Fretting about NOA1...

[featherB 1]

It's only been 9 days since we sent off our I-129F to the Nebraska service center but as we managed to post it without being able to track it (more about that in a second), I'm going to be completely paranoid about its whereabouts until either the cheque is cashed (does that tend to happen at about the same time as the NOA1 is sent?) or until we get an NOA1.

Big ramble coming up...

Basically, we went to the post office to send it all off... only to discover that the place was closed (fiance thought it shut at 8, turned out they've cut the hours and it now closes at 7). However, there was a weighing/label-printing machine there, so we thought we'd use that. After some confusion as to whether it should be an envelope, a large envelope or a package we navigated our way through the touch-screen menus and managed to find a shipping option that would allow us to get delivery confirmation. Machine wouldn't take cash, so Fiance paid with his debit card (about $4, I think) and printed off the label... we stuck it on without writing the address on it (the zip code was printed on there, and Fiance assured me that it's fine to just stick the label on... he's the USC, so I hope he's right) as our envelope was already addressed and we couldn't find a pen that actually worked anywhere! I went to see if I could find one, but meanwhile Fiance posted the envelope through a bit that had dire warnings about ONLY putting parcels, NOT letters through it. (Cue for all kinds of dire imaginings on my part, involving our poor envelope being shredded to bits beneath an avalanche of heavy boxes). At this point I wondered how exactly we were meant to track the thing (I didn't see anything remotely tracking-number-like on the label we printed out), and asked if he had the receipt, as it must surely contain the tracking info. Yep, the receipt was in his pocket apparently. So we came home and celebrated finally sending the thing off. (Mmm, beer).

Next morning, I asked if he could dig out the receipt so that I could begin my obsessive I-129F-tracking. He couldn't find it and thinks he must have thrown it away... cue me going through the trash and failing to find it.

Gaaaahhh!! I'm not entirely sure we sent it by the 'right' method at all, and without the receipt have no way of telling exactly which service we used. I have no knowledge of the workings of the USPS... if they deem something to have been sent by the 'wrong' method, do they deliver it anyway (again, I have no idea whether the $4-something we paid sounds about right or was wildly out!) or return it to sender or just, I don't know, incinerate it or something?! I'm now worrying in case the lack of tracking number means that there should have been another part to the shipping label, and the machine just didn't give us it... as this is my first experience of the USPS, I have no idea! I'm not usually such a worrier but after spending weeks & weeks getting everything together for the I-129F I'm kicking myself that we couldn't quite master a post office label printing machine to send the thing off safely!!

Sorry for the gigantic post. Any reassurance that our I-129F is unlikely to have met any terrible fate would be very welcome (please)!

*..... aaaand breathe!*

[dallasguy7 0]

I sent my package the same way you did through the USPS automatic label machine. And I too forgot to put the return notification card on it. However I used a Western Union money order and I was able to tell when that had been cashed. I figured if they cashed the money order then they got the package ok. In my case it took 15 days to receive the NOA1. (Because of a holiday in there somewhere)

Don't worry, things should be fine for you.

[mybackpages 0]

Though my went to Texas instead of Nebraska, bot of ours will be transfered to California. You can see the timeline in my signuature line. I received the NOA1 in the mail before the check was cashed. It tookk a little more than 2 weeks.

Good luck!

[featherB 1]

Thank you both... and sorry to take so long to respond. I know I should stop worrying (for now!) but it's nerve-wracking having got all that stuff together and sent it off, with no idea as to whether it's arrived safely or not! I'm returning to the UK tomorrow (have been over here for nearly a month for my last visit before the horribly long wait begins!) and we were really hoping to at least have the NOA1 before I went back home, just because it'll be a relief. No sign of it yet, though, and the cheque's not been cashed either... oh well. I know it's (very)early days yet, I'm just impatient and worried about our petition having reached the NSC safely!

Thanks again... and good luck with everything going smoothly for you too!

[staphros 0]

It usually takes about 2 weeks for NOA 1. Sometimes you will see the check cash first.

If I was you i'd wait a couple of weeks and try not to think about it too much.

I found that the start of the K1 process was the slowest (Took around 5 months - with one RFE)

However as soon as my Packet 2 came everything went REALLY fast.

Good luck.

Steve

[limubai2000 0]

Wait till you get NOA1 and you get to fret while waiting for NOA2... did I complete the forms correctly, were the photos the right size, did I include enough evidence...