JayFromTexas

I'm happy to report that our wait is over. Both cases were changed to "Issued" today.

Both

My Russian wife had her interview on July 19th in Bangkok Thailand. At first, they asked us to provide marriage certificates from all our previous marriages. We had never seen a request to send marriage certificates from previous marriages. We uploaded our certified divorce decrees as requested. They wanted to cancel her interview and have us reschedule the interview in the future, which would mean we would have to go back home to Russia and America and spend the $$ to come back to Bangkok at a future date. We were devastated. We were thorough. We were careful. We worked with a very experienced advisor. We were very confident that we had done everything required and that we had uploaded all required docs. Our advisor helps 75 cases per year and she hadn't seen a situation where they wanted the marriage certs, in addition to divorce documents. My wife pleaded with the COs and they eventually relented. They allow my wife and stepdaughter to sit for the interview. The usual questions were asked. There was only one missing piece which was my wife's old passport which had her active B1 visa in it. She had a new passport with her new name, but she kept her old passport because of the tourist visa. Unfortunately, she didn't bring it to the interview with her. They told her they needed the passport with the tourist visa so it could be cancelled which would allow them to issue her a CR1 visa. They wouldn't let us go to our Airbnb and get her passport and bring it back the same day. They would only let us mail it to them, which we did that day. So, the result of the interview, as we understood it was she and her daughter would get their passports back in 7-10 days with their CR1/CR2 visas. Now it's August 7th and we haven't heard anything. We contacted them to confirm they received the passport we mailed to them and their form letter kinda said they received it, but it is written with some ambiguity. We asked about the status of their cases a week ago and got a form email back that our case is in Administrative Processing and they'll let us know when they either issue the visa or need anything else from us. The problem is, we have no clue whether it will be 1 week, 1 month or 3 months. How do we deal with such uncertainty. We're in a timezone 12 hours away from my home in Texas which makes it very difficult to work remotely. Today is the first day of school in Texas so we've missed that. It's all very depressing. We contacted our US Senator and they were zero help. They just told us what we already know. Is there anything we can do? Does a consulate ever give an indication as to how long the wait is going to be? We don't know if the wait is due to an issue with our case or due to a backlog. As I mentioned the CO said they would send their passports in 7-10 days and that timeframe has come and past. What can we do? Thanks.

I guess I still don't understand the Visa Bulletin. He is eligible to pay the fees and submit documents, but he still might age out? I thought that if your PD was prior to the Visa Bulletin date AND you were under 21, you qualified to submit paperwork and the wait from that point wouldn't cause you to age out. No?

He was 18 when we got married and I understand every day/week matters which is why she wants to file at the earliest moment possible. If she's going to have an A# on her passport visa then I think that is what we need. Thanks everyone.

My wife has her CR1 interview scheduled for July 19th in Thailand. We anticipate success and that she will enter the US and become a LPR a few days later. We want to file an I130 for her 19 yr old son as soon as possible. I've read (I don't remember where) that when her CR1 visa is stamped upon her entry into the US, that she becomes a LPR and can then file an I130 on behalf of her son, even before receiving her green card. Is that correct? I've already started the paperwork on USCIS and they are asking for her A#, USCIS Online # or her SS#. She doesn't have any of these. On the next page, the online I130 application asks when she entered the US and where, which we will fill in when she arrives. Is it acceptable to only provide the date & location of her entry to validate her LPR and allow her to file the I130 form? Thanks!

Robert, how long have you been looking? My wife needed an appointment (at the Bangkok consulate) for her CR1 and we watched the website for a little over a week and then they released several appointment openings. There were open slots for several days after that. I think they release appts toward the end of the month. In April, they released appoints for 19 July on 29 April. We got two of the 19 July appointments, one for my wife and one for my daughter. Even after that, there were 20-30 slots available for July and as I said, they were available for several days after. So, you might have to wait another couple of weeks, but you should see some slots soon. Good luck!

He is asking how long after his Fiancé arrives in the US will she receive her green card. The process is taking 6-8 months, not 2-3 years.

Just another datapoint to consider. I and my wife have flown through Istanbul on Turkish Air multiple times and have not experienced any delays or changes in connections. It is significantly cheaper than flying through Dubai, and it is a shorter distance and requires less travel time. For us, flying through Istanbul is the preferred route.