New member- just a few questions about the I-130

[AJSTR_23 0]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to this site, hoping to obtain a better understanding about the I-130 process.

My husband is American by birth, I'm British, we got married in July this year in the US, I live in London, he lives in the US. My husband completed and sent off the I-130 on my behalf in September. This week he received e-mail notification from USCIS stating that they have received the form and will be sending him a the I-797 form shortly. So here's my questions:

What is the I-797?

How long does the I-130 take process? What are the different stages? What, if any, are the additional costs (other than the initial $420 for the I-130)?

My husband was told that he can also complete the I-129f, I think it is, which might speed up the process, is this correct?

I would appreciate any advice from others that have been through or who are also going through the same process.

Thank you.

AJ.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Hi!

I-797 is just the name of the form that tells you a major action in your case. In this instance it is that your petition has been accepted for initial review.

The I-130 petition takes 8 months right now, but it may be slightly faster sooner. After that there is a stage at the National Visa Center. Then the case will go to your consulate for an interview. You can study up on the stages more here, but that is a very general overview.

I-129F will not speed it up, it might make it slower in fact.

You will pay a small fee at the NVC, you will pay a visa fee when you have your interview, you will have to pay for a medical exam and you will pay for a GC production fee after your interview.

Good luck!

[AJSTR_23 0]

Thanks for the response.

Could you please tell my why the I-129f doesn't speed up the process and in fact might make it slower?

Thank you.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

It used to be that I-130 took a few years to be approved.

So they invented this "K-3" which was based on an I-129F. Getting a I-129F approved and getting a visa still took 6 months to a year (it was not immediate).

After a while, stand-alone I-130s started to be sped up, and they were taking the same time to be approved as a I-129F.

So the NVC decided having two visa types was useless. They decided that when they get both a I-130 and I-129F coming together to the NVC, they would administratively close the I-129F and put the person on the CR-1 path.

To make sure that both petitions came together, the I-130 (which is sent first) will be held back to "wait" for the I-129F (which is sent later). So the wait time from before the I-129F was sent in doesn't count, making it slower.

Right now, I-129Fs for fiances are going fairly fast, so it might be possible to get a K-3 this minute, but I am not sure. USCIS is opening up a new facility for I-130s so they should go faster soon. Good luck.

[AJSTR_23 0]

Very helpful, thanks again.

[bigdog 376]

Personally it is a tossup, do what ever is best the filers. But if you are married as stated, "we got married in July this year in the US", you cannot file for a finance visa,

[Novembro 1,763]

You've gotten some great answers already, so I'll just say hello and welcome!

[bigdog 376]

By the way welcome.

[AJSTR_23 0]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the well wishes and welcomes, I also wish all of you good luck with your applications.