foobaz123

Just called USCIS, they're working on 16-June.

Still another 3 weeks for me at the least.

You haven't updated your time line

In any case, without knowing when your NOA1 date it is hard to say whether you may be correct or not. They've been telling people "16-June" now for at least a month so I wouldn't put too much stock in that.

Add me to the NOA2 list!!! I just got a e-mail.. It finally came thru!!!

Congratulations

A pattern is also starting to form of around 160 days till approval

I'll be moving to San Diego, CA, which looked pretty safe actually.

I guess I might be influenced by the news. Oh and my husband was born and raised in Oakland, CA, which has one of the highest crime rates in the US! When we visited his mom, he was afraid to let me go to Safeway by myself...

I don't like the idea of everyone owning firearms

I wouldn't say France is safe, it is really not in fact, the risk of being attacked or molested is probably not lower than in the US, but the risk of being shot is close to zero. In the worst case scenario, you might get stabbed which seems a little less bad

On the other subjects my opinion is very close to Staceyfreeman's!

San Diego, I've lived there, is pretty safe as such things go. I'm not sure I'd be that worried in Oakland, however Oakland can be pretty bloody rough.

The firearms thing is a very European (or maybe just non-US?) way of looking at it. The good news is that your odds of getting shot, while slightly higher in San Diego than some other random places, is still really really low. Far lower than the media may make one think.

Like I said, I wouldn't be even slightly concerned with that.

I understand your reservations, but I think you're not seeing the reality as it is about money issues in the US. People who have to work 24/7 to join both ends are usually huge spenders, with a dreadful credit (not all of them of course, but a lot). If you start your life there without debt (student loan or big fat mortgage), and if you're not an avid consumer, you'll be really fine. You can fulfill your basic needs with a handful of bucks: food, gas, electricity, etc... all that is SO much cheaper in the US than in Europe!

The lack of medical insurance is an issue, but that's the thing worth investing into if your job doesn't provide one. You'll be saving money on other things compared to your life in the UK. Plus wages are high, I don't know compared to the UK, but compared to France, it's quite unbelievable : a brand new teacher with no exprience gets paid more than a French teacher will make after 20 years. The median salary is uncomparable. Yat my in-laws get shocked when they come here and they see how high prices are.

As for the work culture, I thought the same, and then visited my in-laws a few times, just to discover that somehow, they all make it home a lot earlier than me every evening... The 2 weeks vacation sounds awful when I have 9 now, but there's a lot of holidays.

When you're sick, you can use a sick day without necessary having to go to the doctor : in France, you need a doctor note from the first day, and legally your employer doesn't have to pay you (unless branch agreements require it). Etc, etc...

What I'm more concerned about is rampant violence and so many guns being around, but making enough for a living, absolutely not. The job market is more flexible and if you want to work, you can find something.

Since other things have been responded to elsewhere I'll respond to your last concern. Where in the States will you be heading?

Contrary to media reports the level of violence in the US, especially compared to the UK, is practically non-existent. There are shootings and murders and such but they tend to be concentrated in certain areas and not wide spread. There are tons of guns around, I own several my self, and the odds are that in most States you'll be sharing the roads and sidewalks with some people who are carrying them too. That said, it still isn't a concern as the overall level of violence is extremely low.

Here's a story the BBC did on the subject sometime back: http://news.bbc.co.u...ent/7359513.stm

It was done a few years ago but the general conclusions are still true.

In short, I wouldn't be too concerned about that issue. Welcome to the US

Congrats!! I'm glad to see them approving late June as well as July files!

Where did you see one from July approved?

I think June 16 is just a conservative estimate. They are actually approving June 22, 27 and 28 then they STOPPED!

How long will they let us wait???

We actually don't know they stopped. As pessimistic as I can be at times, we have to remember that the reports we get here are merely a fraction of a fraction of the total. Also, the latest date yet reported may be 28June, but that date is important as it is nearly the last working day of June and being a Wednesday may also be some sort of cut off. What's more, we've had all these reports in the last two/three days. It'll be interesting to see what the next 5 working days reveal, no?

Congratulations

I'll know what it is like some day too

Okay I just called them during my lunch hour. They said that they're processing the cases from June 16th. My case shouldn't take much longer. I should call them back the end of next week.

Lady on the phone speaks English that I can't really understand. I like accent from the midwest/north better.

They've been telling everyone that they are working on cases from 16June now for nearly a month. That said, there were some IR1/CR1s with NOA1 dates in late June recently approved.

I imagine it would generally come down to if you're coming from a VWP country or already have a Visitor's Visa you should be good. If you're not coming from a VWP country or don't already have a B1/B2 visa and am not being sponsored by a company then forget it. They'll ask a the interview if you know anyone in the States and as soon as you tell them your spouse is there you'd likely be instantly denied.

The exception I might think would be if you had kids in your native country who weren't going with you which would be a tie back there.

Yay! Congratulations!

Nice to see more life out of CSC and especially for someone from a non-VWP country like ours

Well thats what VJ processing says, but i try to not let it get me excited. they can be currently working on them but for how long is the question.

Id go crazy when Febuary rolls arround.

I thought it was excited because at one point they wont moving at all, maybe they aren't really processing Sept yet but at least they started to put coal in the train, so to speck.

wen Aug gets approval, Id sit on the edge of my seat.

I hate to make anyone feel bad but the Igor's list estimates for CSC are about worthless at this point. People from July and August haven't even, for the most part, been started let alone completed for September to start...

That said, after a long silence they are starting to actually move so hopefully it won't be too much longer for any of us

No. I wish had stayed in Cambodia and done that, though. My wife probably would have arrived here months ago.

Probably so.. also much easier on the Interview side of it too when you're living together

My Wife's petition took 5 and half months and was approved yesterday . but daughter petition with the same date on the NOA 1 still pending.

The crazy part is the difference in their NOA 1 number is just 3(897 and 900).

Its just does not make sense to me.Why approve one and put the other in hanging

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that examiner A got one and B got the other.. why they split them up.. who knows?

Either way, I can't imagine it would be long in coming though

Hello,

I am wondering what CSC is doing.I filed I-130 in August 10,2011 still haven't recieved NOA2. I heard right now they are not processing any family files means F4 and all. Wondering they are still CR1 fILE FOR spouse right? I am just worried.

You may have read that from one of my posts. In the last few days approvals have started coming out again so they do seem to be working now.

The most recent approval I've seen was for a NOA1 date of 28June.

Amen to that . I will calling USCIS Office tommorrow like crazy , i will not stop calling. Tommorrow is the only day i have before i fly out and its gonna be expensive calling USCIS from Africa all the time

Skype not an option?

I hope so, i will be going to Nigeria to visit my family in 2 days

Good luck and have fun

i just got the NOA 2 approval email just now.. but it is bitter sweet. My wife's approval came through but still waiting for that of my daughter

w00t

Hopefully that'll come along soon though.. either way.. it is encouraging

Uh... I have some evidence. My petition was approved by CSC not too long ago. And Cambodia is not a VWP country.

Interesting and good to know Also, congratulations!

You weren't filed DCF or anything like that, correct?

I have not called them... I suppose if I call, I will get the same answers everyone is hearing (once a human being answers the phone)! ugh...

Possibly.. however, you can at least have them put in a service call to see what's going on. Hopefully, everyone does that as they start tipping over that 5 month mark

I'm not sure anyone really knows.

We had been planning for a February/March interview... I'm not so sure about that now...

Sounds like the same rhetoric...

They must have a 'play back' button!

Yep, pretty much. Since you're past 150 days, have you tried to get any information out of them?

I've spoken to four agents, plus a good friend that used to work at the call center, and have concluded that they are just totally out of the loop in terms of what's going on at the service centers, how this process actually works and what it means to the people going through it. The agents exist in order to keep us away from the supervisors by providing the same information we can get on the website and the automated calling system.

I've been told they were working on June 16th (as were several others, for several weeks running). I was told the process was currently taking 5 months, or 5.5 months, or 6 months depending on who I spoke to, and each time some variation of 'just go away and be patient, ok?'. Twice I was told the supervisors were busy, or would tell me the same thing, and no I couldn't hold to speak to one. The first guy I spoke to told me they were working on June 16 and to try back in about 15 days. Now that I have a service request I'm to 'try back in 15 days', which is actually 18 days later than when I was first told to try back in 15 days. I can't help but think a 'service request' isn't even an actual thing, but a means of placating us so when in 15 days, nothing has been done, they can assure me again that they're looking into it.

A convenient way of saying wait another half-month and see.

I just called them even though I'm not yet at 5 months... I mentioned that no one has seen hardly any approved I-130s since June... and was told "CSC is currently processing applications from 16June"

To which I said, "I have a hard time believing even with their volume that they are still processing applications from the same day for nearly a month."

"I'm sorry, but that's what our data says."

Sigh... in short... "Go away and keep waiting"

He told me it would probably be at least a month and a half more for me which will put it far outside 5 months....

Needless to say I'll be calling them every day starting 2January (Day 151)

My date was 6-14-2011, got approved on 10-21-2011, and took 29 days to get to NVC.

I should be more specific... not after 29June

There has been little to no known movement out of CSC since June for any family based visa....

Wait times are currently *at least* five months.. most July filers are already over that line...

Hullo RGFox - what's the dealio on calling into USCIS ?

I'm confused - I've layed out the calling pattern and the questions and the hook for an ISO.

I Be Stumped.

Am I drowning in noise?

Has calling prior to the 150th day ever gotten any result aside from "Call back at 151 days?"