Firstenburg

Hi Firstenburg,

We are in the exact same situation as you. (see signature) We were touched every day, and then no chance since the 30th. I was getting excited thinking an approval was coming, but my online case status still says "Case Recieved and Pending".

I was also curious about your question, as I've read on VJ that folks in similar situations call the hotline to ask about their case only to recieve the surprise that they've been approved...or recieve the surprise in the mail (either surprise approval or surprise RFE). My husband said he would call yet again today, but I'm starting to get nervous that they'll "get mad" because of his frecuent calls.

I guess this doesn't respond your question at all. Just know we are in the same boat!

Oh, and one more thing. My husband never recieves any 'CRIS' emails either. I thought people recieved emails for every touch, but we've never recieved a single one. (I've checked the settings several times and we do have email notifications activated)

I have the same concern because the reps I talk to have started mentioning it when I call and making remarks like "What was the answer the last time you called?". They don't have a clue how painful this process can be without information. If they did, they would bend over backward to give whatever info and encouragement they could.

There is an easier way for your I-130.

Just call the automated phone at NVC 603-334-0700 then 1-1-1 (I think) enter your USCIS number.

If your I-130 has made it to NVC, then you will have a NVC number assigned, if it hasn't then it wont know you exist.

As for the K3, they sometimes go though NVC so fast that it never even registers on the phone system. So I don't know how to help you for it.

But from what I've seen there can be up to a 6 week delay before my approved I-130 reaches the NVC. So I want to know, like, as 'immediately' as possible, when my approval happens.

I've read that many of you VJ'ers received your NOA2 for your I-130 and/or I-129F via snail-mail, without ever receiving an email or an update to your case on the USCIS website. I'd like to get a feel for if this is the exception to the rule, or the norm. It seems like many aspects of the USCIS website are unreliable, and my case has been touched all 4 of the last 4 business days, with no touches before that. So I'm worried that my case is close to approval and I won't know it without calling. I've called the CSC every day for the last 4 days and the representatives are starting to get snooty with me because of it.

If you read this, please drop in a reply to let me know what your experience was.

Thanks!

Para bens!!! To all you brasileiros. My wife and I are hoping that we, too, will be scheduling our interview and heading to Rio very soon. Keeping our positive thinking caps on and our fingers crossed..

I attended the Ombudsmans teleconference today for the K3 process. There were a lot of VJ'ers there, way to represent!!

This was my first one and I was unfamiliar with the format, so I was expecting answers. But the format of the teleconference is that callers can raise issues and questions, which are collected by a meeting moderator, and then passed on to USCIS. Later, the USCIS responses will be posted on the ombudsman's site here:

www.dhs.gov/cisombudsman

So there weren't a lot of answers, but there were a lot of good questions raised. I think the most important failures in the K3 process were bubbled up in the call.

There were a few things that our moderator Wendy said that I felt might be helpful to post here because they won't be included in the responses that are published later:

If ever we have problems when dealing with the USCIS customer support, we are encouraged to call the ombudsman's office. You should ask for the name and ID of the representative your speaking with, and then call the ombudsman office at one of the following numbers:

One caller was explaining that they were being told by USCIS to "wait" more time because of processing times, and Wendy said this was not what they should be doing. She said this is a good reason call the Ombudsman's office.

If you have suggestions for improvements to the immigration process, she encouraged us to send those in an email to CISOmbudsman.Publicaffairs@dhs.gov

I talked to CSC AGAIN today and asked specifically about the cancellation of K3's. I was told that YES, K3 applications are now going through an "administrative closure" after the I-130 is approved. It started late last year, I was never given an exact date. Those of you whose K3's are now with the NVC were perhaps processed before this went into effect. I don't know. What I do know is that it isn't worth filing the K3 visa application and may slow you down.

I was told the same thing as Jimmy and Angela YESTERDAY. By someone in CSC, not a USCIS customer support gnome. Someone AT CSC. All the people on the board that want us all to ignore this are like the people who ask us to ignore the evidence that dinasours existed. Do what you feel is the best for yourself and your spouse, but I'm telling you what both CSC AND my congressmans office has told me: K3 apps, the I-129F, are being attached/grouped with the I-130, then cancelled when the I-130 is processed. Jimmy says it above and it's the same thing I've been told: K3 visas are taking LONGER to process than the I-130. DO NOT FILE IT. It will only delay you.

Best of luck,

Dustin-

I'm surprised to be hearing this from you guys. This is a fact. My I-129F has been grouped with my I-130. I just called my congressman's office and the guy who works visa cases there, told that he has known this for some time. K3 visa's are not being processed on their own. And this was the 2nd USCIS rep I spoke to who told me that the I-129F will delay a visa....

I just got off the phone with CSC to verify rumors I'd heard from other applicants, and it's true: K3 visas (the I-129F's) are no longer being processed. AND IN FACT WILL HURT YOUR CASE IF FILED IN CONJUNCTION WITH YOUR I-130!!!!

According to the CSC person I spoke to, as of late last year (no specific date was given), K3 visa applications (I-129Fs) are simply being grouped with their corresponding I-130 application. When the I-130 is processed, the I-129F is cancelled. This process of grouping and cancelling, delays your I-130!!! It was explained to me this way (although I don't know how accurate the info is): Your applications are taken out of the queue by an officer to be grouped, which causes them to be put back into the queue further back, since the queue continues to move forward while your application is absent (if that makes sense...).

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that!! I'm a July filer and most July files are already processed from what I've seen here on the forum. Not me though, as well as several others of you. The representative told me today that it is probably because I filed the K3 (I-129F).

This is $%##$ing INSANE!!!!!!! I can't $%##$ing believe this!!!!

I RSVP'd and will be attending with a long list of concerns...

My least favorite part of this process is the COMPLETE LACK OF INFORMATION from USCIS. So in the spirit of transparency and sharing what I learn so it (hopefully) benefits you all, I'm sharing what I just learned from someone inside the CSC about the processing of applications. I figure every little bit we learn is going to be useful to all of us, and I encourage anyone who learns steps in the process to post that information here.

I used the 'RFE trick' and talked to an actual human being inside the CSC about my app. I posted in July 2007 and have not received a single RFE or touch since then. Here's what I learned about the processs: I was told that my application just moved from the filing room to the filing shelf, and was earmarked for distribution to a processing officer. I was told that apps on the shelf move quickly to an officer, but when asked what "quickly" means, I was told only that I should expect some kind of response "within 30 days".... Until this call, I never knew there was a filing room, or a filing shelf, or anything about distribution. So this may already be common knowledge, but I didn't know any of it and wanted to share.

Also of interest, I was told that my I-130 has been coupled with my I-129F (K3) application so they could be processed together. Mine were filed pretty far apart, so for anyone in my same situation, take hope.

DARN, I'm also waiting! Nothing yet, no news. Anymore July filers out there still waiting? Or is there only a few of us?

I'm still waiting too!! And no word yet. Not a single one!!!

The wait has been horrible as you all know. The worst is that there are at least 4 couples I know of via this site that submitted their apps 2-3 weeks before me in late June, and were all approved on 11/28/2007. WHY THE DISPARITY IN PROCESSING TIMES????????

I've called USCIS several times and each time the answer is the same: Until 180 days have passed they can give me NO information. My case hasn't even been touched! And I'm getting upset and frustrated. I feel for all of you more than myself because at least I've been blessed to be able to work remotely from Brazil and spend approx every other month with my wife. I work in software and can do my job over the internet. What a beautiful blessing!! But the wait is unacceptable! I want more information from USCIS! They have it - WHY WON'T THEY SHARE IT????????

Visa processing is a queue-based system. why can't we at least know where we're at in the queue??? Wouldn't that TINY BIT OF INFORMATION make the wait much much much easier to bear?? Because then we could at least prepare mentally for the wait, knowing where we're at.

*uhg*

My wife, living in northern Brazil, is considering moving to southern Brazil to be closer to work opportunities while we wait for her visa. However I'm concerned that submitting change of addr information may cause a delay in my K3/I-130 processing. Does anyone have any experience with this and/or know if this is the case?

I could call USCIS and ask customer service, but if I call them 5 times I get 5 different answers.

Thanks!

Dustin-

Yes, but it is not a good way to do that. but yes

What was said between you and HS that got your visa faster??

I posted my views under off-topic "angry with USCIS". I also posted the main Homeland Security number which got the police sent to my home (if your neighbor is a local cop, you've never even had a traffic ticket, and you bring it every day its ok to call the directors office after hours, which rolls over to the command center, where the FBI runs you immediately, sends cops to your house who hate feds anyway, admire your spouse, and leave with a smile) with no consequence but got my approval within 24 hours. What else? In this I would do anything, either we are Americans or the 6-8 week I129's that go out every day for immigrant workers are more important than our families and our family's lives.

I got through that one unscathed, but I would do it again. I've seen enough of "legal immigration" to sicken me. I ask nothing of any of you but i threw my future in the pot and won.

Wait, are you saying that because you called Homeland Security you got your visa faster?

What is below is just my personal opinion (on a day when I am feeling particularly opinionated ) and I do applaud anyone who is actively trying to make a difference in this process. I really hope that you are able to cause enough ripples for people to take notice

---

All of the things I've read about the immigration debate seem to focus on illegal immigration or on citizenship. Not one of the candidates seem to spend time talking about what the immigrants coming to the US legally have to go through. The hoops and the emotional hurt we have to jump through to stick to the process.

I am of the opinion that the American public doesn't really care about legal immigration unless they are (or someone very very close to them is) going through it themselves and they see the negative effects it has on both people in the couple. This is not a bash at anyone, it is purely what I have come across while visiting the States and talking to people regarding the whole process.

They are just plain astonished when they hear it takes 10+ months for someone from (merry old) England to come to the US. When I explain to them that there are much longer waits for other countries (and exactly how long that wait can be), they are gobsmacked.

This "dismissing" of the legal immigration process is primarily because they do not realise what it actually involves... how many American people do you know who believe that once you marry an american citizen, that you can just get on a plane and come to the US straightaway? Did any of us have any idea of what the process would take before we decided to research or undertake it ourselves? Were we also blissfully ignorant and thought it would be a relatively easy and painless process? How wrong our understanding turned out to be

Dude very well said!! I couldn't agree with you more. I was lamenting to a co-worker this week, and her response was, "I feel for you, but you knew what you were getting into when you signed up for this, so don't complain"....

I know there are many areas of imigration policy that need DRAMATIC reform, but there seems to be one area in particular that could be changed at very little cost to Immigration, and would greatly reduce the stress and anxiety of those going through the process: BETTER REPORTING.

For starters, immigration could tell us our queue number (for example, you are currently #16 in line). Knowing that would make it easier to endure the wait. As it is now, we often have no information and are sitting in an interminable information black hole! Instead, immigration posts "processing dates" on their site. The idea is that you can calculate your process date by seeing what they're currently processing. This only gives a vague "guestimate" at best, and only works if they're currently processing your particular type of visa. If you look at the processing dates for the CSC, for example, they are not processing a single other K3 visa, because there is no line-item for it. K3 visa applicants have no way of knowing the current processing dates, and hence, no way of projecting their own processing date.

I've decided to push for reform in this area. But I'm just a normal joe who has never done anything like this before. I'll soon have my wife here, and the pain will go away. But I want to help others who will come through the process, and maybe, just maybe, they can suffer less than I did. So I'm posting here to find out two things:

1) Where do I get started? Who should I contact to try to push for this kind of reform? If you've done something like this before, pointers would be appreciated. Please keep your comments and replies positive, even if you may have had a bad experience trying it. I don't want to get the wind blown out of my sails...

2) How many of you agree with me and think this is a good place to start with reform?

My timeline is below. I have heard nothing. And aside from the initial touches, I've received no touches. It's just totally depressing coming into the holidays without my husband. It's doubly hard because the lack of progress at CSC with the filers in April, May and June plays on my fears that I won't hear anything until after 2008 has begun. :crying:

Congratulations!! Looks from your signature that 10 days after this post, you got approved. Awesome. Hoping the same happens for me and my wife! Keep your fingers crossed.

Looking at some of your timelines, I'm getting worried that I'm approaching the outside of normal bounds. Here is my timeline:

Marriage : 2007-06-25

I-130 Sent : 2007-07-16

I-130 NOA1 : 2007-07-27

I-129F Sent : 2007-09-19

I-129F NOA1 : 2007-09-21

Niether of the applications (I130 or I129F) have been touched yet. Should I be worried? Fortunately my company allows me to work remotely from Brazil so that I can be with my wife. I haven't seen her in 2 months, and I know you all understand how hard it is to be separated like that from your spouse. I'll be in Brazil again from Nov 25 - Jan 9 (REALLY looking forward to it!). I was hoping to hear something from USCIS or see my apps "touched" before I went down there. Nothing yet though.

To worry, or not to worry?...

Thanks all!

I'm 4months into my I-130 and 2 months into my I-129F. I realize some of you have waited longer and are far more frustrated than I am, but hoping someone can tell me how I can get through to CSC. Is there a phone number I can call? I didn't send in ALL pages of my passport, only the ones with stamps on them, and want to call the service center to ask about sending in evidence before it's even asked for. But for the life of me I can't find a number for the CSC.

Hello Vjers:

My husband can call USCIS, but he cannot hold for more than 10 minutes. I have credit on skype and was wondering if I could call USCIS to check on the status. What say, people? I am the beneficiary.

Forget Skype. Skype sucks. Get one of the voip programs from the internet, such as JustVoip.com, or VoipDiscount.com. You buy $10eu of credit and call landlines and cell phones in the US unilimited. My wife and I only use Skype when we're computer to computer. However, when one of us is not at a computer, we use JustVoip.com.

Sorry for your bad luck in this, but the truth is that Opportunistas exist in all parts of the world. You don't have to leave the country to find someone who will lie to you or marry you for money. Many of the women who come here (like my wife) are making a huge sacrifice of friends, family, culture, language, turning their life upside down, to come here, and they do it for love. Others, not s'much.

Your misfortune could have happened even if you married an american woman. I'm sorry that now you have to come back from this. It's tough. And unfortunately, the problem may be that you seek the wrong kind of women (I'm not judging, just saying...), and if you don't take a step back to analyze that, you might find yourself in a similar situation again.

Thank you all for the insight. I'm collecting my complaints into one list so that after the dust settles (ie and my wife is safely here by my side) I'm going to submit all of them. One of my biggest complaints is the lack of status reporting from USCIS. They should be able to tell us (all) exactly where our petitions are in the queue and where they are at in the processing of the queue.

Thanks again for your information and your support!

Dustin-

I see a lot of your histories and see dates that your applications were "touched". I assume that touched means some part of the processing for your visa occurred. But how did you find out about it? I can't get any information from the California Service Center, or from USCIS when I call. All I get is "Wait till we contact you". Is there some phone number I can call for information?

Thanks!

Dustin-