September 2013 I-130 Filers

[k.dlg 300]

Damn! And I mean DAMN!

Doesn't USCIS understand that .. life is just.. short? A year or two spent in waiting to be with our loved ones... That's a lot...

So many of us just want to live our lives and not be in this stupid f'ing limbo!

Ugh, so angry right now!

I hope news stations will get very interested in this mess.

This is just cruel.

Would be nice to at least know when this nightmare will end. Is it really that much to ask?

I would rather do a countdown, even if it's let's say 365 days or whatever, than NOT knowing sh*t!

Grr....

Yeahhh .. I have some grumptastic days where I'm pretty pissed off at the system, but knowing that he's in it with me and I'm not the only one going through this, and the constant communication and support through this temporary separation, I get over it. Just keep reminding yourself, as we do everyday, this is temporary. You'll live MANY MANY more years together than apart and the time you spent apart will be a blink of an eye in comparison to the time spent together. Just something to keep your chin up!

It is so good to know others are going through the same waiting game as we are-

The waiting and life in general is so lonely without your soulmate.

I love your signature quote Blueberry-

Amen!

[k.dlg 300]

September 2013 filer here too! Fingers crossed for a speedy experience.

A quick timeline for us below. Hoping it grows quickly!

9/14/2013 -I-130 petition sent to Chicago via CanadaPost

9/18/2013 -Delivered

??????? -NOA1 via text and email

??????? -Received NOA1 hard copy.

Welcome! Hope this little community helps you as much as its helped me!

[k.dlg 300]

Hey guys!! Little progress always good, just received 4 emails/SMS notifying me of the receipt of all applications!! Filed September 14! The journey continues!

Yay! Congrats on your NOA1.

[deleteme 34]

Yes, Poland not being part of the VWP is something that makes me want to punch my fist through a wall and upsets me like nothing else. It actually makes me dislike my own government very much. My wife applied for one and had to go all the way to Warsaw from Lublin at 5AM in the morning only to be denied the visa. She said she cried the entire 2.5 hour bus ride back home. I was devastated and felt like the worst boyfriend in the world because of how my government, paid by me, the taxpaying U.S. citizen, treated her. I've seen dogs be treated better by my government. I've come to the conclusion they just don't like Poles. The Czech Republic is lucky they're part of the visa waiver program....

What do you mean by K visa? Maybe it's something my wife and I should have looked into but didn't.

I'm sorry to hear how your wife was treated by the US embassy. I've had good experiences with our foreign service. Maybe she caught somebody on a bad day.

The K3 visa was created so that foreigners can come to the US and be with their USC spouses while green card adjudications are pending. At the time, the reason for it was that the green card adjudications were taking so long. But then, in the years after the K3 was created, the processing time for I-130s shortened, and the processing time for K3's lengthened, to the point that lawyers were discouraging I-130 applicants from going for the K3. They fell into disuse.

But now, we possibly could be on the cusp of prolonged I-130 processing times again, and so the K3 could be a good option. It's more money, and more paperwork, but not a lot more - I think around $750, if my memory is correct. If our fears prove correct, and processing times for I-130s prolong, she could be with you sooner. If we are pleasantly surprised, and the I-130s are adjudicated on a reasonable schedule, you will lose the money and time spent applying for the K3, but you might think of it as insurance. We hope we don't need it, but it is a relief to know that we have it.

[r060106 109]

I'm sorry to hear how your wife was treated by the US embassy. I've had good experiences with our foreign service. Maybe she caught somebody on a bad day.

The K3 visa was created so that foreigners can come to the US and be with their USC spouses while green card adjudications are pending. At the time, the reason for it was that the green card adjudications were taking so long. But then, in the years after the K3 was created, the processing time for I-130s shortened, and the processing time for K3's lengthened, to the point that lawyers were discouraging I-130 applicants from going for the K3. They fell into disuse.

But now, we possibly could be on the cusp of prolonged I-130 processing times again, and so the K3 could be a good option. It's more money, and more paperwork, but not a lot more - I think around $750, if my memory is correct. If our fears prove correct, and processing times for I-130s prolong, she could be with you sooner. If we are pleasantly surprised, and the I-130s are adjudicated on a reasonable schedule, you will lose the money and time spent applying for the K3, but you might think of it as insurance. We hope we don't need it, but it is a relief to know that we have it.

I thought K3 petitions are no longer being accepted by USCIS? is that not true? We would have gone that route but I said forget it because I thought they aren't being given out anymore. Please correct me if I'm wrong. How do I go about doing that? We already submitted our I-130.

Do you really think it's going to take that much longer for I-130s now? A lot of people seem optimistic about the new processing center and the amount of time it will take to get them. How long do you think the time will balloon to? My wife and I are willing to wait more than one year if need be.

[deleteme 34]

I thought K3 petitions are no longer being accepted by USCIS? is that not true? We would have gone that route but I said forget it because I thought they aren't being given out anymore. Please correct me if I'm wrong. How do I go about doing that? We already submitted our I-130.

Do you really think it's going to take that much longer for I-130s now? A lot of people seem optimistic about the new processing center and the amount of time it will take to get them. How long do you think the time will balloon to? My wife and I are willing to wait more than one year if need be.

I did not hear anywhere that the US Government has stopped issuing K3 visas. I have heard that fewer people have applied for it. If your wife is pregnant (congratulations), my guess is that your case would be an easy one for adjudication for the K3. Do a google search on K3s and you will see.

Some folks may be optimistic; some folks may be pessimistic about the I-130 processing time. The facts that we do know show 1. elongating processing times, very recently; 2. changed management structure within the division processing I-130s; 3. changed government policy resulting in more USCIS workload.

It is difficult to predict what the results will be. The slowed recent processing time could be a blip that mostly affects February-June filers, or it could be generalized slow processing times - in which case it would be advisable to apply for a K3. I wasn't planning on doing it, but I am reconsidering. I'm a July filer, but if the I-130s processing times do prolong generally, I don't want to be caught without recourse. In your case, especially since your wife is pregnant, you have added reason to have that K3 insurance policy against possibly longer I-130 processing times.

[Blueberry Pancake 311]

It is so good to know others are going through the same waiting game as we are-

The waiting and life in general is so lonely without your soulmate.

I love your signature quote Blueberry-

Wise words...

Thanks, Carmen!

Wait, which part got you teared up? I'm confused. haha

Wow, those numbers look really nice. But, they seem too good to be true. Are you sure you're not just being overly optimistic? Or are you really being brutally honest?

The part where you were envisioning "POEing" with your family

Well, I should have read the fine print that said you are the beneficiary, my apologies. But your good English tricked me. You should fly through the interview. You even can curse like an American.

I noticed that your husband and you were married on 6/21. My wife and I were married on 6/20 in Prague. And we were there the prior winter when you were there. But while I was there this summer, we visited Poland, Krakow, mostly, and I must say, I was surprised how similar Poles are to Americans. The Czech Republic is my second home, and I like Czechs a lot, but I immediately felt at ease in your country. Solidarnosc!

I'm sorry that you don't have VWP there. Maybe the K visa? That could be your insurance, in the event that the I-130 drags out. If the K-visa arrives at the same time as your I-130 approval, then all that you have lost is a filing fee and some work to collect your papers.

Awww, thank you...

And I added the "I'm the beneficiary" to my signature while you were posting your reply

We were in Prague end of Jan-beginning of Feb Maybe we were there at the same time?

Poles similar to Americans? Ummm... really? What made you think that? Just curious

I love Czech Rep and Czechs. Such a nice nation and I like them way more than I like Poles...

I live like an hour drive from CZ... and I spent like half of my life there!

We are going to Krakow in December! It will be my husband's first time in Poland and he is just stoked! He also wants to go to Gdańsk and meet Lech Wałęsa... (You would be surprised how many Poles just hate Wałęsa.. He doesn't get as much respect here as he deserves. It's a shame.)

Glad you liked it and enjoyed your time in Poland though!

K-3 visa, you mean? Yeah, we thought about that, but the processing time for K-3 is 8-9 months on average... Makes no sense, really.

I-129f/K-3 are processed at NBC/Missouri. Then both petitions get matched up and are adjudicated together, sooo what might happen is they could pull out your file from Overland Park,KS and send it to NBC/Missouri for processing... And, as we all know, NBC/Missouri is ridiculously swamped right now and has been for months.

Hard to say how fast Kansas will process the cases.. I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by having my file pulled from Kansas... what if it turns out Kansas is processing petitions super fast?

Also, Blueberry, I cannot recall the details, but I do remember reading the posts of filers before May who did say that they their NOA1s were stamped Overland Park. Maybe I'm not remembering right, but I'm pretty sure I saw some evidence of that.

I think only petitions May onward went to Kansas... Saw a few posts about it.

Yes, Poland not being part of the VWP is something that makes me want to punch my fist through a wall and upsets me like nothing else. It actually makes me dislike my own government very much. My wife applied for one and had to go all the way to Warsaw from Lublin at 5AM in the morning only to be denied the visa. She said she cried the entire 2.5 hour bus ride back home. I was devastated and felt like the worst boyfriend in the world because of how my government, paid by me, the taxpaying U.S. citizen, treated her. I've seen dogs be treated better by my government. I've come to the conclusion they just don't like Poles. The Czech Republic is lucky they're part of the visa waiver program....

What do you mean by K visa? Maybe it's something my wife and I should have looked into but didn't.

Ugh

The reason Poland is not a part of VWP is that we don't meet one requirement to be included in this program.

The visa denial rate cannot we higher than x% (can't recall the exact number right now). And Poles get denied visas all the time, often for no reason.

Poland, obviously, doesn't have any control over how many visas are denied annually. It's in USEM's hands.

Ridiculous.

We're your ally!! I can't even talk about this, just aggravates me.

I did not hear anywhere that the US Government has stopped issuing K3 visas. I have heard that fewer people have applied for it. If your wife is pregnant (congratulations), my guess is that your case would be an easy one for adjudication for the K3. Do a google search on K3s and you will see.

Some folks may be optimistic; some folks may be pessimistic about the I-130 processing time. The facts that we do know show 1. elongating processing times, very recently; 2. changed management structure within the division processing I-130s; 3. changed government policy resulting in more USCIS workload.

It is difficult to predict what the results will be. The slowed recent processing time could be a blip that mostly affects February-June filers, or it could be generalized slow processing times - in which case it would be advisable to apply for a K3. I wasn't planning on doing it, but I am reconsidering. I'm a July filer, but if the I-130s processing times do prolong generally, I don't want to be caught without recourse. In your case, especially since your wife is pregnant, you have added reason to have that K3 insurance policy against possibly longer I-130 processing times.

You CAN apply for K-3 visa. It IS possible to be issued one.

But... See above what I wrote re: K-3.

Also, go to K-3 sub-forum, you can find a lot of info there, too.

Edited September 20, 2013 by Blueberry Pancake

[Blueberry Pancake 311]

Wow, those numbers look really nice. But, they seem too good to be true. Are you sure you're not just being overly optimistic? Or are you really being brutally honest?

Well, these calculations were somewhat realistic, I think?

All based on the scraps of info I managed to gather... For all we know, they might turn out to be correct. To know for sure, we have to wait.

Let's re-do the numbers once we start seeing approvals?

Yeahhh .. I have some grumptastic days where I'm pretty pissed off at the system, but knowing that he's in it with me and I'm not the only one going through this, and the constant communication and support through this temporary separation, I get over it. Just keep reminding yourself, as we do everyday, this is temporary. You'll live MANY MANY more years together than apart and the time you spent apart will be a blink of an eye in comparison to the time spent together. Just something to keep your chin up!

I know, you're right...

It's just that life hasn't been treating me too well lately and... it would be easier to go through it all if I were with my husband. I know it's not possible, though.. and I know I just have to suck it up and that's what I've been doing.

Sometimes I just have to get it out of my system, for the sake of my sanity, hah

"It's only temporary.. We'll get through this. It's only temporary... We'll get through this..." is my mantra!

[ashydad 1]

Been a week now and still haven't recieve the noa1 or text/email..

I'm getting worried

[soulfulsplash 1]

We sent ours a week from today as well. I believe they received it on Wednesday. We still haven't heard via email/text. Fingers crossed for hearing early next week.

Do you know when the received it?

The feeling I'm getting is it takes 3-5 days after they receive it to email/text you.

Edited September 21, 2013 by soulfulsplash

[ashydad 1]

9/13/2013 sent I-130,I-485,I-765

9/16/2013 delivered

[r060106 109]

Yeahhh .. I have some grumptastic days where I'm pretty pissed off at the system, but knowing that he's in it with me and I'm not the only one going through this, and the constant communication and support through this temporary separation, I get over it. Just keep reminding yourself, as we do everyday, this is temporary. You'll live MANY MANY more years together than apart and the time you spent apart will be a blink of an eye in comparison to the time spent together. Just something to keep your chin up!

I try to tell myself it's temporary too, but sometimes I honestly feel like my wife and I will never be together and the pessimist in me comes out. Whose to say that the embassy or USCIS won't keep us apart indefinitely. They could deny her or issue her a NOID or NOIF, and the very thought of that breaks my heart. There's no guarantee this is only temporary, for all we know the powers that be could make any one of us wait for years and years and years. That is my greatest fear and I try to tell myself "it's a small part of our lives", but sometimes part of me says "no, it might be a very long part of our lives". If that makes sense.

The part where you were envisioning "POEing" with your family

K-3 visa, you mean? Yeah, we thought about that, but the processing time for K-3 is 8-9 months on average... Makes no sense, really.

I-129f/K-3 are processed at NBC/Missouri. Then both petitions get matched up and are adjudicated together, sooo what might happen is they could pull out your file from Overland Park,KS and send it to NBC/Missouri for processing... And, as we all know, NBC/Missouri is ridiculously swamped right now and has been for months.

Ugh

The reason Poland is not a part of VWP is that we don't meet one requirement to be included in this program.

The visa denial rate cannot we higher than x% (can't recall the exact number right now). And Poles get denied visas all the time, often for no reason.

Poland, obviously, doesn't have any control over how many visas are denied annually. It's in USEM's hands.

Ridiculous.

We're your ally!! I can't even talk about this, just aggravates me.

Oh ok. Yeah, I'll probably be crying like a baby when my wife finally steps foot outside of the baggage area and finally is here with me, never to go through any of this ####### ever again. lol

I'm a little confused on what you're saying on the K-3 visa. Can you please explain? So it's not worth it? haha Sorry for the confusion.

Yes, I totally understand the reason why Poland is not a part of the VWP, but it's so obscenely dumb and makes no sense. On the one hand they're telling Polish citizens "you're not eligible for a visa because we deny you for reasons outside of your control" and on the other hand they're saying "we won't let you travel visa free because you're denied so often". So either way they're screwed and in the end you just go around in circles and it's a catch-22. I hate it so much I can't even think about it without having the veins in my head start bulging out. Ugh. So so stupid. I will never forgive the embassy in Warsaw for denying my wife her visitor's visa and sometimes I honestly ask whether it would be better if we lived in Poland, where she's actually respected as a human being with feelings and thoughts. When I go with her to the interview for her spousal visa I won't be smiling at all and I won't even look at the person doing the interview. Those people disgust me in more ways than I can count and make their livelihood by ruining other people's lives. If the person doing the interview smiles I won't smile back because they are not worthy of my respect in any way, shape or form. I won't be happy until my wife actually is at my house, away from the paperwork, bureaucracy and inhumane treatment she received this entire time.

Well, these calculations were somewhat realistic, I think?

All based on the scraps of info I managed to gather... For all we know, they might turn out to be correct. To know for sure, we have to wait.

Let's re-do the numbers once we start seeing approvals?

I agree with you. Le'ts hope you're right and that everything will start going fast really soon. I'd hate to have to wait for 1.5 to 2 years for my wife to be here. Sometimes I fear this recent backlog will become the new norm and that's what we're all going to be doing. :/ I see all these recent approvals on VJ with timelines of 9 to 11 months and I just wish my wife and I would have been able to start the process one year earlier and we wouldn't have to worry about waiting, especially with the baby on the way. I'm not really positive about anything regarding this whole process. It's very hard for me to be optimistic at all, especially after realizing what the government can and will do after my wife got denied her visitor visa. Sorry if I'm being a downer....

[soulfulsplash 1]

ashydad - it looks like we're in a similar boat here.

I'll be sure to post when I receive email confirmation!

[ashydad 1]

Ok thanks

[samni 5]

I'm also getting a little worried they received mine on the 17th cashed my check on the 20th and still no noa1.