Edward and Jaycel

Yes with the amount of wait time involved, I concur with both @OldUser and @Crazy Cat

Ok good to know. Every case is different as you know and unfortunately the only thing you can do is wait at this point. The embassy even publishes that "Normal" Admin Processing can take up to 60 days. Hopefully by them touching the application it means that they are getting everything taken care of for your mother Please keep the thread updated so that this may help others in the future! And filling out your timeline helps all VJ users

Ok so when the date updates, it usually means someone has touched the file, which means someone is likely updating it. 10 days is not a long time in the world of embassies and 221g response processing and most embassies do not start the normal administrative processing every visa application goes through until after the submission. Seeing the dates update is good news. They are likely working on it Which embassy btw?

What is the timeline of this? When was the interview with the 221g issued at the end? When were the documents returned to the embassy?

Ok so I'm assuming this was originally filed concurrently with an I-485... when you have a pending Adjustment of Status application, you file under eligibility category (c)(9) and if filed on paper, it should have been sent to the Chicago Lockbox USCIS Chicago Lockbox U.S. Postal Service (USPS): USCIS Attn: AOS P.O. Box 805887 Chicago, IL 60680 FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries: USCIS Attn: AOS (Box 805887) 131 S. Dearborn St., 3rd Floor Chicago, IL 60603-5517 Once you have the tracking information you can request help by following these instructions: If you or your representative believe a lockbox facility lost all or part of your package, please email Lockbox Support at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov and we will investigate.

Yes - If the form is filed by mail, it will go to a USCIS lockbox location. There are a few around the country and which one you send the application package to depends on your state. Get the tracking info from your attorney so you can see when and where it was delivered. Is your profile info accurate? Do you live in Illinois?

OP - If there is no case number assigned, have you tried emailing the lockbox where it was sent? I would get with your attorney to get the tracking info from the re-submission to get the delivery date so that you can contact the lockbox

Ours was a late November filing and it was approved in 51 days.... One of Jaycel's friends that she made at the embassy interview filed hers in mid December and just had hers approved (44 days).

This is a great point - Jaycel's POE was LAX and she had a 3.5 hour layover. By the time she cleared passport control, customs and made the trek from the international terminal to her gate for the connecting flight she only had about 45 minutes to an hour before her domestic flight here started boarding.

Did you try this site? https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/ATH-Athens.html

As long as you are here in the US there should be no issue

Yes they can ask her about all of those things. The consular officer will assume (rightly or wrongly) that if you are in a legitimate marriage, you two will have discussed your past marriage in detail

We just submitted Jaycel's AOS in November and they allowed her to use the Philippine naming structure: Jaycel (Her Dad's Last Name) (My last Name). We did the name change on both her I-765 and I-485. Her I-765 was approved a few weeks ago and she received her EAD Card and her new Social Security Card with the name properly formatted. Hopefully USCIS has learned that this format is the preferred way for many Filipinas and this is the norm in USCIS now

Great news and thank you for sharing with the forum!

Please keep this thread updated so that others in the future can benefit!

I would imagine they would give you a 221g "refusal" pending the attendance of the biometrics appointment

Oh sorry.... that's where we found it for the embassy website for Manila

Check under Immigrant visas... Most if not all embassies handle the K-1 as an Immigrant visa right up until they print the visa. And do not worry about the approval notice expiration date. If the interview happens after that date and the visa is approved, the consular officer conducting the interview will automaticaslly extend the validity date of the approval notice.

Also remember ther were two days in there (Jan 9th and Jan 20th) that the US Federal Government was "closed" and as such so was the embassy

This is just a guess but I'm thinking it could be one of two things.... 1. Just a pure computer glitch with the USCIS website... Their website is terrible and known for its inaccuracy. 2. Your evidence was received by USCIS on July 20th (Physically or Electronically if you uploaded it through the portal) and that new notification is when an adjudicating officer actually started reviewing it. That's all I can think of. It certainly is strange.

There is an option at the CFO seminar to print it out there for an extra 20 Pesos or something but Philippine Immigration does not want the paper certificate. "Too easy to counterfeit" so they say. They want to see the email from CFO with the certificate attached. I guess if the person's fiancee does not have a smart phone before they get to this stage, they will have to get them one. Jaycel had the printed out certificate with her when she went through Philippine Immigration and the officer said, "No, show me the email from CFO."

There is no income requirement to file the petition, however the clock starts ticking down towards the times you will need to prove your ability to support your fiancee when she arrives in the US (This is at the Embassy interview phase) and then you will have to prove your ability to support her after you are married. (This is at the Adjustment of Status Phase). Having a joint sponsor is cool but like I said above, you are going to have to completely support her once she arrives in the US as she will not be able to work for quite a while. You'll have to also pay the fees for her Adjustment of Status and Employment Authorization applications ($1,700 for both if filed concurrently).

TBH, you need to sort out your employment situation before thinking of petitioning your fiancee. Even if you guys could somehow get approval at the embassy for the visa, when your fiancee gets to the US, you will have to support them completely for at least 5-6 months as they will not be able to work until they get their Employment Authorization and that is only after you pay $1,700 for the Adjustment of Status and Employment Authorization applications with USCIS.

Is he your BF or your fiance? Does he make more than 125% of the poverty guidelines for a two person household? This will be a huge problem after you get married and try to adjust status to lawful permanent resident - He will not be allowed to sponsor you until he files his back taxes

Yes for the forms for financial support, the most recent tax year is 2023 until April 15, 2025 when it will then be 2024.