Any February 2012 filers?

[Siphoneuphoria 5]

And how is everyone else holding up? I'm spending (way too much) time watching Igor's List and eagerly awaiting the day that approvals start to pop up in the February group of Vermont filers: anyone else?

Same here! I know there is very little chance there will be any movement any time soon, and yet I still check my case status at the USCIS website 15 times at least once a day.

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

Haha yep I'm stalking the USCIS site too (even though I'm signed up for text/email notices) and keep popping back here in the hopes that there's 1000 new threads to keep me busy. I spend way too much time thinking about the visa, move, wedding, etc. It seems like time just sloooooows way down once you've filed.

[Aurelya 0]

Made it to Florida last night... was so awesome to see Tom waiting for me after a long & dangerous drive! (we drove right through a severe thunderstorm with tornado warnings in Michigan... scary stuff!!)

No questions at ALL at the border, maybe because I was travelling with my parents. The only thing they asked was for me to take my glasses off so he could match my face to my passport LOL.

Yay Katy! Enjoy!! Can't wait to be in May to see my love! Have fun

[afoyoswa 178]

I'm managing to only check USCIS every few days, for now. Somehow I find it strangely comforting, though, to come here and see my signature ticker and be assured that time really IS passing, even though it may not seem like it is.

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

I'm managing to only check USCIS every few days, for now. Somehow I find it strangely comforting, though, to come here and see my signature ticker and be assured that time really IS passing, even though it may not seem like it is.

Yeah, I my ticker

Edited March 20, 2012 by Darkmoonfaerie

[KTandTommy 31]

Thanks everyone! I'm having a blast down here... and only mildly stressing out trying to plan for our wedding - my parents are driving us nuts! haha.

We're planning for May of 2013, but asking each of our potential venues if they can give us an "out clause", just in case we need to move the date forward, if necessary due to paperwork. But my parents are being total downers, saying that no one is going to travel from Canada to Florida for our wedding. Aaahhh, stress!

I'm just trying to be happy that I get to cuddle with Tom all night after he gets home from work <3

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

Thanks everyone! I'm having a blast down here... and only mildly stressing out trying to plan for our wedding - my parents are driving us nuts! haha.

We're planning for May of 2013, but asking each of our potential venues if they can give us an "out clause", just in case we need to move the date forward, if necessary due to paperwork. But my parents are being total downers, saying that no one is going to travel from Canada to Florida for our wedding. Aaahhh, stress!

I'm just trying to be happy that I get to cuddle with Tom all night after he gets home from work <3

Glad you're having fun! Alan and his boys get here on the 31st and I'm paranoid about them getting turned away at POE. I hope everything works out ok for their trip. It's great doing actually wedding planning, isn't it? We'll be meeting with the bakery and a venue who both know that we can't book anything right away and we'll be in touch when we have more info on the visa. I'm bouncing off the walls excited to do all that!

Enjoy your time with Tom and don't let your parents get you down! We've got people coming from the UK and Canada coming for our wedding, so I'm sure most of your guests will make it and you'll have an amazing wedding

[KTandTommy 31]

Thanks It's always a good thing to keep it in perspective! I gotta try to let my parents not get to me, and just focus on the end goal - being married to the love of my life

The 31st is coming soon! Good luck to your boys!

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

Thanks It's always a good thing to keep it in perspective! I gotta try to let my parents not get to me, and just focus on the end goal - being married to the love of my life

The 31st is coming soon! Good luck to your boys!

Thanks! I can't wait to see them!!! And fyi, my mom likes to pick stupid arguments about the wedding too so you're not alone. I don't let her stress me and keep reminding myself that she will not die if I wear flip flops under my dress You're right, it's the end goal that's important, the rest are minor details!

[afoyoswa 178]

I'm feeling very worried today. I know someone who filed quite a while ago and whose situation is very similar to mine (same embassy, same beneficiary/petitioner locations, etc.), and her fiance had his interview today and got denied. It is really scary. We have 3 recent visits to their 1 (plus another years ago before they were together, but they started their relationship and got engaged on the same visit), and I do not have the same schedule/monetary restrictions that she has so I am planning to be in town with him when he goes for the interview, but I'm still so afraid that this won't be enough. Guess there's nothing to do but wait.

[StarGirl 13]

I'm feeling very worried today. I know someone who filed quite a while ago and whose situation is very similar to mine (same embassy, same beneficiary/petitioner locations, etc.), and her fiance had his interview today and got denied. It is really scary. We have 3 recent visits to their 1 (plus another years ago before they were together, but they started their relationship and got engaged on the same visit), and I do not have the same schedule/monetary restrictions that she has so I am planning to be in town with him when he goes for the interview, but I'm still so afraid that this won't be enough. Guess there's nothing to do but wait.

I know it's scary to hear about denial of a couple you think you have so much in common. But if you think about it - there should be many-many couples who were approved with their visa application in your embassy. Might be that some of them happen to be sharing your locations too - it's a small world we are living in. From tiny bit of info that you shared, your case looks so much stronger though. I am sure all the visits and your presence in town during the interview will be of a great significance. Maybe their sad experience can help you. Ask if you can about the details of the interview, and see if you can make this info work for you.

Don't let this thing worry you too much. Hope you will feel better soon!

Edited March 22, 2012 by StarGirl

[afoyoswa 178]

I know it's scary to hear about denial of a couple you think you have so much in common. But if you think about it - there should be many-many couples who were approved with their visa application in your embassy. Might be that some of them happen to be sharing your locations too - it's a small world we are living in. From tiny bit of info that you shared, your case looks so much stronger though. I am sure all the visits and your presence in town during the interview will be of a great significance. Maybe their sad experience can help you. Ask if you can about the details of the interview, and see if you can make this info work for you.

Don't let this thing worry you too much. Hope you will feel better soon!

Thanks so much for your post: it actually made me feel a lot better!

Here's a question for others: we have managed twice to send things to each other with friends/family who were traveling between our locations (because sending objects isn't practical ordinarily, although we are experimenting with postcards/letters). This seems like it should be a fantastic bit of evidence of an ongoing relationship, but of course it doesn't leave any kind of paper trail at all. Can anyone think of a way to document this? There are some emails from when I was setting this up with the intermediaries and then emails from us acknowledging the receipt of the items to each other. Thinking in terms of evidence for him to bring to the interview, could we put together a document with the story about these two (and any future) exchanges and the relevant dates/details, and then include the emails as backup? I also have a photo of me and one of the intermediaries (his cousin) with the items I sent. (None of you will know the answer, except "Why not?" but if you have a better idea let me know. )

[R&RM 11]

I'm feeling very worried today. I know someone who filed quite a while ago and whose situation is very similar to mine (same embassy, same beneficiary/petitioner locations, etc.), and her fiance had his interview today and got denied. It is really scary. We have 3 recent visits to their 1 (plus another years ago before they were together, but they started their relationship and got engaged on the same visit), and I do not have the same schedule/monetary restrictions that she has so I am planning to be in town with him when he goes for the interview, but I'm still so afraid that this won't be enough. Guess there's nothing to do but wait.

I know what you mean, I think we must be thinking of the very same case and it shook me too. I don't know about you, but I am officially putting that blond woman on my prayer list as a big no-no for my interview. Though an interview can go either way, it does look like there are a lot of complaints specifically about her. I'm also trying to think of things we can do to solidify our case, my strongest evidence for a bonafide relationship is just that I quit my job here and went to live with him in Shanghai for 7 and a half months together with my son. All the same, it's tough because you just don't know what particular issue they will choose to zero in on. But it does sound like you do have a solid case. I believe the issue sited in that case (if we are thinking of the same one) was the lack of police clearance for countries lived in and more than that, the CO's disbelief that the relationship can be legitimate when there are strong academic differences between them (I of course don't agree, I think anyone should be allowed to be with anyone but just like with age differences, seems like the more differences there are between you and your fiance(e), the more of a case you need to build)..so those are the best thoughts I can offer. As for what to do about gifts, that's a tough one, don't know. I will be wearing my engagement ring but don't know if that will even be something they notice or not. Just hard to know how much time we will be granted at the interview stage. I almost think it would sometimes be easiest if they just let us talk first and then they shot their questions afterwards.

Here's hoping for the very best.

[afoyoswa 178]

I know what you mean, I think we must be thinking of the very same case and it shook me too. I don't know about you, but I am officially putting that blond woman on my prayer list as a big no-no for my interview. Though an interview can go either way, it does look like there are a lot of complaints specifically about her. I'm also trying to think of things we can do to solidify our case, my strongest evidence for a bonafide relationship is just that I quit my job here and went to live with him in Shanghai for 7 and a half months together with my son. All the same, it's tough because you just don't know what particular issue they will choose to zero in on. But it does sound like you do have a solid case. I believe the issue sited in that case (if we are thinking of the same one) was the lack of police clearance for countries lived in and more than that, the CO's disbelief that the relationship can be legitimate when there are strong academic differences between them (I of course don't agree, I think anyone should be allowed to be with anyone but just like with age differences, seems like the more differences there are between you and your fiance(e), the more of a case you need to build)..so those are the best thoughts I can offer. As for what to do about gifts, that's a tough one, don't know. I will be wearing my engagement ring but don't know if that will even be something they notice or not. Just hard to know how much time we will be granted at the interview stage. I almost think it would sometimes be easiest if they just let us talk first and then they shot their questions afterwards.

Here's hoping for the very best.

Yes, here's hoping. I think your case sounds really solid, too. What worries me is that we have almost the same educational differences as they do, except without the brand-name affiliation on my part for them to zero in on. I do have that same brand-name affiliation with my job, though. Aaron has completed a certification through a foreign university via a distance program, but does not have a degree either (although his cousin has several degrees and an affiliation with the same brand-name institution, and mentioned this in the affidavit that she wrote for our petition, so maybe they won't think it's as much of a stretch).

What reassures me a little is what some people have said about the importance of front-loading and how the decision is pretty much already made before the beneficiary even shows up for the interview. Maybe more visits would have tipped them into the category of swinging toward yes rather than swinging toward no, and the petitioner's presence would have pushed them over the top, and the education/police clearance stuff was just something the evil blonde CO fixated on as an excuse. (Don't ask me why this is reassuring! And heaven preserve us all from the evil blonde CO...)

Edited March 22, 2012 by afoyoswa

[scott76 22]

one of my friends on here got approved already from CSC.....Not an expedited case either.