Lambie and Wolfie

How do you keep your relationship strong despite of the distance between you and your partner based on your own experiences?

Being separated by distance with your love ones is a huge challenge that we are facing in our lives now. Yes we are happy co'z we are in love and we are loved, but there are times that we feel sorry co'z we can't hold the man/woman that we love. There are so many articles/advices that we can read on the internet, books, magazines or hear from our friends or counselors...but I wanna hear from the VJ'ers or those who are on same situation as me...what are the things that you do to keep your relationship/marriage stronger everyday. It could be a small or silly things but you know for sure helps you and your partner to fight the stress of being apart.

We live a Skype life. We Skype video call twice a day for a few hours and chat about our day and how slooooow USCIS is with our paperwork. When I am on the road I travel with a 3G card so we can still do our twice day video call. While this can't replace warmth of having my wife next to me but I would hate to see what it would be like without the internet.

I need to write the Company´s name and my emploeyr name and address ?

Or just the employer ´s name and address is enough?

Thnkz

Company name and address is all they need if this is your employer. At some point in the process you will need a letter from them.

Many of these form are now electronic so you can complete them on your computer and print them out. This leaves for limited space. I suggest that you attach any additional information on a separate paper and reference the number on the form. This would make things easier for the reviewer. I would reveiw all of the forms carefully before submitting it to USCIS. Any mistakes can add to a lengthy delays to your approval.

As a poster suggested, I would review all of the example forms and processing procedures for the different forms. You should have a clear understanding of the whole process.

Good luck.

The USCIS timelines for NOA2 on the K-1 and K-3 visas is the same: 6 months. On VisaJourney, the average time from NOA1 to the interview at the consulate is 202 days for K-1; 219 days for K-3 and 320 days for IR-1/CR-1.

I am currently visiting my fiance in the US and returning home shortly. We are trying to figure out which visa to apply for - ie. whether to get married before I leave or wait. As with everybody else, when we will be able to be together is the most important consideration. Most of what I have read on this site indicates that the K-1 visa is the quickest route but is the difference just a couple of months?

Does anybody know if filing for a K-1 generally significantly faster?

What did other people decide to do?

Thank you in advance!

K1 should be quickier. An immrigation lawyer suggested that the K1 route is easier and faster. We just got our approval from Vermont service center but we are still at a 3 month wait at the consulate level. We both wished that we had gone the K1 route.

Hi,

For the recent approvals thru VSC, how were you notified by USCIS?

Our cases showed touch on Nov 4th but nothing else. NOA2 arrived in the mail a few days later. I never receive an email as to activity even wwhen I had this option checked on the web site.

Anyway NVC forwarded the file today to consulate. Let's hope it is not into another black hole.

Congratulations on your approval!!

Both of our petitions were approved and we chose the CR1 route. You will need the same documents (aside from the Choice of Agent) for the K3 interview anyhow. Best of Luck to you!!

Thanks. We opt the K3 way since my wife feels that this will be quicker in China. We will see if the extra cost will pay off in the long run. NVC has forwarded the documents to the consulate via DHL. Let hope this moves quicker the the process in Vermont.

Best of luck to you too

narina, if your case got transferred, you will get an email telling you of the transfer. your status on the uscis site will also tell you. however, only stand alone I130s have been transferred.

Narina, I suggest you call them. They should be able to give you the status if your petition has been transfered to CSC. I received my approval notice in the mail but the CIS web site still does not reflect any changes. I just call every few weeks. Good luck

Keep trying calling until you speak to someone forthcoming with information. Don't get angry, try being nice, maybe you will find someone decent who will give you real info.

A lot of the VJ'er in this discussion talk about being in the "queue", or "in the hands of an adjudicator. Was going through your Congressman the only way to find this information?

Lee L, you have an almost identical timeline to mine. I am wondering whether or not I'm in the "queue" as well.

I called USCIS last Thursday. All they told me is that they're processing I-129F as of March 4, 2008 and I-130 as of February 26, 2008 and nothing else. All my lawyer did is call the USCIS to get the same answer.

What should I do to find out whether I'm in the queue or not? I am open to any ideas

I was doing the same thing, looking at timelines on VJ. I was going crazy waiting.

I'm reading that some paperwork was being transfer to CSC and seeing my paperwork touched on Nov 4th with no info on the web site I was losing hope quickly

We got our approval for both the I130 and the I129F on Nov 4th.

With some petitions move to CSC, the hope will be that people waiting will get approvals before the holidays.

Both of our petitions were approved on november 10th.Can you please tell me how to check if I-129f is received by NVC?My husband called NVC number and chose option one for immigrant visas but when he typed I129f application number they said that they haven't received our case yet.However I-130 was received and case number was assigned.I know that everyone would advise me to go for I-130 but we really want to follow K3 so please tell me how to check if I129f has reached NVC.Thanks

Congrats Jeca

Seeing from your timeline you have been waiting a long time.

I just get back from a road time to find approvals in the mail for both the I129F and the I130 approved Nov 4th.

We are also planning to go the K3 visa road since we believe that this will be quicker in order to have my wife sooner.

Does anyone have any experience with which aproval we should proceed with? In China I have heard that the K3 interview scheduling is quickier the the IR1/CR1. I am a little confused on which way to proceed.

Thanks,

Wolfie and Lambie

It all boils down to choice and risk. You can risk the disappointment of your fiancee when she finds out that you omitted your previous marriage from your life history or risk the relationship ending because of your visa petition being denied for deception.

You got involved in a relationship with a woman from a culture that frowns upon divorce. You were selfish in decision to withhold the information and now you are suggesting starting your married lives in a lie? The USCIS ask questions in order to test how bona fide a marriage is. You'd better believe that they'd expect your future wife to know you were married.

USCIS in China has access to many public records in China so I would suggest that you treat this as a real legal marriage which it was and list it on your USCIS paperwork. As to not telling your new wife about this, well this is a personal choice but I believe the marriage is a bond of not only love but also trust. When you hide this from her, then how can you expect her to have trust in you as a wife?

Lambie and Wolfie

This is for an I-129F K3. Looking for feedback from those who know!!

Any of you who may have some inside dope about this, I'd really appreciate your feedback. Today I called VSC and spoke with an agent. I'm at 7 months as of today, and I was granted my formal request for status last Monday (10/27). Today, the VSC agent followed up on my status confirmation number, and he told me that my case had been assigned to an agent. When I asked what that meant with regards to time, he said he could not be specific, but he said that it was a good thing and that I probably did not have much longer of a wait before I heard word. He said the majority of time a case is in the system, it is waiting to be assigned, and once it is assigned, the timeframe to an answer is relatively short.

If any of you have history with this, can you confirm what he's saying is legit, and if so, any guess on how long that "magic window" may be?

Thanks for the input, and good luck to you all.

-CJ

My date are the same as yours. I call a week ago and spoke to an agent who stated that if should be reviewed soon. So far nothing on line. We just wait.

Brian your situation is almost identical to mine (my I-129F NOA1 is 4/4. the I-130 is 3/28), and what you were told at VSC is REALLY similar to what they said to me late last week. Almost exactly the same. Good luck bro.

-CJ

I just called USCIS. No officer was available at VSC, but I did speak with a rep at the national number.

She told me that she sees that they are currently processing I-129F apps. for APRIL 23. Mine was submitted April 8th, and she said I am beyond the 6 month window. But I have to still wait 2 more weeks (15 days) before they can conduct an investigation. She told me that the individual service centers update their info bi-weekly, every 2 weeks, so, she said that they may have completed mine, just havent hit that 2 week update yet. She said I should give it the 15 days, then call back, at which time they can innitiate an investigation. She said hopefully I will hear something within that 15 day wait time. She said it has to be 30 days past due date to do anything, and I still have 15 days to go.

So there is hope...

This is interesting because I called last week and they told me that VSC was processing Feb 2008 and that it maybe about 60 days longer. The number I called is 800-375-5283. Is this the VSC or a national call center? Is there another number? Thanks

Lambie and Wolfie

First, I’m not sure this is the right forum, if not I’m sorry.

After you got your conditional greencards, what did you do with the stack of applications, forms, evidence, etc. that you used for the whole process?

I plan on keeping the evidence, the “welcome” letter, and the mailer that the greencard came in, but I am not sure about all of the NOA’s, copies of form (I-864, I-485, I-130, etc.). Is there any reason to keep this paperwork lying around or can I shred it?

Will any of that be useful in 2 years when we have to get the conditions lifted from her card?

I would guess that they have the right to review anything and everything so I would suggest saving everything. We are working on my wife's K3 visa and we save everything. I have heard that from time to time they also lose files.

Lambie and Wwolfie

i just called the VSC. they told me the following:

they are currently processing I-130's submitted on Feb 26, 2008

they are currently processing I-129's submitted on March 4, 2008

hopefully good news will come soon..

I-130 NOA1 - Feb 27, 2008

I-129F NOA1 - March 10, 2008

I call last week and was told VSC was still processing Feb 1st. This would add up with the 6 month window with their August 31st date on the latest update. If they are processing March 4, 2008, we should see some approvals soon I hope. I just don't understand why they just post their processing dates with the same date as the posting date. I just feel they just want to impress the politicians with numbers instead of helping families get reunited.

I hope I see some approvals coming out of VSC soon.

Lambie and Wolfie