September 2013 I-130 Filers

[VNBCI130 94]

Yes, he just went back a week ago. True, the first two weeks are the hardest. I am still crying everyday .. I just miss him so much, dammit!

Mr. Blueberry contacted his congressman back in December, I think? Or maybe it was November. We wanted to find out where our petition actually is... So yeah, we got their standard "6 more months" BS and they never answered our question. Ha!

But, good luck!

You and I have the same exact priority date!!! Hope we get transfer notice and approvals on the same day too

[k.dlg 297]

I'm glad you contacted your Senator! I really do think it helps. Good luck, k.dlg!

Thanks! I really hope it does!

[k.dlg 297]

I wish I shared your same sentiment about all of this. My wife and I have a baby on the way that's due in April, and the way things are looking I won't see its first steps or first words given how slow the USCIS is going because it will have to be with my wife while I am in the states working. It's all so depressing.

Yes, I realize this will be a very short time when compared to the time we'll all be together with our spouses, but I just don't feel as happy about that because it feels like its so far off and is something totally new to me, given that I have never even been allowed to live with my wife yet. I know that day will come, but when? I ask myself that question a lot and there are times I feel like the day we'll be together will never come, largely because of how long the process is (obviously it will come, but that's just how I feel).

Who knows, it might be another year and a half until we're finally with our spouses in light of this backlog and I just can't handle the thought of that. It sickens me how slow USCIS is and I try to avoid thinking about the waiting time at all costs because it just eats me up inside if I do. I'm very pessimistic about all of this, but it's in my nature and the way the USCIS conducts itself only reinforces that pessimism. Just thought I'd add my two cents.

I am so sorry you have to go through this, but I'm glad you have us to vent to and get support from. I can only imagine the struggles you've been going through, but is there no way to visit your wife or take time off work to be there for her when the baby is born? Do you have paternal leave you can take meanwhile this whole process is still going on? Maybe try talking to your employer about your issues right now, because they can't help you if they don't know your situation. It's better to ask than not try.

I have never lived with my husband either, only been with him in 2-3 week intervals every few months for almost 5 years now .. and the longest I've ever been with him is 1 month. I know how hard it is being apart, we all do, and we always have to get used to being alone again after we/they leave and be "happy" just with talking to them on the phone/skype/whatever. But I had a thought the other day that I'd rather be sad missing my husband than be sad that I don't have anyone or be in an unhappy relationship, and that made me snap out of my self-pity party. I'm not gonna lie. I have bad days where I am just not fun to be around because of my mood, and it's mostly brought on by being so lonely, but I have more good days than bad because I make sure to talk to my husband everyday, and we laugh over silly things and talk about our future plans.

I admitted to my husband recently that there were moments where I felt I was depressed and instead of wallowing and falling deeper into it, I decided to take action and said I was going to start going to the gym more often and maybe take up running to focus my energy on something I can control rather than something I cannot. So my advice is to maybe try and find a hobby that you enjoy instead of trying to only gain happiness from your spouse. Go out with friends and family. Get out of the house, because if your just go from work to home and only talk to your spouse and not really do much else (I was guilty of this), then you're going to get stuck in a redundant routine that will start to wear on you.

I hope that this helps you and anyone else struggling. I didn't just get to this way of thinking rapidly .. it's taken me years to figure out a way to deal that worked for me.

[k.dlg 297]

I wonder if mine representatives responded so fast and in other , because im from a small state. I hope they get back to you soon. This wait for all of us is long. I just cant wait for it all to be over so we can enjoy our life together. Lots of prayers for all of us.

Actually, I thought about that too. Since Texas is so massive, they probably get a lot more people contacting them about these type of issues. I'm still checking my mail everyday for a response, though! And I couldn't agree more. I hope we all are with our loved ones very soon.

[k.dlg 297]

Hello guys,

Could maybe those of you who wrote to the senators post their letters here so it could be used as templates for some?

I would like have my wife (she's the american one) have it sent to the senator as well and with Cc to NYT ... I believe if we make NYT aware there are so many of us, then maybe some projection of our cases may happen.

Thanksk

To be honest, I actually googled a template with the proper way to address them, how to format the letter, etc. My situation is a little different since I originally filed for a K1 visa and was stuck in that backlog, so I talked about that affecting how long we've been in the USCIS process, but I would recommend starting a topic asking your same question because I'm sure you'll get lots of helpful reponses!

[Jematt 7]

I am so sorry you have to go through this, but I'm glad you have us to vent to and get support from. I can only imagine the struggles you've been going through, but is there no way to visit your wife or take time off work to be there for her when the baby is born? Do you have paternal leave you can take meanwhile this whole process is still going on? Maybe try talking to your employer about your issues right now, because they can't help you if they don't know your situation. It's better to ask than not try.

....

I hope that this helps you and anyone else struggling. I didn't just get to this way of thinking rapidly .. it's taken me years to figure out a way to deal that worked for me.

k.dlg, that's a really nice reply you sent to r06106...just wanted to tell you so. You obviously spent a good deal of time and thought in your response, which was really nice. And, I think you offer some very good suggestions/advice.

[k.dlg 297]

k.dlg, that's a really nice reply you sent to r06106...just wanted to tell you so. You obviously spent a good deal of time and thought in your response, which was really nice. And, I think you offer some very good suggestions/advice.

Thanks, Jematt! I just wanted to let him know that I'm not little Miss Sunshine all the time, and that he's not alone in feeling the despair that he does. It is a wearing process that takes its toll on both people involved. I'm glad you don't have to wait much longer to be with your loved one, and hope the rest of us don't have to either, soon!

[Wheezysnug 14]

Has anyone heard where USCIS is with their processing? Last thing on the website is that they are processing Feb 2013 but that was back in October 2013. Anything current?

Edited January 24, 2014 by Wheezysnug

[BOS_LHR 829]

Has anyone heard where USCIS is with their processing? Last thing on the website is that they are processing Feb 2013 but that was back in October 2013. Anything current?

They updated their data this week. As of November 30 NBC was processing March 8. You can check the individual centers by visiting here: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do. These dates still don't accurately reflect what's going on based on VJ data though.

[Wheezysnug 14]

We are still with NBC. What do I enter in for the drop down menus??

Nevermind i figured it out lol

Edited January 24, 2014 by Wheezysnug

[BOS_LHR 829]

We are still with NBC. What do I enter in for the drop down menus??

Nevermind i figured it out lol

Unfortunately the numbers are pretty meaningless, next to no one is actually receiving approval from NBC. I think I've seen a couple of isolated cases but for the most part they're still doing transfers and adjudicating only at the Nebraska, California, and Texas service centers. A few very early August filers have received transfers so far but for most of them and for September it's still a waiting game. The important thing is that USCIS is still making it impossible for essentially everyone to file a service request based on processing times, and until you get transferred to a service center it's tough to guess at when you might receive an approval. Based on VJ member data it looks like California is processing July, Nebraska is processing April, and Texas is doing a little bit of everything.

[Wheezysnug 14]

OMG Really? Sigh... today is a low day. Just wish there was SOME news but we are all in the same boat. I made the simple assumption that getting married would be faster than filing a fiance visa so we got married. Little did we realize the waiting times. A friend of mine filed 3 weeks after me and has already been processed. Disheartening to say the least.

[samni 5]

Yes they do need to know, I just hope with them contacting USCIS it changes something.

My husband and I are always looking towards the future, just really hate this time apart. March cant come soon enough for either of us.

I wonder if mine representatives responded so fast and in other , because im from a small state. I hope they get back to you soon. This wait for all of us is long. I just cant wait for it all to be over so we can enjoy our life together. Lots of prayers for all of us.

That's pretty impressive that they all replied back to you! Yeah, I had to send a signed privacy release form before I could even contact him, so I'm waiting to see how long it'll take for them to get back to me. I wish they would do it in a manner other than through the US mail.

We all know how you feel. It doesn't seem fair to see other people with their spouses carrying on with their lives while we have to wait to start the rest of our lives. But as I've said many times before, this whole time apart will be a blink of the eye in comparison to the time you'll be together, which will be decades! Just keep optimistic and try to plan for the life you'll live together instead of being reminded that you're apart.

I'm glad you're being proactive too about contacting government officials to get involved! They need to hear more of what's going on from the applicants instead of trusting USCIS!

[dhavalskyhawk 12]

We have received NOA 1 on 9th september 2013 and data of approval on website is 3rd september 2013, I am expecting some results of NOA 2 in next month and so. well on this 31st january 2014, it's been 150 days. I have done some analysis and found out that most of the NOA2 declared in the days ranging from 150 days to 200 days.

Good luck to all of you!!

[dhavalskyhawk 12]

We received NOA 1 on 9th september and approved on 3rd september 2013. Waiting for NOA2 and further process.

Good Luck to everyone