ameribrit

Hey Jason, I don't mean to be rude and contradict you, but that's not the case at the London embassy. I think each embassy have different procedures.
For immigrant visas at the London embassy they won't schedule your interview now unless you've pre-paid for the visa over the phone.

Ever go to the grocery store and wonder why some lines are moving so much faster than others? You see the fat lady reading the Soap Opera Digest - she got in line the same time you did, and you've barely taken two steps by the time she's checked out and leaving the store. Sometimes it's because everybody in the slow line has a filled their basket to overflowing, and the people in the fast line only have a few items, but you're smart - you check out everyone's basket before you pick a line to stand in. More often, it's because the cashier in the slow line is just really slow. Sometimes it's a combination of the two - half a dozen vegetarians get in the line with the cashier who has to look up the cash register code for every single vegetable.
Processing petitions is sort of the same. Some adjudicators pull a box of petitions off the shelf and fly through them pretty quickly, sorting out the ones that should be denied straight away, setting aside the ones that need RFE's or further investigation, and approving the rest. Other adjudicators move a lot slower.
Charleton Heston would have said "USCIS IS PEOPLE!". Or maybe he would have said "IT'S A MADHOUSE!". I'm not sure which.
Call 'em. Email 'em. Other than that, try to focus on something else. Unless you're standing behind the adjudicator who has your petition you'll probably never know what the hangup was, so there's not much point in worrying about it.

Excuse me? I am plenty happy for all the people who have been patiently waiting in line to be approved and I'm happy these people got approved as well along with everyone else here. I'm rightfully upset there is broken system that seems to be like a visa lottery rather than an actual system based on fairness. Have you ever been to China? My fiance is visiting her parents for Chinese New Year and sleeping in a shack with no heat, no bathroom, no kitchen, no shower and sleeping in a bed with her mother and adult sister while her father sleeps on the floor. People in China are every bit as bad off as the Haitians, and on top of that she's stated he doesn't even live there he lives in the Dominican Republic. I don't need some otaku calling my character into question that has never even met me. I feel everyone should wait their turn and visas filed in order and I think that speaks higher of my character than those like you who publicly claim they have no objection to someone being processed 5 months before them for no good reason. Piss off.

Yes it is. The red seal stamped at the top is the certification. Please don't spread misinformation, sending people on a wild goose chase for documentation that they don't necessarily need.
My Decree Absolute looked exactly like this, had no signature and we did not get an RFE for it at either I-129F or I-485 stage. We colour photocopied it and it looked exactly the same as the original.
I understand that everyone wants to get their petition approved without an RFE, naturally. However, this document, unsigned, is what a Divorce Absolute looks like through a County Court in England and Wales. No signature, plain printer paper, flat red ink stamp. How is this adjudicator going to learn that they're asking for something above and beyond the norm, if everyone starts going to extraordinary measures to obtain something.
So get a good quality copy of your Decree Absolute, or if the original is poorly stamped, go into the court and ask for a new, better stamped one (it'll probably be free if the error is theirs). But please don't go assuming they'll want/ need a signed copy or adjudicators will start thinking this is the norm and it'll set a precedence where they'll go "Oh well, I've seen plenty that ARE signed, so this unsigned one must be the exception. RFE issued..."
I personally would send a new, quality copy of the Decree Absolute, maybe type up an explanation letter that includes a statement that it is a true copy and fork out the £5-ish it costs to get a Solicitor to witness your signature and submit that.
If I remember correctly (I'll do a little background research later when I have a sec) Adjudicators have to get approval for denials. Their Director needs to validate the reason for the denial. And if they deny you on the grounds that you didn't supply paperwork that you did supply, they're going to be in a cussload of grief. So educate an adjudicator today, please.

I've seen that sentiment over and over and it bothers me every time. I don't know how long my lifetime is, but I want to spend ALL of it with my fiancee. I want to kiss and hold her every day. I want to wake with her, eat with her and sleep with her at night. I'm not a spring chicken anymore, I finished high school over thirty years ago. ;-) Time apart is simply time wasted.

Basic High School politics. I hope you are not the USC. Either way, it sounds like you need a better understanding of where you will be living. You will need too, by the time your civics test comes around in three years

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=WA Top right hand corner. Enter your state to look up your Senators.
Senators will have several offices all over your state. If you have one near you, do a walk in and tell them off your situation. They will advise you.

Well, although VSC are approving more petitions now that the new year has begun, it is still not nearly enough for us to get our NOA2 before the five month processing time.
I hope all you September filers here have your Senator appraised of your situation, so that they can contact USCIS on your behalf. It seems to be the way to get things done right now.

Kiwi, you can't just throw numbers around like that. 316,000 casualties > 100 casualties so it has to be worse. Worrying about catching a disease if you are sending people back to Haiti is not exclusive to the earthquake. This applies to MOST natural disasters. It's this easy number throwing that gets a lot of people upset.
I said before that my fiance lived in dirty poverty conditions. It is totally unhealthy the way she lived. Totally 100% unhealthy. But it's not reported on the news. Nobody cares. So my fiance's suffering is worthless compared to Haitians according to USCIS.
I filed my petition in May 2010. A few other friends of my fiance also did the same. I heard rumors about this expedite happening for Haitian petitions and I would not have any of it. I bitched so often and so loud that the USCIS almost begged me to stop. I send several hundred letters, email and phone calls to USCIS, my state governor, Senator and Reps. This happened around the 3 1/2 month mark. Shortly before reaching the 4 month mark, I got my petition approved. Do you know what happened to my other friends who applied in May 2010 just like me? Every one of them waited over 6 months. Right around Thanksgiving they got approved. As of this date, they are still waiting to schedule an interview while my wife is already living with me.
I say that this picking who suffers more by the USCIS is unjust. You either fight them like I did or get pushed around and get served last. That is my 2 cents worth.

I find it amusing the ones criticizing those of us who are frustrated have either already gotten their noa2, have waited less than 5 months or come from Canada or the UK where its far easier to visit your fiance than those with us who are forced to go all the way to Asia or East Europe. You can go visit them, they can come visit you it's all very simple and relatively cheap for both of you. My fiance doesn't have that option and I don't have the time or money to go to China once a month or every 2 months.
So go ahead and try to paint me or the others frustrated at this process as inconsiderate or impatient. My priorities lie in the people I know and care about not the Haitians or people who cut in line and were processed before me. If that makes me selfish then so be it. All we want is a fair process and this certainly isn't one and that's a good reason to be pissed off.

I think the reason some of you do not see the visa process as a competition is because to you, a visa issued eventually is good enough. But to me, eventually is not good enough. I want Elena's as soon as possible. That is the competition, not what we get, since we all eventually get it, but when we get it.
If someone else aces me out of my place in line, sure I won't like it. But that doesn't mean he doesn't get his prize. He won, and I lost. I don't always win, and I can deal with that. But if I never compete, then I will never win, and I can't deal with that.
In fact, just two days ago, someone else did win. He used his status as a Haitian national to get an expedite on his I129f. I didn't like it, but he competed and won his prize. So what did I tell him? I told him that he had every right to use his edge to get his prize, and that I respected him for putting his responsibility to himself and his fiance first, where it belonged, even if other people would not like it.
Standing aside while some needy person, Haitian or otherwise, gets their visa first is, to me, a neglect of my responsibility to myself and to Elena. I'm not Mother Teresa, and I'm not interested in sainthood. I'm interested in that visa.

Kiwi, I really, truly and totally feel where you are coming from but honestly who are YOU to make that decision for somebody else, in this case AI422? You don't have the moral authority to decide what is more important for somebody else. Trust me Kiwi, in my heart I know 100% where you are coming from.
My fiance comes from a rotten 3rd world country.....Vietnam. She has lived in poverty and crime her entire life but our case was NEVER expedited. I guess her suffering was not enough suffering to get expedited the way the Haitian petitions are. I just decided that I was not having any of that and yelled/screamed until every Senator, Governor, Representative and everybody at USCIS heard me and they ended up approving my case just before reaching 4 months.

Hi Kathryn,
Thank you for the heads up. I know that I tend to be selfish at times and have unpopular opinions, but I hope I did not engage in any personal attacks.
And I really think that once Elena is here, all pressure will be off and whatever time it takes for the next steps will be just fine with me. My mission will have been accomplished: Elena will be here.
So I thank you for your well intentioned words, but I really don't think I am doing myself or Elena any disservice with my attitude. It served me well in life and got me a good position with a good company that a less headstrong person would never have gotten.
If I get an opportunity to cut the line ahead of a Haitian, another U.S. citizen, or even another VJ member, I am going to do it. And why not? We live in a capitalistic and competitive society where nice guys finish last. Getting anything, anything at all, means that someone else who wanted it is not going to get it. That's the way it is. I did not invent this world, but I have every intention of carving the best life possible for myself and Elena out of it.
I know I am no saint and am content to leave that honor to Mother Teresa. I am not really interested in sainthood anyway.

I prefer having people like Al around than people that just sit back and accept things as they are. This is one of the few places people going through this can communicate. If enough anger and frustration builds up on this forum it's an excellent place to organize thoughts for any further action that can be taken to improve this process. Also those of you who congratulate others on noa2s should stop pretending there isn't a part of you that is envious that their suffering is closer to an end and you are still stuck there waiting for someone at the vsc to throw you a bone. I hope everyone here gets their visa very soon because nobody should have to endure this but I'm not going to pretend that when someone gets theirs in 2,3,4 months I'm happy for them when I've waited over 5 months and there are some who've waited even longer.
People have said things like oh it doesn't matter how long it takes as long as I get it. I disagree, we are all missing out on nearly a year of memories and having a strain put on our relationships most people can't imagine. If it's funding they are lacking I would gladly pay 2 or 3 grand to have this all done in a couple months. I can get back the money I have saved but I can't get back all this time I'm missing with the woman I love more than anything. There are people here separated from their pregnant fiance or their kids, you honestly want to tell them that time doesn't matter? "Oh sorry I wasn't there to see the baby born, sweetie, but it's ok it's just one of the most important days of my life, no biggie, at least we got the visa 4 months after the fact".

How true or not it is, USCIS has been claiming to people who call now that they are working on July 24 etc. So...hopefully you get yours soon.
VSC, in my opinion, needs to send overdue K-1s to CSC to process since they obviously do not have the ability to keep up. Looking at how CSC is pumping them out, they could pump out all overdue VSC and still keep themselves on track.

real easy to say when your already approved

You don't get this.
So let me put it this way:
Do you have children? I do. They are adults and on their own now, but when they were children and living with me in my house, their needs came first. Under no circumstances would I ever consider taking resources away from their support and giving it to a charity instead.
Yet that is exactly what the government did here, Knowing for a fact that they did not have sufficient adjudicator resources to attend to their responsibility to their own citizens, they took those resources away from us and gave them away to the Haitians. And to make matters worse, they won't tell us anything except lies.
That would be the same as if I were to drop my children's dinner money in the poor box at the church, and then when they ask me when they are getting dinner, I would tell them "You are within one hour of your normal dinner processing time. Fill out a service request, and I will let you know what happened to your dinner sometime by 1:00 A.M."
Why is it OK for a government that is allegedly by the people to screw the people that badly?

I am happy for you and your spiritual and religious beliefs that tell you this is the right thing to do. And I hope that you get whatever afterlife reward your faith has for people like you.
But shouldn't this be an individual choice? Is cramming this path down somebody else's throat the right thing to do?

No, I had no idea how long it would take, but neither did anybody else. Every time you reach the goal post, they move it. First it was 3 months, then 4, then 5, then 6. Where does it end?
I already determined when I expect my NOA2. I won't post it here because at least 10 people will attack me, accusing me of negativity. So I will be silent as to that date until I get it, either at that point or successfully fighting for it sooner. At that point I will post it because that will be the point that the people who attack me here can no longer hurt me.
The people who run USCIS have no idea how much stress they place on us, and I see no sign that they even care.
I am so happy for those of you who have lives outside of your fiances, but I do not have such a thing. My life is Elena. Without her, I do not live. I only exist. Right now, my favorite time of the day is 11:59 P.M. because that day will be over with one minute later. I never smile, and I never laugh, as these things are not possible when you only exist.
So you go right on being happy, and I will continue to exist until the day Elena is in my arms and my life can finally begin.

kiwi,you have to be fair here,we all know the process used to be much much much shorter up until what,6 years ago.how it has gotten longer instead of shorter with the growth of technology is a disappointment,i have to give USCIS haters that.

honestly ive been justifying al's posts because if you remember,i was the same if not worse.i think it bothers people is it worries them that people at 5,6 months havent gotten approved.which is understandable really.

With the newest numbers in, Vermont processed 21,295 TPS applications in the month of November last year, but only 866 I-129F's!!..... This is pitifull, and is the lowest number of completions of I-129f's in the last two years and shows no signs of improving anytime soon.
They are working on other petitions, but not fiance ones in any great numbers. And until they start pushing out more completions than receipts, this backlog is going to go up very quickly
Get ready for a 7 month average processing time for I-129F's in the coming year.

Tell yourself that in 3 weeks Oh and Federal Agencies are "open" on weekends. People can choose to work on them depending on their schedule. It's overtime pay.

Been a lot of bad weather up there in the last week or so. Now in the past week of this weather, U.S. government has had offices closed for a day there. VSC was not closed. Only thing I can realistically think of as to why they would have slowed down. Now,based on the new data USCIS listed recently, VSC has about 33,000 petitions to go through (k-1), which means they are backlogged majorly.
VSC K-1s from August-November 2010: http://dashboard.uscis.gov/index.cfm?formtype=6&office=6&charttype=1
Recieved: 7,116 new K-1 petitions filed (Blue)
Awaiting Customer Action (RFE I guess): 1,506 (grey line)
Awaiting Action (IE: Have a human look at them): 32,248 Petitions (yellow line)
Completions: 5,226 (Green Bar)
Not very good looking statistics if you ask me.
Also just to highlight: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processingTimesDisplay.do
"If the office is processing a particular type of application in less time than our processing goal, you will see the processing times expressed in months (for example, if the office is processing naturalization applications in less than our 5 month goal, the processing time will state “Five Months”). However, if that office is taking longer than our processing goal to handle the form type in question, you will see the filing date (e.g., “April 10, 2003”) of the last case we processed on the date the website chart was last updated. The charts are updated on or about the 15th day of each month."
Field Office Processing Dates for Vermont Service Center as of: November 30, 2010
I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(e) K-1/K-2 - Not yet married - fiance and/or dependent child 5 Months
Based on their wording they are processing I-129Fs under the 5 month goal as of November 30th, 2010. BS.

Terms of Service, Read it. Also, use the ignore feature if you don't like his posts.
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On topic, while he may voice his opinion a lot, that is his right and choice. He is also a citizen of the United States and is allowed to not be satisfied with the way a federal agency, which by design is there to serve the citizens of said country, handles it's business.
Some of us handle this unknown in different ways. Some of us are happy to sit back and not be given definitive dates as to when our petition will be filed, some of us are not. To each his own. But again, it is our right as U.S. citizens to question the government when it fails us, and frankly, they are failing in their duties as of now based on the letter from USCUS director to Congress for the budget (posted on other forum).
Remember, "Charity starts at the home". The U.S. government should learn this.
It may take longer than the posted time, but if you just make yourself (mentally) aim for 5-6.5 months for a NOA2, you won't be angered as much when 5 months come and go.