K1 September 2014 Filers (TSC)

[Jabl2rom 54]

Hi everyone, well although there's only two days left before visiting my love my emotions are in the pitts. My third trip back since I filed and to have nothing is just so damn upsetting. I honestly thought after being told by my congressional office a few weeks ago that my case had been assigned to someone I would have heard something by now but nope nada zero. What kills me is this really will be last trip for a while because financially I can't keep traveling back and worth with all the expenses that ahead for us. I am also self employed so every time I leave I am losing money. UGH I digress. My question is how long is the AOS process? Is it a year to get the green card? Also how soon will he be able to file for Citizenship after that?

to be honest, don't worry about citizenship or anything like that. You will just stress out more. In fact, I wouldn't even worry about the conditional greencard until your fiance has the K1 visa. Step by step. Generally speaking, it takes from 3 to 9 months to recieve a greencard based on some of the approvals (or complaints). After that you can file for removal of conditions 1.5 years into your conditional green card. Next, you can file for citizenship 2 years after receiving your 10-year green card. (This is a rough, rough estimation of the process). So if everything works like clockwork it is possible to get citizenship within 3.75-5 years upon arrival.

[Mena28 35]

Hmmmm...ok. Well I can understand that. But you knew about all of this unfamiliar life change business and the other factors too before you made the commitment, right? Or is it a surprise for you?

Also, don't make it out to be so bad. It isn't. My ex got her driver's license within a month of being here, based on her international license. She was driving pretty quickly. And BTW, we don't have a national license, it's all state driving licenses.

Anyway, she made friends soon thereafter and was off doing that stuff in short order. Unfortunately that ended up being our downfall, or hers to be precise, so I would caution you against making this stuff out to be like some kind of prison sentence. My ex did that, fell in with the wrong crowd and became a totally different person than the one I had known. I divorced her azz in one day when she openly betrayed me and she's now back in her home country.

Point being that I encourage you to not fall into that negative trap like she did. Don't think of those factors so negatively. You knew about them before you agreed to this engagement, so accept them and stay positive with your new spouse. It's only for a very short time in the big picture anyway, so please keep it positive. And when you're urged to betray your spouse by those so-called "friends" tell them to go #### themselves. And don't laugh or shrug it off, saying "that won't happen to me" or "you're exaggerating".... my ex did that too.

Anyway FWIW. Good luck with it!

Well, I am actually quite positive about the whole thing and yes, I know kind of sort of what I am getting myself into (which of course means I really dont lol), and I already have an established circle of friends there - both my own and those my fiance and I have in common, plus my hostfamilies. I already had a life there for two years (make that four in total) and am now in the position of having to temporarily rebuild mine here in Austria for while I am here, knowing I will leave as soon as the visa is through.

But I do have my moments when it feels overwhelming, so what I was saying earlier was more a general picture of how a beneficiary might feel, putting everything I can think of together, than my own state of mind :-)

I am planning on enjoying the enforced work free time by enjoying being with my partner, settling in, getting my bearings, visiting friends and doing things I might not have time for once I get to work (like read, scrapbook, climb etc)! I am good at that, if I do say so myself. I´d just not want it to be a permanent arrangement.

Totally agree with you on the point of positivity and honesty. We take turns cheering each other up, to put smiles on each other´s face.

What Mena said times ten!

I am somewhat terrified of the move, despite the fact that on paper I have no reason to be...I have a good education including PhD in the Sciences, I have built a good career for several years, I have lived abroad (London, incidentally) before, I have no language barrier...so, I should be able to settle in well and find a good job - in theory at least. Still, it is a huge move, away from the familiar surroundings - I am leading a very comfortable life over here, away from your support system, friends and family and requires sacrifices. You cannot be independent at first in the US until you are settled, adjusted and so on. That terrifies me still.

My fiance and I have been talking through this and have also set priorities - we discussed A LOT who should make the move and decided it should be me because I - unlike him - have no language barrier and my job/education should travel well enough, still it is a HUGE step. But I realized that I am willing to make these sacrifices for us to be together. And I know it will work out in the end, but us beneficiaries have to go through a phase where everything is new and needs to be figured out.

The stress USCIS is causing doesn't help.

Exactly. It is just different for us beneficiaries than for the petitioners, I think. It is a different kind of leap of faith that is required depending on whether you are the USC or the foreign national. And somehow we try to meet in the middle and make this happen and work :-)

You will be fine, TabeaK, I am sure of it! You can do it, you can do it! Like the little engine that could. (Ich glaub auf Deutsch sagt die Lokomotive "Ich schaffe es schon, ich schaff es schon" während sie was Schweres den Berg raufzieht :-D)

The language thing is huge.

[yuna628 9,676]

His fears of what? Seems like he has an excellent opportunity to have better work with a higher salary, not to mention he gets to be with such an awesome woman. And no real language barrier to boot. Discrimination isn't an issue really, no one here cares much about the British, the resentment is the other way around, at least in my experience. I mean I can understand the whole living in another country business, but heck he has it made. Does he have super-strong ties to family or something?

Anyway.

If you have spent any time in the unemployment/employment system in the UK, and feeling dehumanized and or demoralized on a weekly basis, then finally having a job and knowing it's the only one you can have or it's right back into that system, I can understand why it would be scary to find yourself in a new country and once again unemployed. Financial security and the ability to provide was my guy's priority. I imagine he fears being trapped unemployed again and being wanted by no one. No one likes to feel inadequate It's true of course that America has it's own economic and job issues. Though I think we're actually in the mode of looking for skilled workers (degrees) rather than unskilled. As shana,mike explains it worked very differently in the UK. So it will take getting used to for him. I live in a rural area, but close enough to areas that are looking for his skills. He's used to just walking or taking a bus/metro to get to where he needs to go, not possible here. Thankfully we have a second vehicle for him to drive. It's just that fear of the unknown and bad experiences to get over.

Since I posted in here a while ago this thread still pops up in "My Content" so I like to see how things are going for you all even if I don't post here. But I just had to say how spot on this description is of life in the UK. I went on to University and did what most people call a "mickey mouse" degree i.e. a degree in the arts. I did it because I thoroughly enjoyed the subject at A-Level (Film, in case anyone is curious). While I was at Uni the recession hit, my Dad who had 20+ years in one company was jobless; his entire retirement package gone just like that. Just before I graduated our year had a meeting, the lecturers were telling us just "how ###### it is out there right now" and to just do our best and keep going. If you had a place to live in London, with your parents say, you were fine because you could afford to work for free for a while until you found a job. A few of my class mates who were from London now have great jobs in the film industry. For people like me, however, I had to move back with my parents in the North where there were no job opportunities in my field. I couldn't afford to live in London with an overdraft and no savings. It took me 7 months to find a job in my local area and that was just a part time job earning minimum wage at a cinema. Employers didn't want you to have a degree, they wanted you to have work experience. If you'd spent the best part of 3 years being a student then you were no longer a candidate. It was brutal. Even my friend who had a degree in Law, far from a mickey mouse degree, he ended up working at a jewelers and is still there today.

I have to laugh, Yuna, because I did end up moving to Japan to teach English. I got a job there in 2 weeks and I was earning a lot of money. Japan was not to be my forever home, but looking into the guidelines to be married to a foreigner in the UK was just horrific. There have been accounts of families being torn apart over the income requirements, two kids now have "Skype mummy" since she had to leave the UK because their father didn't earn the right amount of money. It's ridiculous. America will still have a tough job market I'm sure, but immigrating to America is a lot more promising for me now I have a lot of savings from my time in Japan than having my American fiance move here.

This a million times yes. I knew people with law degrees, forensic scientists, and programmers all unable to find work/fired and the only thing they were able to get was retail or call centers/collection agencies. Art majors were hit especially hard. I'm glad that you were able to get to Japan and find somewhere that would appreciate your abilities and pay you for them. Families have certainly been affected by the law and it's very very wrong to see what has happened.

Hi everyone, well although there's only two days left before visiting my love my emotions are in the pitts. My third trip back since I filed and to have nothing is just so damn upsetting. I honestly thought after being told by my congressional office a few weeks ago that my case had been assigned to someone I would have heard something by now but nope nada zero. What kills me is this really will be last trip for a while because financially I can't keep traveling back and worth with all the expenses that ahead for us. I am also self employed so every time I leave I am losing money. UGH I digress.

Sorry to hear that, Ethline. I'm praying that all of us will be approved soon.

[av8or1 246]

Well, I am actually quite positive about the whole thing [snip]

Exactly. It is just different for us beneficiaries than for the petitioners, I think. It is a different kind of leap of faith that is required depending on whether you are the USC or the foreign national. And somehow we try to meet in the middle and make this happen and work :-)

[snip]

The language thing is huge.

Ok, well if you say that you are positive, then that's a good thing. Again, my only concern when I hear beneficiaries talking like you and TabeaK regarding the "prison sentence" effect (which isn't to say that you used that term, but rather that is a common/old school term that is used to describe the phenomenon you referred to) is that you might fall into the same trap that my ex did. So I am concerned for you, that's all. I wouldn't want to see our result (where "our" = me and my ex) become your result for much the same reasons. You will definitely find folk who will criticize both your marriage and your spouse. It will happen, trust me. It certainly did to my ex. And how you respond to such behavior will dictate, in part, the success of your marriage. Fortunately Mena28, you have a support network already in place, so you should have an easier time of it than most beneficiaries. But anyway. all I ask is that you consider my point: please consider not being so apprehensive and negative about the "prison sentence" effect. Yes, do your scrapbooking, or whatever else to pass the time. Enjoy it, because you will work eventually. And as for the concerns that TabeaK raised regarding working in America, look, no one really cares where you're from if you are a producer. If you get the job done, if you perform then you'll be welcomed into any company. Or at least any reputable company.

Mind you, I understand the general waff of apprehension and insecurity associated with such a life-altering event. All I ask is that you don't let it get the better of you like my ex did. Don't focus on it, don't even let it spend much time in your thoughts. Stay positive, remember what brought you together and hold that the most dear. One of my favorite movie quotes is this:

"It's easy to lose sight of what's important. So don't."

Oh how so very true. I only wish my ex had been so wise. Of course, if she had I wouldn't have met my fiance, so I suppose it worked out in the end. LOL

Anyway. FWIW.

Again good luck!

Edited February 18, 2015 by av8or1

[TabeaK 517]

"General waff of apprehension" How very colorfully put.

Well, I personally think a transatlantic move is a bit more involved than just a "waff", but I digress. It is probably the first instance of culture shock - Mena and I are after all from the Germanic culture - we are supposed to be worry warts after all.

Or maybe it is a European thing, I don't know. I am looking forward to our new life together but I am also a little apprehensive. I think that's only normal for such a life changing event. Would I ever have considered moving to the US without my USC fiance? No, probably not. But it is an exciting opportunity and if I don't end up liking it there we will just move somewhere else - the world is thankfully big enough.

av8or1: Was your ex by any chance way young? She sounds it when you are talking about her.

Edited February 18, 2015 by TabeaK

[av8or1 246]

"General waff of apprehension" How very colorfully put.

Well, I personally think a transatlantic move is a bit more involved than just a "waff", but I digress. It is probably the first instance of culture shock - Mena and I are after all from the Germanic culture - we are supposed to be worry warts after all.

Or maybe it is a European thing, I don't know. I am looking forward to our new life together but I am also a little apprehensive. I think that's only normal for such a life changing event. Would I ever have considered moving to the US without my USC fiance? No, probably not. But it is an exciting opportunity and if I don't end up liking it there we will just move somewhere else - the world is thankfully big enough.

av8or1: Was your ex by any chance way young? She sounds it when you are talking about her.

TabeaK, don't reduce my comment to something that appears demeaning and unsympathetic. That was not my intention. Maybe you didn't intend that either, but I am clarifying just to cover all of the bases. Listen to what I am saying, listen: I never said it wasn't normal to have apprehension, I said the opposite. I said that I understood the general waff of apprehension, where "general waff" does NOT mean "small" or "insignificant" but rather "the whole" or "the entire collective as a large, single entity". I and most all petitioners DO understand what you and Mena28 and others have expressed. And we're supportive. Sure, it's normal. So? What I am personally asking is that you don't let it affect your life or your relationship with your to-be spouse, especially when the negative influences from those who don't approve of your marriage come around. All I'm saying is that it is an easy trap to fall into, that's all. In case you haven't noticed, I am a supporter, not a detractor of you and other beneficiaries. Hell I have BEEN HERE and DONE THIS, I should know. I am trying to help, though it may not appear as such to you. Not sure how you're taking this. However it is, you should understand, fully understand, that I am not just spouting off a bunch of verbal diarrhea. No, I am speaking from direct personal experience. This "prison effect" phenomenon destroyed all of the plans I had made and ruined my life for the better part of 3 years. Hell in ways I'm still paying for it. Ultimately I blame my ex for what happened; she didn't have to listen to such negative influence, she didn't have to do what she was told to do by such horrible people. But she did. She fell into that trap and it ruined a good chunk of our respective lives. And for what?

No my ex was not young. At the time of our marriage she was 32 IIRC. At the time she betrayed me, she was 33. The divorce was final just before her 34th BD. So no, you cannot chalk this one up to the ignorance and misguidedness of youth. It was directly attributable to the "prison sentence" thing, the negative influences that followed and her inability to stand up to all of that and say "go #### yourself. I will remain loyal to my husband." Or some variant thereof, you get the point. She had other major character flaws that she somehow had managed to keep hidden too, but I digress. This isn't about me. It's about you. Y'all seem like good folk. I wouldn't want this horrific - and believe me it was horrific, I had nightmares every single night for 8 months, no joke - to happen to you too. That's all.

But anyway. I've tried to help. I'm done. Take it for what it's worth to you. This will be the last I'll comment on the issue.

As I've said, good luck!

Edited February 18, 2015 by av8or1

[sandra3711 52]

Or maybe it is a European thing, I don't know. I am looking forward to our new life together but I am also a little apprehensive. I think that's only normal for such a life changing event. Would I ever have considered moving to the US without my USC fiance? No, probably not. But it is an exciting opportunity and if I don't end up liking it there we will just move somewhere else - the world is thankfully big enough.

I can 100% relate to this feeling. Moving away from my family and friend and everything that I know, is terribly terrifying, but it is what I need to do to be with my better half.

[av8or1 246]

UPDATE

Ok I just spent 20 - 30 minutes talking with the immigration liason in senator Ted Cruz's office. Oh boy but was that ever a frustrating experience that went nowhere. This person denied that there is a processing times difference for the I-129F between CSC and TSC. They attempted to explain why the expedite criteria is so strict. They mentioned that TSC receives a much higher volume of petitions in general. They mentioned that each adjudicator only handles certain petition types and that TSC might be running low on qualified adjudicators for the I-129F. In short, I got the Texas two-step and in a big way. I answered all of those issues, stated that there is a poignant time difference between the two SCs, offered to send data and reports to support that claim and requested help. I was basically rebuffed and rather inconsiderately I might add. Also, when I mentioned the bulk transfer from last year I was told that this person was not aware of such a transfer. "Wha-?" I thought. And I was told that if (mind you, they said "if") such a transfer actually happened, that it was an attempt to help the petitioners receive their NOA2s faster. I replied that I agreed with such general thought and asked why haven't they repeated this type of bulk transfer? I was told that they weren't sure it ever happened, so they couldn't comment on why it hadn't been repeated.

Uugggghhhhh. So very frustrating when trying to talk with your federal representatives. Well, with the exception of congressman John Carter's office, they were excellent professionals. Heck today I felt like I was talking with the USCIS and getting the run-around like we're all accustomed to receiving when we've made our individual inquiries to-date. Funny, because this person had just returned from training at the TSC. I felt like they had been trained on how to give us a good canned answer that tells us little.

Anyway. I'm gonna stop talking now. I'm annoyed. And a little tired. Gonna take some time off, then regroup and try something else.

FYI. FWIW.

Edited February 18, 2015 by av8or1

[Ethline 17]

What does this mean if anything did my congressional office really have success requesting and expedite. I saw this when I logged into my USCIS account.

On February 17, 2015, your request to have your case expedited, referral number WKxxxxxxxxxtsc, was completed.

[pfrederiksen 22]

What does this mean if anything did my congressional office really have success requesting and expedite. I saw this when I logged into my USCIS account.

On February 17, 2015, your request to have your case expedited, referral number WKxxxxxxxxxtsc, was completed.

Seems that way, but I guess the request being completed doesn't necessarily mean it was approved. Just that it was processed.

[Ethline 17]

Yes I understand that but I feel better knowing they did actually requested it so it wasn't just some worker there blowing smoke up my azz.

[Mena28 35]

"General waff of apprehension" How very colorfully put.

Well, I personally think a transatlantic move is a bit more involved than just a "waff", but I digress. It is probably the first instance of culture shock - Mena and I are after all from the Germanic culture - we are supposed to be worry warts after all.

Or maybe it is a European thing, I don't know. I am looking forward to our new life together but I am also a little apprehensive. I think that's only normal for such a life changing event. Would I ever have considered moving to the US without my USC fiance? No, probably not. But it is an exciting opportunity and if I don't end up liking it there we will just move somewhere else - the world is thankfully big enough.

av8or1: Was your ex by any chance way young? She sounds it when you are talking about her.

Love the worry warts comment, you just made me laugh out loud :-D Awesome lol

Sounds like the European beneficiaries here are all on the same page ;-)

How did you do with reverse culture shock? Culture shock itself is quite tricky, but the reverse one beats the original one by a mile - in my experience anyways.

@av8or1 You are fine, I am not upset by what you are saying. I am pretty sure I know what you mean and want to thank you for your trying to look out for us :-)

I am pretty sure we´ll be fine. A big part of it is having some self confidence, spine, an opinion and the ability to support it.

It sounds like you had a bad experience and I am really sorry for it.

But, you know, some people are so desperate to be liked that they will fall in with any group of available people, just to have someone.

For me having my family - and I mean my Austrian one - 100% supporting me in everything I do is a wonderful safety net that I can only wish anybody else to have as well.

Good luck to you as well :-)

[av8or1 246]

UPDATE

Kristin came up with another idea today of how we can continue to get the word out. She filed a complaint with the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) through their public affairs/Office of the Inspector General (OIG). They have an online form and you can remain anonymous if you want. Our idea is to bombard the DHS OIG with complaints regarding the same issue, which is the processing times difference between the TSC and CSC. All of us in the Skunkworks have submitted a complaint via this online form and we're requesting that all of you do the same, if willing. The point being that the more complaints they receive, then maybe someone will actually take a look. As per normal, we don't expect much from this venture, but it is definitely worth a try. The link is:

http://www.oig.dhs.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=177%3Ahotlineformnstructions-&catid=1&Itemid=133

They limit the complaint to 4000 characters and no attachments. When completing the form, if you want to remain anonymous, don't enter any of your personal information and click the remain-anonymous check-box at the bottom of the page. In addition, we chose miscellaneous and management from the respective "category" drop-down boxes when completing the form. Finally, here is what I wrote, for reference:

The USCIS has allowed a petition processing time imbalance to develop for the Petition for Alien Fiance, form I-129F. They have taken no action to correct the problem. This petition is processed in two service centers, the California (CSC) and Texas (TSC) service centers respectively. Currently the CSC processes the I-129F petition in approximately 21 days whereas the TSC processes it in approximately 205 days. This creates a significant advantage for petitioners whose packet is routed to the CSC. The routing procedure is based on the petitioner's state of residence. Although there will always be some time difference between processing centers, this difference has been allowed to become excessive and unfair to those who file the petition, as the application fee remains the same regardless of which service center processes the petition. The USCIS has mismanaged the workload for this petition severely. Despite direct reports of the existence of such a processing times discrepancy and repeated requests for corrective action to be taken, the USCIS has not only refused to take such action, they have repudiated the very existence of the processing times imbalance completely.

Feel free to copy-n-paste or enter whatever you want. Stef will be posting soon to provide the text of her entry. So take a look at that too.

Thank you for your consideration.

Edited February 19, 2015 by av8or1

[stef_curls 42]

I am writing to you on the issue of the current processing times between the two service centers of California and Texas for I-129F (Fiance) petitions. I am the petitioner, living in Rhode Island, so my I-129F was sent to Texas Service Center for processing, received 11/18/14, so I am well within the "current processing times," and I am NOT asking for an inquiry into my specific case.

My apologies if this is not the incorrect avenue to pursue this issue, if so I would deeply appreciate information for who I should be contacting.

The problem is that California and Texas are currently processing (approving) these petitions at a rate of 1:9. I have spoken to filers in California that have filed long after me who have received their second notice of action and their beneficiaries are well on their way and scheduling medicals and interviews. One California filer I spoke to who had her first Notice of Action also in November just had her interview and final visa approval. I, on the other hand, and facing a wait of *at least* 4-5 more months, barring any additional delays at Texas Service Center.

An average of ~21 days (California) vs ~203 days (Texas) for these petitions is *absolutely unacceptable*.

For a visual of where these numbers and data are coming from, please look to the second set of charts at this link (Where it says “Step 2: I-129F Processing Time at Service Centers --> I-129F NOA1 to NOA2 (Approval) Time”):

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1historical

Visajourney.com is a popular resource for all immigration processes, and forum members enter their data into a timeline system, which produces these graphs. The members of this forum have no incentive to lie or provide false information, as they are volunteering to come to this site and add their data and also look to it as a source of knowledge.

Our end goal is to not only figure out WHY there is such a large discrepancy, but to *rebalance the two service centers*, whatever the solution may be.

I and several others have attempted to address USCIS directly, or through our Senators and Congressman, and we have all received the same canned answer. "They" refuse to address that this problem even exists, and often just defer us back to their "official processing times," which obviously do not reflect the large difference you see in the graphs above. However, the data does not lie.

Your time is greatly appreciated, thank you for reading.

[Jabl2rom 54]

Some of the August filers are receiving their approvals. I think in 20 days time some of our September filers will get answers.