JimmyX

Hang in there! We're at 80 days since READY. I emailed about an extension and was told she will be notified. She called the embassy and was told to be patient. NOA2 expires this week so I'll email again about the extension. We're continuing to learn about each other as far as how we deal with documents and being patient in the process, so all is not lost.

The answer to this question is embassy/consulate specific. Some yes, some no. Your Timeline on here shows the beneficiary is based in Kenya, but will be interviewing through the Armenia embassy. I'm guessing it may be a mistake, so if you are looking for information on the Nairobi embassy processing times, I can tell you it seems many of the sub-Saharan African embassies are not moving as quickly as many in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Mine left the NVC over 70 days ago, but now it's at the embassy and waiting for them to begin processing. It can be frustrating seeing all these other people who sent in their form 6 months after we did getting interviews and we're just here waiting still. Hang in there, buddy! We got this. 😇

Of course you can file now and see her in a few months; however it may not give you the best chance of approval. It seems like you are really excited about this whole thing! From all of the messages on here, it also seems you may be recognizing red flags in your ability to prove the validity of your relationship. Many of the responses here seem to be suggesting you may want to take more time getting to know one another both to help settle your concerns as well as to help settle the concerns of a visa officer. As I read it, while you seem to share similar cultures, some of the major concerns from an outsider's view might be: You have not spent much time together You have not known each other very long You seem to be in a rush to get her over here The online engagement ceremony and engagement certificate may actually confuse the issue While most of us are anxious to get through this process and be with our love one, the primary cause for visa denial is the perception that the relationship is not genuine. Additionally, a fiancé visa will not be issued to a married couple, and there is no formal engagement process in the United States. There are numerous examples of denials based on appearance of marriage (dowry payments, formal engagement parties, photos that appear to show a wedding ceremony, etc.). Obviously every culture has different approaches to these things (e.g., a dowry/bride price in some cultures may be required before the family allows their daughter to move, and in other cultures it actually signifies that the couple if officially married), so each case is different. Even so, it would probably be advised by most people on here that you simply follow the steps outlined in the guides on here and any country-specific advice you can find as well. People have been through the process and some of the respondents have seen so many things as they have been contributing to this site for well over a decade. Hopefully you can get this all sorted out and move forward with whichever option you feel is best for your situation and the two of you can be reunited soon!

This can be such a challenging process! When I called my embassy almost two months after the case was marked READY, I was told to be patient. Hang in there. She scheduled the interview before receiving instructions and when she arrived, she was given instructions to follow., that clearly indicated she had scheduled the interview too early, but outlined the steps to take. Each embassy handles things differently, and other people in this conversation have sent instructions detailing the process for your specific embassy (quoted and redacted below, but the specific links and phone numbers are at the link that was provided during this discussion). If I were in your position, I would follow the instructions they gave me and schedule that interview.

Oh, how frustrating, but at the same time you are moving forward! Progress!!!

Different embassy, same situation. Received 3/28/24, just waiting. I was told by the embassy to just wait and submit the DS-160 with the other documents. I'm wondering more and more if they meant submit the confirmation page with other documents. Does anyone know if we should submit the DS-160 online and pay the fee now or just continue waiting?

Yeah...eesh. Maybe part of that wait includes the delay in shipping! Mine is showing something like either 33 days or 274, depending on which classification the K visa is considered. So...either June or February I guess.

54 days since the case was received at the embassy and still no Packet 3. What's frustrating everyone else today? 😂

* The point of this post is to provide encouragement for someone in the future who may feel like this whole convoluted process is convoluted. It is! But it's okay. Hang in there. Background: Our case was received at the embassy and marked READY March 28th; upon email inquiry, the embassy told us to wait to submit the DS-160 until my fiancée receives a welcome email (presumably packet 3) It has been 47 days now and she has not received a welcome email. I spent all weekend souring the USCIS/NVC/embassy website documentation and could not find a step-by-step guide that included "submit the DS-160 before/after the embassy contacts you". I have searched Facebook groups and this website and have read reports of people filing before being contacted, and getting the interview scheduled as soon as they submitted, whereas others have been reprimanded by the embassy for submitting. Some comments indicate "if you get packet 3" and indicating that many embassies don't send it, and others send packet 3 and packet 4 together after the interview is scheduled. The CEAC status gives instructions that direct me to a site explaining the interview process, but the same workflow has a place to submit the DS-260, but not the DS-160. Needless to say, it's all overwhelming and confusing. No worries, just check and see what other timelines look like for applicants from our embassy. Great! Somehow I don't think the last three cases from this embassy (who had interviews in 2018, 2014, and 2014 respectively) bear too much resemblance to the current situation. So today I placed an international call, waded through the various touchtone response menus and finally spoke with a person. I was told to be patient and continue waiting. That's it. The clear answer of when to file the DS-160 is, IT ALL DEPENDS. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. So as we close out Day 47, we continue waiting. ** I will update this thread as things progress because EESH! It's a mess.

This sounds fun! No, there will be no problems from that standpoint. These are two different governments and no issues. The only red flag involved here would be the Danish flag. Your initial post indicates you met your fiancée a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps it is an issue of wording, so I presume you mean that was your first in-person meeting and and that you have known each other for a while prior to the first meeting. From the K-1 standpoint, it may be challenging to prove the authenticity of the relationship in general if you file for the visa so soon after first contact. Again, I hope it was a simple misunderstanding on my part. Good luck!

@Happy1233 Congratulations! I now it's exciting and hard to imagine waiting a few more months, but you're one step closer! To add what @MalloryCat said, once it is at the embassy, it may still be weeks or even months before you hear anything. Different embassy, but ours was received six weeks ago and still nothing. Just hang in there!

It is embassy specific, but for what it's worth, I reached out to the Lusaka, Zambia embassy through their email contact info. I was was told not submit the DS-160 yet until she receives an email with dropoff date and interview date. They did confirm that the case was received. We were told that she will submit the DS-160 on a specified date. I see you have been waiting over a year now; we submitted in August and our case was last updated 3/28/24, so I can definitely relate to the frustration of waiting! Hang in there! From what I understand, the receipt number for payment should be the Invoice ID# you need to schedule an appointment.

I received the NOA1 and NOA2 in the mail. Everything else has been through inquiries. No text messages, no proactive emails. Just keep on them!

Great. I don't really know and I don't know your financial situation so I can't recommend either for you. Look at the options and see what works best for you. Good luck!

I know it can get frustrating. I looks like 60% of the similar cases have received NOA2 now. Not quite everyone, but it sure gets frustrating when most cases have processed. Looking at https://***removed due to spam***/i129f I see that 9.1% of July filers (278 cases) are still stuck in RFE and USCIS processed 15 July RFE cases in the last week. It's slow, but it's moving. They are mostly processing new cases received in December 2023 and January, and your RFE lines up with when they "should have" processed your case. My guess is as they continue processing new cases received in December and January, yours will be coming up very soon. I subscribed to Trackmyvisa for the last month or two of my case and got more info than I could find on the free site I linked above. Once your cases moves on, they automatically cancel your subscription. Purchasing a subscription and getting better data may help you feel like you have a better understanding of things, or at least allow you to distract yourself with data! Hang in there! The waiting is the hardest part, especially when it seems everyone else is getting their stuff done and you're being left behind.