Will I EVER get to USA?

[MonkeyJuice 3]

You had a really bad experience at POE last time & it's preventing you from travelling again. Just try to think of all the people that travel to USA on a daily basis using the VWP with K1 or K3 visas in progress...a lot! I would say the vast majority are allowed to visit.

I'm really sorry you have to wait so long, I know it is extremely depressing for you. Just keep focused on that they are actively working on your case because you had 2 touches recently...that's great.

I hope you hear something soon.

[steveee 0]

TIMELINE (approximates)

Married (in Finland) 12/15/2007.

& Got the paperworks started once my

husband returned to USA after Christmas.

Filed I-130 in February 2008.

NOA1 on I-130 on 04/16/2008.

Filed I-129F in April 2008.

NOA1 on I-129F on 06/06/2008 (with our names spelled completely wrong).

Immediately reported the typo regarding I-129F and was told that it's being fixed.

No news from USCIS.

I contact the US Embassy in Helsinki in August 2008 asking about visa waiver & tourist visa, they instruct me to use visa waiver - at my own risk, they also tell me that I should be expecting my visa in October, this calms me down.

Around mid-December 2008 after contacting USCIS we hear that our case has been forwarded to an officer (I guess this means picked up,

already several months late). We also learn that the name on I-129F was never fixed. USCIS recommends dropping the I-129F as it hasn't managed to speed up our process.

No news from USCIS.

I contact the US Embassy in Helsinki 02/02/2009, they are surprised that I still haven't got my visa and instruct me to tell my husband to contact his local congressman. They also agree to send me their package already with the hopes that with the congressman being involved the USCIS will be done in a couple of weeks.

I start gathering up my paperwork for the USCIS.

Husband contacts the congressman/senator 02/03/2009.

Congressman's involvement resulted in USCIS contacting my husband around mid-February 2009, telling him our case is going through FBI name check.

I contact the US Embassy in Helsinki 03/26/2009 in hopes of finding out if they have new ideas or know what's taking so long, all they could tell me was to keep bothering the congressman and the USCIS. They are shocked to see my case STILL stuck with the USCIS and said that the FBI name check shouldn't take more than a few days.

I contact the USCIS 03/27/2009 in hopes of knowing more about our case, but all the info I get is the NOA1 from April 2008. They tell me to tell my husband to call them.

My husband contacts the USCIS 03/27/2009 and is romised more information within 7 days.

I contact the congressman's immigration specialist 03/27/2009 and I'm told that allmthey can do is contact USCIS every 30 days.

Waiting...

I'm sorry to hear that, can you try to email your situation direct to NVCInquiry@state.gov (attn: supervisor) explain your case situation include the following to your email:

Top of the letter:

1. Case number

2. Petitioner's name and birth date

3. Beneficiary's name and birth date

4. Visa Type

5. Full name of the sender

(body of the letter)

Bottom:

1. Full name of the sender

2. Full address

3. Contact number

4. Email address

You need to act right away, you can received an automated response from them immediately but wait for at least 10 days they tell you something about case, i tried to send an email to them couple of times even during my denial and i got an excellent respond from them in USCIS it will takes forever, in NVC they responded quick and they must know because it is regarding visa case. Good luck!!!

[mrsB 0]

Should that e-mail be sent by my husband? The USCIS refuses to give me information on my case. I've called them several times and each time they've told me that they only give information to my husband regarding my case... They already once promised to give us detailed info on why this has taken so long, but all they came up with was the same old "your papers are with the FBI" and nobody could even tell us when the case had been forwarded for their security check. All we know is that it can take up to August 2009, though it was in February that we learned that our case was going through this security check... There are SO many strange things about our case, I'm really worried that something bad has happened to it.

Perhaps I'm just being paranoid. It just kills me every day to see people who applied 6 months later than me but are already enjoying their lives with their spouses in USA...

Thank you all for still hanging out here with me :/

[mrsB 0]

OH, and yes, the trip from Finland to USA does take long and cost a lot of money. It takes me generally pretty much an even 24 hours (with luck) to get from my current address to my husband's and the trip costs approximately 600-800 euros (around 1000 dollars at most) with possible bus/car rides included... That's why it'd be kind of a big deal to get turned back.

[mrsB 0]

Due to not having enough information regarding the question if my trip to USA would affect the I-130 or not (and because I probably can't prove my intentions at the POE), we've decided that I'm not going to go visit my husband. We've never been very lucky so we decided to not risk it. I'm going to do what I can to get a new, better life started here in Finland, because it's unlikely that our case will see any progress in the next few months.

I'll keep you posted in case there's something worth mentioning.

Oh and Steveee, I did the e-mail thing, we'll see if that gets me anything.

Edited April 17, 2009 by mrsB

[steveee 0]

Due to not having enough information regarding the question if my trip to USA would affect the I-130 or not (and because I probably can't prove my intentions at the POE), we've decided that I'm not going to go visit my husband. We've never been very lucky so we decided to not risk it. I'm going to do what I can to get a new, better life started here in Finland, because it's unlikely that our case will see any progress in the next few months.

I'll keep you posted in case there's something worth mentioning.

Oh and Steveee, I did the e-mail thing, we'll see if that gets me anything.

Hopefully "mrsB" you can have any helpful information from them soon, good luck!

[Y's_habibitk 2]

I dont remember if someone already suggested this or not but I think you should contact the CIS ombudsman at this point.

http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/programs/editorial_0497.shtm

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cisomb_dhsform7001.pdf

The fact that your case has been "touched" kinda leads me to beleive you arent stuck in name checks anymore.

It looks promising that your case has been touched twice in the last few weeks, but still..

[mrsB 0]

Ombudsman... Alright, that'll be my next attempt. Thanks!

[Brit Abroad 166]

The fact that your case has been "touched" kinda leads me to beleive you arent stuck in name checks anymore.

It looks promising that your case has been touched twice in the last few weeks, but still..

MrsB, I'm really sorry to hear of the mess that USCIS are making of your application. However, I strongly agree with the above poster. If you're getting touches frequently, it means your paperwork is being looked at, which means it's officially out of FBI checks and must have been approved.

They're both good signs, and *should* mean that an Immigration Officer should be able to look at the file for you if your husband calls.

If you'd had an RFE on the touches, you'd have heard by now, which is also another good sign.

Hold in there, it looks like things are finally moving, so stay positive, it WILL happen.

[mrsB 0]

So I've been looking into this form I need for the ombudsman but... It says that BEFORE posting it I should do (though not mandatory)...

It is best if you contact our office for assistance after utilizing other resources for case problems with USCIS, such as:

- USCIS Case Status Service Online at http://www.uscis.gov;

- Made an InfoPass appointment at the local office;

- Contacted the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) for assistance at (800) 375-5283.

I have no idea what this InfoPass is and what local office they're talking about... And I haven't contacted NCSC because I'm not sure what to tell them. I hadn't even heard of it before. And well, I'd be calling from Finland...

I do hope that I can get some answers if I've only done the first of the 3.

[Y's_habibitk 2]

So I've been looking into this form I need for the ombudsman but... It says that BEFORE posting it I should do (though not mandatory)...

It is best if you contact our office for assistance after utilizing other resources for case problems with USCIS, such as:

- USCIS Case Status Service Online at http://www.uscis.gov;

- Made an InfoPass appointment at the local office;

- Contacted the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) for assistance at (800) 375-5283.

I have no idea what this InfoPass is and what local office they're talking about... And I haven't contacted NCSC because I'm not sure what to tell them. I hadn't even heard of it before. And well, I'd be calling from Finland...

I do hope that I can get some answers if I've only done the first of the 3.

An info pass appointment is an appointment at your husbands local USCIS office in his city.

Since it isnt mandatory, I personally wouldnt worry about it.

Your husband can totally make an appointment if he wants to give it a shot though

https://infopass.uscis.gov/infopass.php

Good luck.

[mrsB 0]

Okay... now I'm starting to really wonder...

What the heck is going on with my case?! USCIS sent my husband a letter, which didn't really discuss our case but set up an appointment for HIM to go have his signature and fingerprints taken on the 30th..? What on earth is that supposed to mean? He called the USCIS right away and all they said was they can't give him any info. WHAT THE SH*T seriously? They want his signature and fingerprints but won't even say what for? I've just about had it with this #######, toying around and making us jump through really strange hoops. Somehow I can't see how this could be NORMAL procedure. He's an US citizen and according to my husband (what he read online) is that this sort of an appointment is usually given to a person obtaining permanent residency. So I'd really like to know what is going on here, because this doesn't strike me as just "normal procedure"... Especially when there has been no progress made with our case.

Also, the paper had apparently somehow claimed that our case is now being reviewed... which sounds an awful lot like nothing was done to it until now, a year after we filed everything... It has not been approved.

Edited April 21, 2009 by mrsB

[mrsB 0]

Update:

My husband called the USCIS again, and this time we got some answers.

Firstly the I-129F that was supposedly already TERMINATED last year, wasn't. In fact, nothing what so ever had been done to it. It was still there, our names spelled wrong and now the request my husband received was regarding the I-129F with our names spelled wrong. They confirmed that an US citizen should never get invited for biometrics. My husband also learned that something had been utterly f*cked up, they actually confirmed this. The officer my husband talked to "explained where he saw issues in the files, things that went wrong, all the service requests that people had put down 'resolved'". So apparently none of our service requests were even dealt with, they were just immediately disregarded and marked as "resolved"! The officer gave my husband the exact adress and means to reach the director of the california service center and sent an e-mail to her. Now my husband needs to mail a letter to this lady as well, explaining the situation.

At least now we TRULY have the proof that they've f*cked up big time and rest assured... It's not going to just end here, oh no... Someone's going to be held responsible for all this bull we've been through ever since we filed our papers - which by the way were done FLAWLESSLY. We did everything by the book, they messed up and they're going to be held responsible.

[cheep-cheep 0]

OH THATS STUPID OF THEM!!!

They should pay what they did to both of you..

That's mental torture to that fact that can kill you or lose your mind! They cant even pay what you had been through for this process...

I know how you feel! just a month living without my husband really kills me what more year I'm gonna really **** them!

Hope for the best MRSB you'll be with your husband and hang on things will be better soon!

Have faith and always pray!

[freetv 7]

Update:

My husband called the USCIS again, and this time we got some answers.

Firstly the I-129F that was supposedly already TERMINATED last year, wasn't. In fact, nothing what so ever had been done to it. It was still there, our names spelled wrong and now the request my husband received was regarding the I-129F with our names spelled wrong. They confirmed that an US citizen should never get invited for biometrics. My husband also learned that something had been utterly f*cked up, they actually confirmed this. The officer my husband talked to "explained where he saw issues in the files, things that went wrong, all the service requests that people had put down 'resolved'". So apparently none of our service requests were even dealt with, they were just immediately disregarded and marked as "resolved"! The officer gave my husband the exact adress and means to reach the director of the california service center and sent an e-mail to her. Now my husband needs to mail a letter to this lady as well, explaining the situation.

At least now we TRULY have the proof that they've f*cked up big time and rest assured... It's not going to just end here, oh no... Someone's going to be held responsible for all this bull we've been through ever since we filed our papers - which by the way were done FLAWLESSLY. We did everything by the book, they messed up and they're going to be held responsible.

Wow, I have heard of a few cases getting lost but never just 100% turned into a notebook..... I hope you got it on record and get it fixed soon.