Penny Lane

No. I'm not a citizen of the United States. I happened to fall in love with one. I do not have any right whatsoever to be brought to the United States. Luckily, I have the privilege of my fiance being able to ask if I can be. I don't for one minute take this privilege for granted. Also, I don't believe they are just sitting on their butts "deciding" to take five months or more. Making a mockery of my relationship? Absolutely not. They're the ones who are actually letting me apply to make my relationship work.

I think you have me confused with the author of another post. My reply was not sarcastic in any way. I was pointing out that there are three options and I named them. I find naming the only real three options we have as 'helpful.' I'm sorry you do not. There was nothing rude about my post.
If you are talking about the post which named six options, three being 'keep waiting', then you are not talking about my post.

No. I'm not a citizen of the United States. I happened to fall in love with one. I do not have any right whatsoever to be brought to the United States. Luckily, I have the privilege of my fiance being able to ask if I can be. I don't for one minute take this privilege for granted. Also, I don't believe they are just sitting on their butts "deciding" to take five months or more. Making a mockery of my relationship? Absolutely not. They're the ones who are actually letting me apply to make my relationship work.

Kiwi and Coconuts, I love you both.
I have AI's posts blocked so I can only see responses, but if you really think that USCIS is deliberately holding onto your petition just to mess with your day, that they're ruining your life one holiday at a time and that they're making a "mockery" of your relationship, I don't know what to say. Can we be more dramatic, here?
I've said it in other threads but I think it bears repeating that keeping a positive attitude and accepting that there is backlog right now and there isn't a lot we can do about it is NOT the same thing as approving of the way things are being done. I think it's terrible to give people a timeline, step outside of it and not give any real answers. Even if it's an answer I won't like, I would appreciate someone levelling with me. I'm angered on behalf of everyone who's over their 5 month mark. I think the system needs to severely reformed or at the very least, the service centers and field offices could use a bit of redistribution in terms of what gets processed where. Having said that, being dramatic and paranoid on VisaJourney all day and every day is not going to change the way the immigration system works. Refreshing Igor's List (which is at times helpful but not a solid resource overall) a million times a day is not going to revolutionize the service centers. Refusing to drive myself insane over something that I know will eventually get here does not mean I approve of it; it just means I know what is and what is not within my power right now.
VSC is backlogged (I know AI keeps mentioning the director of USCIS in that video, which, FTR was recorded in October and the backlog was nothing like what it is now so the claim that there wasn't a backlog on behalf of the director isn't completely outrageous - compared to how the service centers have been in the past, things in October weren't so bad at all and I suspect it's all relative to someone in that position) and poorly organized. They need to be reformed. They need to find and enforce better communication with the public. They are not a group of sadistic dictators playing God with our I-129f petitions just because they can. It's like some of you think that in Vermont there are a bunch of guys in suits laughing maniacally in their cubicles as they adjudicate everyone's petition but yours, reveling in just how miserable they know they're making you. It's crazy and it's a sign that it may be time to step back from this website for a few days.
I can be dramatic at times, but holding that sort of attitude about the whole thing is downright silly.
Stay positive, friends.

So they are just 'deciding' to hold our petitions for five months? Here I was thinking they were workinn on a backlog. If I had known they were sitting around 'deciding' how long to make people wait just because they can, I would have been upset about it.
They aren't 'deciding' that five months would be the amount of time they are going to 'make us wait'. It just takes that long to get to us. How is that a mockery?
Haven't any of you guys done paperwork processing as a job? If You're overwhelmed and cant get it all done in a single day, you do what you can and come back to it the next day. That forces you to prioritize them. When your boss says, "These are to be done first" you listen and do those first. Does that mean you are mocking the ones you didnlt get to that day?
And I really wish people would stop bashing the uscis workers as if they have a choice. They are Just doing what their boss tells them. They are not brainstorming lies or how long to make you wait. They are not laughing at the wait. They are doing what they are told. And that goes for the phone center people, too. Even though they are in a completely different category of employment at uscis.
A 'mockery'? Really?

You apparently don't understand the US Constitution.
"Pursuit of happiness" is not mentioned in the US Constitution. Not even once. That phrase came from the Declaration of Independence:


We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Jefferson, in agreement with Franklin, derived this terminology from the original Virginia Declaration of Rights. They left out the Virginia declaration's inclusion of the right to acquire and possess property. Jefferson believed that the "Creator" never guaranteed a right to property, and Franklin believed that property should be taxed for the public good.
The authors of original Bill of Rights believed that it was beyond the ability of the government to guarantee rights that, in Jefferson's words, were bestowed upon us by the "Creator" (Jefferson was a Deist, and didn't believe in the traditional concept of God). They did, however, believe that government could guarantee that it would not deny those rights without good cause, and that a process would be established for the government to prove that good cause exists. The fifth amendment contains the "due process" clause, that guarantees the government will not DEPRIVE you of life, liberty, or property without "due process". They left out "pursuit of happiness" because it would be virtually impossible to guarantee that any action of the government would not make you unhappy. If that guarantee were provided then it would be a sound basis to challenge virtually any election simply because you weren't happy with the result. The "due process" guarantee for property came directly from the original Virginia declaration.
Challenges were later filed in federal courts because states were passing laws that were in apparent violation of the fifth amendment, with the states claiming that the fifth amendment applied only to the federal government. Congress subsequently passed the fourteenth amendment which, among other things, extended the due process guarantees to the states. This was the only way to force the states to recognize the right to due process because the Constitution says that any power not explicitly granted to the federal government by the Constitution is reserved for the states.
So, no - the US government does not guarantee your right to be happy or to even pursue happiness, nor do they guarantee that any government action or law will infringe upon your pursuit of happiness. They don't even guarantee that you won't be denied life, liberty, or property. What they DO guarantee is that you won't be denied any of these things without due process, which means they won't kill you, imprison you, or seize your property without giving you a day in court.
When a petition or visa is denied, the government has not taken your life, liberty, or property, so you aren't even guaranteed due process.

No. You. Do. Not.

You don't have a constitutional right to immigrate your foreign born spouse to the US. Period. End of story.
Your foreign born spouse has preference over other immigrants by virtue of that marriage. They don't have to wait years for an immigrant visa number. That is their fast track and it is the only they are getting.
And your analogy about slavery is not only offensive, it is incorrect. Slavery has been abolished in the US. Back in the day you are referring to, if you were white you could just enter the US. If you were black you could not. I find your commentary extremely ignorant.

You don't think the rest of us want our loved ones here as soon as possible? You think out of all of us, you're the only one who TRULY needs this process to be complete? This is NOT a competition to see who gets what they want the fastest. If you view it that way, well ... it's clear you view it that way, actually, and I can't imagine going through this process with your mindset. It must be exhausting.
There are no winners or losers, this isn't a game. This is real life. My fiance and my relationship is not a PRIZE that I won because I did something "better" than anyone else. It's my reward for going through the red tape, government nonsense and doing everything I possibly could to make this process as simple as possible. And it is simple. It's a few forms and a quick interview. That's not a lot to do on my part to get to be able to spend the rest of my life with someone I love. The hard part is the waiting. NOBODY likes to wait. You aren't the only one. Contrary to what you seem to believe, your life is not more important than anyone else's. We're all slightly inconvenienced by this process, but it's not going to kill us.
Stop focusing so much on racing to the finish line of this imaginary race.
You've done all you can. You're going through the proper channels to meet your goal. You filed, and now you wait. You wait like everybody else. And don't for ONE second think the wait is any easier on any of us than it is on you.
This is out of your control. You will not make your process go by any faster than it is. There is NOTHING you can do. Focus on the things you can control instead of spending every minute of every day of this process in a constant state of anger.

Well, that says it all right there.

No, I don't have the delusion of being able to 'save the entire world'. However, I would like to try to 'save' as many people as I can. If stepping aside in line to let someone else experience maybe tiny bit less suffering is what is being asked of me, I'll gladly do it. Besides, if it is worth it for ONE person, it's worth it for me.
It's a lot like stepping aside for that little old lady at the market who has two items and is in line behind you with your cart full. I'd let her go first. It's not going to 'save the world', but at least for that one little old lady, it may have made her day. And we're talking about human suffering here, not standing in line at a grocery market. I'm just confused how it's even a question whether or not it's the right thing to do to try to help suffering people. (Mind you, they are not saying they will never ever work on our petitions. They are just 'asking' us to wait a bit longer so that a few other people out there will not have to suffer in awful conditions, or be sent back there to suffer.)
Hatred from whom? I'm not hating them. I can point out others here that agree with me.
Perhaps people should remember that when they are getting angry at others on this board who are disagreeing with them. Shouting and screaming about things won't help, and there are some people here on the forums that are attempting the 'cram down the throat' approach. I'm not seeing it working either. Perhaps those people should try a different approach?
And I understand that. However there are things you can control and things you cannot. Since you have minimal control over how fast your petition will be processed, it might be worth your time to focus on something you CAN control. (Besides, I don't think being so angry '24/7' is good for your health.)
This post wasn't a personal attack in any way, but just putting some ideas out there for others to see. All the statements made in it are general statements and are not meant to attack any individual here.

There is no need to be so overly dramatic. They aren't ruining your life. They are going to do EXACTLY what you want them to do. But because they aren't doing it as soon as you snap your fingers and they aren't doing it on your schedule, suddenly they are an enemy. To be so angry this early into the process isn't going to make it any easier.

You don't think the rest of us want our loved ones here as soon as possible? You think out of all of us, you're the only one who TRULY needs this process to be complete? This is NOT a competition to see who gets what they want the fastest. If you view it that way, well ... it's clear you view it that way, actually, and I can't imagine going through this process with your mindset. It must be exhausting.
There are no winners or losers, this isn't a game. This is real life. My fiance and my relationship is not a PRIZE that I won because I did something "better" than anyone else. It's my reward for going through the red tape, government nonsense and doing everything I possibly could to make this process as simple as possible. And it is simple. It's a few forms and a quick interview. That's not a lot to do on my part to get to be able to spend the rest of my life with someone I love. The hard part is the waiting. NOBODY likes to wait. You aren't the only one. Contrary to what you seem to believe, your life is not more important than anyone else's. We're all slightly inconvenienced by this process, but it's not going to kill us.
Stop focusing so much on racing to the finish line of this imaginary race.
You've done all you can. You're going through the proper channels to meet your goal. You filed, and now you wait. You wait like everybody else. And don't for ONE second think the wait is any easier on any of us than it is on you.
This is out of your control. You will not make your process go by any faster than it is. There is NOTHING you can do. Focus on the things you can control instead of spending every minute of every day of this process in a constant state of anger.

You don't think the rest of us want our loved ones here as soon as possible? You think out of all of us, you're the only one who TRULY needs this process to be complete? This is NOT a competition to see who gets what they want the fastest. If you view it that way, well ... it's clear you view it that way, actually, and I can't imagine going through this process with your mindset. It must be exhausting.
There are no winners or losers, this isn't a game. This is real life. My fiance and my relationship is not a PRIZE that I won because I did something "better" than anyone else. It's my reward for going through the red tape, government nonsense and doing everything I possibly could to make this process as simple as possible. And it is simple. It's a few forms and a quick interview. That's not a lot to do on my part to get to be able to spend the rest of my life with someone I love. The hard part is the waiting. NOBODY likes to wait. You aren't the only one. Contrary to what you seem to believe, your life is not more important than anyone else's. We're all slightly inconvenienced by this process, but it's not going to kill us.
Stop focusing so much on racing to the finish line of this imaginary race.
You've done all you can. You're going through the proper channels to meet your goal. You filed, and now you wait. You wait like everybody else. And don't for ONE second think the wait is any easier on any of us than it is on you.
This is out of your control. You will not make your process go by any faster than it is. There is NOTHING you can do. Focus on the things you can control instead of spending every minute of every day of this process in a constant state of anger.

You were the same, but your attitude was completely different. How people deal with situations says a lot about a person. I don't seem to recall you posting all over the boards about how USCIS has it out for you and they're ruining your entire life.
I don't want people think I am excusing the process, or saying that things are working as they are intended and how they should be. They obviously aren't. Things are taking longer than they should, but that's something that's known (or should be!) going into this process. It's just one of those necessary evils in life where we have to roll with the punches because things are completely out of our control. This isn't a perfect world and the things we want often come at the price of a little bit of sanity.
Like I said, the people at five and six months have every reason to be upset and should be doing whatever it is they can to get answers about their case. People who are at 3 months and already in an absolute panic simply weren't prepared for the stress of the process.

It must be lovely going through life having all the answers. I'm not sure why I continue to entertain your posts. You will be here every day of your process, being as miserable as possible. I hope for your sake (and for the sake of the people on these forums) that you get your NOA2 before the five month mark. Good luck.
To the people who are waiting 5-6 months, I understand their anger. The anger and outrage from people at the 3 month mark will never make sense to me.

So, since you are so vocal about how lazy and inefficient VSC is and how all of their reasons for being behind are complete "BS" ... please tell me what you think is going on. You think they're sitting there, playing Solitaire on their computers, ignoring the boxes and boxes of THOUSANDS of applications, and laughing at all the lives they are "ruining"? I'm curious to hear your explanation for VSC not moving as fast as you want them to.

And just because Igor's list hasn't been updated doesn't mean K1s aren't being approved. VJ represents a small sample size of the amount of petitions they receive and process.

Speaking as a moderator who has just read over this thread from beginning to end I find myself rather appalled by some of the heartless, selfish and inconsiderate comments made here about immigrants and other applicants here on Visa Journey. While we all wish this were a perfect world and everything we wanted came to us exactly when we wanted it, it is time to recognize that life is not like that. There are a lot of people in this world all who face their own journeys and challenges - and yours are no more important - or less important - than theirs. You are not 'entitled' to anything in immigration - regardless of what you think; having your foreign born partner immigrate to the US is not a right - it is a benefit you are requesting. The process is a long one and those of you who want instant gratification are in for some very hard times over the next few years of this multiple year process. You may even find that your demanding attitude will become a liability in your relationship - I've seen that happen a number of times here on VJ. Throwing insults at everyone who tries to point this out to you or who is taking a more compassionate approach that includes recognizing that there are others who are waiting as well as many other types of visas being processed is a sure way to make this whole situation harder on yourself, on your partner, on your family, on your colleagues - in fact, harder on everyone in your life - and it won't make anything go faster.
The next person who makes personal attacks or insults at another VJ member in this thread will be thread banned from this thread..

The fact that you are under the impression that everyone who disagrees with you is sitting at their computers, thrilled to death about waiting and not having their loved ones with them proves that you aren't actually understanding what people have attempted to say to you.
Nobody's happy waiting. If you asked anyone here if they wanted their process to be complete tomorrow, they'd all jump at the chance.
But there are some of us who understand that waiting is necessary, the situation is out of our control, but we're grateful that there WILL be an end to the waiting. That's not a hope, that's a guarantee. It will be over. And when it's over these five, six, seven months will be nothing but a distant memory.
My case is nearly at my consulate and I'm at one of the slowest consulates in the world. There is a good chance that I will be waiting another four months AT LEAST for an interview date. I don't sit here, complaining about how terrible the Montreal consulate is, how unfair my life is, how everything is ruined. But instead, I simply accept it as a fact and do whatever I can to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Once this silly process is over, I won't care how long I waited.

You have six options:
Keep waiting
Withdraw your petition and cancel everything
Keep waiting
Move to their country
Keep waiting
Keep waiting

It must be lovely going through life having all the answers. I'm not sure why I continue to entertain your posts. You will be here every day of your process, being as miserable as possible. I hope for your sake (and for the sake of the people on these forums) that you get your NOA2 before the five month mark. Good luck.
To the people who are waiting 5-6 months, I understand their anger. The anger and outrage from people at the 3 month mark will never make sense to me.

We cope by living our lives. We are in constant communication throughout every day that passes. We do our best not to think about this part of our relationship too much. We speak on the phone in the evening, watch television and movies together, play silly online games together, do our best to prepare for the next step when I'm finally able to be in the United States. It helps that we see each other every few months. He was here for Christmas but I likely won't visit him again until this process is complete.
We cope by speaking of the future. Telling each other what it is we're looking forward to the most when we can FINALLY start our lives together. We plan how we're going to decorate our house, how we're going to organize my move there, etc.
We just go about our business, knowing eventually that this waiting will be over and once it is, the time we spent waiting will seem insignificant.

I dont care who you are or how long it takes: when you get your approval, I am happy for you. I am not a completely selfless person, but saying you aren't happy for others just goes to show how this process makes some people extremely selfish. As shown in examples of people saying they don't care if Haitians return to poverty, sickness, violence and even death in Haiti... hat they would rather their fiance visa processed first.
Yes, I am envious.. but I am still happy for those that got good news.
Sorry, but some of you people amaze me.

Well, that says it all right there.