John and Celia

Good news everyone! On Thursday, February 21st, 2008, at approximately 4:00 PM in the afternoon, my wife was APPROVED for her visa at the Buenos Aires embassy! It was very simple, I did most of the talking, and because we've already been married for almost 2 years at this point, the consular officer pretty much didn't ask my wife any personal information about me. There was a couple before me where the guy, a naturalized US citizen, was really screwing up the his interview, but the officer ended up approving them anyway, so I thought we'd be a piece of cake. Only problem was the co-sponsor documents, but that got taken care of with a little explanation. We hope to head up to the states on Tuesday (passport pending), and finally I'll be home! Good luck to everyone else, try to have all the original documents available up front, but unless your interviewer is having a bad day there's little chance that you can be denied. Thanks to all VJ'ers that gave us advice and encouragement throughout the process!

One strange thing did happen, though....the consular officer told my wife that after entering the US she would wait three months to receive her green card. I don't know if he realized that we were applied for a K-3 entry visa, but if she DOES get it, hey, that's great, $1000 less to worry about!

More to come!!.....

Hey all, I know I haven't been on for awhile....good news, I finally got an appointment date set for my wife, but it's a long ways away from the date I handed in the paperwork. Packet 3 handed in January 10th, visa interview FEBRUARY 21st! I mean, usually the embassy down here schedules interviews within 20 days or so of receiving the packet, but it's gonna be over a month....just a little disappointed about how far away the interview date is, but content to know there's gonna be an interview at last! Good luck to all in their journeys as well!

Howdy all! Urge to Race, that chart is looking great from here, sorry I've been silent all this time....moved to a different part of Argentina because of extreme heat in the north. I'm waiting for my joint sponsor to send his documents so I can hand in Packet 3, hopefully with an interview sometime in January at this point....it's too bad, I was hoping to finish the process by the beginning of January, but things sometimes don't work out. I don't have regular internet access anymore, but I'll keep everyone posted as time and access allows!

I confirmed receipt of my case as of Monday of this week. I had already received packet 3 by email, so I was able to get all my documents ready. However, because of the background check, we'll have to head to Buenos Aires and file directly with the federal agency (thank God it only takes 8 hours to process). As of December 11th we hope to have packet 3 at the embassy and wait for packet 4.

Just to let everyone know, I got an email from the embassy stating that they received our case, and that as soon as we want we can submit all the paperwork. I had already received packet 3 by email before, so I was able to get all the documents ready beforehand, now I have permission to submit everything. I think we're gonna shoot for the medical too before handing in the packet in order to get a quicker appointment. Good luck everyone!

Congrats!

YAY!!!! Guess what everyone? I checked online this morning and it says that my I-130 approval notice was sent on the 20th! YAY!!! Nothing yet for the 129-F but I'll keep checking my snail mail too. I was beginning to think they lost my papers or something.... THis is soo exciting!!!! Thanks everyone for helping me through this process!

Kristi

congratulation!

I have a question, did you get first an email or did you see your approval notice online?

I asked you because I normaly don't check my case online. I check my email every one hour.

I sent my I-130 one day after you (on 12. June ), but I haven't got any answer from USCIS.

good luck

amoro

I signed up for the automatic email advisory program, but I've never received an email from USCIS to this date, even though they approved the petitions in early November. I suggest you either log on to the site or wait for the hard copies in the mail....CSC isn't doing that good of a job lately with their IT staff apparently....

Banfield,

did you get packet3 home or you have just printed forms from website? I requested my forms via email and i just got an email saying we have sent you packet3.....we haven't received your papers to set up an interview.

They sent them to me via email. The actual packet has not arrived.

Banfield

In the email did they say that your petition arrived at the embassy? I had requested and received packet 3 in October, even before CSC approved the petition, so unless in the email they actually say they received it, it's possible that they're just being nice and sent you the packet ahead of time. I thought about sending in a CD with clips and photos, and having seen the inside of the embassy I know they have computers to view the stuff, but I think they want to see more hard copy photos with explanations. What it boils down to is that they want to know if you're actually married or not, or if it's a sham. According to the NVC, my petition was sent out a week before yours but the embassy hasn't contacted me yet (even though I sent them the NVC petition number) saying that they received it, so it's possible that it's still in a pile of mail waiting to be processed....however, I'm not in too much of a hurry, as I can't get down to Buenos Aires until the second week of December to get the police check done (thank God that it only takes 8 hours to process, I can do it in one day no problem). The medical, well, you can't actually get that done until they receive your packet 3 info from what they told me in emails....

What a day, few minutes ago 11:49pm I checked my online USCIS profile, and I saw an update on my I-130 date, it has been touched and the date is 11/21/2007, even though we are still on 11/20/2007, that's not the end of the story, I checked the status for my I-130, and there you go

My I-130 is approved

Here is the message....

[Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On November 20, 2007, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.]

But for my I-129F it still saying pending under process, but like I said above in my previous post the last update date says 11/20, that means my I-130 and I-129F were together, but only the I-130 got approved so far, I don't know what will happen to the I-129F, I hope it will follow, and I hope they will not say (because there is 2 months between both cases), ,

I wouldn't worry so much about the online status of your I-129f. I was approved on November 7th for the I-130, but to this day my online status for the I-129f says "in process" even though I received the hardcopy NOA2 together with my I-130 NOA2. Just keep looking for the snail mail results, you've probably been approved for both!

Hi John&Celia,

Have you contacted Buenos Aires yet to see if they have received the paper version yet?

Thanks

I was the member who saw on the website that we'd been approved for the I-130 but not the I-129f...the next day both NOA2's arrived in the mail, and to this day the USCIS website still shows "pending", even though my I-129f has already passed NVC and is in Buenos Aires. You've probably been approved for both, just wait for the hard copies!

We've emailed a few times to Buenos Aires, and we already got an "unofficial" email with the Packet 3 information, but they haven't contacted us directly letting us know that they've received it. This week hopefully....

I was the member who saw on the website that we'd been approved for the I-130 but not the I-129f...the next day both NOA2's arrived in the mail, and to this day the USCIS website still shows "pending", even though my I-129f has already passed NVC and is in Buenos Aires. You've probably been approved for both, just wait for the hard copies!

I'm sad to hear of your bad experience....I remember when I met my wife, a few people in my family told me to watch out for the possibility of her being an "oportunista", which I have observed in other marriages throughout my world travels. However, after having lived here in Argentina for nearly a year and a half, happily married and fully aware of her daily life and family, etc., it's proven to me that she's genuine....more so, when I brought up the topic that one day we should move to the states, she got very upset and told me that she wanted to stay in Argentina. Only after she talked to her family, her pastor, and my family did she understand the opportunities for both of us to live in the states, and she agreed. My fight was the opposite from yours, we had actually never planned on moving to the states!

I will say one thing, as a US latino, I endured alot more discrimination and racism in the USA than I have here in Argentina....every country has its positives and negatives, what matters is our attitude towards making the world a better place, regardless of which country we're from or which country we go to!

i134 form has expire date: 04-30-07. is it ok to still use that form?

If you got the form off of the USCIS website, you're fine. The expiration date is just a in-house reminder to review the form, but if no changes are needed or the review isn't finished they allow the form. Sometimes they update a form but still allow the last two or three revisions before the latest one to be valid....the last revision from what I've seen for the I-134 is the one that "expired" in April. It's this year's form, so go ahead and use it.

Can you post a sample email for this purpose? Did you have to include the case number in the subject line. What else should be included in the email? Thanks.

Just FYI, I've been in contact with the embassy in Buenos Aires for more than a month now, even before we got our NOA2's. I wanted to get Packet 3 beforehand because of our rather remote location, and they sent it to us by email even though we didn't have a case number. Although each embassy varies a bit, for the most part it's the same things that are needed, i.e. vaccinations, police check, evidence of marriage, forms to fill out, etc. You can get most of the information here on VJ....hope that helps!

Updated the list to include John&Celia and Maria FDA.

Thanks UTR for adding our info...btw, we're applying at Buenos Aires (it says Mumbai). Thanks!

Here is the list of the people who so far have posted info to this thread.... please send along any updates or updates

I think I've already posted earlier....apparently I got NOA2 from CSC on November 6th, hard copy November 7th, NVC notice date November 8th, and (according to the operator) petition sent out November 7th from NVC. Sounds kinda fast, huh? Yeah, that's what I'm thinking....but praise God, something's happening at long last! Add the info if you want!

Keep checking Edp333, they'll receive it soon Congrats to the new arrivals at the NVC. The good news is that the NVC received our case yesterday so at least we're officially out of the USCISs The lady Josh spoke to today said that it could take anything from 2-4 weeks to leave them (but keeping my hopes up that it'll be the fast processing NVC are known for).

Good luck to all those still waiting

More good news....called NVC today, they told me the I-129f was sent on November 7th to the embassy....that means the embassy already has it. Any way to check if the embassy got the package already?

Got a question...I just received a letter from NVC, dated November 8th, stating approval for our I-129f, including a barcode, and also stating that it'll be forwarded to the embassy in a week or less. I find it strange, though, considering the fact that I received our NOA2's on November 7th, with approval November 6th. Isn't that a little fast? I thought that it would normally take 2 weeks or more to get NVC approval...should I be jumping for joy or concerned? And what now? Can I use any shortcuts to send in the application ahead of time?

Guess I better add myself to this thread now....I'll check in two weeks on Tuesday morning to see if NVC has received our petition....hopefully the approvals at CSC also jump-started a trend at NVC!

Getting the approvals has to be one of the best birthday presents ever....today's my birthday, and I'm celebrating that I'll be home with my wife soon! Thanks for all the support everyone, things are finally moving and shaking!

Ok, just received the NOA2's in the mail for both the I-129f and the I-130, so we were approved for both of them but only the I-130 shows up as being approved on the website....another call to USCIS tomorrow apparently! Just thought I'd share the good news.....

Well, that is probably what I will do...I'll just keep the CR1 horse running (maybe Jame's shortcuts can help speed it up a bit)..and if the 1-129F gets approved then I will go with the K3.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Yeah, we're in the same boat, at least they approved our I-130 but the I-129f shows as still in processing...I detailed the situation on the other thread, and when I called USCIS the lady I spoke to told me that it was strange as well that I didn't get both approved at the same time, then she sent an inquiry on my behalf (very helpful lady, to be honest). I was one of the first to send in both petitions at the same time, maybe somehow they got separated. At least they didn't tell me that the I-129f would be cancelled like YGandMAT. More to come....

Also it is something new that they process petitions separately.

From what I understand, each petition is processed separately but the I-130 and I-129f (K3) have a recent trend of being "attached", or to say approved at the same time. It's possible for one to be approved and the other continue in processing, but when that happens it's usually the I-129f that gets processed faster than the I-130. My situation, along with YGandMAT's situation, is rather unique in that I'm one of the first people to have sent in both petitions at the same times just as the rules changed (at least from what I've seen on VJ), and there was a 5 day difference in NOA1 receipt dates between the two petitions. However, some people with later I-129f petition dates than mine have been approved, but only because their I-130 was sent in earlier than mine (they sent in the two petitions separately). Logically my I-130 shouldn't be approved yet, and my I-129f should be approved. So.....who knows? We shall see soon!

I called USCIS yesterday and got a woman who said, "they don't process the I-129f and I-130 together, you'll just have to wait", and said that they're currently processing applications from April hahaha....called today and a lovely young lady named Jessica sent an inquiry on my behalf concerning the possible separation of petitions. The only downside is the standard "response in 60 days" line they give everyone. However, today was the first time I felt that someone actually helped me at USCIS. She agreed that it was strange that my I-130 was approved before the I-129f, because usually it's together or the other way around....especially since I sent both petitions in at the same time. There is still hope!

I only got touched once before getting my NOA2 on my I-130, and that was because I did an online address change. I called USCIS asking why they haven't approved the I-129f yet, and the lady told me that they're processed separately...strange, because the trend is that they're attaching the two forms together, from what I understand. She said it could take another month to process the I-129f, which sounds suspicious because I sent both forms in at the same time....

John and Celia, this is strange, both of your applications should have been approved. I was told the same thing...that my I-129F would take from 30 to 60 days to approve. However, I was also told by a USCIS agent that since my I-130 was approved first and even if my I-129F was approved I could no longer use the I-129F to seek a K3. Is this true?

I am very discouraged right now.

It is strange, I know, but I think I know what happened....if what the lady said was correct, then maybe two separate people reviewed the applications, and only one of them updated the website. There have been a few remarks lately that people have received their NOA2 hard copies but the website says "still pending". I'm hoping that when I get my hard copy of the I-130 NOA2 that the I-129f NOA2 will be in the envelope too....we can always hope! Good luck on your cases too!

I only got touched once before getting my NOA2 on my I-130, and that was because I did an online address change. I called USCIS asking why they haven't approved the I-129f yet, and the lady told me that they're processed separately...strange, because the trend is that they're attaching the two forms together, from what I understand. She said it could take another month to process the I-129f, which sounds suspicious because I sent both forms in at the same time....