jonny

Thanks for everyone's responses. Sometimes this stuff can be so infuriating and it can make you seem so powerless/insignificant. It's great to have you all and a community like visa journey to help through the difficult times. I'll try to find a doctor who won't be a rip off artist (called one today who demanded $200 just for an initial visit to determine what is needed - no immunizations included). Thanks again.

Hi all,

So my wife and I are preparing our AOS paperwork and we are stuck on the immunization part. It seems that over the summer when she had her medical appointment, those oh-so-competent doctors in Ukraine never gave her a copy of the DS 3025 immunization chart. It was apparently sealed in an envelope, which we brought to her interview, then she turned it in at her POE without ever getting a copy of the DS 3025. And in the midst of juggling a million things, neither of us were aware that we'd need it down the line.

So we don't have a DS 3025, we can't go to a civil surgeon and get the i-693a (because we have no proof that she's ever gotten any vaccinations). Her handwritten vaccination record is at her parents house in Ukraine and they can fax us a copy, but I doubt any doctor in the U.S. would accept it, especially because it's in Ukrainian.

Is it possible to get a copy of this from the doctor, USCIS (they should have it in the sealed envelope) or somewhere else? Are the doctors who do the medical exams for the K1 visas required to keep copies of these things? To compound things, she has a job offer and got her EAD at JFK, but it expires in December and there is no way we can file the AOS paperwork and get a new EAD on time. This system is an absolute joke - they don't give you forms you need, you're supposed to know to ask for them, they give out EADs at one airport, and then you're authorized to work for three months and then have to sit out of the workforce until you fill out more forms. Ahhhhh!

I guess we're mostly looking for advice on how to deal with this immunization stuff. We are tempted to just send in the AOS packet without the immunization stuff and wait for the RFE (by which time we'll hopefully get it worked out) just so we can get her EAD process going, assuming not having the i-693 won't affect the EAD process.

We are feeling very overwhelmed by the form numbers, acronyms, and various processes that are all way too slow and make no sense. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks...like everything else related to this process, it's good to know we're not alone! After I posted, I found a couple other threads also talking about the UCSIC website/email updates lagging far behind the action. From what I understand the CSC is more behind in their paperwork/notifications than their actually approvals. I guess I'll just keep waiting for the NOA2 - I suppose it shouldn't be a problem - do we actually need the NOA2 for anything?

Hey everyone!

Quick question...so after filing my I-129F at the very end of February with the CSC, I was finally "touched" on May 23rd according to the online update. I've been waiting and waiting since then, but no other updates. No NOA2 in the mail, email, or online (I have email updates turned on). Then just today I get an email saying

"The State Department's National Visa Center has recently received an approved 1­129F petition filed on behalf of your fiance. This letter is to let you know that within a week the petition will be forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where your visa interview will take place."

Is this too good to be true? Should I be at all worried that when I log in to USCIS case status online, it still says my application has been received and is pending? Has this happened to anyone else?

I'm super excited if it means that things are progressing, but I just want to be sure that someone at the CSC didn't screw up and we'll have to take a step back at some point. I'm hoping that since the NVC has received the approved I-129F, I never have to look back at the CSC...

-jonny

P.S. You guys rock. I don't post too often, but I'm always impressed by the helpful spirit and support I see on this forum.

Well, I just realized I'm in the same boat. It took me a few weeks to gather all my info, and I used the older I-129F that stopped being accepted on 2/18/07. I filled it out at the end of January, but didn't send everything in until Feb 27th. NINE DAYS LATE!

I guess the only thing to do is keep fingers crossed and hope that it's still processed, or at the very least, they get back with a quick response. I'd hate to wait three months only to have these jokers tell me I need to start all over again. In that spirit, does anyone know if they make you start from the beginning if you accidentally use an expired form? Or do they just send an information request?

The semi-good news is that looking at the new form, it appears to be the exact same thing as the old one. I didn't compare them side by side, but looking at the new form, I didn't see any big format changes or new information. So it's not like you are depriving them of vital info they are now relying upon.

On a side note, I never really understood why people hate the government so much until now. It's infuriating that something so personal can be relegated to a lethargic, unresponsive bureaucratic process. It's equally infuriating that if you are a citizen of one state or another, the treatment you get (i.e. speed of the process) is radically different. So much for all citizens being equal in the eyes of the government.

Sorry for the ranting. It's just been one of those days where it seems like good news will never come. And here I am, only a couple weeks past my NOA1.

Congrats! I've flown back and forth from Ukraine to the west coast several times. Lufthansa tends to be good but expensive. Air France is good, as is British Airways, although due to scheduling sometimes a layover in England turns into an overnight stay. When buying tickets, be careful to make sure layovers aren't too long (or overnight) and that if you come into a big city (i.e. London or Paris), your outgoing flight is from the same airport. Delta started a direct flight from Kyiv to New York a year or so ago, and it's much nicer not to make that extra stop in Western europe. When my fiancee came to visit the U.S., she was able to find cheap tickets from a local travel agent in Ukraine - about the same price as buying a ticket online from the U.S.

Finally, while the easiest way to do something like this is to buy an e-ticket, sometimes it's difficult. Either they aren't available for a particular flight at KBP, or some online sellers won't sell an international flight (esp. if it's one-way) into the U.S. originating from a foreign country. I've found that www.sidestep.com is a good way to find cheap tickets online.

Good luck and congrats!

-jonny