jeffmich2007

OMG I can't believe it!

Filed 28 Nov, received on 3rd Dec. NOA1 29 January and now approved 31 March.

VSC must really be moving! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

Big Congrats to you !!!! U filed after me and u got approval so happy for you

we filed Oct 18th 2007, recieved NOA1 14th Jan 2008 and have had a coulpe touches on I-130 ( 06.03.08 ) is most recent touch

We filed I-129F as soon as we got NOA1 for I-130

we got NOA1 for I-129F 24th Jan 2007 last touch on that was 24.02.08

Nothing else has happened to date for my hubby and i but seeing your approval is wonderful and i do wish u all the best with the rest of the journey

Hoping mine gets approved soon although i will be going out on K3

You got tbe on top of the world see ing approval

Michelle

Vermont is moving again, just got a notice of approval today for my I-130 petition, I-129F still pending. Hope this means more approvals for you people who are waiting on VSC. I filed end of September.

Congratulations on your Approval Hope you get your I-129F approved very soon

My husband filed mid October so maybe in the next couple weeks we shall see October approvals with a little luck

Michelle

I am aways happy to see approvals whether it be K1 or K3 or I-130 but what really gets me is married couples should be priority to fiance .....I myself am married and awaiting my approval for K3 ...we filed back in October 2007 and just got NOA1 in January then we were able to file our I-129F again we got our NOA1 end Jan for that....why is it there's a heck of a lot approvals are for K1 and we married people are left behind ...seems so unfair

I know our approval will come but it's rediculious that a lot K1's are getting approved in a matter of weeks...i am glad tho that thye dont have to go through the pain of waiting months on end like some of us on here!

Just wish there was a reason behind it ?

Good luck to all on this USCIS journey !

Michelle

Okay we have just returned the packet 3 stuff to the embassy (K1 Filing) and talking with my fiancee today someone she knows was giving her a hard time about why we did a K1 and not a K3. Basically this person was suggesting that it will take a long time to get a green-card on a K1 and that there's a good chance that all I (the USC) want to do is bring her here for a "test run" and if we don't like each other I'm going to "send her back".

Here's my thinking... first - there are far too many marriage brokers in Thailand!!!! Second - this other person has a friend who has had a bad experience on a K1 (states it's taken more than 10 years and they don't have a green-card yet).

Here's our situation and you tell me if I'm right in my thinking okay....

I live and work in America. I met her while on vacation (I don't travel to Thailand for long stints for work or anything). We stayed in touch and then took two vacations together and got real serious about each other.

If I were living in Thailand we would have gotten married and filed for K3 (because we'd have been together the whole time) but since I live in America I filed for a K1 instead of going there just to get married and then coming back to America to file a K3. We would still be apart and as I understand it we would have been apart for even longer because a K3 looks like it takes about 3 months longer, on average, to process.

After arrival in the US and the filing of AOS there doesn't seem to be any difference in the process... am I missing something? As long as you don't mess up the paperwork there's no reason it should take any longer to get permanent residence after your POE on a K1 or a K3 right???

You made your choice to go K1 and that has nothing to do with anyone but you and your fiance ...you both know what u want and that's eacother So hang in there and get through the process with the faith that you and your fiace are gonna be very happy together ...besides you don't need to prove that to anyone ...you already know it

I myself (in my past ) went out to USA on K1 visa a few years back ...i dated my fiance for 4 years before i married him...i was very happy and lead to beleive he was too, after all he ( the USC) surprised me and flew to UK and proposed. Unfortunately it didn't work out after just 8 months me being there, things were falling apart ...he had another agenda another woman

I lost my life savings ...my home ...my job and came back to UK penniless and homeless with my son, at the time he was 7 it was awful and it completely devastated me because i was not aware of the goings on.

I vowed i would never trust another man but hey nearly 6 years on i am re-married to another American whom i adore and is nothing like my x so it's amazing how things can change...like i say the first 3 years i was bitter and angry at what my x did ...used me... but as time went by i realised i was stopping myself from being happy and that NOT all men are like that so here i am going through K3 yet another thing i never thought i would go through but i am and i am very very happy so Don't let others bad experiences dobt your decisions because people are individual and we all have had our problems at some time in our life

I am going through this and im not looking forward to my interview because of being married to American before, i know this....I am honest and truthful and i love my husband very much im hoping the consular officer will see that for himself

Lets hope you sail through this K1 with ease

Good Luck to you both

Michelle

I think it's more likely that your approval will come in may, cosidering that USCIS is still approving august, sho they still have the whole month of september to go through before it gets to your file.

I dont think you have to worry about your I-129 date though, as they are aproving both applications together now

Thanks for that info ...it helps me a lot eventhough i know its just a guide

Good luck with you getting approval

Michelle

Hi everyone

I have been tracking our files online USCIS.... My husband filed our I-30 back in October 2007 but with backlog it was registerd online Jan 14 th 2007 although im sure they work off the honored date of Oct 2008. Our I-129F was finally filed Jan 25 2008 because we had to wait for the NOA1 of our I-130 before we could file the I-129F. While we do have an attorney handling our files i still keep close check on the happenings. There has been some movement and it has shown updated date changes on both files. The I-130 is now dated 6th march 2008 and the I-129F shows 24th Feb 2008.

My question is what's the chances of our I-129F being approved April this year ?

I will be going out to USA on K3 as we did only file 1 I-130 for myself but my son will be coming with me he is 12 yrs of age so he falls under the I-129F with me and since it's supposed to be a quicker option for us to be with my husband we opted for K3.

Let's hope i get approval soon cause i have not seen my husband since August 2007. Work commitments are holding my hubby in US although i am praying he can get to visit me here in Scotland around April but im not holding my breathe because he just started a new job.

Anyone in the same boat as myself ...waiting on Approval of I-129F for K3

We are at Vermont Service Centre which i hear they work faster than some.

Michelle

I am no expert but i would say when your faced with ANY legal documents and dealings with Immigration Officers at Airport or elsewhere I would say Seek Good Advice from an Immigration Attorney they are far more experienced on these kinda things.

Good Luck and don't lose faith

Michelle

Hi Susie

How are things with you ? I wanted to let you know of my updated info ....

my husband filed I-130 for myself On October 18th 2007 we got NOA1 for this Jan 14th 2008 what a terrible wait just for NOA1 but since then the case number is still not recognised on thier system so i can't track it however, he filed the I-129F on Jan 22nd we got NOA1 Jan 25th and it was touched 31st Jan 2008 and today i looked again and we have another date which is 24th Feb 2008 so i guess they are moving along nicely with I-129F regardless if they are K1 or K3/K4

I just hope our I-129F comes through sooner than I-130 because i have not seen my husband since August 25th 2007...seems forever !

Lets hope approvals are soon

Good luck

Michelle

I upgraded my I-130 on September 07 and sent my petition for the I-129F on October 3rd.

10/11/07 - Date of receipt on my NOA!

10/17/07 - Received NOA1

Waiting for approval for I-130 and I-129F

I mailed our I-130 the end of October and I-129F in January....

My attorney has indicated we should have some response by May....

Sure hoping sooner.. The waiting is nothing short of torture.

Our I-130 was received at CSC October 19th

NOA1 14th Jan 2008

I-129F sent Jan 22nd 2008

Received 25th

Touched 01.31.08

what i'd like to know is how long will it be before anyone of them is approved ? although i will be looking to enter on K3/K4 visa as our attorney only sent 1 I-130 for me and not for my son so K3 /K4 is the way for me and my son now i guess.

Thanks in Advance

Michelle

I believe i have the ability to make my own passport photo which is required for the I-129 petition,.... will this be acceptable? Or does it have to be done by a "passport photo professional"?

There is so much info. on how to make this photo correctly, that i can only think they give these details for the average Joe so he can do it him/herself. I mean why give all this info. to the "passport photo professional"? They already know how to.

bp

If you send in a home made passport pic it may not be good enough and so not to hold up any processing i would definitely go to a professional Photo Store and have it done. The cost is not a lot of money and well worth it and it's safer.

Make life simple as possible when your dealing with USCIS ...that's just my thoughts

Good Luck

Michelle

I posted a question regarding my I-130 that i submitted on the 10 of juanuary 2008, but i have not got a satisfying answer.

i really need to know if i should be getting a NOA 1 by now or i should wait a little more.

is this normal for everyone else?

do i have to call the USCIS to aquire about my petetion?

is there a way to expedite this process?

thanks guys

I know its a long wait!!! ..... My husband (USC) filed I-130 for me (UK) in October 18th 2007 and it took 89 days for us to get NOA1 because of the backlog ...shocking isn't it !

I know they are catching up but not sure how long u will have to wait for NOA1 no harm in calling USCIS.

Our I-129F was filed on Jan 22nd 2008 god only knows how long we shall have to wait for that ...LOL... the officer told my hubby 3 to 4 months as i am going out K3

Good luck and hang in there USCIS are not gonna be backlogged forever.

Michelle

I just got my receipt notice for the I-130 and was getting ready to send it out right now, but figured I'd look on here if there was any releant info I might like to know. So seriously..... are they cancelling the K3 visa? Does that mean if I send it in, it will not only delay my I-130 but it will be basically thrown in the trash?!? I really really need an answer because If I should send it, I want to send it as soooooon as possible. But I don't want to send it if it will be worse than useless... really need an answer soon before the post office closes

As far as i know there is NO word of the cancelling of K3 filing !!!....My husband filed I-130 for me in October 19th 2007 we got NOA1 Jan 14th and receipt in the mail on Friday 18th Jan...He filed the I-129F for K3 the following Tuesday 22nd Jan 2008.. He called USCIS yesterday and he was told we were in the system and even got to talk with Immigration Officer where upon he asked how long before the processing of I-129F would be comeplete the immigration Officer told him worst case it would take 4 months on average it takes 3 months. My hubby is in Florida and I am in UK so we are looking to go K3 and hopefully our file will be going to NVC around April or May at the latest then it will go to London.

Hope this helps

Call USCIS if your overly concerned ....They did say they were catching up on a lot processing so we shall see

Good Luck

Michelle

I have been working to get my fiance's file transferred to the Dublin Embassy for a while now. NVC just sent the file on 01/18/08 to London. I have attempted to contact the London Embassy as NVC told me to which I was then informed to email.

Has anyone had experience emailing the London Embassy for requests? I submitted the subject with "Urgent" as I was instructed to by the Embassy operator. I got the autoresponse email back that says it was deleted (as apparently this is normal). How will I know if the request has been handled? Will they contact me via email? I gave them all the information I could with his new address in Ireland and the request.

Thanks!

-Dawn

Hi Dawn

I have e-mailed the London Embassy on a few occassions and yes u will get an e-mail saying they deleted it but Don't worry they will have your e-mail trust me Lond are pretty good i have experienced the same thing ...you may also get an e-mail saying they received your e-mail and will take 4 days to reply sometimes you get a reply sooner ....what i will say is Don't send your e-mail more than once as it will get deleted so what your experiencing is normal responses from London Consulate ...all very confusing i know but hang in there u will get a reply. I would call the embassy and let them know your request im sure your file is there and they will be able to make sure your request is carried out.

Good luck

Michelle

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Hi

I am from Scotland and got married in Florida as my husband is from there. It was not our original plans as we did plan to get married here in Scotland at christmas time last year but instead we went and got married in Florida in August last year. it is possible for you and your fiance to get married in Scotland ( just remember scottish law is different to English eventhough we are both UK) also its easier to get married in Scotland cause i checked it out. First off I was told my husband ( USC) would need to get permission from his state that he was NOT staying just visiting for marriage it takes 4 weeks to get paperwork and then i would have to pass this paperwork on to Scottish authorities and then it takes 2 weeks to get marriage license which allows us to

get married in Scotland ...ofcourse thats easy but all the same you will still have to go through I-130 but then it would go through London which means its faster approx 6 months so u it's worth calling the Scottish Authorities and the State where your USC lives to find out the timescale. Either way you both have to wait for final approval and visa. It is said that Scotland is one the easiest countries to get married in. I wish i had stuck out and waited to get married in Scotland knowing what i know now but unfortunately for me my husband had some family setbacks which would not allow him to be here at Christmas so we took the second option.

Where in Scotland is your fiance from ?

I am in Aberdeen the North East

Good luck whatever you choose

Michelle

I would like to know any recent experiances in how long it took to get inteview date after getting notice from Embassy.

The letter we got said it would be schedualed in 3 to 4 weeks.

That was the last we heard from them over 3 weeks ago.

HI

I would contact the embassy direct and find out if a date has been scheduled, it's not uncommon for the letter to be lost or sent to wrong address and since its so close I would call and ask

Good luck

Michelle

I would like to know any recent experiances in how long it took to get inteview date after getting notice from Embassy.

The letter we got said it would be schedualed in 3 to 4 weeks.

That was the last we heard from them over 3 weeks ago.

HI

I would contact the embassy direct and find out if a date has been scheduled, it's not uncommon for the letter to be lost or sent to wrong address and since its so close I would call and ask

Good luck

Michelle

I am sure they say 4 days or so ( thats working days ) for the embassy to reply so u should hear soon In cases where i have asked questions they have taken 4 days or so to reply me also do not send the same e-mail twice as they will delete it from thier system. Good luck withyour medial and interview it's all gonna happen pretty soon for ya

Michelle

You are asking for Senator help after less than 3 months of submission????

Have a little patience --- something very necessary in this process.....

We do have paitence and did not ask for any special treatment but remember senators are there to help US citizens are they not?

Also don't be so rude in your response !

My husband has as much right to contact his senator as any other USC!

Good luck to you

Michelle

Hi to those I-130's out there sitting in this terrible backlog.

My husband sent out an e-mail to alot of senators and goveners just last friday (4th dec) he got a very nice letter form his senator along with a permission letter from the senator requesting to access our files that we sent to USCIS back in October 18th 2007, which he as signed and faxed back. Our attorney is very impressed of the quick response. The senator said in his letter that he wants to help get our case approved in a timely manner and ensured my husband that he is on the case so we shall see. I know its early days but with the backlog we still have no NOA1 nor has our cheque been cashed so he took the action of seeking help through his senator.....Thats what these people are here for so no harm in asking for help right ?

I know this may not make any difference and we are NOT asking for a favour like to be pushed through My husband is simply asking the Senator to see if he can locate our file and find out how long its all gonna take and since there is a backlog it would be nice to know what he finds out. Ofcourse we want this process to go quickly as husband and wife we want to be together but just knowing where it is and when we should look for it to get to London, UK for me to go for interview would be great...lets see what the outcome will be

The senator acted fast on my husbands e-mail, only took 2 days to get a response so thats a good sign

Good luck to all that are waiting for approvals

Michelle

I am a US citizen and my fiance is from Venezuela. She has a visitors visa good until 2014 with stays up to 6months at a time. My question is what paper work do we need in order to get married in the States by the Justice of the peace? Also, after the marriage, we would be applying for the spouse visa (K3) correct? We both know she will have to return to Venezuela until the visa is approved and is no problem. She plans on staying there until December of this year. I am wanting to know if it is necessary to have the Fiance visa first in order to perform the marriage here. Thanks in advance!

Hi and how nice you have your fiance with you As far as i know you don't need the Fiance visa if you plan to get married in USA however if you do get married in US your fiance will definitely have to return to her country and then you file the I-130 form and then the long wait is gonna start for u both. either way you go fiance visa or spousal visa u will both have to spent time apart in your own countries till you have all paperwork completed and approved. I do beleive you can visit your wife ( if you get married) as u will be the petitioner and have more freedom to come and go.

No law says you can't get married to a non US citizen/ permenant resident but it is illegal for your fiance to stay over her return date.

I am sure if i got it wrong then nice ppl on here with more knowledge will correct my comment. I am scottish and got married to american August 2007. we got married in Naples, Florida but i returned to UK so here i am waiting, going throught this process. It's been 3 months since we filed the I-130 and still no word but there is a backlog. I will be going out on K3 visa so im waiting paitently ...I hope to be in USA by July 2008

Good luck in whatever you choose to do Lots ppl on here are very helpful and going through the same

Michelle

I am making a last minute choice to either fly to the US and risk getting turned away at Point of Entry or to hold it out in the Uk until my interview.

The thing is i would just get on a plane and fly right to the USA but i just called the US embassy to find out what is happening with my visa interview and also to find out if i was to fly to the US and get turned away would it effect my K1 visa they couldn't tell me anything about my application for my visa and they said they wouldn't fly to the USA at the moment as it would look like I didn't want to hang around for the results of my K1. and the man also said that it could drastically implicate my K1 visa but he couldn't actually tell me if it would directly effect it or not..

I would just like any advice has anyone ever got turned down at Point of Entry?? What happens??? Will it effect my K1??? I Have travelled to the US on the Visa Waver 4 times consecutively in the Past and this would be the last time that i would need to do it I just need to know what will happen if worst came to worst.

By the way i have no real ties to England my home so i cant take proof with me.

I am pretty sure while you have a K1 in process you do stand a high chance of getting denied entry...I personally would NOt take the chance because it will affect your visa as u have no strong ties to UK also i know that the Consulate in London do NOT look on this lightly! I asked a Consulate Officer in London if i could travel to US while the visa process was ongoing he said NO i had to remain in my own country so if it were me i would NOT even try to enter USA at this present time, it's not worth it because getting a denied entry will cause a lot probs in the future beleieve me i know i have been through it !

:)The time will pass and you and your fiance will be together Just hang in there

Michelle

we had our interview on tuesday in dublin ireland for a cr1 visa. they seemed very confused about weather i was previously deported or not. on Thursday they asked me to come back in to tell me i am not eligible for a visa because of previous misrepresentation and "order removed upon arrival".

long story short: last year i went to visit my girlfriend at that time, i had a visitors visa and only a one way ticket. at the poe they harassed me and my girlfriend, trying to get us to admit something. at one point they called my girlfriend and claimed to me that she said i was going over to live there and that we had an apartment together and had plans to get married. this was all so ridiculous and very false, i knew my girlfriend/wife did not say that. i was merely visiting. they made up similar stories to my then girlfriend claiming i similar plans. Both of us never lied about our intention saying it was just a visit. they were under the impression that i was an intending immigrant.

they told me if i leave voluntarily and pay my own airfare back, i would not be barred for 5 years. and i would not be allowed back in until i had an immigrant visa.

since this mess at the poe, we have met in a nice country (canada) and lived there together and got married and started on the cr1 visa, back in nov last yr.

our interview was tuesday and the embassy wasnt sure about what happened at the poe last yr and needed to check it out, they asked us to come back in on thurs to say im not eligable because i would need a waiver.

they gave me 2 waivers to complete i601 and i212.

the part i dont understand is, they say i have a "212 A 9 A i : Order removed upon arrival" on my record. but i voluntarily departed and paid my own airfare. the instructions on the waiver say it doesn't need to be filed if you voluntarily left without the expense of the us government.

we've spent far too much time and money on this, so we'll probably just forget the land of freedom and opportunity and move to europe.

if however somebody made a mistake somewhere along the line, we need to find out who. the embassy admitted that there was a serious break in communication at some point

I am so so sorry to hear your dissapointing news I know it's cost you a lot of money dealing with immigration , your last resort is to get an Immigration Attorney because if you give up on this now, it will always be a problem.

I went through a denied entry at Detroit Airport. I was visiting my friend in Michigan back in 2002 but had entered the states 7 times within 14 months ( i had b/friend at the time) so when i got denied it was due to lack of strong ties to uk. I went on to receive a travel visa in 2007 and now im married and going through I-130 filing as my husband is in Florida and i am in Scotland.

I guess since you only had a one way ticket and nothing more than a travel visa immigration would have jumped all over u as they did see u as a risk, in immigration's eyes the one way ticket said it all so thats why u had such a hard time.

I didnt get an attorney to sort out my denied entry i just dealt with it directly with London and they were okay about it but i will always need a travel visa if i wish to travel to USA on vaction and i will always get pulled up at POE. Now I am going through the Spousal Visa Process ( K3) we have hired an attorney simply to act on the denied entry because it's like a leech it sticks to you like glue.

I know every detail is recorded at POE i have had enough dealings with immigration at POE in the past because of the denied entry that its like here we go again ! It gets tiresome and old but i am always aware it will all be brought up. I kept the original documents and still have to this day so it helps but still a pain in the butt.

Please seek an Immigration Attorney to act for you because it seems there is a case for him there, I know it costs money but beleive me it's better to get sorted now that let it drag on.

Good Luck whatever you choose to do

Michelle

Are you 2 both with the VSC? Its looking a bit scarce on here for October I-130 filers with CSC. Hopefully thats a good sign for me..

Good luck to you guys....Keep us posted on the process here so we can compare service centers.

Hi I'm Michelle from UK and hubby is from Florida we filed I-130 19th Oct 2007 Texas SC but i hear it's getting re-routed to CSC because the backlog...who knows. We are going to take the I-129F route as it is faster and well paperwork is never ending when u deal with USCIS so either way my hubby and i will be together hopefully by Spring / Early Summer 2008 if we are lucky

It will be interesting to see NOA's

Good luck and kleep in touch

Michelle

Prior to July it use to take 2-3 weeks. I filled mine on September 14th 2007, and USCIS received it on the 17, but I haven't received the Notice of Action (NOA1) from the USCIS. There are people who filled in August and still haven't received the NOA 1. Now, it could take upto 90 days to get NOA 1. Yes, the I-129F (K3) visa works faster than the I-130, but you would have to do a lot of paper work when you arrive in the USA. I hope it helps, keep us posted on you status.

Hun,

Same here husband from Uk we married in Florida and he went back so lawyer filed all paperwork, I129 I130 and K3 on August 28, 2007 - now we just wait, yes it was received but USCIS says wait till end of November for reciept basically.......so long........so far away...........let me know how it goes and best to you both

cheers

Susie

Hi Susie

I know what it feels like to be waiting but it will be worth it We are still waiting for the NOA for the I-130 as soon as we get it we are filing the I-129F so we are looking at possibly 6 months once its filed well fingers crossed Our Attorney is calling the USCIS to chase up our NOA for the I-130 so im hoping to hear soon but i will let you guys know when it happens

Meantime i work full-time and keep busy with my son who is 11 but i DO miss my hubby very much ...talking on the phone and webcam every day is great but does not compare to being together physically but i am dealing with the distance best i can. I am hoping that my hubby will be here at Chritmas

It's a stressful time for all that's going through USCIS !

It would be nice to get to know some ppl that are going through the same as myself. I am new to this site so trying learn how it all works

Hope all goes well for you Susie ...keep touch It will be nice to know how everyone gets on

Michelle

Hi All

I am new to this forum and wish to hear of others in the same boat as myself

My USC Fiance and i got married in Florida this year it was not planned as I am from Scotland and we did have plans for christmas weddding here in Scotland but that changed and we tied the knot in Florida in August.

My husband and i have hired an attorney to handle the paperwork for us although we filed out the forms but we might need hius help along the way.

Anyways...he sent the I-130 paperwork to Texas SC on 19th October and has to this present time not received notice that they received the paperwork but he knows they have as it was fedexed and signed for. I am just wondering how long should it take for Texas to say they got it ?

Also our Attorney is filing I-129F for K3/K4 which is what myself and my son is going out on as they say that gets approved a lot faster than I-130. Anyone know if this is true ?

If so whats the timeframe for K3/K4

I will be going to US Embassy in London for my Interview once the time comes whenever that may be...LOL

All help very much appreciated

Michelle