Trina & Bhupi's US Immigration Timeline
|
Petitioner's Name: Trina
Beneficiary's Name: Bhupi
VJ Member: Trina & Bhupi
Country: India
Last Updated: 2014-05-14
|
|
|
Immigration Checklist for Trina & Bhupi:
|
USCIS I-129F Petition:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dept of State K1 Visa:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USCIS I-485 Petition:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USCIS I-765 Petition:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USCIS I-131 Petition:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USCIS I-751 Petition:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USCIS N-400 Petition:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
K1 Visa
|
| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Transferred? |
Texas Service Center on 2013-06-21 |
| Consulate : |
New Delhi, India |
| I-129F Sent : |
2013-02-01 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2013-02-06 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
|
| RFE Reply(s) : |
|
| I-129F NOA2 : |
2013-07-16 |
| NVC Received : |
2013-08-09 |
| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
|
| NVC Left : |
2013-08-12 |
| Consulate Received : |
2013-08-23 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
|
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2013-08-29 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
|
| Interview Date : |
2013-10-03 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
|
Second Interview
(If Required): |
|
| Second Interview Result: |
|
| Visa Received : |
2013-10-14 |
| US Entry : |
2013-10-26 |
| Marriage : |
2013-10-30 |
| Comments : |
|
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 160 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 239 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
|
Port of Entry Review
|
| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
JFK |
| POE Date : |
2013-10-26 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
No |
| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
The POE process was pretty easy at JFK. It took about 2 hours but, only because the officer went on break halfway through Bhupi's processing. They asked very few questions mostly basic: Bhupi's parents names, whether or not he was married, and where he was coming from. Do not be alarmed if you are waiting for your fiance for a long time at the airport - the K1 visas are processed differently than tourist visas, etc so, they tend to take longer. Overall, it was a very easy experience. |
|
Adjustment of Status
|
| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Hartford CT |
| Date Filed : |
2013-11-07 |
| NOA Date : |
2013-11-12 |
| RFE(s) : |
|
| Bio. Appt. : |
2013-12-04 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
|
| Interview Date : |
|
| Approval / Denial Date : |
2014-05-01 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
|
| Greencard Received: |
2014-05-08 |
| Comments : |
On Feb 8, 2014, we received a notice saying that our case would most likely qualify for an interview waiver - which is great news! But, it also said that there are many delays and it could take up to 6 months from the date of that notice for Bhupi to receive his green card - which would be August. |
|
Employment Authorization
Document
|
| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago National Office |
| Filing Method : |
Mail |
| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2013-11-07 |
| NOA Date : |
2013-11-12 |
| RFE(s) : |
|
| Bio. Appt. : |
2013-12-04 |
| Approved Date : |
2014-01-07 |
| Date Card Received : |
2014-01-13 |
| Comments : |
|
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 61 days. |
|
Advance Parole
|
| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago National Office |
| Filing Method : |
|
| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2013-11-07 |
| NOA Date : |
2013-11-12 |
| RFE(s) : |
|
| Date Received : |
2014-01-13 |
| Comments : |
|
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your AP was approved in 61 days. |
|
Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: New Delhi, India
Review Topic: K1 Visa
|
| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
October 14, 2013 |
| Embassy Review : |
We were so blessed that our interview went as well as it did. Just a quick background about my fiance and I - I (Trina) am the US citizen and American by birth, he (Bhupi) is Indian. We met while traveling
abroad in Africa.
Bhupi's interview was scheduled for 8:20am so, we arrived at the consulate at 7:00am (I flew back to India to attend the interview with him). We had to wait outside for about 30-40 min and then we were all lined up and asked to present interview letters and travel docs profile. We had extensive evidence so, we brought a backpack to carry it in - backpacks are not allowed, purses or shopping bags are okay though. We were unsure as to how far they were going to let me (Trina) go through the process with him but, they allowed me to stay the entire time! We even did Bhupi's interview together - we highly recommend that both the petitioner and beneficiary attend the interview (if you are able to). Having both parties there is the best
evidence that the interviewer can see and she even told that to us.
The whole process was very orderly from beginning to end - our interview was scheduled for 8:20 and we were literally out the door by 9:02. Be sure to be as organized as possible - have your:
DS-156 (2 copies)
DS-156K (unsigned)
DS-230
Affidavit of support (they only took the petitioner's application and 2012 taxes - didn't even look at my pay stubs or employment letter)
Medical report (they did not take the x-rays and told us that we really do not even need them any longer)
Regional PCC
Passport
Copy of Bhupi's birth certificate, Copy of English translation, and original affidavit from his mother since his BC was issued only a few months ago
Receipt for payment at Axis Bank (you need to go on travel docs to create a profile before you can pay the visa fees at Axis bank)
The beneficiary's travel docs profile with passport pick-up location (be sure to do this beforehand as it definitely saves you time at the interview)
2 photos
Once we handed in all of our paperwork, we waited for about 10 min and then were called up for Bhupi's interview. We interviewed with a lovely, young American girl who could not have been kinder. She was extremely professional but, also seemed to understand that we were nervous. In Hindi she asked if we wanted the interview in Hindi or English. We chose English. She asked Bhupi to raise his right hand and swear that all of the documents he handed in were the truth. Her questions to both of us were as follows:
To Bhupi: You spent a lot of time traveling around Africa, what brought you there? Answer: We both answered telling her that Bhupi is a professional kayaker and I was teaching there so, we met while we
were traveling and fell in love. We then spent 5 months together traveling East Africa and have been together ever since.
To Bhupi: What do your parents do for work? Answer: Dad is a chef and Mom is a housewife
To Trina: Have you met his parents yet? Answer: I lived in India for 7 months up until May 2013 so, yes I spent a great deal of time with them. I also came back here on Sept 26th to attend Bhupi's interview. We have notarized affidavits from both his family and mine in support of our engagement.
To Bhupi: Will your parents attend your US wedding? Answer: Probably not, as it would be very expensive for them to come to the US. We will have a court marriage as soon as I arrive there, followed by a proper
American wedding, and then will return to India for a reception in the Fall 2014.
To Bhupi: Have you ever been to the US? Answer: No, I have not
To Trina: So, you work in corporate housing? Answer: Yes, in international relocation
To Trina: You live in Arizona? Answer: No, my company is based in AZ but, I reside in CT.
The interviewer then said: Ok, you are approved!
We both looked at her and said: Really? You don't need to see any of our evidence or photos?
She said: No, you are well prepared and obviously a couple.
We thanked her so many times and asked her a few questions about the visa pick up and then we were happily on our way!
The whole experience was very smooth and such a relief. Our biggest advice to everyone is to prepare as much as possible (we probably went over board but, wanted to make sure that we had everything we needed). If you can both attend the interview then absolutely do it - we definitely think that my (Trina's) being there and Bhupi's extensive travel/work outside of India helped us 
|
| Rating : |
Very Good |
|
Local US CIS Office Review: Hartford CT
Review Topic: cis_topic
|
| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
December 5, 2013 |
| Embassy Review : |
My husband had his biometrics appt originally scheduled for 12/11/13 but, we wanted to see if he could get it done earlier so, we went on 12/4/13. I read on here that some people were able to simply walk into the Hartford office before their appt date and they were successful.When we got to the office it was completely empty. We explained that would be out of town when his original appt was so,we came early as we read online that it was possible to do a walk in.The security officer told us that this information was wrong and that there seems to be some mistakes on the website - he thought that we read it on their website and we did not correct him . The whole process took about 10 min. We had to complete one form and show Bhupi's passport and appointment letter. They took his fingerprints and photographs and we were out the door.If you want to, you can try to go early but, it seems that they are trying to be more strict about this. Good luck everyone! |
| Harassment Level : |
Very Good |
|
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
