shallot343

Hi Everyone, 

thought I would supply an update-- I put in a case inquiry and unsurprisingly received the "you are delayed due to additional review" response, with no 30-60-90-120 day timeframe attached.

I called USCIS this morning and luckily thought to ask about potential RFE (we have received nothing and our status hasn't changed from "Case was received"). The officer told me that an RFE was requested on December 31st, 2019 but was never actually mailed or escalated. I was transferred to a Tier 2 officer who said he was unable to see the RFE note so he put in a case request for me to have this resent (deadline for reply Feb 19th). 

I have no idea what the RFE was about because I am pretty confident our petition was airtight-- it may have been a mistake in and of itself. I also don't know why the Tier 2 officer was unable to see the actual RFE? 

I will keep you updated at this nightmare progresses. 

Thanks both!

bit of a disheartening update-- I got through to a Tier 2 officer today (even though I am still within normal processing by 3 days) and she told me that she can't see anything about the case except that it is "still under review"  and she can put in an inquiry for me as soon as I am out of normal processing but "they probably won't respond until I am at least 30 days outside of normal processing" which seems completely ludicrous to me-- if the point of concern is the normal processing time frame + 30 days, then I just don't understand what to make of the normal processing period at all. 

I will call again in 3 days, put in an inquiry and perhaps contact my state senator's office too to see if they can move this along.

Any hints on how to steer the conversation with the Tier 2 officers to actually receive real information? I did ask specifically about if the case was being handled, if she could see whether we were stuck in background checks or something else was going on, etc, but she told me the only information available was that it was still under review and no decision had been made at this time. I don't know if that true. Maybe they will be able to tell me more when I call back. 

Hi All, 

March CR-1 filer at Texas (UK spouse). According to the VJ timelines, we are some of the last unapproved March filers at Texas and the official PD for case inquiry on the USCIS website is slowly creeping up to ours (March 26th). We received NOA1 at a normal times and the check was cashed so I know the petition actually made it there. 

I have given up hope of receiving NOA2 without having to call USCIS once we are outside of normal processing times and asking whats up... has anyone had to do this? What is the procedure? I have read some older threads where people just get a canned "we are working on it, please wait 60 more days" response which seems completely nuts to me!

Does calling once we are outside of normal processing times actually do anything? Is there another step I can take, or are we just stuck in a line ad infinitum  and they get to us when (if?) they get to us.  

And I know this is unlikely but is it possible our case is physically lost? How can I find out if that is what happened, and if I have to send everything in again because of USCIS error, does that put me back at the end of the line? 

All and any comments appreciated! I know everyone has to wait and I was fully expecting for this part to be excruciating, but it is really disheartening seeing July approvals at Texas when haven't heard anything at all! 

55 minutes ago, BobanaP said:

Hi @Tsp11022019 !

We finally got approved today, after 287 days. Did you receive your case# from NVC yet? Did your online status change to “case was sent to the Department of State”? How long did it change from “case was approved” ?

Congratulations!!! Hopefully it will all be smooth sailing now 🤞

we are still waiting but I'm hopeful now that we are seeing another March approval! did you receive the letter or receive a text/email or just check your case status online?  The official USCIS  site says they are processing early March, but I really hope we don't have to send in an "out of processing times" request because I know that only results in more waiting. 

19 hours ago, Tsp11022019 said:

We finally got approved today. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. But yes, we’re very happy and very grateful! 
we didn’t receive any mail. We checked online and the status still shows in process. But in the documents section, we could see the approval notice. 
Any comments on what should we be expecting now? 

That's amazing news! Congratulations!!  I imagine you'll get notice from NVC in a few weeks? Your letter may be delayed because of Thanksgiving. 

my partner is in the US this week for the holiday so we called USCIS again. The man we spoke to was really nice but all he could say was "the good news is, according to our published timelines you should be approved in just 3 months!". I am hoping he *has* to say that and we won't be one of the unlucky ones waiting 11 months for approval.  Also hoping our case isn't missing somewhere

Stupid question-- i don't have a "documents" tab in my USCIS account-- only "case status" and "case history". Did you always have a "Documents" tab, or did it just appear when you got your approval? 

Unapproved March filers-- any updates? Still nothing for us, and it looks like late April filers are receiving approval now. Is it possible for a file to get lost after NOA 1? I can't fathom what else could have happened since we are over a month out from predicted approval time. 

That's helpful! I am going to call again in a few weeks when we are officially in the "8 month" territory. We haven't attempted an expedite so that might be part of the issue? I explained that I knew March and April filers were already approved and wanted to check that our case was still actively being processed and that it hadn't been lost or misplaced. The woman was adamant that she simply could not check our case until we were out of normal processing. I even asked if there was a supervisor I could speak to and she said no. Unlucky I guess. I am just going to have to assume that the website is inaccurate and that our letter is in the mail, otherwise I will start to go crazy! 

On 11/1/2019 at 8:39 PM, Tsh said:

We just called earlier today at 4pm. Gave some info then she puts my husband on hold to check our status. When she spoke again she said it was already approved! Thank God! I cried so hard to hear that news! No updates on websites. She said we should be getting the mail in a few days. 

Sent/PD: March28, 2019

NOA1: April 2, 2019

 

 Just tried calling-- the agent I spoke to refused to look at my case specifically because we are still within "normal processing times" like I anticipated. I gave her the receipt number, she looked at our PD, and then regurgitated the processing times from the USCIS website. Said she couldn't check to see what was going on until we were at the end of the website's processing time window

 She also said our online status could take up to 45 days to updated after a change in case status, so short or receiving the letter in the mail there is no way of knowing what is going on. It is essentially useless

How did you get an agent to look into your case? According to my agent it's impossible until we are out of "normal processing times" 

On 10/29/2019 at 12:12 PM, Tsp11022019 said:

Hey! We tried calling them up. But all they do is tell us that our case is still within normal processing time and that we can file a query after the date mentioned online. 
 

Curious thing - the date has moved BACK to December 7th. So I don’t really understand what is happening. 

People from April and May are starting to get approved now, and we are getting really concerned and anxious. How many of us March filers are yet to be approved ?

Still waiting! (March 26th)  It should be "any day now"- i tried filing an information request electronically but I got a message saying we were still within normal processing too-- as of today the PD is Dec 8 for Texas where we are. Does the K3 trick still work? Starting to get a little bit desperate 

23 hours ago, Tsp11022019 said:

Hey! I’m in the same situation as you.. starting to get a bit concerned now.. I hope we all receive the approval soon! 😰

Same here! PD 03/26. The USCIS official site says they are processing December 18 2018, which would mean another 3 months until they get to March but that can't be correct--so many March filers here are approved and already at NVC. Has anyone called and gotten an answer other than "you are still in normal processing time"? 

we’re still waiting for NOA2 (PD March 26, Texas). Is it worth calling USCIS at this point?

The official USCIS website says they are processing December 2018 in Texas  but I can’t imagine that’s accurate since so many March filers here have been approved. I imagine USCIS will say we’re still in “normal processing time” but I’ll call if it would be useful? 

1 hour ago, Nitas_man said:

You CAN add your spouse pending SS number and in fact it’s legally required that they open enrollment for your spouse for life event change (marriage). You actually have a limited number of days to do so.

It is treated as enrolling a newborn.  It would be good to have a quiet talk with HR about that.  When pressed they somehow remember the rules and will get that done for you.

We got married 6 months ago so the special enrollment period is long past (it think it was 60 days after the “qualifying life event”) and when i tried to add him initially  neither HR nor my insurance company seemed to know how to manage it. i let it go since our timeline was so uncertain anyway but I really shot myself in the foot!

Thats good to know —helpful for others though unfortunately that method is dead in the water for us re: this new requirement 

hopefully 6months ish of comprehensive travel insurance with proof my upcoming enrollment period will be sufficient =\

Hello! definitely use transferwise- I've used it just to send $20 - $30 to my partner before; the fees are nominal and its much easier than a bank transfer. 

Hi everyone- bumping this with another question! I saw in another forum that an embassy requested a joint sponsor for a petitioner who had worked abroad in 2018 (and thus had 0 US income on the 2018 tax return) despite paystubs and employment letters from from jan 2019 until now showing adequate income earned in the US.

given that my VJ timeline says we should get NOA2 in late October/ early November, how long can we reasonably delay the medical and interview to ensure that my 2019 tax return is filed by this point. I’m hoping to delay these until January so that we will have my 2019 taxes filed  showing US earned income. Will this be possible? 

Hi all, 

quick question (I think this may have been answered but I can't find a succinct thread regarding this)

I am currently still awaiting NOA2 but want to make sure NVC documents are in order so we can upload quickly (beneficiary is a UKC). I am currently making more than double the minimum income for a household size of two, and I started my job in January 2019. Assuming the VJ timelines are close to correct we should have NOA2 in November and likely will need my Affidavit of Support documents by December/Jan, with an interview date for, hopefully, Feb/March.

The problem is, I will not yet have filed my 2019 tax return by the time these documents are needed. I have access to 3 years prior tax returns, however I was working abroad during those years and while I did file and my income in US$ is shown (and sufficient!), I know foreign - earned income does not count.

My question: Will a year's worth of paystubs showing my YTD earnings and a letter from my employer, alongside earlier tax returns (showing consistent earning, though abroad), be sufficient for the Affidavit of Support? Or should I prepare a joint sponsor? 

I plan to file my taxes as early as possible, so by the time the interview comes up, I should have the completed 2019 return-- can my spouse bring this along to interview as an update ?

thank you!!

Hi everyone! 

Just for other users who might be searching for the same topic-- there are indeed e-gates at Heathrow now! US, Canadian, South African, and EU citizens are all able to use them. I didn't even have to talk to border officers-- just scanned my passport and went through! I imagine if something about you is flagged when scanning your passport they will pull you over to talk to a border agent but I didn't have any issues at all. a bit disappointed to not have received a passport stamp though! 

Thanks for your comments/assurances everyone -- I didn't know about the new e-gates at Heathrow! That will make everything so much easier; I don't think I have ever waited in a longer immigration line than when entering the UK via Heathrow so I hope I am able to use these-- those landing cards were a huge pain as well!

I will let you all know how it goes when I land Thursday morning!

Hi All, 

I am headed over the visit my spouse in London next week; we have our I-130 petition filed (still waiting for NOA2...). I am the USC but I lived in the UK for a number of years on a Tier 2 Work Visa; when i went back to visit over Christmas I was temporarily sent to secondary while they double checked my documents; I assume this is because I had only left the country a few month prior and I didn't have a US re-entry stamp (I went through Dublin pre-clearance). I was eventually let in, but this time around I am a bit worried because now I ALSO have a UKC spouse, and I know it is a terrible idea to withhold that information from the border agents. 

These are the documents I am bringing to prove ties to the US:

• letter from HR stating I am employed here in the US; my salary and job title
• copy of all of my pay stubs proving regular salary
• flight itinerary showing return flight
• copy of NOA1 proving petition was filed for UKC spouse

I don't have a lease because I am subletting.

Has anyone had any issues visiting their foreign spouse or fiance in the UK? Anything else I should bring to ensure I am let in without issue? I didn't bother applying for a visitor visa as a safety measure (i know this is sometimes an option for people from VWP countries that are worried about being admitted) 

thank you! 

Hi everyone, 

I received NOA1 (via text, still waiting on physical letter) on the 29th of March; I know I have quite a while to wait until further communications from USCIS. Currently I live in an apartment with a cluster mailbox in an insecure mailroom, and recently we have had trouble receiving mail.

I am worried about receiving mail from USCIS so I am considering changing my mailing address only to my mother's house, where I know mail will definitely be received. (I know I probably should have entered her address as the mailing address when I filed; i stupidly hadn't thought about this enough!). She is out of state (in PA; I am in NY)

I called USCIS to ask about this because the online address change option seems to be for changing physical address as well. The agent I spoke to said I needed to send a physical letter to my service center (Texas) requesting a mailing address change. my questions are as follows:

1/ Has anyone changed their mailing address only via physical letter before? If so, do you know where I can find a template for this letter?

2/ Is it likely that changing my mailing address to a different state than my physical address will cause delays/further questions/RFEs?

3/ If my physical address changes during the process I will update this online; am I able to maintain the separate mailing address?

I would also consider getting a P.O. box for a year if that is preferable but I recall reading that USCIS does not like delivering to PO boxes? (I may be misremembering!)

Anyone have experience with changing their mailing address only in this way?

thank you!!

Hi everyone;

joining up so I can better keep an eye on whats going on with March filers!

• 03/16/2019 Petition sent 
• 03/29/2019 NOA 1 (via text message; still haven't gotten the physical letter) 
• 04/1/2019 check cashed

Filing for UK beneficiary, and unfortunately stuck with Texas Service Center (I know it isn't as bad as Nebraska but I think these days everyone is praying for Potomac!) 

1 minute ago, pushbrk said:

Certified Mail always adds several days to delivery time.  Priority Mail (non certified) is the recommendation for these packages.

That is good to know- thank you !

I debated which way to send it and some forums suggested Certified to be extra safe =/. Now I am thinking UPS or FedEx may have been the better option; I feel like their tracking is more comprehensive! 

Hi everyone, 

I might be overly worrying preemptively but I mailed my I-130 packet on Saturday, March 16th via USPS Priority, certified mail. It arrived in the Chicago distribution center on the 17th and the status since then has been "in transit, arriving late". 

I called USPS and was told basically that they cannot track it any further, all they can tell me is that it made it to the distribution center, and they are also unable to tell me if it has been lost or give me a time frame for delivery (supposedly today is the end of the 5-day window for priority delivery).  USPS told me in no uncertain terms that they are not able to class the package as "lost" at any point, which seems odd to me? 

I know that sometimes mail is not scanned when it gets to the lockbox and since I sent it certified it needs to be signed for. At what point should I send the packet again and cancel the original check? I don't want to do this too soon and cause any additional confusion for USCIS. Is there another way to find out if it has made it to the lockbox? The USCIS Intake Office says to contact them if it has been over 30 days since the package was sent and I haven't heard anything but I really don't want to prolong this process any more than I have to! 

Anyone else dealt with this?

thank you! 

Hi guys, 

I have been slaving over my I-130 Packet for a few weeks now and am almost done (just holding off until our actual marriage in March; I wanted to get the packet down early so we could file ASAP and I have 5+ years of documents to wade through)

I have a question about one finicky detail. I am putting the packet together digitally (easiest as some original papers/documents for evidence of a bonafide marriage are with my partner who is obviously abroad)

I have scanned documents and inserted them into a word document, full sized. In order to make things easier on the immigration officers who will be going through our packet (and reduce the chance of an RFE), I have inserted small labels at the bottom of each page to show all pages in one section are related (e.g. "evidence of trip together on xx-xx-xxx" or "full scan of Petitioner's Passport"). I have also numbered every page so I could include a table of contents.  

Will marking up pages that have scanned documents make these invalid? I know that seems silly but I haven't been able to find this information anywhere and I don't want all of this work to go to waste if I end up invalidating my packet! I know the adjudicators can be sticklers.

Would it be better to not label anything in the document, and just include either section title pages or labeled tabs?

Is numbering the pages okay? 

Thank you all!! 

I might be overthinking this but as we get closer to submission new worries seem to pop up all the time!

Thank you all so much for your help!

We are going to ask friends on both sides of the pond to write affidavits (notarizing won't be possible for the UK half because notaries aren't really a thing there!)

Unfortunately we won't be married until March 2019 so I won't be able to file taxes as married this time around.  

Best of luck to you as well!