Jesse+Blaise

4 minutes ago, jakelake said:

Getting the biometrics appointment is not what is taking long. It's getting the interview that is frustratingly long.

Yeah, I'm starting to see that from everyones posts. Thanks for reaching out. Good luck everyone! Fingers crossed for the fastest processing times possible!  

2 hours ago, Pavel1982 said:

Mostly wait between biometrics and interview.  We have been waiting for scheduling an interview since last year October in ny region

Okay, thanks. That makes a little bit more sense. After posting my message I saw that a few others had a quick turn around from NOA and Biometrics. I'll just count myself lucky then that the wait between those steps wasn't as drastic as it is for others. 

Thanks for your response. 

Jesse

49 minutes ago, HarryWL said:

I got my Biometrics letter in the mail the other day for August 11th. It's been 310 days since I initially filed. Hopefully after I complete my biometrics, it won't take too long before I receive my RFE (I still need to give them my divorce decree). 

I'm starting to think it might be really arbitrary between the different local processing center because, Wow. That's a long time to wait. I'm sorry you've had to go through that. Fingers crossed and good luck with your case. I hope everything works out well for you. 

Jesse

Hi Everyone, 

I too got the MSC as my processing center. I submitted my application 07/06/21, got my NOA a few days later, and now, 3 weeks later on 07/31/21, I got my biometrics appointment. 

I was sort of taken by surprise. From reading through this thread, it seemed that the processing times were extremely slow, so I'm not too sure why this has come through so soon. Or, am I missing something with this? Is it mainly the wait between biometrics and the interview / approval that takes a long time?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. 

Jesse

Location: Riverside, CA

Hi everyone, our !-130 was approved at the beginning of April. Not sure if I'll be hearing from NVC this month or in may. 

Just so that I know...did anybody else's case status not change on the USCIS website after they received their NOA2? I have checked by calling the automated service and by entering the receipt number online, and it still just says 'application received'. Has this happened to anybody else?

Thanks for any help!  

Hi Everyone, 

Somebody passed this thread onto me when I was searching for answers regarding US entrance while waiting for the I-130 to be processed. I thought I would share my experience (along with my circumstances) in the hopes of guiding anyone in a similar situation. 

ABOUT ME:

-UK Citizen

-Multiple US entries over the past 7 years. 

-One J1 visa for temporary study (backed out of course and didn't finish VISA time)

-One F1 visa for Masters study (backed out again for multiple reasons and din't finish VISA time)

-Married my US Citizen finance before departing the US after leaving my masters program. 

The Entry situation:

-Like most of us, I wanted to visit my Husband while our I-130 was processing. My situation was that I was technically going to be unemployed while in the US (72 day stay) as I was going to be visiting before heading to Nepal for a fixed term volunteering position. So I didn't have a permanent job to offer a letter. Because of all the back and forth with moving, I was living with my parents and so also didn't have a lease. I basically had nothing to show ties to the UK. What I did have was a tentative job offer letter from a charity that didn't confirm my acceptance of the position and a flight itinerary for flights leaving the UK to travel to Kathmandu, Nepal. 

I decided that was enough for me to try my luck. I flew to Chicago O'Hare on March 8th and had to wait in the customs line for 1hr 45 mins. It was a long wait. When I got to the desk the CBP officer asked me multiple questions, including:

-Where are you travelling to today? (Kansas City)

-How long do you intend to stay (72 days)

-What is the reason for your travel (to visit my husband)

{Pause for typing and system checks}

-Have you ever studied in the US? (Yes, I have had a J-1 and an F-1 visa for studying, both of which I backed out of)

-When did you and your husband get married? (October 23rd 2018)

-What do you do for work? (I'm currently unemployed but am starting a fixed term volunteering position in Nepal on May 29th)

{Paused again -for a long time- to do more typing and check a system)

*Asked me to take the photo

**Asked me to do the four fingers

***Asked me to do the thumb

****Stamped Passport and sent me on my way. 

The CBP officer was extremely polite and had a nice tone (which is not something I was expecting). He did ask me more questions than I was expecting but nothing I didn't prepare myself for. 

For anyone that is considering entering the US and doesn't have a lot of evidence tying them to their country, I would say that travelling on an ESTA, which is what I did this time around, gives you a good chance of entering. If you feel as though you do want evidence of intent to stay for a temporary visit, I would say that proof of future plans (flights, vacations, appointments) might be enough to sway a CBP officer if you catch someone who is having a bad day. I had print outs of everything ready to go in case this happened, but didn't need to present any of it. Good luck to anyone who is thinking of entering.  it's not as scary as it may seem  

DISCLOSURE: This is an account of my situation, which I am posting for people who may have a similar situation revolving around reduced ties to their country. No information here is in any way 100% proof that you will gain entrance. 

4 hours ago, TZM said:

Hello, ours was supposed to be Texas. My estimated timeline for NOA2 is between May and June currently. I checked Igor's list and Potomac is currently processing applications filed in August 2018 (Link below) so feeling quite optimistic. 

 

https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/monthly_filers.php?form=2&visa=3&scenter=6&option=3&sortby=2

That's great!  I definitely think that USCIS provides drastically longer processing dates that are accurate. I presume it's to stop people from calling up to inquire about their case. Thank you for pointing out the service center in the receipt number. It's made me really happy knowing that we're 3 months closer to processing (hopefully, anyway!)  

11 minutes ago, TZM said:

Hello AnaCarolina, please check the first three characters of your receipt number. It will indicate which centre your application has been sent to. Ours is sent to Potomac, which is one of the slowest after California. Our priority date is Dec 12.

Hello Jesse, please check the first three characters of your receipt number. It will indicate which centre your application has been sent to. Ours is sent to Potomac (YSC), which is one of the slowest after California. Our priority date is Dec 12.

Hi! So I just checked and it has in fact been sent to YSC, which is a little confusing as Nebraska is our designated service center for Kansas. 

On the the plus side, when I changed the processing center on my timeline just moments ago, my “estimated” timeline for NOA2 moved from August 31st  to. May 19th.  

28 minutes ago, TZM said:

Thank you, maybe the process has changed. I was reading up on a thread by Jan 2018 filers and they all mentioned the priority date on email. I'll keep the thread updated once we receive the mail. 

Well the visa journey prediction has given us an August 24th-29th adjudication date, but I haven’t seen the official date given by USCIS yet. I’m hoping it will be shorter than that when the letter comes through

14 minutes ago, TZM said:

Hello, did you receive a text / email or both? Do you know which centre is processing your application, and what is your priority date? We only received a text saying we will receive the I-797 ON 11th January ( we filed 10th Dec) that's a whole month, is this usual?

Hey! 

We just received the text. I believe the form that follows is just an official receipt. Unless you have to provide additional evidence from the beginning, I don’t think you’ll have to do anything. I don’t think we have received our letter yet either, so maybe it is standard to not receive it for a while :) 

Hi Everyone!

Great to find this December I-130 thread. 

I-130 sent December 7th. NOA1 received December 13th. 

Hi Everyone!

I-130 sent December 7th, NOA1 received December 13th

UK citizen...Nebraska Service Center. 

Hi everyone, 

My husband has recently received the NOA1 for our I-130, and as many of you are aware (and suffering from) the waiting time is extremely high. 

I would like to visit my husband for 6-8 weeks in March 2019 on my valid ESTA. My situation will be that at the time of entry, I will technically be unemployed and living with family. However, this is because I will be in the final stages of preparing to depart for a fixed term volunteer position in Nepal with an NGO. 

My hope is that the job letter from the NGO stating the start and end date of the position, along with proof of booked flights to Nepal (leaving from the UK) will be enough to prove that my intension is only to visit my Husband temporarily and not side-step the waiting time. 

Has anybody else had luck entering the US under similar circumstances, or possibly even entered the US with less evidence than I will have?

Any guidance would be appreciated!

Jesse