CTCR

I submitted the I-130 petition for my husband (U.K.) on December 7, 2022. Its status IMMEDIATELY updated to "being actively reviewed" and it said our wait estimate was 7 months (so est. July 2023). Around the beginning of 2023, it changed to 10 months from that point (so est. fall-winter 2023). It slowly dwindled down, right on time, until a month ago, when it suddenly updated to two weeks! Then the two weeks came and went, and we no longer have a wait time estimate at all. Just says it's "taking longer than expected." Meanwhile, I've seen the overall estimated turnaround time increase from the 7-10 months the USCIS quoted in the beginning to now over three years! And the USCIS is now saying that the earliest date I can submit questions about my petition is January 10, 2026! That's compared to my original quote of June 2023 to be able to ask questions. So basically everything keeps getting pushed back longer and longer. I'm trying really hard not to panic about it, but as of typing this, our case has supposedly been "being actively reviewed" for seven months when it doesn't appear they're actually anywhere near looking at our application. And every time we get close to the day we're allowed to submit inquiries about our case, it's pushed back even more. So what the heck is going on with this? Has anyone else experienced this? For anyone who just got approved, when did you submit? Also, here is a simplified timeline if it helps: -December 7, 2022: I-130 submitted. Case being actively reviewed. Estimated time until case decision is 7 months. Can ask questions in June 2023. -Feb./March 2023: Case still being actively reviewed. Estimated time until case decision is 10 months. Can ask questions in August 2023. -June 2023: Case still being actively reviewed. Estimated time until case decision is 2 weeks. -Now, July 2023: Case is still being actively reviewed. No estimated time at all. Can ask questions in January 2026.

Thank you! We're definitely starting to lean toward the CR-1. Him not being able to work for a while after is a huge concern for us, so that alone sells the CR-1. Thank you! Is the difference in total fees really that significant?

Hi, everyone! I’m a first-time poster here, just trying to make sense of this whole confusing process before diving in. Any advice or recommendations from people who are either currently in the same boat or have already finished their visa process would be very much appreciated. My fiancé and I are getting ready to submit our visa petition. He’s currently in the UK, and I’m the US citizen. We’re going to do the K-1 visa, so he can move here and we can get married. However, after seeing some other posts on here, I’m starting to wonder if we should get married first and then do the CR-1 visa instead. If I’m understanding correctly, it basically involves the same forms, filing fees, and proof required for both visas. However, the K-1 splits the mountain of paperwork in half (before and after the move to the US and the marriage, pretty much) and leaves him waiting for the second half to be completed before he can work here, travel again, or get his green card. Meanwhile, the CR-1 would mean we’d tackle the whole mountain of paperwork first, and then he can essentially hit the ground running when he gets here because everything (adjustment of status, green card, etc.) is already done. I guess my question here is, which one makes more sense for us to do? He’s pretty concerned with financial implications, both in terms of filing fees and proof of income, since we’re both freelancers. The ability for him to travel again sooner would be pretty important, since he has an elderly mother who’s staying in the UK. Both of us are just anxious to get it done and done right, without getting too stressed out over it all. Obviously, being together sooner would have its perks, but I’m under no illusion that either of these options will be quick. Instead, I’m looking for the more efficient option, as well as the least stressful option (if there even is one). So, for those of you who have gone through these processes before us, is it easier, financially and in terms of paperwork, to deal with it in chunks and do the K-1? Was it worth doing it all at once for the CR-1? For the immigrants in this equation, which one was easier on you once you were here in the US? Any perspectives anyone can share on the pros and cons of either of these visas, particularly from the immigrant’s perspective, would be super helpful. I just want to make sure we pick the right visa and that his process of moving here goes as smoothly as possible, even after he’s landed. Thanks!