Smizzy

This is exactly the issue. We know there are ups and downs and swaps but SOMETHING is seriously imbalanced now at 200 days for VCS and less than 60 for CSC. The trends do NOT support the claims that this is normal and certainly not in the two years of data I looked at.

There was a conference where members of both service Centers attended. After this CSC sped up considerably and is still steaming along. Vermont has fallen further behind. Even further than CSC was when they were "behind".

I would be curious to see some hard data for each service center. Do they have differing "systems" or is this more of a resourcing issue?

For example, what is the staff to case ratio @ VSC versus CSC? Could it be that VSC is under a proportionally larger overall caseload due to the populous eastern seaboard states? I'm not commenting on the fairness of the situation but just curious as to why such a large discrepancy actually exists.

Hello All,

I just sent out our ROC petiton today. In March of this year, my wife lost her wallet containing her GC and we promptly filed an I-90 for a replacement. Since her 2 year anniversary was coming up, USCIS eventually rejected the application with the rationale that she was due to file for ROC (and to think I could have wasted that $500 in far more entertaining ways). However, she did attend a biometrics appt. on Apr 20 as part of the I-90 application.

Do you think that we would be called in for another biometrics appt or would the records on file be used for the ROC petition?

Also, since the GC was lost, I was unable to include a copy of the back with our I-751 petition. I did happen to have a copy of the front of the GC and I also included the NOA from the I-90, the biometrics appt. letter from the I-90, the USCIS decision letter with the rejection, and made appropriate note of this situation in our cover letter. The sane person in me assumed this should cover us. Does anyone feel we need to worry?

posting my packet 3 back today so lets see how long before they schedule an interview? would like to get it done before Christmas if I can

judging by the recent timelines, you should get it pretty quickly . I sent my packet 3 and got the packet 4 email 2 days later, the interview was 2 weeks after that. Good luck

We just sent our Packet 3 in recently, and sure enough, it was a 2 day response time for the interview date (and interview was scheduled on a Tuesday, approx. 2 weeks later just like all the others).

Now he is getting his medical done and I am wondering how long it will take for that.. and if he has to send that back in to get his interview appt, or just take the results with him to the interview.

Does anybody know?

wow, you would think a police station would have the ability to print more than one person at once? Thats good you finally got it though, hopefully it doesn't take them too ling to get it all done!

Our timelines are soooo close! Danial got his medical today. Good luck tomorrow!

We sent our original medical documents in with the rest of the packet 3, but it seems like you can hold on to the originals and bring them with you to the interview:

This is the link we were given in packet 3:

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/iv/medical.html

Congrats Warren and thanks for sharing your experience. Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your honeymoon.

Hello All,

We've just sent off our packet 3 and will be awaiting the interview date. Since I'll be traveling down to see my fiancee in a couple weeks, it is highly likely that I will there when the interview is scheduled. Does anyone know if I can go into the consulate with her on the date of the interview? Do they allow entry to the petitioners as well?

Many, maybe even most, do allow this. Check the consulate reviews section. I strongly recommend going even if you cannot go in the building, be there for your fiancee, not the interview.

In addition, if the consulate does not allow the USC to accompany your fiance to the interview, you can give her your passport to take inside to show to the consular officer. Pretty much irrefutable proof that you're waiting outside for her, and as an earlier poster mentioned, this is great bonafide relationship evidence.

Thanks everyone. That's brilliant advice. I was just thinking about it from the perspective of being there to support her through a pivotal moment and never thought about using my passport as evidence of the relationship. I guess if a picture = 1000 words then a passport = 1000 pictures.

Hello All,

We've just sent off our packet 3 and will be awaiting the interview date. Since I'll be traveling down to see my fiancee in a couple weeks, it is highly likely that I will there when the interview is scheduled. Does anyone know if I can go into the consulate with her on the date of the interview? Do they allow entry to the petitioners as well?

My 'edit' button has disappeared so I can't edit my last post

I mean you should go to the field office

You can just call the customer service phone # for the NVC (be prepared to dial a few times because it's always busy).

Make sure you speak to an operator since they don't enter the K-1s into the automated system. You'll need your USCIS case # from the NOA2, the petitioner's name and birthday, and the same for the beneficiary. They can at least tell you if the case has been received and if you're in AP.

Hello All,

We're preparing all of the documents necessary for the packet 3 phase since our I-129F petition has just left the NVC.

I noticed on the Sydney consulate website that they require a "long form" birth certificate with the names of the parents on there. My fiancee only has a short form birth certificate with just her name, date, and location of birth (no names of parents on there). The problem is that my fiancee was not born in Australia and her family have maintained no ties to her country of birth, and so we would be unable to obtain a long-form birth certificate.

Do you think that this will be a problem with the embassy, and if so, what have others provided as alternative documentation?

Depends how heavy their workload is.. can take anywhere from 1 week to 4 weeks

Thanks. Would anyone know the answer to the first question?

Hello Aussie friends,

Our I-129F petition just left the NVC on October 21 and is currently en-route to Sydney. Thanks to VJ, we've been able to prepare all of our Packet 3 stuff in advance:

- I mailed the I-134, a copy of the NOA2, and a copy of our original petition to my fiancee in Oz

- My fiance just completed the medical two days ago (before we even had a NVC case #)

- My fiance already has the police check document

- Packet 3 documents are all filled out and ready for mailing

We can basically respond to the Packet 3 on the same day that Sydney sends out the email. So I have a couple of questions around this:

- can we send back part I of DS-230 along with the rest of the documents at the same time? Or does the DS-230 need to be sent prior to everything else?

- how long does it typically take the consulate to schedule the interview after they've received all of the required documents?

We're hoping to get this all done before December since I'm traveling down to Melbourne in mid-November and it would be just fantastic if we could come back to New York together with K-1 in hand.

THANKS......

i have taken 3 driving lessons till now.. i'm bit nervous.. but comfortable in driving here.. thankfully i m not scared of speed i drive upto 60 miles /hour on highway... but scared of test.

Just relax, drive slowly, and try to practice the one or two skills that you need to improve upon (based on the 1st test). I actually grew up right near where you took your road test and failed my first driving test there at age 16 for driving a bit too fast on the test course. It can happen to anyone and it's usually just nerves that can betray you.

Best of luck on your next attempt and drive really slowly near the Livingston Campus there (the speed limit changes from like 45mph down to 25mph and the cops are always waiting there).

I'm so thrilled. Just received the email from USCIS stating that my I-129F approval has been sent. It's all gone smoothly so far thanks to the fine folks at VJ. And to think that I almost went with a lawyer...

This is fantastic information. Now we just need to find someone with friends at the NVC...

As long as you don't file the paperwork to make you legally wed in that country, there shouldnt be an issue. I wouldnt get her to bring any pictures of it to the interview and makes sure she doesnt call you her husband or they will think you have married and make you start over on a K3.

Thanks for the replies. We probably should of thought this through a bit better in the beginning.

Hello All,

I was hoping you fine folks could help out with something that I'm newly concerned about. I'm a US citizen and my fiancee is an Australian citizen and we've already submitted the petition for the K1 visa at the VSC (we waited a lot longer than we should have). We have already planned a wedding in Australia in November and I highly doubt that the K-1 visa for my fiancee would be granted by then. We're also planning an additional reception here in the US for my friends and family.

What concerns me is that, technically, we would already be married in Australia by the time my fiancee would be called in for the interview at the consulate there. Is this something I need to worry about? The original plan was to file for the K1 in advance, obtain the visa, have a ceremony in Australia for her family and friends, and then come back to the US for a court marriage and another reception for my family and friends.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Much thanks!