For those stressed out by waiting, read on...

[Thran 0]

...and likely feel a heck of a lot better about it all.

So, some brief background. My fiance and I met near on 8 years ago now. We met up a few times over the years, more and more often as time went by, until we both came to the conclusion that we wanted to be together for more than a scant few weeks here and there. We wanted to be together forever. We wanted to be married.

So, in the spring of 2010, we filed for the K1 visa. And from there, things went sideways.

About a week after we filed, we found out that she was going to lose her teaching job at the end of the school year, due to cutbacks. We were both upset, but we knew it'd be easier to put our plans aside for a bit, at least until she found a new job. So, sadly, we had to cancel our visa application. We both hoped that she could find another job again soon. In the end, it took over 18 months. She finally got a new job in the winter of 2011.

After a few months of work rebuilding at least a little of her savings, we decided to restart the visa process. This was in the early spring of 2012. For a couple of months, we didn't hear anything. Our money had been cashed, but we had no NoA, no letter, no e-mail, nothing. We started making phonecalls, trying to find out what was going on. We kept getting the run-around, passed from person to person, with no progress, no details, no news at all. And eventually, every person we were in contact with stopped responding.

We tried supervisors, we tried lawyers, we tried her congressman, nothing was working. This takes us up to around September of this year, where we got put in contact with another supervisor. At this point we were pretty cynical, expecting more of the same. By this point we were both horribly stressed out, depressed and both fraying a little at the edges. But finally, at long last, we found someone willing to take the time and effort to help us. After a couple of months of work by him, we finally recieved our first NoA1 notification last week.

So to those of you stressing out, worried about RFE's and delays, I hope you can take some sort of Schadenfreude from our situation, and know that there are definitely some helpful people working there, even if you occasionally have to dig. And, on the slim off-chance that he reads this, my deepest thanks to the supervisor who helped our case. You've given us both a reason to smile again. Thankyou.

[dwheels76 5,468]

...and likely feel a heck of a lot better about it all.

So, some brief background. My fiance and I met near on 8 years ago now. We met up a few times over the years, more and more often as time went by, until we both came to the conclusion that we wanted to be together for more than a scant few weeks here and there. We wanted to be together forever. We wanted to be married.

So, in the spring of 2010, we filed for the K1 visa. And from there, things went sideways.

About a week after we filed, we found out that she was going to lose her teaching job at the end of the school year, due to cutbacks. We were both upset, but we knew it'd be easier to put our plans aside for a bit, at least until she found a new job. So, sadly, we had to cancel our visa application. We both hoped that she could find another job again soon. In the end, it took over 18 months. She finally got a new job in the winter of 2011.

After a few months of work rebuilding at least a little of her savings, we decided to restart the visa process. This was in the early spring of 2012. For a couple of months, we didn't hear anything. Our money had been cashed, but we had no NoA, no letter, no e-mail, nothing. We started making phonecalls, trying to find out what was going on. We kept getting the run-around, passed from person to person, with no progress, no details, no news at all. And eventually, every person we were in contact with stopped responding.

We tried supervisors, we tried lawyers, we tried her congressman, nothing was working. This takes us up to around September of this year, where we got put in contact with another supervisor. At this point we were pretty cynical, expecting more of the same. By this point we were both horribly stressed out, depressed and both fraying a little at the edges. But finally, at long last, we found someone willing to take the time and effort to help us. After a couple of months of work by him, we finally recieved our first NoA1 notification last week.

So to those of you stressing out, worried about RFE's and delays, I hope you can take some sort of Schadenfreude from our situation, and know that there are definitely some helpful people working there, even if you occasionally have to dig. And, on the slim off-chance that he reads this, my deepest thanks to the supervisor who helped our case. You've given us both a reason to smile again. Thankyou

You mean foro 1 1/2 years no NOA1? When was the check/money order cashed. Or are they just resending the NOA1 that received 1 1/2 year ago? Weird. Where pray tell did you send it to initially?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Are you saying you just got the first receipt for your application after a year and a half? So you basically have gone nowhere in that time? You haven't had the petition approved (NOA2)?

[lost_at_sea 995]

When exactly did you file, where did the case go, what did your letter you just got say?

[Thran 0]

Are you saying you just got the first receipt for your application after a year and a half? So you basically have gone nowhere in that time? You haven't had the petition approved (NOA2)?

No, we recieved our first notification, NOA1, in November of this year. From when we first sent off the forms in February or March of 2012, we recieved nothing from the USCIS until this point. We only figured out they had taken the money by checking her bank account.

Edit: And I'd love to update our timeline to show our progress, but it keeps erroring out. Apparently there is too much time between the posting date and the NOA1 receipt date. Heh.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Thran

[dwheels76 5,468]

No, we recieved our first notification, NOA1, in November of this year. From when we first sent off the forms in February or March of 2012, we recieved nothing from the USCIS until this point. We only figured out they had taken the money by checking her bank account.

So you got approved NOA2 phewwwww. Have you been calling NVC so you can get your case# and get started on your documents needed for the embassy. Get proactive now. No waiting around now. Call 603-334-0700 they are open until midnight eastern time..

[Thran 0]

So you got approved NOA2 phewwwww. Have you been calling NVC so you can get your case# and get started on your documents needed for the embassy. Get proactive now. No waiting around now. Call 603-334-0700 they are open until midnight eastern time..

Actually no, we only just got our NOA1 last week.

So it's a little more straightforward:

Feb/Mar 2012: Posted package to USCIS Dallas Lockbox

Nov 2013: Recieved NOA1

[dwheels76 5,468]

Actually no, we only just got our NOA1 last week.

So it's a little more straightforward:

Feb/Mar 2012: Posted package to USCIS Dallas Lockbox

Nov 2013: Recieved NOA1

When did they actually cash the check? This is just odd. I don't get how something filed over 1 1/2 years and they just are sending notice never headrd such a thing. So now you have a case# and all that. Was there an explanantion from them why its been sitting there so long

This is an error on theor part and by their own rules they have to expedite you. I would be calling the omsbudsman and get on that. This is rubbish. I am so sorry. Confused though.

[Thran 0]

When did they actually cash the check? This is just odd. I don't get how something filed over 1 1/2 years and they just are sending notice never headrd such a thing. So now you have a case# and all that. Was there an explanantion from them why its been sitting there so long

This is an error on theor part and by their own rules they have to expedite you. I would be calling the omsbudsman and get on that. This is rubbish. I am so sorry. Confused though.

I'd have to check with the fiance, but it was fairly shortly after we sent the package if I remember correctly. Every time we called, they eventually managed to dig up our details (or at least they said they did), so we must have been on the system somewhere, but we never recieved any physical documents for them, nor any e-mail notification of progress. We never had a case number that we were told of.

As to an explaination, we never did get any hard and fast answer. At first we were given the indication that someone had either left the job, willingly or not, and our application had 'fallen through the cracks'. This was never officially confirmed though. Then, over the last year and a half, the people dealing with our case just stopped contacting us, or would never be reachable. One may have gone on long term sick leave, but again, we were never able to get a solid answer.

At this point, I'm happy enough to have progress, and someone who cares watching over the application. I'd like to know what went so wrong, but I've come to terms with the fact that we likely never will.

[Avery Cates 1,141]

If you took a year and a half for NoA 1, I would be pushing an expedite every hour of every day.

[Thran 0]

If you took a year and a half for NoA 1, I would be pushing an expedite every hour of every day.

At this point, we've gone through so much to get this NOA1 that we're both leery about the idea of making more waves to try and push things further. If things are truly progressing, we can wait another few months to see it out. The worry is that by pressing further we could end up causing more delays, or seeing our case lost to limbo once more.

[Chowking 20]

^{Patience is virtue my dear, your time is coming.}

^{Good luck and God bless!}

[fania&nelson 20]

You should try to get your case expedited. You shouldn't have to wait another year for your NOA2. Contact you senator and congressman and have them help you out. Also the petitioner should call USCIS and request an expedite based on their delay or mistake or something like that. I'm not very familiar with the verbiage they use, but a few months ago I read something about someone whose case was lost and filed for an expedite and it obviously was approved.Just saying, you might wanna stop waiting

...and likely feel a heck of a lot better about it all.

So, some brief background. My fiance and I met near on 8 years ago now. We met up a few times over the years, more and more often as time went by, until we both came to the conclusion that we wanted to be together for more than a scant few weeks here and there. We wanted to be together forever. We wanted to be married.

So, in the spring of 2010, we filed for the K1 visa. And from there, things went sideways.

About a week after we filed, we found out that she was going to lose her teaching job at the end of the school year, due to cutbacks. We were both upset, but we knew it'd be easier to put our plans aside for a bit, at least until she found a new job. So, sadly, we had to cancel our visa application. We both hoped that she could find another job again soon. In the end, it took over 18 months. She finally got a new job in the winter of 2011.

After a few months of work rebuilding at least a little of her savings, we decided to restart the visa process. This was in the early spring of 2012. For a couple of months, we didn't hear anything. Our money had been cashed, but we had no NoA, no letter, no e-mail, nothing. We started making phonecalls, trying to find out what was going on. We kept getting the run-around, passed from person to person, with no progress, no details, no news at all. And eventually, every person we were in contact with stopped responding.

We tried supervisors, we tried lawyers, we tried her congressman, nothing was working. This takes us up to around September of this year, where we got put in contact with another supervisor. At this point we were pretty cynical, expecting more of the same. By this point we were both horribly stressed out, depressed and both fraying a little at the edges. But finally, at long last, we found someone willing to take the time and effort to help us. After a couple of months of work by him, we finally recieved our first NoA1 notification last week.

So to those of you stressing out, worried about RFE's and delays, I hope you can take some sort of Schadenfreude from our situation, and know that there are definitely some helpful people working there, even if you occasionally have to dig. And, on the slim off-chance that he reads this, my deepest thanks to the supervisor who helped our case. You've given us both a reason to smile again. Thankyou.

[indiana_sweetie 120]

I agree---expedite! You paid, they dropped the ball, it's their fault. Another couple here in VJ had their case lost and they were expedited. In the end everything went very quickly for them

[Jeanna 21]

I just saw a K-1 that went a little under 4 months from NOA1 to interview; it's amazing how fast they are moving now! This has been ridiculous and I really feel for ya'll.