Nina and Erwin

No need to be sorry, we're all here for help!

This is where I go:

https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?

That was helpful.... thank you so much

everytime I have called this week.. I have gotten right through..

Just wondering if there is a fee for each of the I-864? I have to have a co-sponsor unfortunately...

So an I 130 and if that doesn't work I have to just have a long distance marriage? Moving there is not an option as I have a son here and his dad would never let me move him to Holland.

Harpa-you're right! I've hijacked this thread from my husband as I'm the one in the states communicating with USCIS.

Frannie85

My husband is Belgian BUT he was raised in Holland/ Nederlands. We have a interesting story... our original I-130 was sent to Holland ... BUT I will say this the Amsterdam Consulate is NOT put together all that well, and you will have to be very put together and organized to get through this with them.

Also.. because we have such an interesting story... we just had to overcome the fact that I canceled the original I-130 at the Detroit office 2 years ago and I have a very good Lawyer he works all over the country. I will send it to you private.. We can talk if needed.. smile I wish you all the luck.

That's what I was wondering.. I would like to take the Cruise way... wonder how they did that.

Hey y'all!

I checked our case status on the U.S. Department of State website and it says this:

"Your case is in transit to the Consular Section. Your interview date was provided to you by the National Visa Center."

I supposed that means that it left NVC and is on its way to the embassy in the country of the beneficiary?

If so, how can there already be an interview date if we did not even receive any paperwork, nothing at all besides NOA2.

Feel free to pitch in, since I am a bit confused.

forgive me .. but how are you checking your case status?

I am so sorry to hear that.....but Congrats you made it to America!

Let me share my experience with you..... This past May I came home from spending a month in Tunisia with my fiance. I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, so my POE was Detroit, then final destination Grand Rapids. When I arrived at Detroit airport and had gone through customs, I was asked to follow the blue line. Two immigration officers stopped me and grilled me for about 15-20 minutes. I was asked over and over the reason of my visit to Tunisia, I repeatedly told them I had gone there to vacation with my fiance. I was asked for my fiance's full name, date of birth and nationality. They emptied both my of my luggage's, searched in my purse, wallet, opened my laptop, etc. One of the officers took my passport ( I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN), the officer made a phone call while looking at my passport. The younger officer questioned me about my relationship with my fiance and asked me if he had paid me to marry him so he could enter the US. Then he asked if I had paid him to marry him and how much? I answered very calmly, he proceeded to ask more personal questions like " do you know what color underwear does your fiance wears?" I felt violated and humiliated, so I reacted and asked him the reason for all the personal questions. He simply said " I am an immigration officer and can ask whatever I want", so he continued to ask questions like, where and how did you meet your fiance, why are you engaged to a foreign man from Algeria, again.. why out of all the countries in the world I chose to got to Tunisia? I became very upset and told him I have had enough, I have done nothing and I feel like I am being miss-treated , I am no TERRORIST, I hold an American passport and I want to go home, I am an American citizen. At that point another officer showed up and said don't worry Ma'am, everything is okay, the officers are just doing their job. You are okay to go now...The one officer approached me and handed back my passport and said you can put your stuff back in your luggage... I said " Thanks'!

This is how I was welcome back home by my own people.... Sad but true.

My fiance is coming home the first week of October and I will NOT have him fly to Detroit, instead I will have him come to Chicago O'Hare. What a horrific experience! I can't imagine how our loved ones will feel if treated the way I was treated by officers like these ones.

File a complaint! I regret not doing it. Never got the name of these two officers.

Welcome to America!

OMG..

I had a similar experience when I came back from Netherlands .. Detroit went thru my underwear ..laid them all over the table. Held me there for 2 hours, Brought over the drug dog.. asked me about this little bear I had and if I had drugs.. LOL. I looked at them and said "look at bow wow" does he think have drugs..? I couldn't believe how I was treated .. coming home to my own country. I am sure it will happen again when I come home from this long term visit this time. Sad ...

I sent most of my belongings via DHL - 10 big boxes of 20/30 kg each plus a couple smaller ones. I only had clothes, books, and other small things, so it made sense not to use an expensive moving company. I spent about 800 Euros (so approx. $1.000) on postage. It took between 3-5 weeks for all of my boxes to arrive.

I also took four big bags with me on my trip to America. You know, things that were too dear to me to send (such as my laptop, wedding dress, photos of my family, etc.). I immigrated by cruise ship and could take as many bags as I wanted to.

Is there anyway you can share what cruise line that you used?

Weird.. because we had to translate everything. Wonder if that is new?

We just got our approval Aug 20th and we filed Jan 17th

Hey y'all!

Called NVC for the 1st time this morning, to see if our case was already there. Our NOA2 was August 28th, so thought we'd check that.

Let me tell you this.. after 1h waiting, we got a really crabby unfriendly lady that for sure did not like her job at all.

I mean, I do not want to hear "Yup." or "Whatever, I'm not sure." or "Uhuh." as an answer. Seriously..

Anyway!

They haven't received anything yet. And after hearing her out, she said "Starting from August, the waiting period is 8 weeks for your case to get here. Just call back then."

And she hung up.

Besides her being super rude, which I still can't believe, I am wondering something.

8 weeks seems very long! Anyone else heard about this too?

I just called yesterday 9/10/2013 and was told the same thing 8 weeks. My Approval was Aug 20th 2013 so now we wait.

ok... next question.. Will they always be on the hook for my husband? I am only unable to complete the I-864 because I am going to stay with him in his country for awhile.. is there anyway when we come home that she can be removed as sponsor and I be solely responsible for my husband?

I can't find anything if the co-sponsor has to be related... if so.. well then I am screwed.

To the moderator: I think this topic should be pinned. Recently, there were several topics discussing coming to US and getting married on VWP. People should know what type of risks they have. OP, no offence, I wish you all the best and hope everything will work out. However, this would be a good discussion for other people to see when they are deciding on coming on VWP and trying to adjust status. Best of luck to you!

I would like to say that I agree with you San Diego.... I think that if I would have read this first.. before our situation that my HUSBAND.. ( from Belgium / Netherlands) would have went home before his overstay... Please pin this topic (just my opinion).

To the OP, I wish you the best... We have been almost EXACTLY where you are (overstay, children and all).. and everyone here would agree that know us. Consult an Attorney it was the best thing we could have done.

*** Moving from CR-1 Process to Progress Reports ****

Thanks for moving my thread... got one response.. awesome.

So here I am again! I always seem to stir things up here...

So I finally have an interview date.. yah!.. Right? haha. Well it's funny cause I am finding myself getting mad at the Whole situation. I am not sure why that is? Other then the idea that my government is making me go and spill my life to them to just have a chance at a NORMAL family, husband, children, career...etc.. just pees my off. Had a dream the other night... that I went in and just said to them.. approve.. don't approve... it is what it is!

I know that I / we my husband and I created a lot of the issues ourselves, with all the things that we have been through, and all the things that were said and done. We made many mistakes... along the way with this immigration process. So I am not blaming them for the mistakes.. I am blaming the process, the red tape, the MONEY, the TIME WASTED,.... OMG!.

I am getting so impatient with this ####### these days.. and I know for sure that's why I threw my hands up last time. But there has got to be a way for all of us to tell our government to end this ... deep seeded, pain in the stomach, sleepless nights,.. suffering that WE ALL HERE FEEL! I just want to swear...lol.

I am up early this morning .. worried.. only because I have decided to go to my husbands country.. and I am fine with that.. BUT I am so scared that ONCE again.. that somewhere along the way.. that this decision to just have a chance at NORMAL will bite me in the hinny.

Because now I am worried about the fact that I don't work here in this country, I have a sponsor for us.. but there has been so many things that have gone wrong. I have applied and been approved for a long term visa for his country and I have tried to prepare my sponsor for what it will entail for her to help us. But I am so worried... she has been a life long friend and she works where I worked.. and she seems so willing to help. So knows us.. and our situation.. and been with us every step of the way.. good BAD AND UGLY.

I just hope this doesn't create another mistake.. and more time, and more hoops. I love my husband, and he has done everything he can to show me that I can count on him, and that he has my back. (which is hard to find in a lifetime) he has done everything to show me that his past mistakes are long gone and in the past. But I just want all of this over and a normal life. NO MORE IMMIGRATION conversations.. with family friends co workers.. just talk about .. normal things.. like what are you doing this weekend? What did you do this weekend? How are the kids? How is work?...blah blah blah.. Peace is NOT BOREDOM.. Peace is peace.

My husband could care less where we live.. there.. here.. I on the over hand have everything here! I want to come home with my husband. I love his country.. I do.. and maybe one day we can retire there.. in 30 plus years. But in the mean time... I love my kids.. my family.. my career.. he can work anywhere.. I on the other hand can not.

Bottom line.. if I go there.. for a while to end this distance.. what issues can anyone here see that I will run into? .. sorry for the rant.. but I leave soon.. and I would like to crub anything that might come up if I can before I go!

What a joke!! USCIS should be embarrassed of keeping USC away from their families that long. But no one cares enough to come up with a fix. I will be filing in few months and not looking forward to play this waiting game...

I would like to respond.. I not to very long ago... and you can see on my page made that same comment!. WHAT A JOKE! You will find that everyone here agrees, except they don't like for anyone to call the USA a joke. LOL.

I finally have a interview date after 215 days (filed 130/IR-1 priority date January 17th 2013 ) just for the initial interview August 20th . We still have the NVC to go through (3-4 mos) , the Consulate interview (6 mos plus), and in our situation we will have either the I212 and the I601 or just the I212. No one knows until the Consulate interview if we will need both or not. That part of the process is supposed to be an additional (3-4 mos) /120 days. Soooo.....

What I am not happy about is that I just went to New York to apply in person for a "Family reunification visa" and I will have it for myself and my daughter next week. In only 2 weeks I can go to Belgium. What a difference?!? huh?

It doesn't matter our situation... my point is that WE as the USA don't care about families living without each other, or children growing up without a parent, or the stress it causes trying to be a single parent without help. Welcome to America!! We only care for green dollar!! Point made!

This is what I was talking about.. finding a way to stop families from being separated.

I am in a similar situation.. I just got an email mailed to me from my sentor telling me that my file is on the books to be schedule for my initial Interview the 2nd week of August.

I completely agree. I couldn't have said it any better. Wow.. I am impressed by you. Very refreshing. There will be waivers.. and explanations I don't have any issues with that. I hope that they do ask. Because I would be even more ashamed of this system if they didn't. I think that what I did by waiting.. not becoming a victim or maybe a statistic.. was my responsibility to everyone here.

Because the system is Broke and like I said in my original post... Locks only keep good people out. Cause the bad guys use the back door. I was making sure that my story wasn't going to be THAT case.

It still a shame that so many people here suffer needlessly because of our archaic system. Family.. MOST OF ALL. Children.. good people.. people who see this other person.. as "the one", and our government shatters that in some cases. I hoped that this would stem.. the ideas.. in people.. of what THEY would do better about the system. What would they do if they had the power to change it. Because it needs fixing.. example.. would it be better if each state processed the cases.. instead of a few locations.. trying to handle VAST applications? like... what is the point of the NVC? Why to we have a middle man? What is the point of that? .. We are the people!! We are the ones that made this country... we should have a say.. when it's going BADLY wrong!

WOW... Is all I can say! Very illuminating as to why the process has been a nightmare for the OP... I suppose that having all this happen and all these bones fall out of a closet at an interview, having the petition pulled/cancelled, plus getting deported would certainly slow up an application or at least make uscis take some serious second looks at an applicant... I hate to say it, but I can't say that uscis is unjustified in doing so... There are a LOT of red flag issues that need to be addressed.

I stand by my recommendation that the OP go to live in Belgium/Netherlands as there are some serious hurdles that they will have to clear for him to come live here.... I think in this case blaming and bashing uscis and the us immigration process for taking a fine tooth comb is not appropriate. Not saying that for many, the whole process is insane and unfair, but in this case, it might be warranted.

To the OP, if you forgave him and worked it out, then all I can wish is that you all are reunited and happy... You are different then I would be in that situation I can tell you that... But I can't say as I have never faced such issues... I do however wish you the best and to be happy....

I am glad that you never had to walk in my shoes. I am glad that you are able to be with your loved one. I will be going to Belgium.. and out of your hair. But it won;t change the hurt for others. I just wanted everyone to see that the system is Broke. The system is broke for me too. Look forward... help do something about it. .. and lol... enjoy Florida.. cause Michigan.. sometimes sucks with the weather. I love my country.. I love my husband... the funny thing is... He grew up.. and what I found was not the truth.. and I was an a$$hole for jumping to conclusions.

Fact is now.. I waited to file again.. because I wanted to make sure.. what I thought wasn't the truth. So we didn't become a statistic.. either with immigration or with the national Divorce rate. Come to find out in time.. he showed me that he loved me.. instead of words.. and has become one of the best husbands, and father.. and friend that I could have asked for. Marriage should be hard.. hard work, hard to do, and even harder to Divorce. Three years later.. this was the best choice for us. Understanding communication, and teamwork. It wouldn't change the lost files, it wouldn't change the AP, it wouldn't change that my teenage son pissed at me.. decided to be hurtful..and call the police on my husband knowing that we were THIS close to the I485 and he was only 42 days over. You can disagree.. and think I deserve it. That's fine. I respect that.. but help with changing ... help the hurting for others if not for me. I am just a spec of dust... but together... we are strong.. Stay strong. America deserves to have family important.. America deserves to have a system that works!!! It doesn't work.. it's a joke.

WOW... Is all I can say! Very illuminating as to why the process has been a nightmare for the OP... I suppose that having all this happen and all these bones fall out of a closet at an interview, having the petition pulled/cancelled, plus getting deported would certainly slow up an application or at least make uscis take some serious second looks at an applicant... I hate to say it, but I can't say that uscis is unjustified in doing so... There are a LOT of red flag issues that need to be addressed.

I stand by my recommendation that the OP go to live in Belgium/Netherlands as there are some serious hurdles that they will have to clear for him to come live here.... I think in this case blaming and bashing uscis and the us immigration process for taking a fine tooth comb is not appropriate. Not saying that for many, the whole process is insane and unfair, but in this case, it might be warranted.

To the OP, if you forgave him and worked it out, then all I can wish is that you all are reunited and happy... You are different then I would be in that situation I can tell you that... But I can't say as I have never faced such issues... I do however wish you the best and to be happy....

LMAO!! That's funny... You would rather dig.. then to look forward and to LOOK AT ALL THE HURT AND HEARTACHE ON HERE!! At all these people.. sharing the horrible stories of what THEY AND MYSELF HAVE EITHER GONE THROUGH.. OR ARE GOING THROUGH. You have no idea what was done after that post.

I stand by my recommendation that the OP go to live in Belgium/Netherlands as there are some serious hurdles that they will have to clear for him to come live here... .... I think in this case blaming and bashing uscis and the us immigration process for taking a fine tooth comb is not appropriate. Not saying that for many, the whole process is insane and unfair, but in this case, it might be warranted.

quote"

USCIS .. LOST MY FILE AFTER THAT. I had numerous conversations with the local office and the consulate. I choose to look at my marriage and what it was.. and what it is.. and what it could be.

My past, and what happened.. didn't change or make any more difficult this process. LOOK .. READ.. FEEL... LISTEN... TO ALL THESE PEOPLE!! CAN'T YOU SEE??? REGARDLESS OF MY PAST... What about all these people... who are HAVING ALL THE SAME PROBLEMS.. AND NONE THAT HAD MY PAST.

COME TOGETHER.. ALL OF US... to HELP... TO STOP THE HURT AND THE BROKEN SYSTEM!

See IT'S EARIER FOR YOU TO HAVE THE SAME preconceived opinions... JUST LIKE THE SYSTEM... and put people through HURT AND DISTANCE... THEN TO FIND A WAY TO FIX IT PROPERLY.

I was alone.. hurt.. and completely wrong... about what I said in that post. After that.. I choose my marriage.. and I choose not to be a static.. and come to find out.. I was right. HE WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT STOOD BY ME. Doesn't change the lost file.. doesn't change the documents expiring.. doesn't change that we have been waiting again.. for almost 6 months again... I could go on and on... The point is... regardless of my past.. these people and I are hurting, go mad at times.. and just want to be happy regardless.

Sorry to hear your experience has now been what you wanted. We had the exact opposite experience. Everything was very fast a smooth. We went through the entire immigration process in a few months, basically with no problems. We are loving our new life in the US. Your experience is unfortunate, however I don't think it's descriptive of the system as a whole. Immigrating to a new country is not necessarily easy. I hope the rest of your journey will be easier. Cheer up, it's all gonna be alright!

Thank you.. I want to share with you that I am happy for you. My experience has been horrific at times.. but still I would never want to take away from the joy and happiness from anyone once it is over for them. I would like to find away to make it known.. that the immigration system is a joke.. lol. It is! Not the entire country.. I have never said that. I am sad to leave my home. But I made this choice.. I am fine with that. I just would like to see that it stops hurting people like this.

The immigration process is long and hard... And many times seems unfair in its administration... this is all true... And the process has been made much harder for you and your family because of decisions you made... Much if this pain and uncertainty is the unfortunate consequences of your actions... And punishment sucks. But if the immigration system is too cumbersome or stressful for your family, I say be proactive and make the decision for yourself and move to your husbands country... The you will all be united, it will not be in America, but you will be together.

Very true... shame that I need to leave home. Leaving soon.. so I will be out of everyone's hair. I was a productive hard working.. tax paying.. fun loving.. giving.. person.. that only wishes that everyone here.. including myself was just happy. I wish you all the Best. I hope every one here no matter the situation.. will be able to dry the tears, mend the heart. . ( regardless of mistakes and bad choices ) hug and kiss the loved ones. BE HAPPY!! Only get one life.. one shot.. it's not a practice run for later..

What is stopping you from moving to your spouse country if USA immigration is too long for you?

Originally.. it was my 11 year old.. now we as a family have worked that out. So now only this I-130 interview that should be anytime... But in the beginning.. it was hard to attempt to explain to a 7 year old what was going on. I have now applied to go to my husband's country.. and they are telling me 2 or 3 days. Way different then here. Sad that I had to make that decision, due to the length of this process. I love it here.. I love it there too.. but it feels like.. a waste of the last 3 years.