siya

With a K3 visa the I-130 is to be sent to the National Records Center to be used with your AOS. Sometimes the USCIS will send both the I-130 and I-129f to the NVC. Your I-130 NOA2 will state where the I-130 was sent. If it is worded like you are already in the US then it was sent to the National Records Center. If it was sent to the NVC, then their may be delays in your AOS until the I-130 is in the right place. This could be what the man at the Embassy was talking about.

Also, with the K3 you must get your EAD before you can get a SSN. The EAD should be issued in 90 days or less unless you get an RFE. Once you have your EAD you can go to your local Social Security office to apply for the SSN. It normally takes 10 working days to get the SSN card in the mail.

ok. thankyou.

i am presuming that this means that i do not need to call them, since the US Embassy London ( or the POE, whom i gave the envelope containing the file to when i arrived last week to) ..will just send the 1-130 to the Nation record centre.

thanks. this makes more sense as i could not see why i would need to send it back to the NVC again as they were the first to process the 1-129F and 1-130.

I MADE IT!!!

i am in the US now..still cannot believe that i made it this far...thankyou everyone for your help!!

now for the next part of the journey..

first thing that i am doing is getting rid of the idiot of a lawyer that i unfortunatly hired..

so here is where i need HELP..!

i filed for a k3 visa as i am already married to my USC husband...

- The man at the US embassy in London, ( the one that checked my papers first ), said that once i get to the US, to call up the NVC and ask them to transfer my file..

WHAT?...is this the 1-130 file?

has anyone else been asked to do this? I have no idea what he's on about. If you were issued a K3 visa and traveled to the US on that visa, the I 130 is now irrelevant.

- I am going to be filing for Adjustment of Status..and was wondering how long is actually takes for the 'green card' to arrive. Can it actually take up to a year? any chance that it is quicker if you have filed for the 1-130? Look on this site for current I 485 timelines. It can take up to a year - it can take way less than that. Best bet is to see the current timelines and use that as a rough estimate. But remember - your case could take more or less time. No one here can tell you that for sure. Makes no difference that you have an approved I 130 on file or not (esp. as you're here on a K3).

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/aosstats.php?cfl=

- I will also at the same time file the 'I-765, Application for Employment Authorization'.

Is this the form that will assign me a Social security number? Also in reality how long does this take?

Wow your lawyer did screw you up. LOL No immigration form will assign you a social security card. Totally separate agency. Go to your local SSA office and apply for one.

Yes, you'll apply for the I 765 (EAD) at the same time as you apply for the green card. See the AOS guide here on this site for further guidance. There are K3 FAQs on that page.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=k1k3aos

i know that there is an AOS forum..i just prefer this one!...any help much appreciated...thanks guys!

See my answers in red.

thats great... thanks for the help...

yes the lawyer was a complete waste of energy and money!!!

I MADE IT!!!

i am in the US now..still cannot believe that i made it this far...thankyou everyone for your help!!

now for the next part of the journey..

first thing that i am doing is getting rid of the idiot of a lawyer that i unfortunatly hired..

so here is where i need HELP..!

i filed for a k3 visa as i am already married to my USC husband...

- The man at the US embassy in London, ( the one that checked my papers first ), said that once i get to the US, to call up the NVC and ask them to transfer my file..

WHAT?...is this the 1-130 file?

has anyone else been asked to do this?

- I am going to be filing for Adjustment of Status..and was wondering how long is actually takes for the 'green card' to arrive. Can it actually take up to a year? any chance that it is quicker if you have filed for the 1-130?

- I will also at the same time file the 'I-765, Application for Employment Authorization'.

Is this the form that will assign me a Social security number? Also in reality how long does this take?

i know that there is an AOS forum..i just prefer this one!...any help much appreciated...thanks guys!

Hey guys

Just to let you guys know that I have my passport back - so London isnt too bad issuing them fast these days, especially as we've just had a weekend and Columbus Day to contend with.

Had my interview last Friday and passport today - not bad eh. Flight booked for next week.... Can't wait!!

Good luck guys

Dyfed

hi,

i got mine back today too...whooohooo...Its feels soo good..

i have a flight booked for tomorrow, just cannot wait..

i am impressed that you got your passport back so quick though , Dyfed. i got mine after 9 working days!!.. but alls well..

hope that you have a safe flight...i booked mine using STA, like u recommended. miles cheaper..thanks..!!

Ye?? cool.... Yeah i booked my flight last night too - with STA of course

from where are u going from/to? and how much was yours? Mine is from Manchester to Portland, OR visa Amsterdam for £279... no site comes close to that!!

Good luck

Dyfed

yes, i agree with you. i tried booking direct with BA.com as i have done in the past and the prices where ridiculous. plus i dont fly that great, so i always take direct fligts. same with virgin and american airlines.

I got an STA ticket for £319...not as cheap as yours but still...definatly better off then anywhere else.

I live in london so flying out of heathrow and heading to Boston. Apparently, its starting to get quiet cold up there..no surpise..

but Portland....thats the 'rainy' state right?

Hey guys

Just to let you guys know that I have my passport back - so London isnt too bad issuing them fast these days, especially as we've just had a weekend and Columbus Day to contend with.

Had my interview last Friday and passport today - not bad eh. Flight booked for next week.... Can't wait!!

Good luck guys

Dyfed

hi,

i got mine back today too...whooohooo...Its feels soo good..

i have a flight booked for tomorrow, just cannot wait..

i am impressed that you got your passport back so quick though , Dyfed. i got mine after 9 working days!!.. but alls well..

hope that you have a safe flight...i booked mine using STA, like u recommended. miles cheaper..thanks..!!

hi MARM,...cannot believe that things could end up the way that they have for you. praying that things work out for you and that you get the visa before your fiances visa runs out. i do agree with you, i am sure that the US embassy is aware of the student visa experiation considering that they have been in pocession of the passport for a long time.

rooting for you guys!!

well i had my interview last mondaythe 28th sept and im expecting mine tommorow, just had the message the say it will be here in morning, i know its the same for luke too he had his interview the same day as me.

oh no no no....thats a weeks wait. i guess i can change the ticket to next week, no big deal as i got a pretty good price on it anyway..

Gemmie..i am flying out to Boston airport, but my husband actually lives in Nushua, NH....2 days sounds really good.. lets hope

Congratulations Siya.

thanks!!!

i am so excited...i just have a quick question..

the interview was approved (2 Oct 2009)...and the consular officer said i should get my passport in 3-5 days...BUT ...i have been reading on here that its more like 2-3 days...is this true?

i have actually got a ticket booked for this Friday to Boston, MA.. and would really like to go then...

YAY BABY!!

I have been given the 'seal of APPROVAL' by the embassy. i can't even discribe how i feel right now.. apart of me still can't even believe it!!

This is how it all went:

I arrived at 7 AM, was one of the first 5 in the waiting line....security was a breeze...

Things like this are difinatly not good for the stomach..I only managed 3.5 hours of sleep, and couldn't even eat in the morning!!

I waited approx. 20 minutes till the staff set themselves up (the computers were down)..was the first one called up!!

Handed over my documents and copies to a nice man..everything was in order..payed the fee and got my X-Ray...I was asked to wait..

Another 20-30 minutes later...i was called up again..( I thought I was going to be physically sick at this time)

I got some..tall guy with glasses ( anyone?)...well he was nice..( I think he was new)..gave back my orginals and asked the following questions:

-WHEN DID YOU FIRST MEET YOU HUSBAND?

-WHAT HAPPENED AFTER YOU MET..?

-WHAT DATE DID YOU MEET?

-WHAT DOES HE DO?

-WHAT COMPANY DOES HE WORK FOR?

Little bit offened that he did not even want to see my wedding pictures after I offered..

that was it...I can say it was not exactly the most formal of conversations and then again it was not exactly informal...I felt kinda relaxed, just spoke the truth and was concise...( but still slightly nervous)..

thankfully its all done...fewwwwwwwwww...

i am just so releived right now..i finally feel like i can move and get on with my life..

Good luck to all those who are still waiting...i am praying that you all will be over this side of the pond soooon...Best of luck

Thanks to everyone that has helped me with this stressful process ..the support has been fantastic!!

so tomorrow is D-day...almost.

The interview is 8 AM but I plan to get there a little over 30 minutes early. Just to be on the safe side..

I got the appointment letter in the post yesterday..and have compiled the 'interview folder'....This is what I have included:

FORMS ( 2 COPIES OF EACH)

- DS- 230 part 1

- DS- 156

- DS- 156K

- DS- 157

DOCUMENTS

-Passport + 2 photocopies

-Birth Certificate + 1 copy

-Marriage Certificate + 1 copy

-Police Certificate + 1 copy

-Passport sized pictures (American standard) X 3

EVIDENCE OF SUPPORT PROVIDED BY MY HUSBAND (USC)

-I-134

-Letter from employer

-Letter from Bank manager

-Bank statments including transfer of my finances

-Tax Returns (2008,2007 and 2006) accompanied with respective W2's

-PayStubs ( about 5 months worth)

In addition:

-I-864

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

-Photographes from when we met, engagement and wedding

-DVD of wedding

-E-tickets from when I went to the US, when he came to London and our tripe to Spain along with Hotel reservations.

I am so worried about tomorrow. I know that i most likely have all the documents ( thanks to VJ)..But...( this is my story)

......In Janury 2008 I was denied an F1 (Student Visa) by the US Embassy, on the grounds that i could not prove strong ties to the UK. And then i visited the US as my parent live in MD, that July and ended up meeting my Husband. We had met back in 2006 when i was visiting family but just lost touch. Everything happened pretty fast we dated, he proposed, i said YES, our families met, we got engaged and married. As i was there on the Waiver Program, i came back BEFORE the 90 days were up and he filed for the papers with a lawyer. So nothing was illigal in any way. Since then I have visited ( March 2009), and was approved for travel by the ESTA, even after saying that I had been denied for a visa before. I had no problam at the POE either...Again i stayed and returned before 90 days. I am just sooo worried about embassy and what they will think about all of this...

hi

ok. i have my interview schedualed for 2 nd Oct, but i have nott recieved the appointment letter yet. i am kind of worried. i remember reading somewhere on this site that it is still possible to get into the embassy with out the letter. is this true..?

thanks for the help.

MARM..you know it took ages for them to get my Packet 3 onto the system. Any then i was being told, yes we have it, no we dont, wait..yes we do..etc. But this was possibly due to the backlog that they had during the summer..and it does look like they have speeded up alot. Got my fingers and toes crossed for you guys!!

thanks Maria, and i am on the list..thankyou MARM..

i was wondering...for finacial support/evidence..it says 'for k3 applicants 1-864 (affidevet of suppport) is not required'

my husband has filed out one anyway and included supporting documents...so i can go ahead and use it, right?

also, i have bank account statments, although some months are missing..do you think that this might be a problam..?

thanks for any help

I called up the embassy today...just to find out why no one seemed interesting in replying to my email..

and the lady confirmed: I HAVE AN INTERVIEW !!!

so the DOS do tend to tell the truth, well sometimes..and only some of them..

i am booked for 2 OCTOBER @ 8AM..

whooooooohoooooooooooo!!

after all this wait...i can assume that things are progressing at the embassy again, or that the inquiry by the DOS rep helped..

THANKYOU GOD..

ok. hi guys..

so my husband rang the DOS today, as we have not heard anything or recieved a response to the email i sent to the embassy

well this really nice rep. Valarie..did an inquiry for us with the embassy to find out what was going on..

she got back to my husband today..and ...i have an interview date for 2 nd OCT 8 pm..

APPARENTLY...they (embassy ) sent me out a letter yesterday..

the reason for me sounding like this?....YESTERDAY WAS A SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

now we are happy, anxioiuse, confused, worried, nervous, shocked..but mostly wondering IS THIS TRUE??

i am prepared for the interview, had the medical, got all the supporting doucments etc.

i am just waiting for the mail now...praying that this is true....PLEASE GOD..IF YOU ARE READING THIS..I WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING BAD AGAIN..PROMISE...

Oh my! I am so sorry that you had to go through all of this. We just sent in a new DS-157 because the embassy requested us too...I am thinking they lost his first one or something because we did send on in Feb 09. And yes, DOS is very misleading. I only found out about the new DS-157 form requested from my fiance because a DOS rep accidentally let it out while speaking to me...she asked me, did your fiance submit a new DS-157? And my reaction was, "what? he submit one before the interview...back in Feb 09" And she cut me off to say "I am asking about NOW". And I said no, and that was that. And then today I realized she didn't give me the complete information, so I called DOS and luckily got Jessica (the best DOS rep) and she gave me the details that yes, the embassy asked for my fiance's DS-157 on Sept 15, 09 and they put a note in the system, blah blah. So unless you get someone nice at DOS, you have to play games with them so that they can give you the right information. London is pretty quick this week about replying to emails. My fiance sent one yesterday and he got a reply today from them, so we sent in the form today too, as they did indeed request a new DS-157. I hope that you don't have to send in a whole set of new forms and that it is just the DS-230-I that they want. But it is great that you are prepared in case they say they want all the new forms...DOS reps DO LIE, that is a fact! It's like they purposely want to mess with your life! As if it isn't enough going through this hellish process anyway! Especially for people that have been following all the rules and doing the right things all along, this stuff is NOT needed. I hope that you get to hear back from the embassy soon! Post an update here as soon as you know!

thanks MARM, this whole thing is turning into one big joke...

My husband wants me to go to the US until we hear anything but i just want to be here if something props up. This distance thing is just so hard. i understand that you have been away from your fiance for a while too. its so tough, and its like it puts this strain on the relationship. i feel physically sick at times..

That was a quick response on the email. i sent it on Thurday and they said wait 3/4 days average. so lets see. i am praying that they answer.

And you are so right about the reps at DOS. some are really bad, before you even finish asking they say ' its still being processed' and hang up..!!!

i think my husband has talked to Jessica. Although, now we have our lawyer involved who has said that the London embassy has been messing up for a while now. mmmmm...anyway he is getting some liasion team involved..so lets see

and yes...somehow it ends up being a nightmare for those that are the most organised, (have folders in alphabetical order ) and follow the rules...it sucks..

the other thing is..i want to start my Masters in Sept 2010. But the application deadline is in Febuary 2010. i need to get my residential status sorted before i apply (VISA). i am so worried that things wont get sorted in time and that it will be another year that goes to waste. i wanted to do the degree in Sept 2008..and since then every year something props up. Work, marriage and now this....

they are actually playing games with peoples future's here..

hi

i totally understand you MARM. i have just got the shock of my life from DOS on wednesday too.

I have a K3 application for which i sent the package 3 off on 1 July 2009.

The DOS and US embassy both said they had not recieved it or recorded it.

In late August DOS told me, Yes we do have it, its processed, just awaiting an interview spot..

Woohoooo!!

we kept phoneing, just incase..waiting game

did that happen? Oh NO!!

on Wednesday my husband (USC) phoned DOS..apparently the DS-230 was now missing..

I called the US embassy. They did not have a record of anything..ANYTHING!!!

i swear, i wanted to cry (i started to cry) and punch someone in the face..

The guy gace me the email code thankfully, so i am now just awaiting a reply. I do have a new set of forms completed so i can send them off if need be..

but yes ...DOS LIE..LIE and oh, wait... LIE

Thanks guys. I think i am going to follow your advice Nik+heather, resending everything after 6 weeks..Which is the end of next week!

But this is where things start to go CRAZZY...

I phoned up the DOS today, nothing, still saying that they have not received anything. (the woman was really rude!)

Then called up the US Embasssy , same thing. Nothing. Although the guy said that if you have proof of them having received it..they probably have and just to wait another 2 weeks. ahhhh!!!

And now my husband just called up the DOS and they told him that everything was in order and that they were just awaiting the Embassy to assign a 'package 4'.That they had my medical results too.. she also mentioned a backlog...

I think this is what is causing all the problams!!..this slow-down

ok. Nik+Heather your right...i am an idiot when it comes to dates...

The DOS told me that the Embassy sent me a letter (package 3) on the 25 JUNE ( not july)...which they did. I fiilled out the forms and the Embassy recieved these on the 1 JULY. So i guess that I have so far done everything according to what i have been asked. I also completed the medical on 13 JULY.

The reason that i am starting to sweat now though is becuase the people at the DOS are saying that there is nothing on their system except when they sent ME the package 3.

Kam, going by what you said about your fiance and being assigned a date in 4 weeks..well my 4 weeks is up.

Do you think that this has anything to do with a backlog...maybe due to staff going away for summer etc?

Hi,

I sent in my 'package 3' to the embassy and it was recieved by them on 1 july. Everytime i phone the DOS they keep saying that:

- they sent me the package 3 on the 25 July

- they have not recieved anything yet

I know that they have recieved it and have been told for fellow VJ's that it might not just be on the system yet..

Can anyone tell me if it is supposed to take this long? It will be 5 weeks this wednesday. I a getting slightly impatient and probably more worried.

i rang the DOS again today..

The lady said the same thing, that the paper work had not been recieved but i am presuming that it just has not be entered onto the system...

she also said something else...that there seemed to be a huge backlog...

OK, so i did as you said..

I called up DOS, asked of the status of my K3 and 1-130...She said nothing had been noted as recieved by the embassy..I asked her to check the magic notes section. And she said thats what she had done. Nothing had been noted in this section either!!

Its been nearly 4 weeks..i sent the forms in on 29 June, and they recieved it on 1 July...

I have no idea how i feel right now. Part of me ois laid back, thinking that it does take this long (especially with the holiday season) and that i should expect another 2-3 weeks for it to be put on the system...

But then the other part of me is almost DYING thinking something is wrong..ahhh

ok definatly will do tomorrow morning. thanks for that, i was thinking that they were still in the process of putting it up on the system!

thanks for that

hey.

ok so i (bravely) went and got my HPV and MMR booster shots on Tuesday from Knightsbridge..that means that i have all the shots that i am ever going to need for this move. The lady said that she will courier the medical which i had passed that very day..

so today, i called up the DOS and the lady on the phone told me that there was no record of my docuemtns ( Packet 3) that i had sent in on the 1st of July. I am sure that the immigration unit at the embassy have it as it has been signed for ( i sent it via recorded delivery). So is it just that the documents are not on the system yet? Its been 3 weeks today. Does it take this long? or could there be a problam?

hi. the actual address for the embassy is:

24 Grosvenor Square

London, W1A 2LQ

United Kingdom

The clostest and easiest way to get there is by tube...Marble Arch on the Central Line.

Just walk down Park lane and i think after about 5 minutes walk, Upper Brook Street appears on the left. Go down this street and the embassy is on your right..cannot miss it, its huge and scary looking..

just wondering....are K3 processed faster then K1..as i was just looking at the statistics page and there seems to be a lot more pending K1's then K3's..?