I & JJ <3

Don't get hung up waiting for a touch. I never got one. Spend your time researching AOS and DS-230 making sure you have everything ready when your NOA-2 comes. Start working on your evidence for your interview. It doesn't totally take your mind off of the waiting but it does help a bit.

Those were my thoughts exactly about a month ago, right after I filed. I knew I wouldn't be able to just sit there and wait for an approval so I started doing my research on what the next steps would be, which led me to this website. I read the guides regarding a speedy NVC stage and since then I've pretty much filled out all of the forms (Choice of Agent, AOS and DS-230) and gathered all of the accompanying paperwork (give or take a few items). I'm also trying to come up with more evidence of a bonafide relationship to add to what I already have (better to have too much than too little). I've practically run out of things to do to distract me from the wait so I've gone back to stalking my portfolio for any "touches".

I guess I'll just keep double and triple checking everything I do have and make sure I'm not missing anything. Thanks for the advice though At this point I'll take any I can get

yes you are so right about the decades thing..and as much as I love skyping it makes me a combination of happy and sad ..Im trying to find something to occupy my time and mind with..Good Luck to you..and happy holidays i just keeping thinking this time next year hopefully my love will be with me:)you be thinking the same:)

I totally agree! Using the webcam used to feel like "enough" before we met in person but after sharing some face-to-face time the webcam image just seems like a mediocre substitution.

Happy holidays and best wishes to you and every other person in our situation. I'm truly hopefull that all of our spouses will be here in the states next year (though I sure could use someone to cuddle with during these long cold winter months )

"touched" is basically the last time your application was updated according to the site. you can see that when you click my portfolio

as for the change of address, there's a tab on the left side. it shows you the steps to take for the non-u.s. citizen.

hope that helps.

Meant to reply sooner but I usually try to pry myself away from this website on weekends (it helps keep me sane! )

okay thanks for your reply..i hope it doesnt take that long but since it doesnt really tell that much i guess its okay..i would probably drive myself crazy going there looking for something/anything..lol..Good Luck and hope it goes fast for you..

That's pretty much what I do...drive myself crazy checking the status everyday, yearning for a "touch". It's only been a month but somehow it feels like decades....I definitely need to find something to occupy my mind with.

Congratulations!!!!!!

This is some really good news! You are always so helpful and supportive to all the VJ members so I'm truly happy to see that your journey is almost complete.

Congratulations

Hang in there I never thought the day would come when we would be cruising through the NVC...but it is finally here!When we got married in May I was so sad just thinking about the time apart from my husband but...we remind each other all the time that we have the rest of our lives to be together

Your words are very reassuring. When it's put that way, five miserable months seems microscopic in comparison to a lifetime with the one you love!

Congrats and good luck

Congratulations Magdasal!!! Ours was approved today too!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!! I've read it about 10 times.

So maybe this isn't an isolated incident--more approvals coming this week? Or maybe we were just in the same box!

Congrats to you too!!!!

I really doubt the got interview in February, taking into account tha NVC gives appoinment for next month, no\t two months in adavance, we dont know here who will have interviews in january yet cus they will start to give appointments until second week of December, and so on, and if the case had been expidited they will have a December interview, so I dont buy it!!

wish you luck in the process!!!!

Thanks!

I agree, something in this equation just doesn't seem right. There was too much missing information in my hubby's account and on top of that he's not too familiar with this process and probably screwed up the facts. Whatever little I know is a result of the fact that I look up as much info as I can but I'm also a little bit clueless myself

a spousal visa wont solve anything,as it wont solve the reason they got denied,OP you have to add your parents and her parents birth certificate AND a dna test result,regardless of the route you choose to take.

You are right, a spousal visa won't solve the problem, however, if they already had a wedding planned for the 25th of this month here in the states they obviously won't be able to do so. They may as well get married now in the DR since he is currently there.

He mentioned before that they would send him a letter:

"They told me that I would receive a letter later on the mail. They also gave my fiancee a small yellow paper with different choices and the one checked says that the case would be sent back to USCIS. My finace told me that they were given that same paper to everyone (denied or approved) just that they check different according to the results."

Perhaps that will be the clue to the reason why you were denied. Regardless of whether they were denied the visa because of suspicions of a blood relation or not, gathering evidence to prove that they are not related is still important because it is an issue that may come up again if they re-apply for the K-1 visa or if they apply for a spousal visa.

If they denied them because they did not think the relationship is legit, perhaps getting married and applying for a spousal visa will help prove that they are serious. In the event that they do go this route, if it were me I would still gather all of the birth certificates necessary in order to avoid the same problem ocurring once again.

Now, if there is another reason why they were denied other than the ones stated above there is no way for us to give proper advice unless we know what the true problem is.

Congrats! I'm always happy to see when others have gotten approved. It makes the long wait not feel as bad because I know others have gone (and are going through) the same thing and there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope you speed through the NVC stage! Best of luck

I'm very sorry you guys got denied and am very surprised at some of the unnecessarily rude and sarcastic replies that you have received on this thread. If my husband were to be denied his visa I would also be extremely upset and the last thing you need are negative comments.

I have to agree with those who suggested you get married and apply for a spousal visa. You said you had everything planned out for a Dec 25th wedding so getting married a little earlier shouldn't be a problem. If you were denied for any other reason besides their suspicions of a blood relation between the two of you, a marriage should help prove that your relationship is legit. Gathering evidence that you are not related is also a good idea, in the case that you really were denied because they suspect you are related. They may have given that as an excuse, but perhaps the letter you say they are going to send you will help clarify the situation ???

Take some time to clear your mind and release all of your frustrations so that you can take full advantage of the fact that you are there right now and can start gathering whatever evidence you need to prove no blood relation (and perhaps even get married). I wish you the best of luck and please keep us in the loop (I'm curious to see how this all turns out, if you don't mind of course).

HAHA!! I totally sympathize... we have gone through the whole process, I arrived in the US in april... and my husband STILL doesnt know what Im talking about when I give advice on here. He even asked me what an NOA was the other day

I think its a man thing.

Lol...I want to agree but there are a lot of men on this site who really know what they are talking about. I think it's probably more of a "beneficiary thing". The petitioners seem to do the greater bulk of the filing and I'd guess that there are petitioners on this site than there are beneficiaries, but that's just a hunch.

I know I am just beginning this wait line, but I am going crazy...and it doesn't help when your spouse starts moaning and groaning about the issue and there is nothing you can do but wait.

I'm tired of waiting too. A five month time frame may not be much but when it is added to the months one has been in a long distance relationship it really starts to take it's toll on a person's patience.

It would be nice to be so quickly approved and in this way the petitioner would not spend the time away from his or her spouse, but it would really requiere a co-sponsor and that could be difficult to obtain for many petitioners.

The website that Kikapoo mentions is good in that it is DR-specific, but there is an overall anger/judgment problem. There is a lot of profanity use and everyone seems to think that the other members' mates are "cueros" or "sankys." It does have some good advice among the angry, fighting posts though.

Best wishes!

Well that kind of sucks. There are so many outsiders who are quick to assume that dominicans only marry americans to get a visa/permanent residency. You would think that the people in our little community wouldn't be so judgemental.

Have you ever been to the website www.dominicanstotheusa.com ? It's interesting, and useful if you ever need DR-specific immigration info. There is a poster on that site with the username KaTony09 who did direct consular filing. After she received her cedula, she dropped off her I-130 in Santo Domingo, and had an interview appointment within a month. Crazy fast! Obviously we would all do that, if it weren't for that pesky 6-month residency requirement (I like my job in the US, thank you very much! )

No, I can't say I've ever checked out that website, but wow, a month later? That's insane!

I have to agree though....to process everything here in the states may take longer but at least I have the opportunity to work and earn a decent salary. I wonder if the people who file directly through the consulate still have to submit an AOS, (and if they do I would imagine they automatically need a co-sponsor....)

Well, thanks for the info. I'll check out that website the next time I'm bored

Two thoughts come to mind:

1. I can't help but wonder if they did Direct Consular Filing. That's supposed to be WAAAAAAY faster.

2. I'M SOOOOO JEALOUS!!!

I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous too, lol. I've heard that Direct Consular Filing can be faster (and I had planned on filing that way), but I've also heard that it takes longer. At this point I don't know which is best. It would be nice to compare with someone who did file that way and see if perhaps it is faster ???

Hi!

I understand your frustation for the lack of details in the story your husband told you. My fiance knows some people who are going through the immigration process (some with petitioners from the US and others from Canada). Yet, his accounts are notorious for the lack of specific details that he provides. I guess that since the process it not entirely clear in his head, he would not know to ask the "right" questions.

If your husband is right, all I can say is "good for them!" Unfortunately, we cannot count on our cases to go as quickly as any others as it has been said many, many times that each case is different. Yet, I understand the want for perspective in order to compare sng guesstimate a timeline for our case.

Best wishes!

You are correct. I've been looking at so many cases, trying to crack some type of pattern but there really is none. There's an abundance of factors that come into play. However, is there's a secret to speeding through the process that quickly I'd sure as heck would love to know

I guess I can't blame my husband though...he is kind of lost when it comes this topic as well. I only know so much because I stalk this website every week....jeje

Congrats again! That must have been the best early Christmas present ever

I'll be with my husband too, in a couple of days. Can't wait

Congrats!!! I think to most of us getting that NOA2 is almost as good as getting that visa because it means the long wait was worth it. Good luck with the rest of the journey.

Hello guys,

I'm just really bored and wanted to share some thoughts....

So my husband went to a wedding this weekend and saw an old friend who happened to get married to a USC/LPR (??? hubby didn't ask! )a month after we did (we got married this past July in the Dominican Republic). Apparently they filed their petition in September (a month before I filed) and have already gotten an interview date for February (well, according to his friend the lawyer who filed their paperwork received the interview date but it's not very clear to me if they do indeed have an interview date or not).

This is pretty much all of the information my husband gathered. Jeez, if I would have been present I think I would have turned it into an interrogation. There are so many questions I would have asked, like, what date did they file?; when they got their NOA1 and NOA2?; what service center was their case sent to?; did they expedite their case?; etc. I mean, to have gotten married in August, filed in September and already have an interview date in February pretty much means they breezed through the process and got their case approved and completed right away but all of this information is as good as lost...not that it would help us with our case anyway, but it would have been nice to know and be able to compare.

Anyway, that was all I had to say. This post will not be useful to anyone but like I said, I'm bored and don't think anyone else would be interested in this little story other than another petitioner/beneficiary who is on the same boat as me so I thought I may as well share.

Take care everyone!

Congratulations!!!!

Making you go to the bank and pay the fee is just a way they have to collect the money. Its very common in DR to pay taxes, services, etc at a bank, but the bank doesnt do anything else about the process. It's just a service they offer to the consulate.

Jeez, these people are always finding ways to take your money. All these forms are so expensive as it is but apparently it doesn't end there...

Anyway, that's for the info

Thanks. I'll make sure to let my hubby know