Are K1 Visas moving along quicker?

[SaltedCaramel 0]

Hi Everyone!

I'm a longtime lurker but a first time poster… My fiancé (USC) and I are planning to do our paperwork now. We were expecting to wait about a year (I'm immigrating from Canada) for everything to be completed. But in the last few weeks, I've been reading posts of people who filed in July or August already getting approved or have already had their interviews. I'm trying to plan this properly because a family member is getting married next summer or winter (they haven't confirmed) and I hope that my AP will be done by then so I can travel back for that weekend to attend.

Is it me or does it seem to be picking up in speed?

I look forward to sharing my journey and learning more from everyone here.

Edited November 22, 2013 by SaltedCaramel

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

K-1s are very fast now but that could change any minute. You can't guess what will be happening months from now based on what is happening right now.

[JayJayH 546]

There is no way to accurately predict the timeline of anything the USCIS or State Dept. does.

The best way to plan this is to use approximate timelines. Expect 5 - 7 months until you can enter on a K-1. As far as advance parole, this is somewhat under your control. You can file as soon as you are married. Expect roughly 60 - 90 days from the date of filing, until your AP is in your mailbox.

So. If you file i.e. on December 1st, you can expect to have your visa some time in May/June.

Say you get married on July 1st, and file on July 2nd. You can then expect to have the AP document some time in mid October. Should be perfect for a Canadian winter wedding.

Keep in mind that these timelines fluctuate, and that nothing is guaranteed. It seems like the USCIS is beginning to divert a lot of manpower toward clearing out the current I-130 backlog. Whether this will affect processing times of I-129f petitions, I don't even think the USCIS director would be able to tell you.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Yang-Ja

[SaltedCaramel 0]

There is no way to accurately predict the timeline of anything the USCIS or State Dept. does.

The best way to plan this is to use approximate timelines. Expect 5 - 7 months until you can enter on a K-1. As far as advance parole, this is somewhat under your control. You can file as soon as you are married. Expect roughly 60 - 90 days from the date of filing, until your AP is in your mailbox.

So. If you file i.e. on December 1st, you can expect to have your visa some time in May/June.

Say you get married on July 1st, and file on July 2nd. You can then expect to have the AP document some time in mid October. Should be perfect for a Canadian winter wedding.

Keep in mind that these timelines fluctuate, and that nothing is guaranteed. It seems like the USCIS is beginning to divert a lot of manpower toward clearing out the current I-130 backlog. Whether this will affect processing times of I-129f petitions, I don't even think the USCIS director would be able to tell you.

Thanks for the insightful post! Yes, that's exactly what we plan on doing. Once we get our visa's we will make our way to the US and get married at the court (plan for a later wedding) and then file for AP, EAD and SSN immediately. It'll be weird for me not to be able to drive (unless I can use my Canadian drivers license until I get my SSN?). Do AP's take generally 60-90 days? or have there been instances where it could go past 90? I know with visa's they can be delayed, but I hope that the adjustments are pretty in line with the timeline on the website.

I'm trying to gather all the paperwork now so that when the time comes to send, we will be prepared.

[JayJayH 546]

Ask the Canucks over in the Canada regional forum about driving on a Canadian license. I believe most states allow you to do so for up to 90 days.

As far as advance parole, the USCIS estimated timeline is 90 days.

It could take longer but that is uncommon. More commonly, they seem to arrive after roughly 60 days. My only basis for saying that is observations made on this website, and personal experience.

Again, consider all timelines as estimates, and always have a plan B.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Yang-Ja