Rachel Marie

...IMO, your ex should get the b@lls to tell your daughter himself that he won't sign the papers. By seeing her reaction, maybe he can be convinced to let her go.

Effin' A, people are stupid.

Meet my two rats, Minky (the black one) and Chemo (the hairless one). They're a year and a half old, and they have brought me SO much joy.

I SO love the fact that you named your hairless rat Chemo. That cracks me up.

I have a good girl puppy girl named Maggie. She's a mutt. She's also very smart.

She also says I love you!

Basically, Maggie gets me through the day. Especially after it's been so frustrating getting my husband down here.

Since they updated their timeframes on the website and I currently fall within those timeframes (if you consider the send-date for the application and not the date of NOA1 as the date referenced) I called USCIS and talked to Brandon (rep ID G648409) and spoke with him briefly on my application.

My stupid effing lawyer messed up the paperwork and sent the I-129F and the I-130 together... for some reason, the I-130 was sent back and was REsent later. Apparently, according to Brandon with the southern accent, this should never have been done. He agrees with the Visa Journey process of sending the I-130 first and then the I-129F. Why it was done together I don't know, I just trusted my lawyer.

That being said, my I-129F was going to be approved within "2-3 months" according to Brandon, and my I-130 within 4-6 months. So, basically, Andrew can be down here on a K3 but can't be declared a resident until the I-130 is approved. Great. Which means he can live off of my measly earnings working in a call center. Wonderful. Splendid.

I don't know what to do. I'm at a loss for words and have been thinking about how this can be rectified. I'm writing letters to my congresswoman and senator, but I don't think that will help much.

What I really want to do (my mom put this idea in my head) is go to the Philly Inquirer and to inform them how re-freaking-diculous this is to get someone in the country legally! Heck, if anything, maybe a little bit of attention on my story will get something done. We've been married for over a year!

Has anyone else gone to the newspaper? Is it even worth a shot?

...I'm sorry this post is dripping with sarcasm, but I think you guys can understand.

So my wonderful husband is taking 10 days to come down and visit me and my fam tomorrow.

...But that brings up a point. Do you know how stupid that sounds? "My husband is coming down to VISIT me." It's ridiculous! Why can't my husband and I be together forever like we had planned?

It's been over a year since our legal marriage and almost a year to our religious wedding and I feel completely gipped. My lawyer hasn't done anything good and I feel so helpless in this process. I just want my husband and I to be together forever and it's just not happening. I'm sick and tired of waiting.

I mean, what the heck. Does the government have something against Canadians? To top it all off, Andrew thinks that this is taking so long because he thinks the US thinks he's a terrorist (he's far from it, but he is a bit paranoid).

Like, every time I check the USCIS website and see that our cases haven't even been TOUCHED since March makes me boil over. And now, there's talk about the I-129Fs being cancelled and... what the #######.

Also, USCIS updated their processing timeframes, and now I'm INSIDE of those timeframes. (Paperwork sent December 6th, they've got processing up until December 18th.)

That's it. I'm calling them and trying to speak with a real human being. This is friggin ridiculous.

I, personally, wish I had found VJ before I had invested $1500 in a stupid lawyer who messed up all my paperwork.

(Okay, my lawyer didn't, his stupid secretary's cronies did... he didn't even have his own SECRETARY fill out the paperwork for Chrissake.)

I'm thinking of dropping him, but it seems like a waste in $1500 if I do. I just want to be more hands-on in the process and I feel like I'm very hands-off at this point. I feel like if I found Visa Journey back when my husband and I went through our legal wedding (we had a religious ceremony later), he would be in the states by now.

...Maybe.

Anyway to get a lawyer or not depends on your case, if you have the money (we really didn't - my parents helped out a lot), and who the lawyer is. If you're in the Philadelphia area I know one NOT to recommend...

Good luck!

When you get to party with your favorite Cousin who you haven't seen in months this weekend!

Same. One touch in February for my I-129F. I'm so sick of it.

My hubby and I got married legally in the states (with a court clerk) and then had a religious ceremony (without the signing of the book or whatever) in St. John's a few months later, so we could start the paperwork. There's another option for you.

Hey guys, I'm a December filer pretty new to this site. I'm really excited that people are getting approved for their NOA2s! I'm so heartsick my husband isn't in the states yet. I miss him terribly and it hurts every time I talk to him. I really want to get this over with... I want to start my new life with him now!

I also have a problem... My I-130 was filed AFTER my I-129 because USCIS returned my I-130 to my lawyer for some reason. Is this going to delay my processing any, does anyone know?

I'm totally regretting hiring a lawyer. If I had found this website before I had done so, I wouldn't have wasted $1500. I was thinking of firing my lawyer because he's been nothing but a hinderance in the process. (Well, my lawyer himself isn't so bad. It's his rude, ignorant secretary who I abhor.)

Anyway, I needed a place to vent. I'm on the verge of tears every time I check the USCIS website and see that my I-129F hasn't been touched since February (the I-130 was touched in March when the received it). Thanks guys.

--Rachel

Am I a January filer? I got my NOA1 for my I-129F in January, but my NOA1 for my I-130 in March. I'd like to join a posting brigade for whichever I qualify for. ;o)

I know I'm new and everything, but I can definitely say that even though your husband won't go, you should definitely try counseling. If someone does something to hurt you so bad, it tears you up a little inside, and it won't be something that will just go away. A counselor would definitely try to help you live life and accepting it.

I've been to several counselors/therapists over the years, and in my opinion it's good to just be able to talk to someone, you know?

I'm sorry I'm not able to provide any advice pertaining to your immigration situation; I wish I could! My lawyer said it was possible to stay in the country once divorced, I just don't know what the process would be to do that. You might want to get a (good) immigration lawyer to help you.

Good luck, I'll pray for you.

Is there a consulate in Halifax too, or is Montreal the only one that's doing interviews?

My silly husband, who is a crazy Leafs fan, has bought a Flyers hat! He was very anti-Canadiens because, apparently, the Habs are all Russians and the Flyers are call Canadian, so it works out for him.

I've never been a hockey fan, but I love Andrew so bad I've actually been paying attention. (I'm more of a Phillies & Eagles fan.)

Go Flyers!

I (well, my stupid lawyer) filed our I-129F and I-130 on 12/6/08 and we received NOA1 for our I-129F in January and my I-130 NOA1 in March.(USCIS returned the I-130 fee to my lawyer becase they said the I-129F didn't need a fee. No, it didn't but the I-130 did... great.)

Anyway, is the fact that they were filed in two seperate months, with the I-129F filed before the I-130 (I see most people did it the other way around), is that going to hinder my process? Also, what thread should I join for my filing date?

I have read all the guides, but they don't seem to answer this specific question.

Anyway, I appreciate all the help! I've been reading a lot of your stories and stayed silent because I feel awkward, but I'd love to share with you from now on.

Thanks for all the love everyone! I've not been on a lot because I just got finished my student teaching semester (sometimes called an internship in Canada), and I'm beat! But hopefully, I can participate more here! :oD

Well, I've filed my I-130 and my I-129F (as far as I can tell) to get Andrew the K3 to get down here.

...I think.

Truth be told, I have no idea what's going on. My lawyer has taken most of the stuff and done it himself. I figured I'd come here to get some answers because every time I try to get answers from my lawyer he speaks lawyer gobbledegook and I have no idea what's going on.

And apparently, even though we filed the I-130 and the I-129F at the same time, we got the receipt for the I-129F in January and the I-130 yesterday. They had to sent the I-130 back because they didn't accept our money order or something.

Anyway.

If anyone could provide some insight, that would be lovely. Thank you!

My name is Rachel Marie, I married Andrew, a Canadian citizen from Newfoundland in (technically) April 2007 in Fort Myers, FL. (We had a religious ceremony in Canada on August 25th.)

Due to lots of ####### on our lawyer's end (I had to send paperwork corrected TWICE because of the gross misspellings... "theatre" spelled "threatrer" being one example), our process has been delayed. But it looks like we're FINALLY getting somewhere.

I just received my I-130 receipt. Because my lawyer's doing all the nitty gritty work, I kind of have no idea what's happening, and would love some help as to what's going to happen next/where we're going.

All in all, I hope to have my husband down here soon! We've known each other for almost six years now, and every minute apart is becoming more and more unbearable!

Thanks!

--Rachel Marie