January '09 Vermont K-1 Filers

[firdaus 0]

The consulate told me that they received my file and mailed out packet 3 on Friday, but I haven't received it yet. Nonetheless, today I mailed them everything they need from me to schedule an interview. I'm hoping I'll get one fast... Trying to catch up after the relatively long wait at USCIS!

Good luck to everyone still waiting... At least NVC seems to be quicker these days than a few months ago.

philosykos maybe you can help me what exactly did u send to the consulate for the interview im acually working on it now and im a little confused???did u send packet 3 befor u received it and if u did let me kno what documents and forms u send thank u so much its great having someone from the same consulate within the same timeframe

[Philosykos 0]

The consulate told me that they received my file and mailed out packet 3 on Friday, but I haven't received it yet. Nonetheless, today I mailed them everything they need from me to schedule an interview. I'm hoping I'll get one fast... Trying to catch up after the relatively long wait at USCIS!

Good luck to everyone still waiting... At least NVC seems to be quicker these days than a few months ago.

philosykos maybe you can help me what exactly did u send to the consulate for the interview im acually working on it now and im a little confused???did u send packet 3 befor u received it and if u did let me kno what documents and forms u send thank u so much its great having someone from the same consulate within the same timeframe

Yes, I sent the forms, checklist, and passport copies before I had received packet 3, because I heard from the consulate that they have mailed it out, and I didn't want to lose time waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I followed the instructions on this page: http://germany.usembassy.gov/visa/kv_processing.html

[Ivan in VA 2]

Nevermind, learned that this is not for K1's

[Jimbeezy13 0]

...........................(waiting)..................................

[Ivan in VA 2]

So sorry for you two, Jim. I know it's rough and aggravating. I hope you get yours soon, really.

[diadan 0]

It's been 203 days and no answer!!!! We are still waiting, there is no update on nothing, isnt this weird? I can't log in USCIS website to see my case, can something being updated?

[Michele R 0]

It's been 203 days and no answer!!!! We are still waiting, there is no update on nothing, isnt this weird? I can't log in USCIS website to see my case, can something being updated?

FYI - I sent this letter to the USCIA Ombudsman today and have posted it on the "I'm Outraged," February, March, and April VSC threads. I used to work for the fed government and we had an ombudsman - waves of voices made a difference and shook things loose. Feel free to cut and paste if you are interested in taking action.

To Whom It May Concern:

In April of this year I applied for a K1 visa for my finance. Because I am a resident of Virginia I was required to submit my application to the USCIS center in Vermont. Since I have applied for this visa, the processing times at the VSC have slowed dramatically (to over 180 days).

When I contacted the USCIS today, they said that the VSC was processing applications from December 30, 2008 and that my application would not be reviewed until October 22 of this year in the best-case scenario (more than 180 days after I submitted my application). Meanwhile, residents of states that feed into the USCIS servicing center in California are being processed within 66 to 100 days.

I find this inequity unacceptable, given that all applicants pay the same application fee. After having researched this issue, I do not think that it is caused by a difference in the efficiency of VSC employees versus CSC employees, but more likely by a misallocation of workloads vis a vis resources by either the USCIS or its subcontractor Northrop Grumman. Furthermore, I do not understand why processing times are increasing while the volume of applications is decreasing (as your office itself noted in its June 2009 report to Congress).

Unless steps are taken to remedy this inequity immediately, which is unlikely given my conversation with USCIS today, I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception. As I am sure you are aware, these misfortunes pale in comparison to some other people standing in line at the VSC under far worse circumstances, while May and June filers begin to be approved at the CSC.

I realize that my application is currently within the USCIS' “normal” processing time. Nonetheless, today when I called for the first time I was told that my application will be adjudicated around October 22, more than 180 days after my submission. Further, it is not "normal" for residents of one state, like Virginia, to arbitrarily receive such significantly inferior service from the USCIS than residents of California or Oregon. Why isn't the I-129F workload distributed more evenly among these centers and why can't files be sent from one center to another when one center falls significantly behind another?

It is infuriating to see large numbers of people who filed their petitions in May and June being approved by the CSC before all of us who filed our applications in January, February, March, and April at the VSC. While I know that the memebership of the primary tracking site for I129F petitions (VisaJourney) does not comprise the entire pool of I129F applicants, its membership pool does represent a statistically valid number of applicants and it is therefore possible to ascertain broad trends in visa processing extracted from its data. On top of this, USCIS' own bulletins display the existing inequity, albeit on a more publicly digestible magnitude.

Ironically, my fiancé is more peaceful about this issue, noting that the USCIS seems to me no more equitable or effective than its counterpart agency in his largely corrupt country of the former Soviet Union. In fact he advised me to not to send this letter, for fear of the type of retribution one would encounter in his country for voicing concerns about a what seems to be a systemic problem that no one has an interest in or incentive to correct.

As a patriot and former federal government employee, however, I assured my fiancé that things were different in America. I sincerely hope that your office will propose and implement a long term solution to this problem, rather than simply add my letter as a tally mark on a count of "Top Ten Complaints in the Ombudsman E-Mail Box" for inclusion in an annual propaganda piece, like they would in the former Soviet Union. It is hard enough to wait six months plus for adjudication. Adding the knowledge that people in different states are waiting half the time you are for no apparent good reason is like adding salt to an open wound. I hope that future customers do not have to suffer from an inequality that does not seem too complex to solve.

[ScottThuy 140]

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.

You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

[Michele R 0]

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.

You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

yep, it was indeed wacky - wish I knew then what I know now - just discovered the forums section of this site not too long ago and was basing my estimates on people I knew personally that had much better experiences ... when I read what happened to Mara my stomach hit the floor. I will not set another date until we have the visa in hand... in the meantime I see no reason why there should be such differences in processing times, even if I don't personally benefit from any changes that may come about

[ScottThuy 140]

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.

You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

yep, it was indeed wacky - wish I knew then what I know now - just discovered the forums section of this site not too long ago and was basing my estimates on people I knew personally that had much better experiences ... when I read what happened to Mara my stomach hit the floor. I will not set another date until we have the visa in hand... in the meantime I see no reason why there should be such differences in processing times, even if I don't personally benefit from any changes that may come about

When I look at the differences between how many people are getting NOA 2 K1 Stats there is a big difference lately... this week. only 1?

[Philosykos 0]

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.

You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

I agree... Planning the wedding seven months from filing is really asking for having to reschedule. We did plan the wedding as well, but we allowed nine months, even though the VJ statistics I was looking at back then showed an average time of five months to get the visa for Germans. I didn't know back then how much the service center processing times fluctuate, and how unreliable the statistics therefore are, but I still wanted to play safe and leave more time. So we planned for October... and there was a time in June when I thought we might have to reschedule. Even though I disagree with most VJers who think you absolutely can't plan anything, since I think everyone can calculate their risks and decide to take them or not, and certain consulates are less likely to give you trouble than others, I would never have dared to gamble on the best case scenario. And retrospectively, I wish I had at least forbidden my family to book their flights from Germany early on... That really added to my stress when waiting for NOA2.

Michele R, I would look at the Russian timelines very closely, and see how realistic getting him to the US by November is. If you see it's unrealistic, better adjust your plans now, or you'll go crazy and not enjoy the wedding planning at all. I wish you good luck. You have only waited a bit over three months, and maybe you will get lucky and be one of the first to be approved among April filers. I really hope that happens for you.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Philosykos

[Michele R 0]

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.

You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

I agree... Planning the wedding seven months from filing is really asking for having to reschedule. We did plan the wedding as well, but we allowed nine months, even though the VJ statistics I was looking at back then showed an average time of five months to get the visa for Germans. I didn't know back then how much the service center processing times fluctuate, and how unreliable the statistics therefore are, but I still wanted to play safe and leave more time. So we planned for October... and there was a time in June when I thought we might have to reschedule. Even though I disagree with most VJers who think you absolutely can't plan anything, since I think everyone can calculate their risks and decide to take them or not, and certain consulates are less likely to give you trouble than others, I would never have dared to gamble on the best case scenario. And retrospectively, I wish I had at least forbidden my family to book their flights from Germany early on... That really added to my stress when waiting for NOA2.

Michele R, I would look at the Russian timelines very closely, and see how realistic getting him to the US by November is. If you see it's unrealistic, better adjust your plans now, or you'll go crazy and not enjoy the wedding planning at all. I wish you good luck. You have only waited a bit over three months, and maybe you will get lucky and be one of the first to be approved among April filers. I really hope that happens for you.

Thanks - for the first two months of waiting it seemed realistic. Now, of course, it does not. If there is no word by Aug. 14 all bets are off given the long processing time in Moscow to follow. I have already resigned myself to this. What is funny is that I was basing my estimates on my friends' expereinces with this (I did not start taking full advantage of Igor's list until just recently to see all of the posts about the differences in these two centers). I used to live in Oregon and now understand that the reason they all got their approvals in 3 months was because they were feeding into a different center. Someone asked on the "I,m Outraged" thread how we would all feel if we did not have Igor's list and VJ - my answer was the same. Given the discrepancy between my experience and my friends' experience in Oregon - I would have figured it out. Anywho - I am not setting another date until after we have a visa in hand. At this point, there is also a good chance that I may change jobs and move back to Moscow in the fall - what to do in that situation, God only knows. I will cross that bridge if and when I get to it.

I will be forced to cancel my wedding in November of this year. My parents will incur significant financial losses, as well as my family and friends who have already purchased tickets to attend the ceremony and reception.

You had people buy flights already? significant financial losses? There have been so many discussions here advising people to not do what you noted... There are several couples that have waited over a year to get the NOA2... betting on a visa in 7 months or less is like playing the lotto.... not a safe bet when dealing with USCIS. If VSC keeps up at this pace.. you may not get to NVC until sometime in Sept... or later...

I agree... Planning the wedding seven months from filing is really asking for having to reschedule. We did plan the wedding as well, but we allowed nine months, even though the VJ statistics I was looking at back then showed an average time of five months to get the visa for Germans. I didn't know back then how much the service center processing times fluctuate, and how unreliable the statistics therefore are, but I still wanted to play safe and leave more time. So we planned for October... and there was a time in June when I thought we might have to reschedule. Even though I disagree with most VJers who think you absolutely can't plan anything, since I think everyone can calculate their risks and decide to take them or not, and certain consulates are less likely to give you trouble than others, I would never have dared to gamble on the best case scenario. And retrospectively, I wish I had at least forbidden my family to book their flights from Germany early on... That really added to my stress when waiting for NOA2.

Michele R, I would look at the Russian timelines very closely, and see how realistic getting him to the US by November is. If you see it's unrealistic, better adjust your plans now, or you'll go crazy and not enjoy the wedding planning at all. I wish you good luck. You have only waited a bit over three months, and maybe you will get lucky and be one of the first to be approved among April filers. I really hope that happens for you.

Thanks - for the first two months of waiting it seemed realistic. Now, of course, it does not. If there is no word by Aug. 14 all bets are off given the long processing time in Moscow to follow. I have already resigned myself to this. What is funny is that I was basing my estimates on my friends' expereinces with this (I did not start taking full advantage of Igor's list until just recently to see all of the posts about the differences in these two centers). I used to live in Oregon and now understand that the reason they all got their approvals in 3 months was because they were feeding into a different center. Someone asked on the "I,m Outraged" thread how we would all feel if we did not have Igor's list and VJ - my answer was the same. Given the discrepancy between my experience and my friends' experience in Oregon - I would have figured it out. Anywho - I am not setting another date until after we have a visa in hand. At this point, there is also a good chance that I may change jobs and move back to Moscow in the fall - what to do in that situation, God only knows. I will cross that bridge if and when I get to it.

P.S. We actually wanted to plan the whole thing for December to give ourselves a little more breathing room, then the Russian Orthodox Church said no - the last day we could get married before a very long holiday season was the day we went with.

[Ivan in VA 2]

Honestly, I would say there isn't any logic to the random way that they are processing things, as we are an example of placing our I-129f in late January and receiving our interview in September. Nice letter though. I hope things go better for you which I'm sure they will. In the end we sorta just let things move it's course (with prayer) and suddenly it arrived.

As to the wedding we're planning ours days after her flight: buying her dress, the cake, the rings, a romantic wedding in the park with a horse led carriage: not many people, as that all our friends understand this 5 year journey we've walked and are simply thrilled it's coming to a reality.

[jetbedlam 0]

Hi everyone...sorry for taking so long to post this....

...I had my K1 Interview in London on the 16th of July and was approved! My passport with visa arrived back with me on the 21st Flights in August, wedding in October....it's all GO!!!!

Hope everyone else is getting on ok and seeing some progress

J

[Ivan in VA 2]

Hey! Congratulations! Best wishes for the two of you. Now the journey really begins, eh?