zyscobry's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: Zoë Beneficiary's Name: Sybren VJ Member: zyscobry Country: Netherlands Last Updated: 2026-01-01 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for Zoë & Sybren:

USCIS I-130 Petition:       Dept of State IR-1/CR-1 Visa:     USCIS I-751 Petition:   USCIS N-400 Petition:

IR-1/CR-1 Visa Event Date Service Center : Texas Service Center Transferred? No Consulate : Frankfurt, Germany Marriage (if applicable): 2024-07-20 I-130 Sent : 2024-08-20 I-130 NOA1 : 2024-08-26 I-130 RFE : I-130 RFE Sent : I-130 Approved : 2025-05-06 NVC Received : 2025-05-11 Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : 2025-05-11 Pay AOS Bill : 2025-05-11 Receive I-864 Package : Send AOS Package : Submit DS-261 : 2025-05-15 Receive IV Bill : 2025-05-11 Pay IV Bill : 2025-05-11 Send IV Package : 2025-09-23 Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : 2025-10-13 Case Completed at NVC : 2025-10-13 NVC Left : Consulate Received : 2025-10-14 Packet 3 Received : Packet 3 Sent : Packet 4 Received : Interview Date : 2025-12-18 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2025-12-24 US Entry : 2025-12-25 Comments : I-130 PD: 2024-08-22 K3 sent 2025-03-20, received by USCIS 2025-03-21 K3 NOA1 date: 2025-03-31 (Texas Service Center) K3 denial: 2025-05-07 Case sent to Dept of State: 2025-05-10 AOS/IV bill processed: 2025-05-14 NVC DQ date: 2025-09-30 Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-130 was approved in 253 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 479 days from your I-130 NOA1 date.

Port of Entry Review Event Date Port of Entry : Dallas POE Date : 2025-12-25 Got EAD Stamp : Biometrics Taken : Harassment Level : 0 Comments : While the CBP officer was chatting with a coworker about Christmas, I said I was entering on an immigrant visa. "Oh, cool". Looked at my passport for a bit and typed some things into his computer. Then asked me to follow him. Entered a different room where I was asked to take a seat. Sat there for less than a minute - the officer just went into a different room with more officers who stamped my passport with the marking CR1. Was then told to follow him again. He walked back to his desk and sent me off. Asked him whether that was all and he said "yep, that's it". Told him all the best to him and his loved ones and went to pick up my bags. Super easy. No questions asked, no documents requested, no fuss whatsoever.

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Frankfurt, Germany Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Event Description Review Date : December 19, 2025 Embassy Review : EDIT: DISCLAIMER: for Dutch people having their passport mailed back to them, the tracking information sent by UPS is really bad. They said that my passport would be delivered Tuesday between 11:00-15:00, which made sense, since I could see that it arrived at the Eindhoven UPS center around 7:00 that same day. They then said it was out for delivery, but after that, radio silence. My flight was that next day, Wednesday. On Track & Trace it said my passport was still in Eindhoven, so on Wednesday I and my family drove to the UPS Center in Eindhoven to pick up my passport (I had placed a hold on the package so they'd keep it there). After spending about half an hour at the Customer Service desk, the worker there concluded that my passport was a five-minute drive away from my hometown and had been there for nearly an entire day. So we had to drive back home and I had to rebook my flight to the next day (Thursday). All that to say: allow for some flexibility with UPS since their communication leaves a lot to be desired. Arrived at the Consulate around 6:50 AM for an interview scheduled at 7:30. Registered at 7:03 - there were some people in front of me in line and I believe they only started letting people in from 7:00. I and my family stayed at a hotel about a 10 minute drive away from the Consulate. As much as it sucks to get up this early, I do recommend getting to the Consulate the full 30 minutes before your appointment because the line behind me steadily grew and the hall filled up quickly. I was pretty nervous but everything went fine. There were a few hiccups at the security check on my end (not knowing how to get to the security area/forgetting to take my phone out of my pocket) but that was it. Once I got to the big hall where the actual interview took place, everything was smooth sailing. A very nice officer helped me at check-in (where they ask for your originals and go over some administrative details) and the interview went very well too. I believe I was asked more questions than most because a woman was following along/spectating for the entire interview. Perhaps some sort of training? After a while (maybe 10/15 minutes?) the consular officer told me that my visa was approved and that I could expect my passport back in about a week. Some general tips: -Bring only what you need. Your phone and any other electronics are kept by Consulate staff and returned to you after the interview. If you can, do not bring bags. I only brought my phone, coat, card holder (with my ID/bank card/etc.) and folder with documents. I went to the big hall with only my coat and folder, my phone and card holder were returned to me after the interview. -Be overprepared in the documents that you bring. At check-in, I was asked for my joint sponsor's tax documents until a little later when I heard "oh, it looks like something has been scanned in". You don't want to be in a position where you don't have the documents they're asking for. -If you don't know, you don't know, and that's fine. I was asked how many times we had visited each other. We were fortunate enough to have quite a few visits each year so I said I didn't know exactly. My eventual answer was "at least 3 times a year". That was just fine. -Be concise and precise. No fluff, just what they're asking. A little context is fine. -Being friendly is nice and appreciated but don't joke around. There were a few moments where the consular officer thought something was funny but do realise that you are inside a U.S. Consulate participating in an interview that determines whether you immigrate or not, and you are under oath. The staff are very friendly though so there's nothing to be afraid of! To conclude: you are being interviewed for a reason, you know your own and your spouse's life, and honesty is key. (updated on January 1, 2026) Rating : Very Good

Timeline Comments: 1



*Notice about estimates: The estimates are based off averages of other members recent experiences
(documented in their timelines) for the same benefit/petition/application at the same filing location.
Individual results may vary as every case is not always 'average'. Past performance does not necessarily
predict future results. The 'as early as date' may change over time based on current reported processing
times from members. There have historically been cases where a benefit/petition/application processing
briefly slows down or stops and this can not be predicted. Use these dates as reference only and do not
rely on them for planning. As always you should check the USCIS processing times to see if your application
is past due.

** Not all cases are transfered

ver 5.0