boisestate

Fellow November travelers:

The journey for us has come to a close. The embassy in Port of Spain was so kind as to issue her visa today, and she catches the first flight out of town tomorrow morning, arriving in Sacramento tomorrow night. It has felt like this would last forever, even though our process was pretty quick by US Govt standards -- a total of 4.5 months from mailing the petition to boarding the plane. Even with two visits during the wait, it felt interminable right up to the end.

To those who are still waiting, my heart goes out to you. The US Govt works on a timetable that defies explanation, but some day your number will flash on the screen and your turn will come around. Maybe we'll all have free health care by then, eh!

Best wishes --

boisestate

Just to add a little fun to this thread. I (USC) was married once before -- terrible experience but that's in the past. When sending in the 129F, I included a photocopy of the only document I received from my attorney, which was an originally signed and stamped copy of the divorce decree. That made it through UCSIC and NVC, no problem. However, when my fiance went to her visa interview this morning, they refused to accept that copy and insisted she produce a raised embossed certified copy. Is this a new requirement? Fortunately I was able to contact Vital Records and have them 2-day UPS a copy, but I'm just really surprised a signed/stamped official copy from the court is not accepted!

Thoughts?

I'd second the opinion that the forums just look different (in a bad way) since they changed the formatting. I think there is just more space than there was previously, or something like that.

We have our visa interview at the Port-of-Spain embassy in about 7 hours. Crossing fingers and toes...!

Hi everyone,

Just to give you a bit of background, as you can see from my timeline we have filed for K-1 and got out NOA1 on the 19th of November. I am currently working a job with a 3 month notice period. When would people think would be the best time to hand in notice?

1) When we get NOA2

2) When we clear NVC and are sure we are not going to get stuck in AP at this stage

3) When we have the visa in hand (not a great option, due to it being hard being apart anyway!)

What are people's opinions?

Regards,

Arch

Good question. My fiance has a 30-day notice period, and she resigned a week after the NOA2 arrived. Keep in mind that the petition can take up to 4 months after the NOA2 before the visa is issued... Most seem to take less than that though. Good luck!

Its awesome My fiancee got caaled by the embassy yesterday and told her to turn in the paperwork at the embassy next wenseday and her interview will be on friday Feb 20. Thats what i call quick turn around.

Your I-129f was approved in 63 days from your NOA1 date.

Your interview took 92 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

That's pretty amazing! Congratulations on getting through the process so quickly. If I remember correctly, you were able to get your case expedited because of the USC's military involvement?

In case people are curious about the speed at NVC, it seems to be pretty fast at the moment. Our petition arrived at the embassy 13 days after the NOA2 date.

We just returned our packet 3 to the embassy in Port of Spain today, so crossing fingers for speedy processing and receipt of packet 4. This weekend is Carnival in Trinidad, and the entire country shuts down for about a week.

Good luck to everyone still awaiting the NOA2. Waiting is the hardest part of the process, no matter which step of the way you're on!

When is the visa fee paid? When packet 3 is returned to the embassy?

Hey just an update for fellow November 09 CSC filers...

Our petition left NVC 8 days after the NOA2 date. Now just to wait for the embassy. Crazy how it's life in the slow lane with USCIS and then off to the races with the NVC.

boisestate

Deal!

If you ever want to do something shoot me a private message. Im always up for a Kimosabe Roll from Tex Wassabi (can you guess what Im craving right now? lol)

It's always nice to know people that are going thru the same thing. I rarely talk about it with my friends because I always get the "bah, dont worry about it, 6 - 7 months is nothing" ... OH REEEEEEEEEAAALLLYYYY??????!?!?!? Of course they are holding hands or sitting by their SO while they are giving me " the talk".

How many other Sacramento people are there from November? It seems like a disproportionately high percentage...

I ran to get my NOA1 and make sure that the case numbers matched.

Ha! Checking the emailed case number against my NOA1 was my first step, too. Maybe I put in the wrong case number and this is really somebody else's approval?

Too funny~

Here's the regulations.gov PDF describing the proposed change.

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/con...contentType=pdf

Looks like it could go into effect pretty soon. They're accepting comments until Feb 12, sometime after which they'll implement the fee increase.

Since the visa fee is paid at the interview (right?), unless we have an interview in the pretty near future, I'm guessing we'll end up paying the new fee.

Grats on your approval!

Lovely picture, looks like... Old San Juan? Im puertorrican so I think Old San Juan is one of the most romantic places of the Caribbean (not that Im biased ).

I guess Im obssesed with "old" places cause I think Old Sacramento is pretty neat too.

Aaaaaaaanyway , grats again. Hope you get your interview appointment even faster than your NOA2.

I'll keep waiting for mine and then... the long road that is Montreal

Yeah, that was in Old San Juan, at the old spanish place next to El Morro. I forget the name. Old Sacramento is less impressive because it's pretty much a giant tourist trap. Ugh!

Regarding interview times, I think we'll be able to have the visa in 7-8 weeks, judging from past people's Trinidad experiences. Crossing fingers and toes!

Good luck to you and your Montreal journey...

AR/MD:

ha, boisestate has been a bit vague in the past, but we can change that now. I hope other November (and October) filers can be encouraged -- the CSC is making progress. My girlfriend/fiance is still living and working in Trinidad, and we talk every day on skype (video) and google voice (just audio). We've been trying to have one of us visit the other about once a month, and it's her turn to come up next Thursday. Due to the economy and planned renovations at her office, this trip is the last vacation she'd be allowed to take until summer.

For the past two weeks or so I've been telling her I have a feeling we're going to get the NOA2 before she visits next week. This, in spite of Igor's prediction for mid-Feb. We had been trying to decide when she should resign from her job, to devote whatever time and attention would be needed for the remainder of the visa process -- playing courier with the forms, medical, immunizations, police check, interview. You'd be amazed how long those things can take in a developing country. A day before approval, we worked out a deal where she'd resign as soon as the NOA2 arrived or Feb 20, whichever came first. That way even if the NOA2 took forever to be approved, she could still come up for a visit because getting time off from work wouldn't be a problem any more.

Thursday evening, the text popped up on my phone. I had the sinking feeling like "that's too soon, there must be an RFE". Quickly logged on to the USCIS site to check, and there was the approval. Stark and unemotional, in a way that only the United States government can be. Approved. Follow the instructions on the letter. This part of your journey is complete.

Of course, that kind of news can't wait, so I called my girlfriend at 1:30am, just a few hours before she was scheduled to report to work. My normally tough, composed girl just started crying. Never really had that happen before. This is by no means to gloat, but it's a fantastic feeling getting on with your life.

I would encourage you to keep your head up and stay focused on why you are in this process.

Josh (boisestate)

-- Attached photo is from a trip to Puerto Rico...

Just to comment on the amount of evidence needed....

On the I129F, question 18 (describe how you met), I just put three sentences in the form mentioning how we lived in the same town and hung out every day. We didn't provide an additional statement page or anything as is recommended in the guides.

For evidence of meeting, we provided the following:

- email itinerary of flight booked with both our names, from a vacation last year

- screenshot of airline itinerary in her name, destination of my hometown

- photocopy of my old work permit, showing that I was previously authorized to work in her country

- 5 pictures of us together on various vacations

That was it. After reading of the mountains of evidence others have submitted, I agonized here and there about whether or not we sent in enough stuff. But, the proof's in the pudding. Just a thought though: because my passport and work permit prove I lived in her country for a few years, they may have been less stringent on evidence than with a couple that has never lived in the same country. Just a guess...

Rionet: The approval rolled in simultaneously via text and email from USCIS at 9:30 pm PST. I kind of cringed, figuring that a response this quickly (relatively speaking) must mean an RFE...

Just got the NOA2 approval today 01/21/10.

We got the NOA1 on 11/10/09 -- 72 days

Best wishes for the rest of the November filers!

Hello to all my November filers. Has anyone got their NOA2 yet?

Nope. Hoping soon though. It looks like people toward the end of October are getting theirs, so we shouldn't be too far behind...

Saw the check was cashed and used that number to check the status online. Got the NOA1 on 9-Nov... Still waiting for it in the mail

That makes sense.

Anyone know if Trinidad is a high fraud / difficult country??

Nik/Heather: thanks for the info. That makes sense, it's probably a good idea to get that squared away as soon as possible. What proof do you have with the AOS filing that you're not 'out of status'? Do you carry around a copy of the AOS filing and the NOA1?

Thanks for the ideas. Some of those might just work.

Regarding the 90 day thing, we just have to be married in 90 days, not file for AOS, right? After the wedding we'll go on a honeymoon (1 week), wait for the certified marriage certificate (2 weeks?), and so may not file for AOS for a month. I thought we just had to be married within the 90 days, not necessarily file for AOS by that time.

There is an incentive obviously to get the AOS filed to get AP and EAD sooner, but is there a 90 day deadline?

Everyone seems to agree we need a lot of evidence for the K1 application, but I seem to remember a thread from "Gary and Alla", relaying information from an official at the Vermont service center, who said that you really just need to prove you've met in person:

"What about extra documents? Proof of relationship? We don't need it, only that they have met for the fiancee visa."

I guess the rationale of providing extra stuff with the initial K1 application is that it makes the visa interview process easier because your entire file is forwarded to the embassy and is thus available to the office before the actual interview. Maybe I'm misguided here, but it seems like you need to prove two things:

1. You've met in person in the two years previous to K1 application (must provide with the I-129F)

2. You have an ongoing relationship (must provide at visa interview)

Is this on the right track?

I'm in Sacramento. I have a cousin in LA (1 hour nonstop flight away), and her best friend also lives in the LA area. Flying back and forth would suck, and honestly staying with someone for a month or two is quite a burden to put on someone...

While time apart is difficult and we're all doing the immigration/visa process to be with the one we love, how are people handling the time between the POE and the actual wedding? Obviously there is likely to be a flurry of planning for wedding/honeymoon, as well as adjusting to your life together if you have never previously lived together.

My girlfriend and I lived in the same city for a year and a half, but have never lived together under the same roof. Due to religious and traditional influences, we'd like to avoid living together prior to the actual marriage. It's kind of hard to pinpoint a wedding date until the time gets a lot closer (we just filed the K1 last week), so it's likely she ends up in the US for a month or two prior to the marriage.

Are most people living together prior to getting married? Anyone doing anything else?

I just moved to a new area, so don't really know anyone that I could ask to "host" her between POE and the wedding. Hotel would be prohibitively expensive. Another option could be to have her come up just prior to the wedding (wait in her country), but that's no fun!

Ideas?

Packet delivered this morning, per USPS. We'll see how fast they get the NOA1 out to us...

... just realized I'm inadvertently posting into the VSC thread!

Still waiting on the NOA1. Hoping the USPS gets their act together and delivers the petition today!