Expedited K1 Visa

[Ken Noland 0]

Hey everyone,

Isa and I filed our paperwork for the K1 visa and it was accepted into the California Service Center(CSC) January 4th 2009. Due to reasons I would not like to get into on public forums, but are health related and extremely unfortunate, our application has been put in the expedited queue at the CSC.

I have a few questions though that you guys might be able to answer.

First of all, has anyone ever heard of an expedited K1 visa? I did a quick search and I wasn't able to find any similar cases. I asked and they said that they will process it as soon as possible, but that doesn't give me any kind of timeline. Any ideas on when things will happen in an expedited case?

Also, I'm worried that because she doesn't have all the necessary vaccinations yet, she may be declined at the medical screening. Is there any way you guys know of to get a waiver on some of the vaccinations?

Isa and I are not doing this through any law firm, we are doing this on our own and when the situation turned from bad to worse we contacted a friend who was able to point us in the right direction to get our case pushed through as fast as possible. I apologize to all those who have been waiting months and years even, but the set of circumstances behind this expedite are extremely unfortunate for both Isa and I(I wanted to make that clear so people didn't turn this thread into a series of "you lucky..." and "how did you..." type of responses).

Thanks!

[KimandRuss 0]

I've seen military deployment and a couple humanitarian cases expedited, but i've personally only seen one case expedited for SERIOUS (Stage 4/USC) medical reasons. All had different timelines...some days ..some weeks.

Supply them with what they ask for, keep on top of it and then hope for the best.

I doubt you'll have any luck with getting vaccination requirements waived. Can she not get them at her medical before she heads over like everyone else does?

good luck!

[cassi9879 20]

Hey everyone,

Isa and I filed our paperwork for the K1 visa and it was accepted into the California Service Center(CSC) January 4th 2009. Due to reasons I would not like to get into on public forums, but are health related and extremely unfortunate, our application has been put in the expedited queue at the CSC.

I have a few questions though that you guys might be able to answer.

First of all, has anyone ever heard of an expedited K1 visa? I did a quick search and I wasn't able to find any similar cases. I asked and they said that they will process it as soon as possible, but that doesn't give me any kind of timeline. Any ideas on when things will happen in an expedited case?

Also, I'm worried that because she doesn't have all the necessary vaccinations yet, she may be declined at the medical screening. Is there any way you guys know of to get a waiver on some of the vaccinations?

Isa and I are not doing this through any law firm, we are doing this on our own and when the situation turned from bad to worse we contacted a friend who was able to point us in the right direction to get our case pushed through as fast as possible. I apologize to all those who have been waiting months and years even, but the set of circumstances behind this expedite are extremely unfortunate for both Isa and I(I wanted to make that clear so people didn't turn this thread into a series of "you lucky..." and "how did you..." type of responses).

Thanks!

I haven't seen any way to expedite processing; I think they'd only take it on a case by case basis anyway. The vaccinations don't have to be done by the medical appointment but must be done before they'll send you the visa.

[KimandRuss 0]

USCIS Expedite Criteria

[Kez/JWolf 6]

The only approved expedited K1's I have seen is for USC who are about to be deployed. All the medical one and exeptional situations have been denied.

Do you have an approval on your expedite request?

As for the vaccinations she would only get a wavier if there was a medical reason for her not to have them done if no medical reason exists then she will have to have them done.

There is no set timeline for an expedited case, if the expedite is approved it can be passed to the Embassy quite quickly, you would then have to ask the embassy for expedited processing again.

[Ken Noland 0]

Thanks!

Yes, it is on a case-by-case basis that they review for expediting the application. I had a friend who was able to get me the number of the person I needed to call to send them the necessary paperwork.

So the vaccinations don't have to be COMPLETED by the doctors appointment, but have to be done before her visa arrives? AFAIK that means that she has to have the vaccinations before she leaves Germany? That could be a problem if the processing is done in the next few days/weeks.

Thanks again!

[pushbrk 12,882]

I've seen military deployment and a couple humanitarian cases expedited, but i've personally only seen one case expedited for SERIOUS (Stage 4/USC) medical reasons. All had different timelines...some days ..some weeks.

Supply them with what they ask for, keep on top of it and then hope for the best.

I doubt you'll have any luck with getting vaccination requirements waived. Can she not get them at her medical before she heads over like everyone else does?

good luck!

LAWS: Chapter 41 Waiver of Excludability for Immigrants.With explanatory notes:

Enter vaccination in the search engine

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

What if I object to the vaccination requirements because of religious or moral reasons? The third waiver covers those applicants who believe that compliance with the vaccination requirements would be against their religious beliefs or moral convictions. Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Excludability, with fee, is required. You must also meet the following three requirements:

(1) You oppose vaccinations in any form;

(2) The opposition is based on religious beliefs or moral convictions (whether or not as a member of a recognized religion); and

(3) The religious belief or moral conviction is sincere. When the applicant is a child, the parent must meet all of these requirements.

The USCIS page of general Vaccine requirements is pasted below in this web page.

[Ken Noland 0]

Do you have an approval on your expedite request?

Yes

There is no set timeline for an expedited case, if the expedite is approved it can be passed to the Embassy quite quickly, you would then have to ask the embassy for expedited processing again.

Okay, I still have to contact them and see if they are willing to expedite it as well.

Thanks again!

[KimandRuss 0]

Just to reiterate, there has been at least one case I know of personally that was expedited due to the health of the USC fiance (last year) and at least two humanitarian cases (beneficiary well-being). But yes, most are denied.

It's important to understand that even if your case is expedited at the USCIS (petition) stage, you will still need to have it expedited through the NVC (if needed ) and the Embassy. If CSC tells you that your petition was approved (NOA2/I-797)... it means only that your fiance has been approved to apply for a K-1 Visa in her Country. They wont just say 'here's your visa' ... you will still need to complete the process and that will still take some time.

[Otto 83]

Okay, I still have to contact them and see if they are willing to expedite it as well.

Frankfurt is very quick and responsive - you'll likely have to wait until your case leaves USCIS and gets to NVC (and a new case number assigned) before contacting the Embassy/Consulate.

[pushbrk 12,882]

Just to reiterate, there has been at least one case I know of personally that was expedited due to the health of the USC fiance (last year) and at least two humanitarian cases (beneficiary well-being). But yes, most are denied.

It's important to understand that even if your case is expedited at the USCIS (petition) stage, you will still need to have it expedited through the NVC (if needed ) and the Embassy. If CSC tells you that your petition was approved (NOA2/I-797)... it means only that your fiance has been approved to apply for a K-1 Visa in her Country. They wont just say 'here's your visa' ... you will still need to complete the process and that will still take some time.

All correct but no real need to worry about the NVC stage for a K1 visa as it's just a matter of less than a week anyway. I'd contact Frankfurt though, maybe fax them your approved expedite request and NVC assigned case number as soon as you have it.

[NKH87 0]

I can only speak four our case. We faxed request for expedite on 02/16 and had our approval on 02/19. But we never received approval for expedite.

[cassi9879 20]

Thanks!

Yes, it is on a case-by-case basis that they review for expediting the application. I had a friend who was able to get me the number of the person I needed to call to send them the necessary paperwork.

So the vaccinations don't have to be COMPLETED by the doctors appointment, but have to be done before her visa arrives? AFAIK that means that she has to have the vaccinations before she leaves Germany? That could be a problem if the processing is done in the next few days/weeks.

Thanks again!

The vaccinations must be completed before Frankfurt signs off on the visa. So, no vaccinations, no visa. Benny had his done something like the week after his medical.

[cdneh 3,112]

All correct but no real need to worry about the NVC stage for a K1 visa as it's just a matter of less than a week anyway. I'd contact Frankfurt though, maybe fax them your approved expedite request and NVC assigned case number as soon as you have it.

It's a matter of less than a week? I can't agree with that. An increasing number of people on K1's are getting held up at NVC. We were there for over 7 weeks. Of course if the OP gets his expidite this may make a difference, but just be aware that since mid-November they have been setting aside a percentage of K1's at NVC for further checks.

[KimandRuss 0]

All correct but no real need to worry about the NVC stage for a K1 visa as it's just a matter of less than a week anyway. I'd contact Frankfurt though, maybe fax them your approved expedite request and NVC assigned case number as soon as you have it.

True for most, pushbrk. However I mentioned it in my reply because it seems more and more people are actually getting held up at NVC for a number of weeks and even months these days ...so it may be something this couple needs to consider.