midwinterrose

225 days here guys. Not feeling confident for an answer by some miracle tomorrow. I feel like i will be in the 300 plus club for sure.

Your RFE was not for not having two separate letters, it was because the letter you sent said, "I, Christina, am legally able and willing to marry Miguel, and I intend to do so within 90 days of his arrival into the U.S. using the K1 visa." and you both signed it.  The letter does not state, "We intend to marry each other."  Nowhere does Miguel state HIS intention to marry YOU.  I think that is the reason for the RFE.

Also wanted to add, I changed my address with USCIS via the online address update option and I got a confirmation email the next day saying that it had been updated in their system.

Your RFE was not for not having two separate letters, it was because the letter you sent said, "I, Christina, am legally able and willing to marry Miguel, and I intend to do so within 90 days of his arrival into the U.S. using the K1 visa." and you both signed it.  The letter does not state, "We intend to marry each other."  Nowhere does Miguel state HIS intention to marry YOU.  I think that is the reason for the RFE.

Your RFE was not for not having two separate letters, it was because the letter you sent said, "I, Christina, am legally able and willing to marry Miguel, and I intend to do so within 90 days of his arrival into the U.S. using the K1 visa." and you both signed it.  The letter does not state, "We intend to marry each other."  Nowhere does Miguel state HIS intention to marry YOU.  I think that is the reason for the RFE.

Omg we were kinda overthinking everything and saw a lot of videos on youtube, Vj, How to... i dont know..... that moment when u feel u are doing all by yourself and something can goes wrong.... and you want to check everything... I remember Kyle & I reading RFE list here and checking how our packet can answer that RFE....
 
But thank God yours its a easy fix... So u will get you approval soon soo soon ! Sending good vibes to you!!! @Clecuona

Your RFE was not for not having two separate letters, it was because the letter you sent said, "I, Christina, am legally able and willing to marry Miguel, and I intend to do so within 90 days of his arrival into the U.S. using the K1 visa." and you both signed it.  The letter does not state, "We intend to marry each other."  Nowhere does Miguel state HIS intention to marry YOU.  I think that is the reason for the RFE.

Your RFE was not for not having two separate letters, it was because the letter you sent said, "I, Christina, am legally able and willing to marry Miguel, and I intend to do so within 90 days of his arrival into the U.S. using the K1 visa." and you both signed it.  The letter does not state, "We intend to marry each other."  Nowhere does Miguel state HIS intention to marry YOU.  I think that is the reason for the RFE.

Try these..
 
Option 1:
Call USCIS. Do not press anything. Do not choose a language. If someone who picked up the phone cannot answer your question, ask them to transfer you to TIER 2.
 
Option 2:
Dial 1-866-953-7684
 
Option 3:
Call 1-800-375-5283
Press 1 to continue to english
Press 2 for case status
Press 1 if you know your receipt number
Press your receipt number 922(WAC) then your numeric receipt number
 
Option 4:
Dial 1-800-375-5283 then press 1,2,2,4,2,1 then enter receipt number then press 1.
Congratulations @Deehotstepper 😊😊

Hi Group,
 
i know the wait is tough and hard for those of us who have not heard anything. Stay strong, pray and do what you can.
i wanted to provide an update: I called USCIS last Thursday to expedite my case because my fiance travels across the country for work and in the last couple of weeks, they have been terrorist activities, killings, bombings etc. The Tier 2 agent was very helpful and understanding, she submitted my request, of which they would sent me a letter and I would have to submit documentation of the reasons i am seeking for them to expedite my case. So i called today because i have been checking my informed delivery and i have not seen this letter. I happened to speak to a wonderful African American Lady today who was so helpful. She did inform me that the request to expedite was voided because if your case is scheduled to be decided within 45 days, there is no need to expedite. So for those considering putting in a request to expedite, there might be no need as your case will be decided soon.
She was also kind enough to let me know that my case is currently being reviewed by an officer and i should hear soon. She did give me the standard line of that it could take up to 45 days.
hope this helps others in my shoes as well, as we wait.

Yes, people have been approved who filed all the way up to around the 18th of January, with a couple outliers from even later than that already approved.
 
The current processing time for the I-129F from the USCIS website shows 5-7 months as typical processing time.  Keep in mind that this is only for the approval of the I-129F, which is the first step in the K1 visa process.  So if you got your I-129F approval at 7 months, it could conceivably take another 4+ months until the beneficiary actually enters the country with visa in hand.  It also could be as little as a month or two, depending on a variety of factors.  So if someone were referring to the entire process from filing to entering the U.S., 11-14 months can be an accurate estimate.
 
However the actual I-129F is taking 5-7 months, closer to 7 at the moment.

Yes, people have been approved who filed all the way up to around the 18th of January, with a couple outliers from even later than that already approved.
 
The current processing time for the I-129F from the USCIS website shows 5-7 months as typical processing time.  Keep in mind that this is only for the approval of the I-129F, which is the first step in the K1 visa process.  So if you got your I-129F approval at 7 months, it could conceivably take another 4+ months until the beneficiary actually enters the country with visa in hand.  It also could be as little as a month or two, depending on a variety of factors.  So if someone were referring to the entire process from filing to entering the U.S., 11-14 months can be an accurate estimate.
 
However the actual I-129F is taking 5-7 months, closer to 7 at the moment.

Yes, people have been approved who filed all the way up to around the 18th of January, with a couple outliers from even later than that already approved.
 
The current processing time for the I-129F from the USCIS website shows 5-7 months as typical processing time.  Keep in mind that this is only for the approval of the I-129F, which is the first step in the K1 visa process.  So if you got your I-129F approval at 7 months, it could conceivably take another 4+ months until the beneficiary actually enters the country with visa in hand.  It also could be as little as a month or two, depending on a variety of factors.  So if someone were referring to the entire process from filing to entering the U.S., 11-14 months can be an accurate estimate.
 
However the actual I-129F is taking 5-7 months, closer to 7 at the moment.

I belive copying ALL the passport pages came from a previous version of the instructions.  The current version states:
Evidence of U.S. citizenship which may include any of the following:
A copy of your birth certi cate issued by a U.S. civil authority;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Naturalization;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Citizenship;
A copy of your Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States;
A copy of your valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card issued with a validity period of at least five years;
or
A statement executed by a U.S. consular of cer certifying that you are a U.S. citizen and the bearer of a currently valid U.S. passport.
I used the "Search this document" tool to search for the term passport, and I couldn't find anywhere referencing copying every single page, so don't stress too much yet.

I belive copying ALL the passport pages came from a previous version of the instructions.  The current version states:
Evidence of U.S. citizenship which may include any of the following:
A copy of your birth certi cate issued by a U.S. civil authority;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Naturalization;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Citizenship;
A copy of your Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States;
A copy of your valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card issued with a validity period of at least five years;
or
A statement executed by a U.S. consular of cer certifying that you are a U.S. citizen and the bearer of a currently valid U.S. passport.
I used the "Search this document" tool to search for the term passport, and I couldn't find anywhere referencing copying every single page, so don't stress too much yet.

I belive copying ALL the passport pages came from a previous version of the instructions.  The current version states:
Evidence of U.S. citizenship which may include any of the following:
A copy of your birth certi cate issued by a U.S. civil authority;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Naturalization;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Citizenship;
A copy of your Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States;
A copy of your valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card issued with a validity period of at least five years;
or
A statement executed by a U.S. consular of cer certifying that you are a U.S. citizen and the bearer of a currently valid U.S. passport.
I used the "Search this document" tool to search for the term passport, and I couldn't find anywhere referencing copying every single page, so don't stress too much yet.

I belive copying ALL the passport pages came from a previous version of the instructions.  The current version states:
Evidence of U.S. citizenship which may include any of the following:
A copy of your birth certi cate issued by a U.S. civil authority;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Naturalization;
A copy of your original Certi cate of Citizenship;
A copy of your Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States;
A copy of your valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card issued with a validity period of at least five years;
or
A statement executed by a U.S. consular of cer certifying that you are a U.S. citizen and the bearer of a currently valid U.S. passport.
I used the "Search this document" tool to search for the term passport, and I couldn't find anywhere referencing copying every single page, so don't stress too much yet.

@magicant Everyone is being very alarming, so I just wanted to chime in with a note of positivity.  You personally know people who have been approved under similar circumstances.  I imagine if you paid for the engagement arrangements you are probably the more affluent party, and I think that's totally normal for the one who can more easily afford such costs to cover them.  Also, I imagine it is more traditional for the man and/or his family to pay for such things, so I wouldn't sweat that part.  Maybe meeting through her relatives can be seen as suspicious, but it may also look better than having randomly met online.
 
You've submitted what you've submitted, for better or for worse, so just relax and let the process take its course.  I'm sure another visit would help your case, plus you'd get to see your sweetheart again.  Revisit thinking about whether you will accompany her to the interview/to the U.S. when the time draws closer...the process takes a while and circumstances may change between now and then, so don't fret over that yet.  Keep your chin up! 

I had read a thread by an ex-USCIS employee who said that a lot of people work from home and take several boxes of cases home with them, and return them a few days later, all processed.  So sometimes there are days with low approval numbers because work-at-home employees haven't checked in their processed cases yet. 

I had read a thread by an ex-USCIS employee who said that a lot of people work from home and take several boxes of cases home with them, and return them a few days later, all processed.  So sometimes there are days with low approval numbers because work-at-home employees haven't checked in their processed cases yet. 

I had read a thread by an ex-USCIS employee who said that a lot of people work from home and take several boxes of cases home with them, and return them a few days later, all processed.  So sometimes there are days with low approval numbers because work-at-home employees haven't checked in their processed cases yet. 

I had read a thread by an ex-USCIS employee who said that a lot of people work from home and take several boxes of cases home with them, and return them a few days later, all processed.  So sometimes there are days with low approval numbers because work-at-home employees haven't checked in their processed cases yet. 

Update for any future Costa Rica filer with this question (we are now finished the interview, approval, visa delivery and POE with no problems)
Apostilles are in no way required for the interview portion for K1 process. When you get your records from the Judicial Registry, they will send you across the street to OIJ for a stamp or certification. I have no idea if this is a requirement or not (and forgot to ask) but we did it. They (the Judicial Registry, not the Embassy) will also tell you to go to Casa Amarilla for an apostille. It needs to be translated for the apostille and this process (translation + apostille) is 3 or so days and $50 or so. This is the part that is, for sure, not required.
We checked with the embassy twice, and asked direct questions at Casa Amarilla and they said in both places, as repeated here, that it is NOT needed for the embassy. If for some reason you think you will need this document in the United States (what for, I can't imagine), do it. But you don't need it for the US embassy in Costa Rica. The the Foreign Service Officers (the Americans working at the embassy) are trained to know what the correct seals/stamps for Costa Rica documents are. If you have a document (birth certificate, police report etc) from a third country-- one that is not the US or Costa Rica-- THAT must be apostilled. Because while embassy employees can be trained and expected to be experts in the documents of the countries they're assigned to, they can't be expected to know them all. There is no harm in doing it and if you have time and don't mind spending money for some sort of peace of mind, go for it. But don't stress about it.
Translations: nothing needs to be translated for the interview portion for the K1 visa. This may very well be different for other types of visas (specifically IR1/CR1) but not for K1. Again, these Foreign Service Officers are trained in the local language. Some embassies require translations either because that's just how they want to do things, but more likely because not all languages are created equal-- the degree of fluency required on the part of the FSOs depends on the language. Spanish, being a romance language with Western alphabet and very common in US schools has a much higher burden than say, Arabic or Mandarin or Russian. FSOs who work in embassies in Spanish-speaking countries are therefore able to read these sorts of documents with ease. Translations are required at other embassies because this is not necessarily the case in those languages.
Why have some people experienced this requirement at the CR embassy? Either that's an old requirement that has changed, or it's the differences in visas. IR1/CR1 comes with a green card. Issuing the green card is USCIS's business, not State's. USCIS has no language requirements for its employees. THEY need documents translated (as K1 filers will see during AOS).
Depending on your situation, it may be quicker/cheaper/easier to have documents translated in Costa Rica, and if that's the case, may as well get it done before the interview because you will need a translated birth certificate for AOS. For us that turned out to not be the case. The weeks leading up to the interview were sheer chaos on both of our ends and we wound up unable to complete this part of the plan. We checked and triple checked with the embassy and previous filers who didn't even think to translate anything and were also fine. And we were fine. I'd still have preferred to do it just in case, just to not give them any reason to say "we prefer translations, come back with them" but it just wasn't happening. It is also possible that if there is anything on the judicial report, perhaps they will request/require that translated. My fiance's was clear so I don't know about that. We are taking care of the birth certificate (and any other documents needed for AOS I haven't thought about yet) translation here, where there is less of a time crunch (and I have many more options for people to do this--for free).
Finally, if you find that you need any government documents from Costa Rica while in the US, many of them can be obtained (and authenticated/apostilled etc) at one of Costa Rica's 10 consulates in the US. Having gone through the K1 process, should have all that you need, but it is nice to know that there are options in case something is lost or something unexpected arises.