Whats wrong with USCIS?

[del-11-03-13-3 11]

We'll likely wait 2 years or more to be with our loved ones and saying that one day we'll be together doesn't help the situation.

I didn't mean it like that. Just saying fiancé and spousal visas end at the same result. I can't even imagine waiting 2 years, it really sucks. I signed the petition about the long waits and I'd like to eventually post to Facebook about the immigration system, immigration reform, and the long spousal backlog (if anyone has a good write up that people who have 0 knowledge of how the system works could still understand ,I'd gladly post it). Edited October 31, 2013 by LoveinBrazil

[Protocol417 161]

I second what LoveInBrazil said. I'm a long-winded person and I tend to bombard people I know with details. If there's a blog out there or something that someone knows about which explains the process, what people have to go through, that can be posted and shared, that would be neat. Because most people have absolutely no idea.

[RobBell 32]

No, coming on a tourist visa and getting married is not fraud. Coming on a tourist visa, getting married, and then trying to stay in the US is fraud. If you return to the spouse's country, then you don't need to file for a fiance visa. It says specifically in the instructions that the fiance visa is for those who are planning on marrying and staying in the US. You also have the option of trying to get married in your spouse's country. I know for us it wasn't an option as we were waiting for my residency permit, and it wasn't allowed until I was a legal resident in the Netherlands, but that's not necessarily the case for everyone. If your financial status or country is a problem with getting a tourist visa, it shouldn't be *easier* to get a fiance visa.

As for the rest of this, I entirely agree.

Its easy for someone from a privileged country to judge, quite a narrow view I might say. The purpose of the Tourist Visa is to visit and go home, while the K-1 is for immigration into the country, quite different purposes.

Many, many others here on VJ have followed the K-1 route and are now living happy lives. I don't know why anyone would want to deny them this right.

[Kaylara 814]

Its easy for someone from a privileged country to judge, quite a narrow view I might say. The purpose of the Tourist Visa is to visit and go home, while the K-1 is for immigration into the country, quite different purposes.

Many, many others here on VJ have followed the K-1 route and are now living happy lives. I don't know why anyone would want to deny them this right.

That's exactly what I said. Perhaps we are misunderstanding each other. I said that you can get married in the US on a tourist visa if you don't plan on staying in the US after the wedding. The K1 is for immigration purposes only.

I don't want to deny them that right. I don't know where you're getting that from. That 'privileged' country is the one who we're working on getting my husband into, and are being made to wait way longer than we should be with no information. That is the country that we're discussing the laws for. I don't think that it's a narrow view when we're talking specific countries. I did say some others might not allow it in their country. I think you may be misunderstanding me.

[GoLdEnSkY99 54]

Turnarounds:

NOA1 to NOA2: 3 months, 3 weeks, 4 days (California Service Center)

NOA2 to receipt at NVC: 3 weeks, 3 days

NVC to embassy: About 2 weeks

Police certificate: 8 business days

Not trying to be mean or anything but talk is cheap, only the person who is going through this inhuman process understands the pain, but its a public forum and everyone is entitled to their opinions. Good luck in your journey. Lets get back to the topic of USCIS instead of K-1 vs CR1

[Avery Cates 1,141]

Please.....

Part of the process is proving a bonafide relationship... Being married means we already made a commitment. (Not saying K-1s aren't committed.)

Alot of couples have already been married for years and have children. Why should BF/GF be processed and united before married couples? Why should married couples be kept apart for so long?

A lot of K-1 applicants have already been together for years and have children. Why should spouses, who realistically only have an additional piece of paper, be processed an united before other people?

But ok, let's say spousal visas start getting priority, in this mystical unrealistic system some of you have worked up in their heads. SURPRISE! Now everyone gets married and applies that way because it's the flavor of the month, and now you've most likely gone back a few steps because now your spousal visa queue is much longer than it already is.

But all of this is stupid anyway, because as is my understanding, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but CR-1s and K-1s aren't even processed at the same processing centers. K-1s go to a different lockbox, and then to CSC or VSC, (with some being transferred to TSC lately) and CR-1s are processed by the NVC. One literally has nothing to do with the other, so I don't know why there's even been 8 pages of people who are horribly, terribly wrong in their opinions, being even more wrong, were such a thing possible.

[Protocol417 161]

Not trying to be mean or anything but talk is cheap, only the person who is going through this inhuman process understands the pain, but its a public forum and everyone is entitled to their opinions. Good luck in your journey. Lets get back to the topic of USCIS instead of K-1 vs CR1

Except where I asked someone in another thread how the post-NOA2 process compares, I haven't said a word about "K-1 vs CR1", so I don't understand why this comment was directed at me.

So far as the USCIS is concerned, I've said everything I need to on that. The disparity between the processing times is terrible and wrong.

[r060106 109]

But all of this is stupid anyway, because as is my understanding, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but CR-1s and K-1s aren't even processed at the same processing centers. K-1s go to a different lockbox, and then to CSC or VSC, (with some being transferred to TSC lately) and CR-1s are processed by the NVC. One literally has nothing to do with the other, so I don't know why there's even been 8 pages of people who are horribly, terribly wrong in their opinions, being even more wrong, were such a thing possible.

Yes, they're not processed at the same service centers. I-129Fs are processed at the Texas, Vermont and California Service Centers, whereas most, if not all, I-130s for spousal visas are processed at the National Benefits Center.This gigantic amount of I-130s going to the NBC is the reason that spousal visas are taking SO LONG right now. By offloading almost all of them onto the NBC, taking them away from the other three service centers, the USCIS has effectively given de-facto preference to I-129s, and thus K-1s, making their processing speed lightning quick at around 2-3 months right now. Whereas everything used to be divided up evenly among the two types of applications and everyone got the benefit of being spread out across service centers, K-1s are now benefiting at the expense of CR/IR-1s, sad as it is. And that's why CR1s such as myself and others are so upset, because we realize that I-129Fs are getting processed blazingly fast compared to I-130s, and for no apparent reason given the fact that this isn't the way it used to be. We see our petitions routed to the NBC, while they could be routed to the other three service centers and processed in a much more efficient and quick way, instead of just sitting at the NBC collecting dust for 12-16 months. It's absolutely mind boggling and makes no sense how they're doing things now, not to mention infuriating and depressing. Make sense?

The disparity between the processing times is terrible and wrong.

It's more than that. It's sad, depressing and is breaking families apart, as far as I'm concerned. And for what? For no reason at all, that's what.

[Protocol417 161]

Makes me wonder: Why would USCIS knowingly give preference to K-1? Politically you'd think the CR1's would have more clout ("family values" and all that). Do we pay more in fees or something? Do K-1s tend to come more from allied countries? Maybe I'm just not being creative enough in my thinking here... I'm just stabbing in the dark for reasons why it would be structured that way.

[r060106 109]

No one knows. It's not that they're officially giving preference to K-1s, although it looks like they're doing that. That said, K-1s do cost about $1,000 or so more, so maybe that has to do with it.

[GoLdEnSkY99 54]

Except where I asked someone in another thread how the post-NOA2 process compares, I haven't said a word about "K-1 vs CR1", so I don't understand why this comment was directed at me.

So far as the USCIS is concerned, I've said everything I need to on that. The disparity between the processing times is terrible and wrong.

I am sorry i didnt mean it directly at you. All i was saying is its useless trying to explain cr1 situation to k1 person because they are totally different. My comment was about all the k1 ppl who think they know how other feels. Sorry for misunderstanding. And i dont mind seeing k1 getting approved faster i just dont like how uscis ignore cr1 but thats not fault of k1 person so i cant blame them. Edited November 1, 2013 by goldensky99

[Avery Cates 1,141]

Make sense?

I see, yes. It seems that is just the circle of life in the USCIS.

CSC is rocking them out, VSC is slow. CSC slows down, VSC picks up. TSC picks some up, the other two twiddle thumbs. Now NBC has picked up CR-1s and it's their turn to twiddle thumbs for a while.

No Cr-1 is any more or less legitimate than any K-1 though, so there is no reason for any preferential treatment or priority, as some suggest.

If a wait is damaging your relationship, then the relationship isn't that strong to begin with.

[liefie 1]

Coming on a tourist Visa for purpose of marriage is fraud. And even if that wasn't the case many people are unable to obtain a tourist visa because of the country and/or financial status.

Regardless of the legalities, if you love someone you want to be with them, and its painful not to be.

We should all supportive here and fight the system, not each other.

what if people only want to get married in the US but don't want to immigrate if coming on a tourist visa for purpose of marriage is fraud? what kind of visa they should have gone on then?

[Protocol417 161]

I am sorry i didnt mean it directly at you. All i was saying is its useless trying to explain cr1 situation to k1 person because they are totally different. My comment was about all the k1 ppl who think they know how other feels. Sorry for misunderstanding. And i dont mind seeing k1 getting approved faster i just dont like how uscis ignore cr1 but thats not fault of k1 person so i cant blame them.

Well, we're all in long distance relationships, and I would venture that most of us, CR-1 and K-1 alike, know precisely what it feels like to spend so much time apart, or at the very least have very little difficulty understanding what it feels like.

I'll admit, it's the ones with kids I really have trouble with. I'm not even a very maternal person, but I cannot imagine what kind of hell that is like.

[r060106 109]

I see, yes. It seems that is just the circle of life in the USCIS.

Now NBC has picked up CR-1s and it's their turn to twiddle thumbs for a while.

No Cr-1 is any more or less legitimate than any K-1 though, so there is no reason for any preferential treatment or priority, as some suggest.

If a wait is damaging your relationship, then the relationship isn't that strong to begin with.

For a while? You call 11-16 months a while??? Really?

How can you say that? People who are actually in a legally binding marital union, a contract as another post said, should have no reason for any preferential treatment? Doesn't logic dictate that they should because they're married and recognized by the government as a legal entity? Or am I taking crazy pills here?

Yes, it damages the relationship in the sense that it puts strain on it that is unecessary given the natue of the backlog I detailed above. It's not needed and is only causing spousal couples to suffer in an unneeded way. And it makes things even worse when you have a child on the way and won't get to see them until they'll be walking and talking, as is my case.

I'll admit, it's the ones with kids I really have trouble with. I'm not even a very maternal person, but I cannot imagine what kind of hell that is like.

I'm one of those. Ours is due April 1st. But that changes nothing and USCIS doesn't care about it at all. It's like the child doesn't exist and that those with children shouldn't get any preferential treatment at all. It's quite sad and is terrible, to be honest.