So frustrating!

[EL ZORRO 1]

THE PETITION APPROVAL IS JUST A STEPPING STONE IN THIS PROCESS...THEN COMES THE SECOND PART, AND OBVIOUSLY THE MOST IMPORTANT...THE APPLICATION FOR THE VISA AND ITS APPROVAL...THAT COULD TAKE ROUGHLY 3 OR 4 MONTHS BUT SOME EMBASSIES ARE FASTER THAN OTHERS...THE PETITION APPROVAL IS GOOD FOR 4 MONTHS...PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IS THE KEY...GOOD LUCK

[Casprd 167]

Yeah I'll chime in here and say, the chances are that you won't get through the whole process in time. Less than 6 months from petition to wedding was really being blindly optomistic as just the first step can take that long. Unfortunately you have 2 choices. You can reschedule the wedding (I wouldn't even set a date until you have visa in hand) or you can get married and then restart the process as a CR-1. The second option is only possible if CBP lets your SO enter for the wedding, there is the very real possibility they may look at everything and say they are intending to immigrate so they can't enter.

Wish one of us had some good news for you, but there really isn't any in this case.

[Dan & Jenni 457]

You should get your soonish, unfortunately this is a slow process etc. Hang in there. Get some fresh air and exercise. Sometimes a beer works also.

beer works all the time lol

[KevinF 3]

Reschedule. My fiancee has her interview in Paris tomorrow. It took 2 and half months after the NOA2 to get to the interview and it took close to 5 months from NOA1 to NOA2. No fun but its best just to not schedule until you have the visa in hand.

[STEBEA1 1]

I know that this process can be so frustrating. I had originally planned to get married on October 29th of this year (we filed our petition in March)...but with the way things are looking right now, I have decided to move my wedding date to December 3rd. It does take, on average, 4-5 months just to get the approval for your petition (I-129F), and that's if there are no RFE's. Then...the case is sent to NVC, where it can sit for nearly 2 weeks. Then...it is sent to the embassy in London.

Your fiance will also need to go to London for a medical exam, but this is done AFTER your petition is approved and after you get a case number from NVC. Around that time, you will also get a letter from the embassy (packet 3)...there will be more forms to complete and you will also need to gather more documentation for the interview. I am told that from the time that the embassy in London receives your completed packet 3 forms, there is an average wait time of 7 weeks before the interview date. My fiance and I are in this waiting period now. He just sent packet 3 back to the embassy yesterday, so I'm thinking he won't have an interview date until somewhere around the middle of October. He will not be able to come over to the states immediately because he will have a lot of packing to do, plus selling his car, getting rid of his flat, resigning from his job and securing a shipping container to ship his belongings over here (so if your fiance has anything like this to take care of...make sure you give him ample time to do all of it before he comes over).

So...I agree with others who have responded here....if you can possible change your wedding date, do it. Do NOT make any wedding arrangements at this time that can't be changed (such as renting a hall for your reception, or having your wedding invitations printed). The only advice I can give you at this time is....be flexible.

Good luck!

Ditto. We orginally had a wedding date of August 7th, but when we received the petition approval in late May and realized that we had addtional paperwork and interview to get through, we changed the date to Oct. 21st. We are going to elope and do a wedding full of family and friends next year. This reduced our stress threefolds. I would definitely encourage working with a flexible wedding date because there are no guarantees that the processing time will work for you. Good Luck!

Edited August 30, 2011 by STEBEA1

[FB14 14]

I understand your feeling of frustration. That happened to me yesterday and hours later I was approved. I even called the USCIS yesterday to see what was going on. You should try to get your petition expedited. That's what I tried to do last Thursday and the Friday morning they emailed me letting me know that my expedition was denied because my petition was already with an adjudicator. So try getting it expedited. Whether or not you decide to do it, your petition will soon be approved.

[Richie Rich 70]

So my fiance and I got engaged in Scotland (where he lives) mid-April and filed the paperwork which USCIS received May 16th. We received the NOA1 very soon after that but are STILL stuck in the preliminary (background check) stage of the process. Our wedding is November 5th of this year and I'm terrified we aren't going to have this visa in time. I've spoken to USCIS and they said we could still get married but then we'd have to start the process all over again to file for a spouse visa and there's no guarantee he'd be able to stay. We've spent way too much time apart and I don't want to wait any longer! Anyone have any advice? Does it really only 5 months for this (in which case we'd be fine) or is it much longer?

PLEASE HELP!!

U will be lucky if u ever get approved in 5 mths . Plus u have to take into account the other steps -NVC, Medical , Interview , and processing of the Visa and then travel . Just have a backup plan or start rescheduling yr wedding --sorry to say --u may not make it for that date.

[Channah&Aaron 51]

; you are just half way some more months to come!!

[Andie 147]

Yeah I'll chime in here and say, the chances are that you won't get through the whole process in time. Less than 6 months from petition to wedding was really being blindly optomistic as just the first step can take that long. Unfortunately you have 2 choices. You can reschedule the wedding (I wouldn't even set a date until you have visa in hand) or you can get married and then restart the process as a CR-1. The second option is only possible if CBP lets your SO enter for the wedding, there is the very real possibility they may look at everything and say they are intending to immigrate so they can't enter.

Wish one of us had some good news for you, but there really isn't any in this case.

Unfortunate but true

Its a waiting game... no definite answers... I just wish you best of luck along the way.

[waytogoliezel 0]

I think you made a BIG MISTAKE by planning your wedding date before his visa is approved. That's being over anxious and unwise. Sorry, it's the truth. I got everything done exactly 5 months flat. I mailed my package March 10, and it was received by USCIS on March 15th. It took 78 days exactly for me to get the NOA2 approval. Then off to Manila Embassy and I was calling and trying to push but the process is the PROCESS. I even scheduled my fiancee's embassy appointment myself online and she had her interview and approval on August 10th. She will be here in U.S. on September 8th. However, I was processed thru the California Service Center. Yours is being processed by Vermont Service center which seems like it's about 4-6 weeks behind the speed of California's processing. I think that in and of itself should give you great pause. I would postpone your date. I really don't think you'll make it. I hope you do! But you can't rush the process and they don't care. There are thousand of applications of all types and everyone of them have a time-pressed story. I think you should concentrate on getting everything approved first, then focus on the marriage. You're doing it backwards and causing yourself undue stress and anxiety. Take the lid off and concentrate on one thing at a time. If you get a RFE then it's a guarantee you won't make that date.

Hoping you and your fiance much happiness and success! I really really do. Just be patient, and take the pressure off yourself and relax.

Take care and Godspeed to the both of you!

[Oksana & Max 94]

I understand your feeling of frustration. That happened to me yesterday and hours later I was approved. I even called the USCIS yesterday to see what was going on. You should try to get your petition expedited. That's what I tried to do last Thursday and the Friday morning they emailed me letting me know that my expedition was denied because my petition was already with an adjudicator. So try getting it expedited. Whether or not you decide to do it, your petition will soon be approved.

It is probably a newbie question. But how can you ask to expedite the petition? I just have never heard it for K-1 Visa.

[slangofoil 50]

It is probably a newbie question. But how can you ask to expedite the petition? I just have never heard it for K-1 Visa.

You've never heard of it because it's nearly impossible to get. The only people who manage to get expedited on a regular basis are active military members who have an upcoming deployment. Getting an expedite for any other reason is extremely rare.

[Oksana & Max 94]

You've never heard of it because it's nearly impossible to get. The only people who manage to get expedited on a regular basis are active military members who have an upcoming deployment. Getting an expedite for any other reason is extremely rare.

Thank you for your response, then I just will not even try it. Better be safe then sorry!

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

It is probably a newbie question. But how can you ask to expedite the petition? I just have never heard it for K-1 Visa.

Yes, an expedite can be requested but this circumstance does not qualify... Nor would it matter even if it was expedited at this point.. A November 5th wedding requires an October interview. October interviews are already being scheduled for the UK and will be closed in less than two weeks. There is now a longer wait between NOA2 and NVC receiving a petition (though not as bad for Vermont) and there is still the packet 3 mailing... Home by Christmas is certainly possible.. but again we don't even have a NOA2 yet to start the clock so even that is not a guarantee. I'm pretty sure the OP has figured it out by this point. The effort is better spent postponing the wedding.

[makeitmine 0]

Took us about four months to NOA2 now expecting NVC reply soon..dont get frustrated just finish all paper works..will be there!