garyandkris

Hang in there, everyone. I know it's especially frustrating when you haven't been "touched" in a while and you begin to think your petition's lost or sitting on a dusty shelf somewhere. But just when you think you're never going to get an approval, those wonderful multiple emails from CRIS will appear in your inbox.

Welcome to the States!

The US Virgin Islands are perfect for a honeymoon. Hope you have a lovely time.

There's a cat outside crying in the snow. But it looks way too big to be a cat. But it looks like one. Very hairy, lots of facial hair.

It's a lion. Why don't you go try to pet it?

You wouldnt happen to know the State Department's hours of business ROUGHLY would you?

I'm at work untill 10pm GMT, so I can call tomorrow or about 7pm EST tonight, I have my medical on monday though, so I might wait till Tuesday to call (i have to day off, go me!)

You'd think they'd list their hours of service where they list the phone numbers, but they don't, for some reason. I think they have normal business hours, Monday to Friday. Maybe your SO could give them a ring? If you can't phone them, there is an email address for "inquiries and quick, general information" usvisa@state.gov <usvisa@state.gov> . You should probably put case number in the subject line if you decide to email.

I wonder how long it'll be before the phone operators at the State Department start to get very sick of us London visa petitioners.

Hmmmm interesting comments from one and all, I called USCIS not so long ago and was actually told to just come on over, in fact the jerk told me all I had to do was ring border patrol and book an appointment with them, date I was going to arrive etc etc the jerk actually gave me the number for border patrol......... Frist I was just astonished at the reply that I got and then I just put the phone down and burst out laughing, then I told my husband, he said honey you get jerks like that even in government jobs.

I had a similar thing happen to me with the Embassy in London many months ago. On three separate occasions, we rang and asked if my husband could enter the US on the VWP and then adjust status. We were told twice that we definitely could and should, and the third time the person said they didn't know but didn't see why not. It was only after doing research online and finally emailing a nice attorney who answered my questions gratis that we discovered this would be considered fraud. I'm sure people have done it and gotten away with it, but we weren't willing to take that chance.

Catica, I hope you call on Monday and find out that you're in the interview allocation system. It took about a week for them to get Gary's paperwork in, and I assume most of that time his packet 3 was sitting in the same mysterious PO box. I can't believe they lost your first packet 3, and I can certainly understand your frustration. I hope you get your interview date ASAP.

TheZilla, have you tried calling the State Department to ask about your case status? They seem to know more than the Embassy does. Copied from another post:

In a couple of months, I hope we'll all be looking back on this time with our SOs by our sides and breathing big sighs of relief.

We sent the checklist and the forms together, so that's what our packet 3 sent date reflects.

Congrats! And thanks for the play-by-play. I'm going to email it to my husband and demand he reads it. He has a habit of turning up late for everything, and I think your account shows the benefits of being early.

I did live in my husband's country for several years; I went over on a fiance visa. UK culture isn't terribly different from US, so the transition wasn't too difficult. For financial reasons and because of family issues on my side and some other complications, we've decided it would be best to live in the States.

I feel so lucky to live in an age with intercontinental flights, cheap long distance, and the internet. They let me stay in touch with people back in the States in a way that would have been impossible a couple decades ago.

Gary and I plan on visiting the UK as much as possible once he's moved here. He's leaving his mum, several brothers, and many friends behind, so I know he's giving up a lot. But in the long run we both think it will be worth it.

52 seconds, but I swear it seemed like it took me much longer than that. I also had no idea what I was doing at first and started clicking madly before I realized you don't have to do that. I have now sprained my index finger for no good reason.

Yeah!!!!!!

Email to London Embassy worked ... got email this morning with interview date of April 18!!! Who knows how long it will take for actual Packet 4 to get to my husband.

Our Packet 3 was received by the Embassy on Feb. 28 but was not recorded as received until Friday, March 9. Sent an email concerning how to change my husband's address on Monday, March 12 and received a reply with appointment date on Thursday, March 15.

I used a lot VJ timeline data for the London Embassy to estimate when our interview date and it estimated April 16 or 17. VJ data is so much better than what the Embassy will tell you! Thank you all so much for keeping your timelines updated!

Hope everyone gets their appointment date soon ... many of you are right behind us so it looks good.

Congrats on the interview date. I was worried that we might not get an interview until early or mid May, but your news gives me hope that it'll be in late April. I know it's only a few weeks difference, but it means we might be reunited that much sooner.

I'll be sure to make Gary use the "change of address" excuse if he decides to email about his interview date. Oh, I almost forgot. The Embassy finally responded to an email he'd sent them nearly two months ago. He'd had the correct code in the subject line, but they didn't bother getting back to him with an answer until yesterday. The best part is they ignored one of the two questions he asked, and for the other question, they gave a form answer that wasn't actually applicable. How very helpful.

The best product I ever used for lime scale and soap scum was called "Cillet Bang". The water in London is very hard, and within a week, the taps and sinks and tub would be covered in scale. I sprayed it on, waited a couple of minutes, and wiped it off. The scale disappeared. No scrubbing, no hassle; it was a product that actually did what it claimed to do.

Unfortunately, it's not available in the States, though I would assume someone makes a similar product. Because I have a water softener here, the scale isn't too bad. I put equal parts vinegar and water into a spray bottle, spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and then towel it off. It's fairly good at removing scale as long as it's not too built-up.

I hate, hate, hate having to scrub anything. I want my housecleaning robot now, please!

41% Dixie. Barely in Yankeedom.

This is odd considering I grew up outside Philly and have lived most of my life in the Northeastern US and London. Maybe what they say about Pennsylvania is true: "It's Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between."

(It's a hoagie darnit! )

packet 4 is just a confirmation of your appointment date and a map showing the location of the embassy.. you can call and find out the interview date from the state dept a few weeks after sending in your packet 3.. ( i waited a week then OCD took over )

Must...not...call...State...Department.

Must...wait...two...more...days.

Must...not...obsess...about...interview...date.

Oh, who am I kidding? Now, where did I put that number for the State Department...

(rings SD, waits for a bit, talks to nice woman)

Right, now I know at least that they received packet 3 and put Gary's paperwork into the system as of March 12th.

what should i do? my wife is not in the USA yet.

should i just wait for the entire I-129F (K3) to be processed and as soon as my wife arrives in the USA, that will be the time we should worry/ act on the I-130 and just do adjustment of status in the USA.???

If you are following the K-3 route and want to adjust status in the States, which it looks like you do, then yes. You wait until your wife gets here and then you may start the AOS process. Because the K-3 is a two-year multiple entry visa, you do not have to begin AOS the moment she enters, but it makes sense to begin it as soon as you are able, as AOS can take quite some time.

The notice you received did indicate that your I-130 is being retained (it doesn't use the word "retained", but that is the essence of it ) due to the assumption that your wife will be adjusting status once she is in the US. You don't have to do anything with the I-130 except include the NOA2 in your AOS application.

thank u guys about what u feel it really matters to me i will go now drink something i have very bad cold coughing hard and my boday hurting so bad wish for everyone hear the best of luck godwilling i will pray for everyone away from his wife or for every lady away from her hubby to be together soon.

peace

dr.seka

It's hard enough to deal with the emotional aspects of your long separation when you're healthy, let alone when you're not. Please take care of yourself.

I can't believe the waiting game they are putting you, the dip sticks, and others through. It makes me angry and depressed, and I'm not even involved. It should not take this long. It's insane. And it's unfair.

Someday you will be together again, happy in love, and all the heartache of separation will have been worth it.

I don't feel as if my entire life is "on hold", but there are certainly aspects of it that are. I can't go out for a romantic dinner when my husband's five thousand miles away, but I can go out to dinner. I can't curl up on the sofa and cuddle with Gary while watching a film, but I can enjoy one on my own.

The time difference is what gets to me the most. I hate not being able to talk to him at night because London is seven hours ahead and he's fast asleep. I know I could call if I really needed to talk to him, but I'm not going to ring him at 4 am just to chat.

I think it's different if you've been married or lived together for a few years and then had to separate because of the immigration process. You get used to the luxury of always having your SO around, and there's quite a large hole in your life when they're not. When I was going through the process of getting a UK fiance visa years ago, I felt excitement more than anything else. I missed Gary, but no where near as much as I miss him now. Of course, that entire process took a lot less time and didn't involve any complications like we have now, so that might have had something to do with it.

I've always had bouts of insomnia, so I can't blame immigration for that. Sleep is overrated, anyway. Except for naps. Naps are lurvly.

My fiance' just recieved packet 4 yesterday. Looks like we will have to wait until April 13th.

Friday the 13th !!!!

(cue spooky music)

Congrats on getting your, er, "special" interview date.

Hmmm. I thought they were only up to the tail end of March as far as interview scheduling was concerned. Have they all decided to go on holiday the first two weeks of April? I know, I know--there's an Easter break in there somewhere.

I'm going to be an optimist and continue to think we'll get an interview for the very end of April. Like at 23:59 on the 30th.

As others have said, you really need to consult with an immigration attorney about your situation again, one who can clearly explain your options to you. You also may want to have at look at www.immigrate2us.net , which has forums dedicated to the more complicated aspects of immigration, like waivers and removal proceedings. This Visa Journey site is wonderful for basic information, but a little lacking when it comes to some of the more complicated stuff (I love it here, though ).

Angela, you may get some flak for posting here. Most of us are under stress from going about the immigration process the legal way, with i's dotted and t's crossed. We can get angry with people not following the same rules we had to follow. However, I can't imagine the stress you must be under not knowing if or when your husband will be found out and ripped away from you via deportation. I know there are countless like you who live with the same fear everyday. I couldn't do it. So I really hope you find legal aid ASAP and can start figuring out how to get your husband legal status.

Good luck.

Welcome to VJ. May your own visa journey be short, but, if it isn't, may your patience be long. (In my head, I swear that made sense )

Don't worry. It's common not to receive any touches for months and then see an approval (see my sig timeline). There isn't much point in contacting your Congressman until you're beyond official processing times, which is usually about six months after your NOA1.

It's hard not to worry that they've lost or mislaid your petition, but those early touches you received show that your petition is safe and sound and is awaiting it's turn in the processing queue.

I hope the next touch you get is an approval.

And Portlander, It helps everyone at VJ.

Wow, koukla07! Four years is such a horribly long time to have to wait. I'm so glad you finally got your visa.

Congrats to both you and takram !

My I-129F for K-3 has not been touched since 01-23-2007 (California Service Center). it was touched 5 to 6 times before this date.

Normally after how many months, one should expect NOA2?

Thanks,

Data Sheet

You might not receive any more touches on your petition until approval. That's just how CSC works sometimes. In our case, it took nearly four months to get an approval, but right now, the average for K-3 December filers at CSC is 62 days. You can follow fellow VJers timelines by going here http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/ and doing a timeline search.

Hope you get an approval soon.