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For the heck of it, I tried emailing the embassy again with a new tactic. It provided interesting results and gave a bit of insight into the embassy's perspective: Hello: We are messaging again to humbly request you add our case to your next delivery request from NVC. Our case number is JHNxxxxxxxxxx. We have been informed that other K1 cases have been delivered to your embassy that were only sent to NVC four weeks ago. Our case has been at the NVC for twelve weeks. We have also submitted a request to the NVC to supply our case with the next batch, if there are no issues. We are asking for you to assist in communicating this to the NVC as well. Case again is JHNxxxxxxxxxxxx Principal applicant: J------------ Arrived at NVC on 5 March, 2024 If there are further issues with making this request from the NVC, please inform us and I will follow up with my congressperson for assistance, so we may investigate causes for the delay. --- Within just a few hours, I got this reply (you know it's a good sign when they've taken the time to discern if they're talking to a sir OR a madam, and pick the right one to use lol): Dear Madam, Thank you for your email. Please note that US Embassies/Missions which processes immigration visas provides NVC/KCC only with capacity for months not specific slots for visa applicants. KCC/NVC then have their determination on whom is scheduled when. This may be based on date of documentarily readiness and combination of visa numbers for those applicants require priority dates. Even though our estimated waiting time is 3-6 months, we do not have oversight of how many cases are documentarily ready and what number you are in the queue at NVC/KCC, so we cannot assure you when the actual interview date will be. Please continue to liaise with NVC with regards to appointment dates. Sincerely, Johannesburg Immigrant Visa Unit ---- So this response tells me a few things, let's break it down: 1. Capacity is the focus from the embassy, and NVC does the legwork on meeting those numbers. 2. The embassy seemingly knows NVC procedure and prioritization, even if they don't have control over it 3. The embassy also knows what their estimated wait time is, and I presume this is related to either K1s specifically OR for all visas on average. At any rate, it's a different estimate than what the Department of State claims for Joberg. Just took the right framing to get that out of them ("twelve weeks? psh, that's just inside the average") 4. Achieving priority with the NVC is the only way to "jump the queue", so to speak. This means I plan to focus squarely on NVC inquiries. Communication with the embassy isn't going to move the case at all.

No, others have continued to received theirs before me. Joberg is requesting newer K1s than mine. Not sure why. My fiance and I have both submitted inquiries to the NVC asking for the issuance of our K1-FTP. Got a cookie cutter response as per usual but we'll probably send one the Friday before next shipment (6/21, with cases selected on Tuesday 6/25) in the hopes that it jogs their memory. Sending inquiries to the embassy itself has proven just as fruitless. They direct us right back to NVC. So we're in a constant volley of pointed fingers, while our case continues to sit in limbo for no perceivable reason. We're at twelve weeks now.

You are not the only one. I am also in a chat group that tracks cases going to the same embassy. So far I have seen three cases from my contacts, advance to Johannesburg before me. One of them is in this thread, saying they had to wait a while. 😂 No shade to them, but they waited very little time. For Joberg it's been said the average time is four weeks. Our case has been at NVC for twelve now. I recommend sending the NVC a request for a K1-FTP through their inquiry form. No proof it works, only that the cases that advanced before me did that in at least one instance. My fiance and I are trying the same method, in hopes they put us back in line for our embassy's requests.

Congratulations to you! We are still waiting.

Were you the USC? Can you speak to the OP's situation so they can better understand?

That's fair but it takes two seconds to type this from the get go. 100% for K1, BUT expect that increase to 125% for AOS, so aim for that Was that so hard

Has anyone asked if you are a US citizen yet? You have talked a lot about "in my country"... you do know that the sponsor welcoming the fiance into the US, has to be a citizen, right?

Uh Why am I being asked? The question was about the K1. That opens other questions about what the USC needs to provide for AOS, but that wasn't the question at hand. Maybe provide context if that's something you deem relevant to all cases

please not the bathtub, no, that is WAY too much They don't care about age, as long as both are adults and the relationship is bona fide.

Yep, it means you pay fees and submit docs directly to your embassy. NVC has other visas where they take payment or docs; not the K1.

Isn't I-134 lower requirements than I-864 though? It's 100% above federal for K1 I thought

This is extremely useful, great to have a resource who knows the Manila procedures, since embassies are so particular. Dina and Bill take note, and review J.M.'s feedback/timeline closely.

You have submitted the I-129F, which is the petition for the K1 visa Your case is at USCIS. The above chart is for when your petition is approved and sent to NVC.

You don't have to. Nothing is sent to the beneficiary from USCIS. Please read my prior post.

Currently you are at the USCIS stage: you can update addresses on your account dashboard. I as petitioner moved literally days before our NOA2 was sent out, and it got to the right address. This is more important for the petitioner than the beneficiary, since USCIS doesn't send anything physical to the beneficiary. You can amend the address change of a beneficiary when you file the DS-160 through the NVC stage, post NOA2.

What's keeping you from talking to your superior at work about getting a letter? For my work, I just wrote the entire letter and gave it to him to sign.

The best words I can provide for encouragement, is to be patient. The K1 process has sped up considerably over the past few years. There were people right in the middle of scheduling embassy appointments during 2020, when the world shut down and they were forced to wait another year. Take a deep breath. We submitted our petition in August of last year and it was a cut and dry case. We moved to the NVC after seven months and are waiting for the embassy to request our case. Your case is in its infant stage if it's just arrived at the USCIS. You have a long way to go. Try to stay informed, meet the other members on the forums who went through Manila and make preparations for later stages to keep yourself busy. And foster your relationship with your fiance, above all else. This will be a high-stress period. Take care of each other, so it's all worth it.

American visa, American culture. Please read previous discussions you've started. Immigration services is not interested in ceremonies or rings, at any point. They want it made very clear that you declare to marry this person by the parameters set by the fiance visa, and that you have not taken steps to legally marry this person yet. If you would like to use ceremonies or rings as proof, may I recommend the spousal visa, where you get married first?

Your declaration of intent, a required supporting document with the petition, is the only "proof" you need of planning to get married. Your signed declaration is a promise to get married. There is no cultural or legal standard for getting engaged in the US. You simply say that you are. The K1 visa requires you officially make a statement along those lines.

Here we go again... 🤞 Anyone who's still waiting, let's hope this is our week!

The title of your post says "no sticky notes are allowed". This is incorrect. You can absolutely assist with filing your documentation with sticky tabs, which you place along the bottom of the pages. See here from USCIS: More importantly, all the evidence you submit (this does not include your new passport photos) should be copied onto letter sized pages. See here from USCIS: I would advise you read the Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page from the USCIS website carefully. Whatever evidence you elect to use, should be in the provided format. I am not sure how buying a dress strengthens your case for being in a bona fide relationship, by the way. If it is a wedding dress, don't. Any evidence that crosses the line from showing love and affection for one another into "maybe they're already married" may harm you more than help you. The only receipt included in our evidence was the very first Christmas gift he got me, which was four years ago. More importantly, they want to see pictures together, and travel records. Try to strengthen your case for loving this person on more than shop and restaurant receipts.

Correct. Focus on current income of the petitioner.

Congratulations! Be sure to submit a consulate review as this information will be extremely valuable to those using the same embassy on future appointments.

The I-134 is a form applicable to many visa types. For the K1, it is only the petitioner's income and assets that are valid. You will be fine placing everything as 0 or N/A for the beneficiary. Just work on evidence for the petitioner.

Not to be facetious, but never rely on hope with immigration. Hard evidence is great, and yes I will concede that a record of high value savings/assets might carry you through an employment gap. It brings other things into question though, like expenses and cost of living, which I doubt many immigration agents will want to sort through. Might be too problematic. But in the case of taking on a beneficiary, most of us are not millionaires with a crypto portfolio that's going to look shiny enough to these agents. So we can entertain hypotheticals and play with exceptions or we can, in fact, look at the hard evidence and what's going to be the actual scenario. Someone who is unemployed with nothing but tax transcripts from the previous year, is not providing sufficient evidence as the role of sponsor. Just calling a spade a spade.