How long apart?

[A and T 82]

I haven't seen my wife in almost 2 years :**( and im sick of USCIS. Will be packing up and leaving to stay in her country and maybe one day years from now they will decide to approve or deny. They are ruining our lives at this point

[brian89 2]

So many people, so many stories. I'm Dutch and she is the USC, we filed back in September. I'm hopefull that we can have our wedding on August 6th 2011, or do you guys think we have to push this date further out?

[jrmejia 31]

After 5 months of separation, I took a trip to see her.

[WARREN-IRINA 1]

437 days or 1 year, 2 months, 12 days since I last saw or touched her. I spent 46 days with her in 2009 departing Nov 2. Last thing she said to me, "I will wait for you." It has been 156 days or 5 months, 3 days since NOA1.

[Sra Gomez 9]

Trip 1 - Feb 2009 - 10 wonderful days

Trip 2 - Aug 2009 - I was fortunate to be able to live with my hunny for 3 months! It was the most amazing time of my life. I left Peru 11/27/09 and that was the last time I was with my fiance. 411 VERY long days.

I will be flying back for his interview, hopefully we will get that NOA2 any day now.

Good luck to everyone, cause waiting is a beotch

[carolynhotstuff 252]

It has been 15 months sense I last saw my love. When we got married I was able to spend 2 wonderful months with him. Like everyone else we talk on the phone, use MSN, and emails. He sends me video's of himself to watch when the power is out in his city.

The hardest part of being in love with someone from Pakistan is the government turns off the power several times a day. There is no schedule in his city for when the power will go out. Sometimes we have to wait for hours for the power to come back on so we can chat online. I envy couples from the USA and other Countries that do not have to worry about black-outs and can chat whenever they want.

[Adilet&Venera 2]

We only text each other in the mornings and evenings (other times, either I am asleep or he is..)

Occasionally, we call each other..

does this mean I don't have strong feelings for him? I LOVE him a LOT, it's just I don't know what to talk about with him on a daily basis (through skype, for instance - although, he doesn't have internet at home, so he would have to go to the nearest internet club)? We know what each of us doing by means of text messaging.

[R&V 8]

So many people, so many stories. I'm Dutch and she is the USC, we filed back in September. I'm hopefull that we can have our wedding on August 6th 2011, or do you guys think we have to push this date further out?

We filed in December 2009 and I had the visa at the end of June 2010, I think.

USCIS is so unpredictable though and processing times change all the time...

Good luck!

I think we saw each other every 3 months at least, we were lucky. I also quit my job early and stayed on the VWP for 90 days (twice). The unemployment isn't fun, but there is no perfect solution...

[max+patricia 24]

Very cool thread!

We started talking online in 2002, chats, emails, IMs for years, and met in May 2009. Together again for a month when I flew to Venezuela (Dec 2009-Jan 2010), 2 months when she came back to the US (Jul 2010-Sep 2010), and she is here currently for another 2 months (Dec 2010-Feb 2011). Our longest time apart was 7 months (if you don't count the 7 years it took us to finally get together )

Stay strong everyone

[sdfghjk 0]

Longuest we've been apart was ... 9 1/2 months... was hell and now we only see eachother 6 months apart and hopefully next time he comes to see me its to bring me home !!

[Alex~Alan 8]

We first met in person after 5 months, spent one week together then it was ANOTHER 5 months before we saw each other again. We then spent almost 3 months together and I arrived back in the UK 3 days ago. Although I am seeing him again Valentines week, this has been the most difficult goodbye because we got to see what it was like to be a real couple every day, to wake up together, meet each others friends and family and spend just about every waking moment together. To go from that to being apart again is breaking our hearts. Sometimes it hurts so much you wonder how you are ever going to get through it.

Just keep the communication going, no one who hasn't gone through this realises how hard it really is, but it takes a very special couple to do it. You know if you an get through this the chances of you having a very happy marriage are high. Take it one day at a time and set aside quality time together. Watch movies in sync over the webcam, text and talk on the phone. You will get through this.

Six months is not a lot in the great scheme of things, but it feels like a life time I know. Just remember it will all be worth it in the end. Keep your chin up. Jade

When I read your post, I thought, how similar our situations are.

We met in person May, 2010 for one week after beginning our relationship. We then spent two months ago apart, and then spent three months together in the UK...then five weeks apart, and another 5 weeks together in the US. This last 5 weeks over the holidays really gave us a real glimpse of how good we can be together, working on projects together, and living like other couples do. Now, I am not sure how long we will be apart, but believe our time apart will be four months or so. This is more difficult now that we have become closer, so, going back to talking endlessly on the phone, and living in different time zones is heart-breaking at the minute. However, I know we are both strong and will survive this. Besides, once you have come this far, what else is there you can do!? When you love, you will wait, and you will endure. Best of luck to you all.

~Alex

[Rito 28]

Our longest apart was 10 months, I think, not including the time from when we met online to our first meeting in person (one year). We were long-distance for five years.

[matt y andrea 0]

We went 6 months, visited uk in June and then again at Christmas. Before that we were seeing each other roughly every 2-3 months, so it's been very hard. And now we wait. Filed in sept and are, like so many others, awaiting our noa2. Wot see him again until he arrives for good, looking to be another 6 months of agony, hoping for less. Much less.

[I & JJ <3 9]

I've gone through two or three periods of six months without seeing my SO. Each time we went that long it became more difficult to bear. I've noticed that when we go that long without seeing each other we bicker over the silliest things. I guess we become moody and depressed.

I went this past november and again in december, and boy do I wish I had the money to afford a monthly trip but I certainly do not. I don't know when will be the next time I'll go. I would like to hold off until our interview but without an approval in sight who knows how long it'll be before we get an interview date. Now I'll have to scrounge for pennies so that I could go once more and soon!

I go out with family and friends to distract myself but secretly I daydream about how the day would have been if my SO were there too. Going to parties alone...ugh, the worst, especially when you see other couples.

My only relief is that someday soon we will be together permanently and we'll be able to close this four year long distance relationship chapter, and start a new happy life together.

Let's all hang in there because one day things will get better

[amesa 9]

This thread is comforting knowing that so many of us are in the same boat.

I met my now husband the end of June 2010 online. I met him in person the end of July 2010 and stayed in the Dominican Republic for 4 days. Went back over Labor Day weekend and got married...that was another 5 days...flew back for a quick overnighter the weekend of November 13th...and then spent 9 days withhim over New Years and Christmas.

The nice thing with living in Miami...it's a fairly quick and inexpensive trip to Santo Domingo, so I can jump on a plane for a quick weekend if I need to.

We use skype a lot and we also text and talk on the phone for a few minutes during our lunch hour. And yes, just like a prior poster, the DR has major issues with the electricity going off so sometimes he just drops off the internet and I can't reach himfor hours. It stinks.

Right now, he's still out visiting family and staying with his parents who DO NOT have internet. I haven't seen him online for 2 weeks and I'm going crazy, although we do talk to a few minutes on the phone.

I submitted my paperwork the end of September, but got my NOA1 dated October 6th...so we have been waiting a little over 3 months and i am going CRAZY. We want to have our family, but I have told him we need to wait until he's here...and it's soooooooo frustrating.