Mariposa1010

Amazing but true!

Green card arrived in the mail today, at the same time but different envelope from the "welcome" letter.

Almost more amazing is that, as important as this document is, they sent it via plain-old, regular first-class mail.

But....happy dance continues.

:dance:

Here's hoping the rest of the November crew has equally speedy processing.

CONGRATS!

Thanks, Saska and Tim. This means yours must be just a few days away, right?

Application Type: I485 , APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Card production ordered.

On January 22, 2010, we ordered production of your new card.

:jest: :dance: :jest:

HAPPY DANCE!!

Our I-485 file was touched again on the 6th. Here's hoping we'll be getting one of those "welcome" emails soon.

FYI, we submitted the entire I-693 but didn't get an actual physical. Just had the CS fill out the immunization and certification areas of the form based on original immunization proof, since the DS-3025 wasn't returned to us.

Got touch on I485 yesterday (December 31). Still no touch on I765 or I131, since December 2.

All the best in The New 2010 to all the November Filers!

I just checked our case(s) out of curiosity. No update on AP since receipt, no update on EAD since just after biometrics.

But I-485 was touched on the 29th, 2 weeks after it was transferred to CSC. Hopefully good news.

Fingers crossed, we seem to have dodged I-693 RFE.

Saska and Tim, it seems our near-parallel visa journeys are continuing.

Biometrics completed 12/15

No wait (once we found the place, hidden in an otherwise very retail-looking area), done in 15 minutes.

I-485 transferred to CSC 12/17

That's progress, I hope.

We're in downstate IL, but Chicago (actually Naperville) is where we'll be going for biometrics on the 15th

NOA1 x 3 received today, dated last Thursday.

The return address was Missouri. Does that mean our case is in MO now?

I was figuring we'd be headed to Chicago when the time comes for biometrics, but I'm not so sure now.

Joining the November filers list. We'll be sending our I-485/I-765/I-131 to the Chicago lock box tomorrow...and eating macaroni and cheese the rest of the month. Wedding, honeymoon, and green card fees in the span of a month do horrible things to the savings account.

Congrats to those who've gotten some activity recently, and I hope all of us Marchies are done with USCIS very soon.

News from our end: Visa is in-hand, and we leave for the airport in about a half-hour!

Unlike USCIS, the State Dept. truly has shown that they have a heart. After being told by the embassy that it was "impossible" that we would get our visa today, we got a call five minutes later saying they were working on it, and that we should come down this morning at 10AM. The woman who gave us the paperwork (and passport with visa!) seemed very excited for us, and said that we should send them a picture of our kids. Cute, but why is everyone so focused on kids when we just want to be married first? As proof that they heard our pleas, there was a post it with "urgent case" written and underlined on the back of the passport.

Anyway, now instead of stressing about immigration issues, we'll have 14 days to concentrate on stressing about the wedding!

Keep the faith, everyone. There is good in the world of visas.

APPROVED!!!!!!!! :dance:

...and I just noticed your ticker saying that you will be married on the same day as we will.

But....they're keeping it interesting. We booked return flights hoping for a 3-day visa turnaround, but it looks like 5-7 days is what they claim to be the norm now. On the plus side, he said "we do have a heart" and will do whatever he can to get us our visa for a Friday return.

Party time tonight!

jcg:

Don't put too much stock in either the USCIS or State Dept tracking systems. Our USCIS status still says "pending," yet it was obviously sent on to NVC. And I never could get a response from the NVC system that our file was in the system, yet it obviously made it to the embassy (in about 10 days' time, no less). Keep hope alive!

Good luck on interviews!

Same day as our interview in Panama. Here's hoping it's a really good day for March filers. I fly out tomorrow and, once again the optimist, we have two return tickets for next Friday and pedal-to-the-metal plans for an October 10th wedding.

Just got phone call from Dublin Embassy. Interview on Tuesday got no letter from the embassy just the phone call.

Try to keep the faith, Kimbear. I know your recent news has been bad, but our file made it all the way from California to VSC to Panama with no online or phone status updates. Here's hoping your file is moving along smoothly "behind the scenes."

-Patrick

Yeah! That's great news! Let's get all those March people on to the interview stage!!

I can only hope i'll have one by December. Still no news or update from CSC, congress or lawyer. David is gonna call again today CSC. Sept 6th is our 1st anniversary, and we'll not be able to spend it together so i'm a little down atm.

Congratulations, Binow.

Now it's time to start calling the NVC line twice daily.

But also be sure to check your mailbox for the letter from NVC. I didn't know that our file had gotten to NVC until my fiancee got a call from the embassy to let her know that packet 3 was ready for pickup! She's returning paperwork today and getting a medical (and hopefully interview) date.

And her whole family is going tomorrow morning for their tourist visa interviews, so we'll find out just how much family will be able to attend the wedding.

Fingers crossed for all.

....Made it to 44 on Igor's list...

Application Type: I129F , PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On September 1, 2009, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

Guess pestering USCIS and contacting my congressman eventually gets things moving. Here's to hoping the rest of the process is a little smoother. I suppose this also stops my grumbling about this and that...for now

The processing of your case has been delayed. A check of our records establishes that your case is not yet ready for decision, as the required investigation into your background remains open.

Binow,

This is the USCIS version of "the check is in the mail." It's their standard response to any delay, but as with a check in the mail, it just might actually be true in some cases. If you have not done so, please contact the "constituent services" division of your Congressman's office. In all likelihood, these people will get the same answer, but history (including our case) has shown that it can actually get the case moving along. After no activity for nearly 5 months and then initiating contact via our Congressman's office, our case has made it all the way to the consulate in less than 3 weeks!

Best of luck to you. And many congratulations to Saska and Tim.

-Patrick

Kimbear, I truly can't imagine your frustration. To have the rug pulled from under you like that...the roller coaster of this visa journey in unbelievable. I hope with the others that it is either a system error or merely some u-crossed T on a USCIS form. If it's any consolation regarding the lack of reliability of the online/phone information...My USCIS online status it still "pending," and I've been calling NVC at least twice a day for the past week. "We have no record of that case number." Today (my darling's birthday) she got a call from her embassy telling her that she should go to window 4 on Monday to get what I assume is packet 3! So, make sure your fiance doesn't shred that NOA2 in frustration....there's still hope.

To others, congratulations on your progress. It seems that September will indeed be a big POE month for us Marchies.

OMG OMG OMG! (Part 2)

NOA2 received!!!!! :dance:

Online system still says "pending" after 3 touches (and I never got an email from the system...I know it was touched only because I checked about every 4 hours!), but I have the NOA2 letter in my (shaking) hands.

I'm sure it's just coincidence that our file was sent for background checks in June but just happened to be approved 3 days after USCIS was contacted by my Congressman's aide!

Thank you all for your support, and for any other Marchers who haven't gotten an NOA2....contact that Congressman!

:dance:

Not everyone does get a touch. my case went over 4 months without one. some ppl have been married for a year and their case still says "pending" online. unfortunately their online system leaves something to be desired

Yes, it seems to be almost exactly the same situation...reading from a script...with the significant difference that this script also includes some action and not just a monologue. I'm still waiting/hoping/expecting to see my approval in the next couple of days, but my file has been "touched" three times since my Congressional aide made contact after no activity for 5 months.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks for the info. Seems this is about the same as calling and getting the script read to me. Have read on here that several have gotten the exact same email as well. Hopefully the Congress rep calling actually got them to dust it off and actually look at it and get it into the process. We'll see.

We've been touched!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG!

I didn't get an email, but I looked online to see that our file was accessed yesterday (the day after our congressional staffer reached them).

Still "pending"....but it seems that a touch almost always leads to some type of action (even if it's an RFE) within a couple of days.

OMG OMG OMG OMG! (Did I say that already?)

:dance:

Well, it seems we've used up all of our lifelines for the time being, and my fingers are crossed that we have an experience similar to Kimbear.

I just got off the phone with the congressional aide who was told that our file has been in background check since June and that it would take up to 90 days.

Personally, I think the "background check" line is kind of like their "5 months" line....it's their standard response, with the key difference being that a congressional contact usually generates some actual movement on the case in addition to the line of BS. On a side note, she suggested while stopping just short of recommending that, as long as she's here, we could get married and file for AOS and that, as long as she didn't over-stay her visa in the process, the only repercussion would be possible difficulty in getting travel visas for her family to visit here. (She specifically said it's not a deportable offense.) That's not my understanding based on the information I've seen here, and after all of this waiting, I'm not really inclined to test her assertion.

I'll be watching my inbox even more intently over the course of the next couple of days to see if we get that magical touch.

Will definitely keep you all updated so those still waiting know how big a grain of salt to take with the mis-information spouted by USCIS. Today has been a low point in terms of faith and patience, especially on Ingrith's end, so please keep us in your thoughts, prayers, whatever.

oww...that is complete utter BS..thats more or less what we are going through..but we didn't get that much detailed info from the congressman just that our case was in FBI..i'm guessing our two touches on july 31, was cuz of congress calling and making them pull file off of dusty shelf, and 2nd was to give to fbi.

blurgh.ya we were sposed to get married in january 09..but we didn't knwo about visa process back then..now i wish we had of

on a brighter note..i got another touch today..i can only hope this means we are out of fbi check...now i'm j ust waiting for more bad news..in the form of an RFE, or denial or something else.. i just have this gut feeling..blurgh!

Many congrats to Jomegared and Kimbear. That's awesome news for you, and also gives great hope to Ingrith and me.

Our Congressional aide said that she usually gets a reply within 2-3 days from CSC, and she inquired on Friday, so I'm hoping we'll get some action this week, and really, really hoping for an approval before next weekend so we can go out and get drunk before she boards the plane back to Panama Saturday morning.

We're still holding out hope that we can actually get married as planned on October 10th. I realize now how optimistic this date was, but it really really could happen. It's been a great day in general (well, except for the oppressive heat and humidity finally making it to central Illinois over the weekend).

And to any March filers out there who haven't yet gotten their NOA2....CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN! It does seem to work, and contrary to the "party line," it seems you don't even have to wait for the magical, mystical (imaginary) 5-month date to pass to get some satisfaction.

Sorry to hear about all of this, especially since I am hoping but expecting nothing better myself.

On a somewhat lighter note, I must point out that you are most certainly being overly-kind to USCIS in stating that their reply began with "Sorry."

That word is not part of their vocabulary. As a friend of mine once stated, the people at USCIS must be heart transplant donors....

Try to look at the bright side. At least you now have acknowledgment that your case was indeed received and (at last) assigned a case worker.

I just got off the phone with my Senator. Bad, horrible, heart wrenching news.

The process is supposed to take 5 to 7 months depending on volume, time, and order in which they were received, and country

of origin. Our case was put to the side. No one even looked at it until they called. The man the Senator spoke with said that once a case is assigned

a case worker, then the 5 month processing time goes into effect. Our case was assigned to someone on July 31st. Almost 5 months to the day we submitted we were finally

given a response that said, "sorry, 5 months starts now."

He told the Senator that they will begin the FBI background check, which will take a month, and then request an RFE on top of that.

I told the Senator how everyone else is faring with getting approvals already and he said sorry and that there is nothing more they can do but push.

The Senator was extremely kind and said he would do everything he could to help and keep following the case, but USCIS doesn't give a sh!t.

F... this process.

Im considering canning the whole thing and leaving.

Its bullshit that people can come illegally tomorrow, but try to do the right thing, and wait a year.

Awesome America.

Awesome.

Thanks again everyone for the encouragement. As it turns out, the Congressman for my district will be doing a town hall here on Wednesday. While it's unlikely I'll get his personal attention, I have had my politically active friend reach out to his office, and I'm hoping it will add to the impact to have both Ingrith and me there to meet his staff.

After presuming for a long time that the problem was dealing with a Panamanian government that didn't have a direct line of communication with the US, I now think it's more likely that I am the reason for the holdup. I've lived in 3 states, changed addresses quite often while in college, and traveled extensively, including 4 trips to Ukraine and 1 to Russia (ironically, to visit my last girlfriend). So I have a feeling I might be in the dreaded "FBI background check" queue.

Here's hoping either that I'm wrong or that the process is actually expedited by a Congressional contact. Best of luck to everyone else in the same boat.

-Patrick

Good luck. Its so hard to stay positive through this whole process. My thoughts were, after reading all the miserable tales of calling USCIS, to just have the Senator's office work on it directly without me calling and bugging them. But, for those of you in states with large populations, i feel for you. I am from Wyoming and have direct contact with a senator. Hang in there, keep bugging them and remember to always ask for the highest supervisor!

Thanks for the encouragement. I've started to reach out to a friend who's politically active, to see if I can get a direct point of contact in my Senator's office.

After calling the mis-information line, I will most certainly not be bothering with the "official" method of requesting an inquiry once my file reaches the 5-month point (and then waiting up to 60 days for a response to that). It's clear they have no interest in providing more information without the most firm push possible, and that would be from a Senator's office. I actually heard the person in the background prompting my "jerk in training" (resisting the urge to use a more severe term) to tell me that his supervisor was "not available at the moment"...and then this "jerkling" had the gall to suggest that I try calling back to see if another "Customer Service Agent" could give me more information, knowing full well that the next person would simply read to me from the same script. It's like they take joy in wasting our time. This is where our taxpayer dollars go....to have people on a power trip wield that power over us??? Yes, they work for us, but that seems to make no difference.

(Deep breath)

As I said, the only thing that makes this bearable at the moment is having Ingrith with me to keep my eyes on the prize. While she is losing faith daily, having dealt with immigration every time she crosses the border, just seeing her after work restored my optimism that this could still come through in time for an October wedding. My file will reach the 5-month point next Thursday, so I will do my best to have someone at my Senator's office make contact on or shortly after that date.

Sincere congratulations to all who have moved on from the USCIS phase of this stage of the journey. Please continue to pray, send positive vibes, light a candle, or whatever you can do to help the rest of us.

My senator's assistant just called my father yesterday asking where my request was to push the USCIS along. If you have a congressman willing to help you with your application I would highly recommend doing it. Vindictive backlash is completely unreasonable. Remember, they work for us. In my opinion, it would get someone to locate the application at least and maybe even push it through a little. The only reason I didnt do it sooner was because of the 5 month mark, but remember, that mark is to have the petition completed by then.

No harm trying to find out, through a gov't offical, if its close or not.

Hang in there. Your're close.

To clarify.....I did contact my Senator and they were more than happy to check for me.

Well, that's about the worst news I've heard so far. I'm resisting as long as possible to go the "congressman contact" route, just in case there's some kind of vindictive backlash, but nearing the 5-month mark, it's getting harder and harder just to sit and do nothing. Called the NVC a few days ago just to make sure they didn't have our case, but alas, it's still un-touched and un-moved since the 8th of March.

It's easier having Ingrith here with me, but that situation will change again in 2 weeks. It's ridiculous that they're just making us wait with no possibility for an inquiry. Come on, folks...it's not like we're waiting for a rebate check or something....this is the rest of our lives on hold!

according to the ombudsmand report for 2009 uscis has already lost 66 case files this year alone. i'm not very hopeful.