TSC Processing Time is 6 months as of 6/30/14

[Julie+Matt 84]

You are a hero. I thought we would be fine, we last saw each other May 27 and I'm already going to visit. Things at home have been really difficult for me, and when he misses me he starts having all these doubts, so we are like two junkies needing a dose. sigh

I get the having doubts thing. Neither of us doubts our relationship, I just have stupid worries that we will never be together again. It's not a real worry, though. I do have a habit of constantly questioning things, but it's just turned into a way we talk. Him-"I love you." Me-"really?" Him-"yeah." Our relationship continues to amaze me & he continues to be amazing as well. I never thought someone could be so supportive & caring especially from so far away. I'm addicted to him too. I'm leaving a week from today for another 9 days with him. I can't wait. Who knows when I'll see him again afterward. I used to worry that we would run out of things to talk about or he'd get bored of me. I don't worry about that anymore. We have each other & that's all that matters.

Stay strong.

[Dohan 133]

I get the having doubts thing. Neither of us doubts our relationship, I just have stupid worries that we will never be together again. It's not a real worry, though. I do have a habit of constantly questioning things, but it's just turned into a way we talk. Him-"I love you." Me-"really?" Him-"yeah." Our relationship continues to amaze me & he continues to be amazing as well. I never thought someone could be so supportive & caring especially from so far away. I'm addicted to him too. I'm leaving a week from today for another 9 days with him. I can't wait. Who knows when I'll see him again afterward. I used to worry that we would run out of things to talk about or he'd get bored of me. I don't worry about that anymore. We have each other & that's all that matters.

Stay strong.

Thanks! I meant what you said, just it was misunderstood. We don't doubt the relationship it just is exactly what you said, it's these weird convos and not being able to tell what the other is actually saying because you're texting most of the time, or you kind of question why you're doing this whole process and maybe I should move to his country instead of bringing him here to the US.

Essentially we doubt the process, not each other or our relationship

[caiti92 23]

Oh yeah, I can totally relate to the not even knowing when you will see each other again. We have a tricky situation, because he was over here until March working and we filed for the K-1 before he left. He's been unable to secure employment in Ireland because no one will hire him on a temporary basis, so he's stuck living at home. I also live at home and am starting my final semester for my degree in 2 weeks. Money is so tight, just affording the visa process is difficult enough, so there's no way we can travel to see each unless the visa is approved.

We do have a back-up plan, though. If it's not approved by the time I finish my exams, I'll be on the first plane over. So we atleast know it'll only be another 3.5 months maximum before we're together, and that makes me feel a lot less stressed about that sort of thing. But yeah, I can totally relate to the feelings of doubt.

[PrincessButtercup 4]

I think the best thing (and worst thing for some couples) about this process being so difficult is that it really tests your strength and resilience as a couple far beyond the scope that many "domestic" couples are usually exposed to before they are married. While it certainly isn't fair by any means that those individuals who fall in love with someone from another country are seemingly punished by the incredibly anti-immigrant sentiment of the American immigration system, it should serve as a very strong reassurance that if you can make it through this arduous and infuriating process, you can certainly make it over any other obstacle that presents itself throughout the course of your marriage.

I've been with my fiance 2 years, and I was lucky enough that he lived with me on a J-1 visa during the entirety of one of those years. The longest we have ever been apart is 2.5 months. I last saw him in Ireland on June 5th, so we are already nearly there again and haven't received our NOA2. Though it's difficult, we do our best to just focus on the fact that this is the last time we will ever be apart and we will never have to say goodbye to each other in an airport ever again. And, reading the stories of others, it appears as though we are probably one of the luckier couples in terms of the amount of time we've spent together in person. So we are just grateful for what we have, and that makes it easier to cope with haveing so little control over this process.

We went through a phase where we were just mad, angry and frustrated by everything, (I think most people do) but realized it was only stressing us out and making us unhappy. Just really wasn't constructive at all. So I just started researching to figure out all of the things I could do within my power to help the process along. Also, I took up yoga. And that helped A LOT! Hahahahahahaha

I highly suggest taking up running. I'm training for my first marathon and no longer have the energy to worry or get mad (Except today when I was running and cursing him for encouraging me to sign up for the marathon in the first place ;-))

I totally hear you though. He left 8 months ago in between work visas and the renewal got denied, and now we've been waiting almost 5 months for our K. We've realized as long as we stay positive things are great but when we perseverate on things and get negative about the process, life gets a LOT harder.

Like most things in life, this is way easier with a positive attitude. Another reason to take up running- I feel like we're at least 20 miles into the marathon and it's all mental now!