Badgerella's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Minibadger
Beneficiary's Name: Badgerella
VJ Member: Badgerella
Country: Croatia
Last Updated: 2009-12-19
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Immigration Checklist for Minibadger & Badgerella:
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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 : |
California Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
Croatia |
| I-129F Sent : |
2008-08-20 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2008-08-27 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
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| RFE Reply(s) : |
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| I-129F NOA2 : |
2008-12-12 |
| NVC Received : |
2008-12-15 |
| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
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| NVC Left : |
2009-02-04 |
| Consulate Received : |
2009-02-09 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
2009-02-12 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
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| Packet 4 Received : |
2009-02-12 |
| Interview Date : |
2009-04-08 |
| Interview Result : |
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2009-04-09 |
| US Entry : |
2009-08-08 |
| Marriage : |
2009-08-28 |
| Comments : |
We're a bit dumb. But we're getting there! |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 107 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 224 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Minneapolis/St Paul |
| POE Date : |
2009-08-08 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
No |
| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
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Adjustment of Status
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Saint Paul MN |
| Date Filed : |
2009-10-15 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-10-23 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2009-11-24 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
2009-11-09 |
| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2009-12-11 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
No |
| Greencard Received: |
2009-12-18 |
| Comments : |
Green card came along with the Welcome Letter. |
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Employment Authorization
Document
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago IL |
| Filing Method : |
Mail |
| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2009-10-15 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-10-23 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2009-11-24 |
| Approved Date : |
2009-12-07 |
| Date Card Received : |
2009-12-17 |
| Comments : |
Valid for one year; no conditions. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 53 days. |
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Advance Parole
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago IL |
| Filing Method : |
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| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2009-10-15 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-10-23 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Date Received : |
2009-12-14 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your AP was approved in 53 days. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Croatia
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
April 23, 2009 |
| Embassy Review : |
We arrived about a half hour early (the interview was scheduled for 10:30, April 8th 2009) and didn't wait more than a few minutes before the guards called us in. They knew us both (four failed B2 visa attempts on my end, and one visit to the Embassy for my fiance, to accompany me to one of those B2 interviews) and were very friendly. All of the guards laughed at the contents of our enormous suitcase, full of photos, boarding passes, postcards, random trinkets and various documents. It weighed a few kilos for sure.
The moment we walked into the Consular Offices section of the Embassy, I was told to approach Window 7, where I had to turn in my documents and where the first set of fingerprints was taken. A very kind Croatian employee looked through the file (one containing only required visa forms) and told me to wait - he was supposed to either call me again, if something was missing, or we would wait to be called to one of the other windows.
We waited and waited and waited - the Embassy was crowded with people applying for visitor visas and, apparently, they take precedence. It must have taken an hour and a half, or so, before we were called to approach one of the interview windows (I can't remember anymore whether it was 1 or 2). The interviewer actually knew who we were - he was the CO who denied my second B2 application in, I think, November 2007. They took one more fingerprint, to verify my identity and then we stood there for a few minutes (I don't think it took longer than, maybe, five) casually talking about more or less random things. The conversation started in Croatian, but I promptly shifted it to English so that my fiance could participate as well (he was allowed to approach the windor with me, which wasn't the case during my last year's B2 interview, when he was told to stay a few meters behind me). The CO wanted to know when we met, but we were pretty much unable to remember the exact dates. He also asked about our wedding plans, but we had none at that point. We wanted the visa first and were honest about that. The officer asked my fiance about his job, chatted a bit with us about the weather in Minnesota and how I will freeze there regardless of the time of year I decide to come and that was about it. He said that K1 was the right visa for us to apply for and that we should have done it the first time around (I disagree, since all I wanted at those points was some vacation time spent with my fiance, but that's another story anyway!). At some point, I was given one of the forms to sign and he then told us to go back to the waiting part of the room and that he'd do all he can to get us out of the place as soon as possible. There was a tiny bit of confusion with some copies and originals of my birth certificate and some other documents - the CO wasn't sure which side is keeping which version. I ended up with the originals and he said the copies were more than good enough for them. During our conversation, I kept reaching for our enormous suitcase, but the officer kept saying that none of our additional documents or items were necessary.
We went back to the waiting section and, at that point, we had no idea what was supposed to happen next. While I was pretty convinced we had just gotten our visa, my fiance kept saying that they would call us to the actual interview any minute. After a while, the same Croatian person wanted to see me at Window 7. He asked for my phone number and said that they'd call me as soon as they had my visa printed - most likely the next day, but there was a tiny bit of possibility that they would do it pretty much right away. I said I was in no hurry.
They called on April 9th, the next day. I went to pick up the visa and was given some more instructions (about the visa itself, AOS and the like). They gave me the sealed envelope, as well as my chest x-ray and copies of my medical results.
Long story short - apart from the really long wait (we might have just had some bad luck with many other applicants waiting for their B2 interviews that day, though), everything went smoothly and was actually a rather pleasant experience. The only downside to the whole process at the Embassy in Zagreb are very unclear instructions that come in mail (Packet 3&4) and the outdated forms (I pretty much had to download and print them on my own). The staff (at least when it comes to K visas, as my experience with B2 was the exact opposite) is more than helpful and friendly - we talked to them on the phone and via email many times before the interview. A few days after my visa was printed I even received a phonecall from one of the employees, who wanted to answer some of the questions we had asked in an email. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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POE Review: Minneapolis/St Paul
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| Event |
Description |
| Entry Date : |
2009-08-08 |
| Embassy Review : |
I arrived at MSP around 3pm on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I wasn't sure where to go, so I asked a kind police-looking woman and she pointed me to the Immigration desk. A man was seated there, who greeted me and asked for my mysterious envelope. He opened it up, took my fingerprints and then asked about our wedding date. There was a short reminder of the 90-day period, in a rather playful way and that was it. His one and only other question was about the amount of cash I had on me at the airport. My mom was going through Immigration at the same time, but she was in some other line, as a visitor. She had no problems either. |
| Harassment Level : |
Low |
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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
