Amyyduck

Here is a link to a thread about 2-year meeting waivers. It's actually very interesting if you read both of the cases mentioned in the first post. Hopefully this will help you see what does or doesn't constitute "extreme hardship" in these cases and how unlikely it is that a waiver you filed would get approved.

All the best!

Edited to say: Sorry for the double post!

but in the question #18 at the application form, we can say NO as long as we can expalin how our relationship was established...he really have no time to leave his work but he really wants to file the application.. help us please

The only way to get around the 2-year meeting rule is to file a waiver stating that it would cause EXTREME hardship for the two of you to have to meet in person before filing. These waivers are almost impossible to get approved. You can certainly try, but your best bet is just to suck it up, meet in person and then file. Good luck!

I just got a text message to check the USCIS website. I did and my petition has been approved.

omg! Congratulations! Woo hooo!!! :dance: More approvals!!

First, I am not looking at the negative side of things. I am looking at it from a economic and political viewpoint. I could care less about waiting as I anticipated it BUT there are ways of handling things more efficiently. All my posts are about how things can (and should be) handled differently to provide equitable service to all. Second, maybe the government should operate as a private instiution when it comes to the demand for visas. When there is an increase in visas then increase your staff to address the issue to make your goal. The "they cannot anticipate demand" is a lousy excuse especially when there are so many unemployed citizens. Next, as a taxpayer, fee payor, and US born citizen I expect more from my government regarding fees for service. If I am paying for a service, I expect a service. If I pay my taxes late, I can incur a penalty. If they process late, then I have the right to question why I am paying for less than I receive. It may or may not do any good but I do have the RIGHT to state what I feel about it. Why should someone that has a clean record and clearcut case wait months NOT because they have issues with their case but because they are sitting on a shelf somewhere????? It only take 15 or so minutes to adjudicate a file that is complete and problem-free. Finally I am not lucky to be eligible to apply for citizenship as I already have it. I am speaking from a processing standpoint and as the petitioner. My fiance and I already said it's not about the citizenship, it's about the being together so if he can't come here, I will go there. It would be nice for him to come here but it's not all about obtaining American citizenship as much as two people in love being together.

I am not unsympathetic to the USCIS adjudicators but I will not sit here and remotely pretend to think this process is the best. Thank you for showing the other side of the picture.

+1

As the USC in this relationship, I completely agree with everyone you just posted.

Also, it sounds like perhaps you haven't read through the instructions for filling out the I-129F. If you had, you probably would have known who to make the check out to. I would not recommend sending in your petition until you've read through all the appropriate instructions. I'm talking the official USCIS instructions that come with the forms, not just the VJ guides. You wouldn't want to send in your packet and find it when it's too late that you made a careless error because you didn't read the directions thoroughly.

Just some friendly advice. Good luck on the rest of your journey!

United States Department of Homeland Security.

Don't abbreviate it. It's listed on the instructions for the I-129F.

My fiancee and I are beginning the K-1 process. Do I need to be there with her in Costa Rica when she goes for the interview? Does it make a difference if I am there or not?

Some consulates do (basically) require that the USC attends. Some consulates do not let the USC attend. I don't know specifically which ones are which but based on your embassy information page it does state that the USC is allowed to attend. My opinion would be to go if you can, because it definitely can't hurt.

The USCIS finally put up their August stats. It confirms what everybody already knew. They slowed way down in August. I expect the number to be just as low if not lower for Sept.

http://dashboard.uscis.gov/index.cfm?formtype=6&office=6&charttype=1

Dismal. Vermont completed twice as many I-129F's as California in August though, so at least there's that.

Does anyone else find it rather amusing that USCIS can't even post their stats until a month and a half later? Somewhat demonstrative of their all-around performance, I suppose. Pathetic.

Hello, guys

Has any of you got NOA2 yet

One person from our group has (Annie Mugaya) and a few July filers as well. Not too many though..

We're all waiting so patiently, and some of us not so patiently

I'm desperate for any news! What are they doing? Why doesn't USCIS post actual stats about productivity and completion?! It's like when you wait for the train and you have no idea when the next one is coming, it seems to take FOREVER! But if you're at a station with a countdown that tells you when the next one is coming, it's totally manageable. Why can't we have that?! I mean, I know that's technically what the 5 month estimate is for, but seriously, we all know that doesn't actually mean anything. I'm pretty sure they just made that number up.

I'm so impatient.

Hey guys-- more good news on my end. My case has already been forwarded! It was received by NVC on Oct. 13th and forwarded on Oct 14th. Talk about FAST! I got my case number and will try to call the Embassy tomorrow as the operator told me she thinks it should have already arrived. This is exciting, and you all should be excited, too-- because it shows that as soon as you get your NOA2 things will really get rolling. It's just a matter of getting over that big hump in the beginning.

Awesome! That was SO fast!!

I was realistically hoping for my NOA2 by Thanksgiving, but now I kind of feel like even that is being too optimistic. I'm still holding out hope but I guess I won't be surprised if I don't get it until December, though if we make it all the way to 2011 without an NOA2 I really will go bonkers.

amyyduck you're so funny.

Besides, I didn't want an RFE because of my husband's hand-writing.

I totally filled all the forms out for my fiance and just had him sign them at the bottom. His handwriting is atrocious!!

You're never "guaranteed" to get any visa. The K-3 is effectively dead. your choices are either Cr1/IR1 if you get married first and then file, or K-1 if you want to file before you get married.

Check out this guide to see which visa is right for you!

http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

As the saying goes, take it from the voice of experience. We filled out the I-129F with whatever was handy, a black or blue pen. Turns out signatures were mixed colors some black some blue.

Upshot was when I sent in the package to USCIS the whole thing came back to me a week later and told me signatures were photocopy not originals (the ones in black) and I had to write a letter saying NO they were originals in black ink. So that cost us about another 12 days in processing and an RFE.

They did accept it when I sent it back with cover letter saying they WERE original black signatures. But it was a 12 day delay in processing our I-129F.

So I learned, use blue ink at least for all signatures, fill out the rest in black is fine, but use BLUE INK for all signatures is my experience.

And for what it's worth we did make it through the interview and approval, and the signatures in black ink on the orginial petition were never questioned again.

Well, I will be with her on the flight, so I don't have to wait outside And there's no connecting flight to worry about after the POE. I guess I'll snap pictures as she steps off the plane, and again as she checks through immigration, and at baggage, and probably lots and lots between, before, and after. Maybe I should just take video instead

Thats so cute!

Try 202.663.1225 press 1 then 0

BTW, I searched for DOS phone # and that was the first entry that came up. Sometimes searching works! Try it out!

Seriously? Come on. There is tons of info on everyone just sitting in goverment hard drives now. Although I don't doubt big brother is checking out FB and the like, cancelling your account is rediculous.

Are you gonna trade your house and car for a wood cabin and a horse, move deep into the Northwest living of the land also? You could spend your time looking for D.B. Coopers cash.

This is the information age and "watching us " will only increase in the next 30 years as it has in the last which is alot. If you want to live in a box, go ahead.

because we sent everything in black,and there was no problem with it for the first notice of action,i just dont wanna get a completely random RFE after all this time,waiting.

thanks tho

I wouldn't stress about it. It sounds like lots of people fill out everything in black and then sign in black as well. That's what I did. I'm sure you'll be fine.

ok question,IF they find a problem with the ink,will they return the case before the first notice of action OR send an RFE?

It probably depends. If the whole petition was written in red ink and they didn't like that, they might send it back. If it was only the signatures that they were unsure about, they would probably just RFE you.

I dunno for sure though, thats just my common sense opinion.

I signed all my stuff in black because I was already filling all my forms out with a black pen. As if I was really going to rummage through my drawer to find ANOTHER pen when the one I was already writing with would do just fine?! No thanks. If I get a freakin RFE for my black ink signatures I swear I'll poke my own eyes out.

They are TOO PICKY!!

It would be very difficult to match me with my VJ account, although I have thought about deleting my VJ account.

No way, it would be totally easy if you were a USCIS adjudicator. All they'd have to do was look for a CSC IR1/CR1 filer with an NOA1 date of 06/02/10 with the names of the couple as Jim and Irina. Then they'd have a whole file full of all your intimate details. Scary though, eh?

There were actually a couple of NOA2's handed out early this month. Check Igor's list for VSC. Also VJ members only make up a tiny fraction of all the petitions that USCIS receives, so for all we know, there've been TONS of approvals recently, just not VJ ones.

I read it. I dont trust the privact settings. This is big brother. He can get around privacy settings and passwords. We have given him ultimate authority in the name of national security. I will be surprised if Big brother can't restore what I have deleted, if he really wants to.

Well if you're really that concerned, you should probably delete your VJ account too.

well folks, as a result of this discussion I have deleted my facebook account. I value my privacy from big brother. Facebook says it will delete the account in 14 days. If USCIS wants to know something then they should just ask and not be sneaky about it. AS thomas Jefferson once said "a government big enough to give you what you want is big enough to take it away"

Seriously?? Did you even read the article? If you had, you'd have noticed that adjudicators were instructed to friend petitioners in order to basically stalk them. Simple solution: Set you privacy settings so that only your friends can see you stuff, and don't accept a friend request from anyone you don't know.

Me too They've slowed down again!! *sigh* Over 2 months!

Well I know it doesn't make the waiting any easier, but at least we can all count our blessings that we're not at CSC!