KJL's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: KJ
Beneficiary's Name: Caroline
VJ Member: KJL
Country: United Kingdom
Last Updated: 2013-04-18
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Immigration Checklist for KJ & Caroline:
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USCIS I-129F Petition:
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Dept of State K1 Visa:
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USCIS I-485 Petition:
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USCIS I-765 Petition:
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USCIS I-131 Petition:
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USCIS I-751 Petition:
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USCIS N-400 Petition:
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K1 Visa
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
London, United Kingdom |
| I-129F Sent : |
2009-05-14 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2009-05-18 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
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| RFE Reply(s) : |
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| I-129F NOA2 : |
2009-09-14 |
| NVC Received : |
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| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
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| NVC Left : |
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| Consulate Received : |
2009-10-05 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
2009-10-09 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2009-10-23 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
2009-11-19 |
| Interview Date : |
2009-11-25 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2009-12-04 |
| US Entry : |
2009-12-06 |
| Marriage : |
2010-01-15 |
| Comments : |
# Visa Interview
Originally scheduled for Dec 10, we called in and requested an earlier appointment. The US Embassy then gave us instructions to email in a request, and the next day we received a response offering a new date two weeks earlier than the one we were originally assigned!
# Pre-NOA2
A 2nd-level rep in the LA office told me on May 26 that it would take 15-30 days from the NOA1 date for my receipt number to be visible online, and to call them back by June 30 if the number still wasn't working by then.
He also informed me that currently, at least for the LA office (which handles 3x the volume of Vermont), an "easy" K1 application can take anywhere from 2-4 months, and that "tough" applications can take 6-8 months. Here's to hoping mine is the former!
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Touch #1 on 2009-09-14. Earlier than expected!
... and petition approved! Woohoo! |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 119 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 191 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Adjustment of Status
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Boston MA |
| Date Filed : |
2010-02-19 |
| NOA Date : |
2010-02-25 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2010-03-18 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
2010-03-03 |
| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2010-08-24 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
No |
| Greencard Received: |
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| Comments : |
Be aware if your address changes after you have put the application in. I put in the change of address form online and called them to check it had been processed AND received a letter from them saying it had. They still sent my green card to my old address. After that I called them again, put in a paper copy of the change of address and received my green card about a month later (but the address on the envelope still had my old zip code on). I also received a letter from them in May 2012 reminding me to apply to lift my conditions and they had sent that to the old address also. When I called them to make sure they had my address on file, I was told as I had no outstanding application, they had NO address on file for me at all, and they said they couldn't do anything, but just put in my next application (and presumably cross my fingers??) |
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Employment Authorization
Document
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
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| Filing Method : |
Mail |
| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2010-02-19 |
| NOA Date : |
2010-02-25 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2010-03-18 |
| Approved Date : |
2010-04-29 |
| Date Card Received : |
2010-05-04 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 69 days. |
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Advance Parole
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
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| Filing Method : |
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| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2010-02-19 |
| NOA Date : |
2010-02-25 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Date Received : |
2010-04-30 |
| Comments : |
Used only once - as our address had changed we had to wait nearly an hour at Passport Control for them to check we had changed the address with USCIS (I guess that info isn't available to the immigration officers at the main desk). It wasn't a problem, just irritating to have to wait around that long at the end of a relaxing vacation! |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your AP was approved in 64 days. |
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Lifting Conditions
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Date Filed : |
2012-07-26 |
| NOA Date : |
2012-08-03 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2012-09-07 |
| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2013-04-17 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
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| Green Card Received : |
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| Comments : |
No interview. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: London, United Kingdom
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
November 26, 2009 |
| Embassy Review : |
First you have to get through security! Make sure you don't have any electronic devices with you like mobiles or even car key fobs as you can't take them in. (I left my mobile in a backpack at left luggage at Kings Cross Station) You have to show your appointment letter and passport to a security guard then are sent into a little hut. In the hut, your bag and coat etc are all run through a scanner like at the airport and you walk through a metal detector. As I had a drink of water with me, I had to drink some of it in front of the guard to be able to take it in with me!
You then follow the path around the side of the building and go up some stairs to a reception desk. They will check your letter again and give you a number. You then take the stairs to your left and enter a huge room looking out over Grosvenor Square. Someone there will direct you to sit at the far end of the room, where you wait until your number is called out. I had a minor heart attack at this point as they put me in the queue for non-immigrant visas by mistake and when I was called forward I was told I couldn't get my visa as I didn't have my applications forms with me! The staff were great though and it was quickly sorted out that I'd been put in the wrong place!!
But anyway, your number will be called telling you to go to a particular booth number (it's a bit like a bank, with the embassy staff sitting behind glass screens). Booths 1-12 run alongside the seating area, the remainder are down a corridor that runs off the middle of the room (the toilets are also down this corridor!). Don't worry if you miss your number the first time; they leave it a few minutes and will re-call you.
At this stage you hand over your passport and supporting documents (birth certificate, with photocopy; police certificate with photocopy; affidavit of support with supporting documents). They also asked me for 2 photographs (despite there being 2 attached to my application form - luckily I'm anal and had taken extra with me). They then, most bizarrely, take a photograph of your photograph!! The photos were returned to me. They also take your finger prints. Everything they need is clipped into your file and you're handed a yellow slip which you take to the cashiers desk (desk 13) to pay your fee. Once you've paid your fee, you're given a pink form (non-immigrant visa applicants get blue forms) with the barcode from your number stuck onto it, your x-rays (which you have to take with you to the US) and sent back to the waiting room.
The pink form is your details for the courier company and is given to you now so that you can fill it in while you're waiting.
Finally, you're called again. I was called by name, but other people were being called by their number still, so keep an ear out for both. This time, I was in front of an American woman.
They rescanned my fingerprints to verify them, then I had to swear my application was the truth. As she was looking through the paperwork, she asked me questions about our relationship - when we met, where we met, how we managed a long distance relationship, how long we'd been engaged (which I couldn't work out to begin with!!) etc. She also asked if I'd lived in any other countries, been in trouble with the police, had problems with US immigration in the past, what I did in the UK and what I wanted to do in the US. The whole time she was typing things into the computer, so she was obviously either recording my answers, or filling in a form. She then passed my file through to me and I had to sign the bottom of the DS230 Part II and fill in my fiance's name. I didn't have to fill in anything else on Part II, not even ticking the boxes saying e.g. I was not involved in Nazi Germany.
She then told me that my application had been approved at which point I got very excited and squealed! She was very sweet though and looked pleased to have helped someone and made them so happy! She explained that I now had to go and hand my pink form into the courier people and that my passport would be returned to me in 3-5 working days. She also showed me the envelope that would come with and explained that it contained my forms and that it had to be handed to immigration when you enter the US unopened. Apparently if you open it, they can refuse you entry (cue my paranoia that it will unseal itself!). Make sure you pack it in your handluggage!!
You then go back into the waiting room and queue for the couriers. Their desk is at the end of the room near the door. The basic service is £14.20, but you can pay extra to specify deliver before a certain time. You can ONLY pay for this by card. They give you a receipt with your details on - make sure you check they've copied your address correctly!!
And that's it! You go out the same way you come in and, if you're anything like me, bounce off across Grosvenor Square! I was out at about 11.45 and had arrived slightly late at 9.15, so not too bad! Obviously the earlier you arrive, the lower your number will be and the sooner you should get processed. There's a coffee and snack bar at the far end of the room though, so you can eat and drink while you're waiting if you are delayed for any reason. |
| Rating : |
Good |
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Timeline Comments: None yet, be the first!
*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
