interview in the first place. 

I know there aren't many people right now going through the same embassy (Colombo, Sri Lanka), but I'm mostly just wondering if anyone is familiar with these "technical difficulties" the embassy is talking about. Our NOA2 is set to expire on Oct. 4 2018.

To sum it all up ...

Is anyone familiar with such technical difficulties or have the slightest idea of what may be going on?

What should we be doing at the moment besides gathering the remaining documents - 

should we fill the DS-160 and schedule his medical already?

Is our timeframe okay? How long does it usually take for the beneficiary to receive instruction packet after Ready status?

If needed, how can we extend the validity of our NOA2?

Any advice appreciated

4 hours ago, Greenbaum said:

One of the first things you should do when joining a new thread is to go back a few tabs and read what others are asking which will give you an idea where the thread is going and who is helping.

 

Next you'll want to go up to the blue ribbon on this page located at the top. Select "portals" and search for your country. Once there read the information and if there is any links follow them and read the information.

 

Next thing is to search for your Embassy and read what they have for requirements and lastly, find the sub-forum for your country where you will find others like yourself who have the questions "what's next". Again, use the blue ribbon, select "forums" then scroll 3/4 of the way down the page and then locate your country or region.

 

Most there are doing exactly what you are doing and some are experts who have completed the process and are there to lend a hand. This is the wrong forum to be asking what you should do after NVC as ppl here are trying to get there arms around what they need to do for their Embassy and chances are they have no idea about Turkey, Germany or the Philippines to name a few.

I will do that! Thank you  @Greenbaum

Excited to join you all here! We were approved on June 5th (NOA1 date Nov 14th).

I've been wondering something for quite some time - after the petition is processed at the NVC and the embassy receives it and sends him the letter (packet 3, I think?), what should he be expecting to send back?

I know they usually want certain documents sent back right away and others need to be prepared for the interview alone - so what do they typically ask for at that point? I'm asking because I want to make sure I send him certain docs in time if he needs them. I know this is probably embassy specific, really, but I guess I'm just looking for a general answer of what to expect. Unfortunately there aren't as many people on here from Sri Lanka, so it's been a little more difficult getting up-to-date info.

Any advice appreciated!

Hello,

USCIS recently received our petition and now begins the waiting process. Our case is nearly perfect, but I am really worried about our financial situation, and whether or not his embassy (Colombo, Sri Lanka) will accept my co-sponsor for the I-134, Affidavit of Support with open arms. I am a full-time student at university and don't work, but do receive financial aid for my studies and living expenses, and otherwise rely on my family entirely. They are completely supportive of this and my close aunt agreed to be my co-sponsor, so I will be sending him the required forms and documents for his interview asap after we receive our decision (NOA2). To my knowledge, that means 2 copies of the I-134, Affidavit of Support form - one formed filled by my aunt and the other myself, along with the supporting documentation.

I have read that some embassies are more accepting of co-sponsors in general and others ... not so much.

Does anyone else have experience with a co-sponsor at all, or know how the Colombo embassy handles situations such as this? 

Anything helps,

-Anna

Hello,

I got an email on the 17th stating "Your case has been accepted and routed to the USCIS California Service Center for processing."

What exactly does this particular email mean?

Thank you!

-Anna

Hi all,

My fiancé and I met online about two years ago, on a chat site that we both frequented at the time. We became very close friends and eventually romantic partners in the following months, and have remained so since. This past summer in July, he attempted the B-2 Tourist Visa so that we could finally meet and spend time together. Unfortunately, his visa request was denied under section 214(b), presumably caused by of lack of ties to country and unsteady flow of income (only 24 years old, no children, just above the poverty level at home, unable to finish his university degree because of lacking funds). We were very upset with this decision, but understood and even predicted the outcome. Upon hearing this news, we began exploring other options, and decided that this relationship was serious enough to try for the Fiancé/K-1 Visa. We knew that another attempt at a B-2 Visa was futile - the only way for acceptance would be if he could prove ties and financial stability, which would take at least a couple of years to establish, which was out of the question. We also knew that there was a two-year, in-person meeting requirement for the K-1 Visa, so our new option was this: With lots of support from my family, we were eventually able to plan a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I had never traveled out of the country before (I know!), and he was born/raised there, so we felt really comfortable choosing a place at least one of us had been to. After rushing to get my Passport, ordering the tickets, etc., we were able to meet just two weeks later! We stayed together in Dubai for nearly the entire month of August (4th - 24th), where he "officially" proposed to me. My answer was, of course, yes, and so we are now getting the rest of the documents to file shortly. It's taking us a bit longer than planned because I had to send him some documents to sign by post, and let's just say that USPS Priority mail isn't really priority ... anyway we're almost ready to file! But, naturally, I am terrified of this getting denied, and have a ton of questions. I would very much appreciate any input and/or advice from you lovely people, who are struggling right along with us.

I am mostly worried that it might be denied because we haven't known each other as long as other couples who have filed the I-129F. Does that matter or have an effect on the petition?

I am also 19, almost 20, and afraid this petition might not be taken as seriously because I'm quite young? Is that something to be worried about?

As stated above, we have only met in person once since actually meeting. Other couples have seemed to travel countless times through the years of their relationship to visit one another before filing this petition. We cannot do that because his B-2 Visa was denied and would probably be denied again. We have tons of photos taken during our trip, chats/messages from Skype and WhatsApp, etc., to prove that this relationship is solid and that we really want to marry one another for real and true reasons, but I cannot help but to fear that not knowing each other long enough and only meeting once will affect this petition negatively, or make it seem "not real" for some reason? Is this possible?

I am also a full-time university student and do not work. I rely on my family for what little support they have to offer and pretty much live on federal student aid. I do know that financial aid doesn't count as welfare per se, but I'm still worried that our petition could be denied because they'll see me as unable to provide, etc. Although my parents cannot help me much financially, my aunt is more than willing to help me with this petition (she paid for our trip to visit one another, is going to pay for the petition itself, and will help establish his permanent residency, etc. when he arrives, if approved). I understand that the I-864 should only be filed after he's here and we're married, but I will have to prepare an I-134 for his interview, so that they know he won't become a public charge once here. As stated before, I do receive federal funds for my education, my parents aren't exactly "well-off," but my aunt is supporting me financially in this area. So, I will fill out an I-134, and my aunt will fill out a separate one, from what I understand, which he will take with him to his interview. She exceeds the federal poverty level requirement, but I am really worried that they won't accept her as my co-sponsor. His interview will be held at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and I'm scared that for any reason they won't accept a co-sponsor. What are my chances they'll deny/accept it?

I know that this is a lot, so anyone who reads through and can offer anything to alleviate my worries will have my gratitude.

Sincerely,

Anna