"Uk" Waiver club 601/212, List for uk waivers sign up!

[mary&tom 0]

Mary it was swedish time..from the embassy in Stockholm. London didnt call me with the approval because we filed it through Sweden. So if you get a phone call it may come from the embassy in London. Depending on where you are in the US, you could be around 5 hours back but you probably already know that if Tom is in Scotland.

The address jpkeswim had was right. I never really put urgent in the subject field but I guess it cant hurt anything to do that. I'd just give the filing date and tell them you'd like to know what's going on.

You guys have got to be hearing something soon!

I am not in the USA right now... i have been waiting this out with Tom here in London ever since the interview in November (we had an agonizingly long separation before the interview). Originally I was supposed to go back to Michigan last week ( we thought we would know by then) but I extended my visit (see signature) because I cannot leave without knowing. Would I be going home to get ready for him to join me or would I be going home to attempt to sell nearly everything i own including the house I have lived in for over 30 years?.... going home to say goodbye possibly forever to my kids and grandkids...

If I sound depressed, I am. It has just come over me the past couple of weeks. I was really positive before and I was really enjoying myself here in London... doing things with Tom and also doing some exploring on my own. Now I just feel exhausted and have hardly left the flat this week while he has worked these long hours. Normally I get out and walk 5- 8 miles each day. This week I have barely made the mile walk into Brixton each day for various errands... like needing food. Today I went into town and bought a book.

Tom is Scottish but has lived in London for 20 years now. He works at a huge hospital near London Bridge. He took me up on the roof of that hospital a couple of weeks ago...I think its a bit higher than the London Eye (which we keep meaning to do but haven't yet). I took pictures from the roof... I need to sort out my pictures. I have taken more than 800 pictures here! Seriously.

mary

[jpkeswim 0]

I took alot of pictures the three times I have been there as well. We went to London over the holidays and of course the EYE was closed for mainteanance. Just my luck- that was the one thing we wanted to do. We are hoping for a good friday. John keeps saying that he feels its going to happen this week and I don't want to dissappoint my honey! He has been in so much stress this year I just want it to end. And it all started because of his mother passing - I still feel bad for him. He was a mamma's boy! hehehe!

[mary&tom 0]

Hi Mary& Tom!

Yeah I did my PhD in a marine lab 5 miles north of Oban (Dunbeg), and so I guess you now know that I'm a marine biologist! I had to go to a fish market and sample sharks every month (as part of my research), but the fish market was five hours drive north. It had to be the most beautiful drive I have ever taken, up north of Oban, past Glencoe (stunning), up along side Loch Ness (wow, even more stunning), and then cut back north and up to Ullapool and in to the amazing scenery of Sutherland up to a small village called Lochinver. I was so lucky, I drove this journey and saw the most beautiful scenery through all seasons and weathers, it was some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen!

I was really surprised to hear that a consular officer told you that you DIDN'T need to submit evidence to support your hardship letters?!!

Paul I had told Tom the other night that you had done your PhD work in Oban and he guessed you were a marine biologist!

As for the supporting evidence.. there would not have been time... they said to get it in quickly. I think it was because our case is complicated and they wanted it in while the people there still remembered what happened that day. There was alot of consulting going on. We were there for aboutr 4 hours waiting to find out if we would be allowed to submit a waiver and they finally said we could. They said to just fill out what they gave us which was the 601 form, the biographic forms, and the instructions for our letters. Nowhere did it say a word about supporting documents. I did specifically ask and they said not necessary. Oh well... we will find out. They actually wanted us to stay and fill out the papers right then but we hadn't slept and when the tube broke down on the way there we walked for miles. We were exhausted and hungry and Tom had to go in and do a night shift that night.

mary

[Baileyj96 0]

found this on the uscis website under New Immigration Policy and Procedural Memoranda. Thought it was interesting. Maybe not but it's here if you want to have a look.

http://uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/handbook/GMC_chart.pdf

Baileyj

[mary&tom 0]

I emailed them last night just before midnight London time and have already received a reply timestamped an hour ago 8:43 am London time. I am not happy. We can't keep our lives on hold forever. This is draining. Three nights in a row now I have managed to sleep only 3 hours.

This is the reply:

----------------------------------------

This office received your fiance's I-601 petition on December 9, 2005.

The estimated processing time for adjudicating the I-601 application at the

London Sub-office is currently is 12-15 weeks from the date we received it.

We

ask that you please refrain from contacting this office for status checks

while

your application is pending. Your cooperation will help us ensure that we

maintain our exceptional processing times.

If the waiver is approved, USCIS will send that approval notification to the

appropriate Embassy for issuance of the immigrant visa. If the waiver is

denied, you will be notified in writing of that decision and the procedures

for

filing an appeal.

USCIS - London

--------------------------------------------

That means we are only at week number 10... if it takes 15 weeks then I did not choose a late enough return date when I rescheduled my flight back to Michigan. And then IF we are approved, Tom would have to work all of April and then would still have to find time to get a shipping company in for his things and work out what to do with his pension and bank account etc. That would mean we won't be together in Michigan until late May

When we started this process last April we thought we would be living together in Michigan by last September. And we had actually wanted to file the K1 application last February but we didn't have any pictures of us together so we thought we had to wait. This is torture.

I am so scared we will be denied. It could take a year or more for me to sell my house in the current market. It would take me months to sort out a 30 year accumulation of belongings. My kids have stuff stored there. I am just so scared that when I go back we will be apart for so long.

I am upset that they didn't like me contacting them but how was I to know if they ever even got our application into the system?

mary

[MistyB 0]

That email is BS! We received an email similar to that one but without the refrain from contacting part. You have a RIGHT to find out what is going on and they cannot tell you differently. This is your lives! I got upset and afraid they'd deny us because I emailed them like two times in one week on one occasion. That is just nuts. After that I got really pissed. How dare they tell me I cant get an answer?! I am really sorry you got such a rude response. I believe they have two different people doing the emails. One is nice of course and one is rude. I dont buy that 15 week #######! You said they asked you to submit the waiver and didnt need evidence. That would tell me your case was pretty straightforward, otherwise they would have said "please submit all this supporting evidence"..to prove your case.

If you dont get an answer this week, then perhaps next week is your lucky week. Dont give up Mary!

[Baileyj96 0]

Good morning Mary,

I feel bad that you didn't receive a more informative answer from them. I don't think you should worry about making them mad about emailing. I doubt the person who answers the emails even checks on the statis of the waiver. I think it's just a standard email trying discourage people from reqesting infromation. I doubt the person who is reviewing your waiver even knows you emailed and it won't have any affect on the outcome. I'm sure you will receive news sooner than 15 weeks. They just say that to try to keep people from asking about it.

I know it's flustrating, but keep your chin up and try to keep positive (as much as you can) Just think of how exciting it will be when you get that call saying you have been approved.

Best Wishes,

Baileyj

[sharky 2]

Mary,

I echo bailey's words! It's easy to get down about this and feel that the worst is going tp happen, but take good heart from what people say here (especially Misty and Nigel) they've been through this sh#t and they feel like you will get a positive answer soon! chin up dear!

and now I know why I haven't got an answer from my mail! I was e-mailng the Londonconsular@state.gov address, I didn't even know about the other one!!!

oh well, I'll try again........ and probably get a rude answer telling me to stop hassling them!!!

[munchkins 0]

Mary, I am so sorry to hear of what you are going through but please take heart from the people on here. As Paul says to you there are many who have done it and in less time than that. Keep your chin up Mary, bet it's hear before you know it

[wendibob 0]

Hi Mary,

Coincidently I emailed them too in the early hours (1.30am) after feeling frustrated. I try and use this experience as a test of patience, but having missed out on a lot of personal and public dates and more impending (my step-daughters 7th birthday in 2 weeks is next ~ our anniversary in early April), it sure gets difficult. Especially as I haven't seen my family in 6 months.

Anyhow, this is the response I got at 8:38 this morning:

This office received your I-601 petition on January 13, 2006.

The estimated processing time for adjudicating the I-601 application at the London Sub-office is currently is 12-15 weeks from the date we received it.

We ask that you please refrain from contacting this office for status checks while your application is pending. Your cooperation will help us ensure that we maintain our exceptional processing times.

If the waiver is approved, USCIS will send that approval notification to the appropriate Embassy for issuance of the immigrant visa. If the waiver is denied, you will be notified in writing of that decision and the procedures for filing an appeal.

USCIS - London

I guess it is now their standard response so don't feel upset about the tone of the reply. It reminds me of my driving test where the instructor has to show no emotion either way.

We too thought we would have all this sorted months ago and are in limbo on both sides of the atlantic. We had made plenty of provisional plans for the spring and it hurts that they seem to be passing by.

At least we know they are in the system. I was told 3 months max at the interview, so its bugging that they have extended their exceptional processing times since then. I think your case is similar to mine if I remember reading before the board went funny (I was arrested after someone passed me a cannabis joint 16 years ago that wasn't even lit).

So hears hoping you get a positive call soon.

Best regards

Rob

[pax 0]

Mary, I'm sorry to hear about this. I think the e-mail is a bit rude; I mean, to take 2 minutes to reply to an e-mail is going to slow down their "exceptional" (ha!) processing time? Meh.

Stay strong and keep in touch. We're all pulling for you!

[Baileyj96 0]

Well I'm not defending them by no means and the exceptional processing comments is a little hard to swallow when your the one waiting but I do know that other countries actually wait for 15 months and longer in some cases. I don't buy the comment making it sound like every time you email it slows the process down. Good grief if they don't want to answer the emails then how hard is it to just delete them. Sounds like someone doesn't like doing their job. Why would they even have an email service if they find it so difficult to reply.

Oh well,

Baileyj

[nigel 7]

I emailed them last night just before midnight London time and have already received a reply timestamped an hour ago 8:43 am London time. I am not happy. We can't keep our lives on hold forever. This is draining. Three nights in a row now I have managed to sleep only 3 hours.

This is the reply:

----------------------------------------

This office received your fiance's I-601 petition on December 9, 2005.

The estimated processing time for adjudicating the I-601 application at the

London Sub-office is currently is 12-15 weeks from the date we received it.

We

ask that you please refrain from contacting this office for status checks

while

your application is pending. Your cooperation will help us ensure that we

maintain our exceptional processing times.

If the waiver is approved, USCIS will send that approval notification to the

appropriate Embassy for issuance of the immigrant visa. If the waiver is

denied, you will be notified in writing of that decision and the procedures

for

filing an appeal.

USCIS - London

--------------------------------------------

That means we are only at week number 10... if it takes 15 weeks then I did not choose a late enough return date when I rescheduled my flight back to Michigan. And then IF we are approved, Tom would have to work all of April and then would still have to find time to get a shipping company in for his things and work out what to do with his pension and bank account etc. That would mean we won't be together in Michigan until late May

When we started this process last April we thought we would be living together in Michigan by last September. And we had actually wanted to file the K1 application last February but we didn't have any pictures of us together so we thought we had to wait. This is torture.

I am so scared we will be denied. It could take a year or more for me to sell my house in the current market. It would take me months to sort out a 30 year accumulation of belongings. My kids have stuff stored there. I am just so scared that when I go back we will be apart for so long.

I am upset that they didn't like me contacting them but how was I to know if they ever even got our application into the system?

mary

Thats a standard reply....mistyB had the same sort of reply back and if i remember it was that long after she got Approved....so lets hope its the same pattern huh...

[cmltdg 0]

Mary, I just wanted to add my little bit of support too! It's so difficult to take the long view in all of this, but that's what's helping me get through, is that when all this waiting is over, we'll be together forever with no more separation. Don't lose hope. You know that you can do this.

I must admit, though, that I had the same initial reaction as Misty -- How dare they tell you not to inquire about something that affects every aspect of your life! And what is going on with this 12-15 week processing time!? I guess we'll have to move our wedding date back again. That sucks! Man, did I just say "take the long view"? What was I thinking?!

Anyway, as my mom says to me, "Keep your chins up!" Do you think she means I'm chubby?

Tiffany

[jpkeswim 0]

Hello all! Mary my email was a little similar also. The only difference was that they told me even though they received my 601 on Dec 2 it didn't go into the system until Dec 13.......So as of today it has been 11 weeks since we filed and only 9.5 since they started working on it.....everytime John calls now I always think it is going to be that special phone call but it never is.......Oh by the way the Consular officer told us 6-12 weeks but now everyone is saying the current processing times are 12-15 weeks......

Mary we can do this keep thinking positive...and look at the bright side at least your with your fiance right now!