Are there any REAL people working for USCIS?

[DollThrift 0]

This is my first time posting on here, and I'm kind of at my wits end...

I received an email receipt on Jan 23 (the actual NOA "received" date is Jan 12) for my I-129F. It's now February 23 and I have yet to hear anything else. I know everyone goes through this paranoia, thinking "What if they lost mine? What if I'm supposed to be doing something??" and this is basically where I'm at right now.

I am working with an immigration attorney who only answers me in 1-word responses via email, which makes me feel like I'm bothering him. I have tried to contact someone- ANYONE- at the USCIS customer service number and it seems like I get caught up in an automated-hell. Does anyone know how to get a hold of an actual person??

Is this normal to not hear anything besides my NOA1?? I saw that some people received an NOA in the mail- I never got one of these.

Also, my fiance and I are planning our wedding at the end of August. With a received date of Jan 12, does this seem like enough time for the full process to be completed?

This experience isn't nearly as funny or kitschy as the movie Green Card...

[ppfkl 0]

DollThrift, Welcome to VJ,

To answer your question, yes it's normal not to hear anything. You can get an account on the USCIS web page and watch your case number to see if there are any "touches". If you did not get an NOA1 in the mail, you should keep trying the service center at (800) 375 – 5283. At some point, you'll be able to hit 0 and get to a person. You will need your case number. They can probably reissue your NOA1.

As far as processing time, the whole process will vary from country to country. However the first step (NOA2) is pretty much the same for everyone depending on the service center you went through. Cases are served on a first-come first-served basis. Typically people take 80-90 days to get their NOA2. We all watch the dates carefully. You can go to the Immigration Timelines section and do your own queries. Here's that stats that I look at every day.

- 81% (66 of 81) October CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 85% (53 of 62) November CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 10% (5 of 48) December CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 0% (0 of 27) January CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 50% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 81 days of their NOA1.

- 84% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 91 days of their NOA1.

- 98% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 100 days of their NOA1.

- It takes about 30 days for approved petitions to reach the appropriate consulate.

For UK beneficiaries, it takes 74 days on average from receipt to interview. So, all in all your looking at between 185-205 days for your fiancee to get their visa. August 30 is 230 days after your NOA1 so you might be taking a fair amount of risk with your plans. A lot of the advice you'll see here is to not make wedding plans until you have your visa in hand because you can always be denied or RFE'd at the interview. It's a real bummer to have that kind of surprise when you've made a lot of plans.

Bottom line is, welcome to the long wait . But, it's a short time compared to the rest of your lives together.

Good luck,

PPFKL

[David-and-Mae 15]

This is my first time posting on here, and I'm kind of at my wits end...

I received an email receipt on Jan 23 (the actual NOA "received" date is Jan 12) for my I-129F. It's now February 23 and I have yet to hear anything else. I know everyone goes through this paranoia, thinking "What if they lost mine? What if I'm supposed to be doing something??" and this is basically where I'm at right now.

I am working with an immigration attorney who only answers me in 1-word responses via email, which makes me feel like I'm bothering him. I have tried to contact someone- ANYONE- at the USCIS customer service number and it seems like I get caught up in an automated-hell. Does anyone know how to get a hold of an actual person??

Is this normal to not hear anything besides my NOA1?? I saw that some people received an NOA in the mail- I never got one of these.

Also, my fiance and I are planning our wedding at the end of August. With a received date of Jan 12, does this seem like enough time for the full process to be completed?

This experience isn't nearly as funny or kitschy as the movie Green Card...

I see you filed at CSC... That NOA1 is a proof that they got your case and will work on it if it's time. You won't be receiving anything after that NOA1 until such time that they've really started flipping the pages of your packet. After a couple of months (sometimes within 3 months or so) you will then receive another notice either an RFE or the NOA2 (the approval notice). You need not to get paranoid or worry too much otherwise the whole waiting process will kill you. Hang in there! You're not alone! You see, we've filed back in December and still waiting for our NOA2... Good luck!

Mae

[mmarlo 1]

First, relax a bit. You've got a long way to go in the process, and I'm really sorry if you're at your wits' end now because one month is not very long in the big picture. Check out this site and look at some other people's timelines. It depends on which service center is processing your case. I see yours is being processed by the CSC. Mine was done there, too, and it got approved in about two months, before getting sent on to the National Visa Center (after an annoyingly long and unexplained delay), and then extremely quickly onto the US Embassy in my fiancee's country. We're expecting probably another two months or so before she gets her visa and is able to come into the country. So about six months total.

After my petition was approved, I got an email notification, and the NOA2 arrived in the mail a few days later. Now if you had been lucky enough to get yours transferred to Vermont, well, then maybe you'd be expecting your NOA2 any time now, but as it is, you've got some time left to wait for the NOA2. Be patient and read up on this site. There's a wealth of information, and you can look at other people's progress who applied for K-1 visas from the UK, too. You should be able to get better estimates from their timelines.

Now here's what is a bit confusing about your message. How did you get an email notification without getting your NOA1 in the mail first? How did you know your CIS receipt number to get the email alert system working? You only get that CIS receipt number from you NOA1, which comes in the mail (unless you have good eyes and can read it on the back of your check that was deposited by the CIS). It seems like maybe you've misunderstood the NOA terms?! I can't tell.

[DollThrift 0]

DollThrift, Welcome to VJ,

To answer your question, yes it's normal not to hear anything. You can get an account on the USCIS web page and watch your case number to see if there are any "touches". If you did not get an NOA1 in the mail, you should keep trying the service center at (800) 375 – 5283. At some point, you'll be able to hit 0 and get to a person. You will need your case number. They can probably reissue your NOA1.

As far as processing time, the whole process will vary from country to country. However the first step (NOA2) is pretty much the same for everyone depending on the service center you went through. Cases are served on a first-come first-served basis. Typically people take 80-90 days to get their NOA2. We all watch the dates carefully. You can go to the Immigration Timelines section and do your own queries. Here's that stats that I look at every day.

- 81% (66 of 81) October CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 85% (53 of 62) November CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 10% (5 of 48) December CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 0% (0 of 27) January CSC NOA1s have received their NOA2.

- 50% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 81 days of their NOA1.

- 84% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 91 days of their NOA1.

- 98% of CSC filers should receive their NOA2 within 100 days of their NOA1.

- It takes about 30 days for approved petitions to reach the appropriate consulate.

For UK beneficiaries, it takes 74 days on average from receipt to interview. So, all in all your looking at between 185-205 days for your fiancee to get their visa. August 30 is 230 days after your NOA1 so you might be taking a fair amount of risk with your plans. A lot of the advice you'll see here is to not make wedding plans until you have your visa in hand because you can always be denied or RFE'd at the interview. It's a real bummer to have that kind of surprise when you've made a lot of plans.

Bottom line is, welcome to the long wait . But, it's a short time compared to the rest of your lives together.

Good luck,

PPFKL

Hi PPFKL,

Wow, that was a pretty informative response. I have been following along with my case number- no touches yet. I guess I will just try the service center again and see if I have any luck speaking to an actual representative.

That is a BIG bummer to see that most people advise not to make wedding plans. Especially considering there's so much time and effort that goes into a wedding and it's not like it can be organized overnight. -Which means not only do we have to wait 6 months for the visa process, it will probably still be another 4 months after that to plan a wedding. gah.....

It's the whole "hurry up and wait" it bit that really gets to me. Remembering that I have to sit back and just wait for someone to stamp my paperwork makes my blood boil!

Thanks for all your help,

DollThrift

[ppfkl 0]

Happy to help DollThrift. One thing to remember though is that you only have 90 days to marry once your fiancee comes to the US. Many people do a civil ceremony quickly for the legal marriage and then have a separate religious or family ceremony.

Once again, good luck and hang in their.

PPFKL

[DollThrift 0]

First, relax a bit. You've got a long way to go in the process, and I'm really sorry if you're at your wits' end now because one month is not very long in the big picture. Check out this site and look at some other people's timelines. It depends on which service center is processing your case. I see yours is being processed by the CSC. Mine was done there, too, and it got approved in about two months, before getting sent on to the National Visa Center (after an annoyingly long and unexplained delay), and then extremely quickly onto the US Embassy in my fiancee's country. We're expecting probably another two months or so before she gets her visa and is able to come into the country. So about six months total.

After my petition was approved, I got an email notification, and the NOA2 arrived in the mail a few days later. Now if you had been lucky enough to get yours transferred to Vermont, well, then maybe you'd be expecting your NOA2 any time now, but as it is, you've got some time left to wait for the NOA2. Be patient and read up on this site. There's a wealth of information, and you can look at other people's progress who applied for K-1 visas from the UK, too. You should be able to get better estimates from their timelines.

Now here's what is a bit confusing about your message. How did you get an email notification without getting your NOA1 in the mail first? How did you know your CIS receipt number to get the email alert system working? You only get that CIS receipt number from you NOA1, which comes in the mail (unless you have good eyes and can read it on the back of your check that was deposited by the CIS). It seems like maybe you've misunderstood the NOA terms?! I can't tell.

Hm... I guess that is a bit confusing. I am using the aid of attorney and everything goes through him. He was the one who received the notice, which he then forwarded to me as an email attatchment.

[ppfkl 0]

Hm... I guess that is a bit confusing. I am using the aid of attorney and everything goes through him. He was the one who received the notice, which he then forwarded to me as an email attatchment.

Just as an FYi, many people don't feel that using an attorney provides any value. They are another person in the middle and are very expensive. It sounds like the attorney should have your original NOA1. If your fiancee has children, an attorney may be worthwhile but I've not seen anyone here recommend them. We're not using one but our's is a pretty straight-forward case: both divorced and her with no children.

And now to sleep... (and wait 8-).

PPFKL

[ppfkl 0]

Okay, maybe not to sleep 8-).

I just had a thought. When I lived overseas I had a friend who's a USC. He married a German woman and did a CR1 direct consular file. It took about the same amount of time. I'm assuming your fiancee is a UK citizen. UK citizens enjoy the visa waiver program with the US. So, you could get married at the end of August if you wanted to but you would have to change to a K-3 visa which takes about the same amount of time as a K-1 fiancee visa. I'm not sure what that process looks like. Depending on your circumstances, it might be a longer road but it's probably something to look into for you.

Now, to sleep...

PPFKL

[DA BOMB 1]

Hm... I guess that is a bit confusing. I am using the aid of attorney and everything goes through him. He was the one who received the notice, which he then forwarded to me as an email attatchment.

I have a deep dislike for lawyers and especially after reading the posts on VJ about the screwups they make. Keep an eye on that lawyer of yours...they are notorious for waiting around (or sometimes NEVER) to give you the information you so desperately need! ARGH

[Jennymc11 2]

PPFKL,

You stated that "For UK beneficiaries, it takes 74 days on average from receipt to interview.." Is that really true? That seems short compared to what I think I have seen on others timelines. Don't get me wrong, I hope you are right! That would be fabulous and I just got all excited. I know I have to remember that you used the word "average" so I know it may not happen for us that quickly. Thanks:)

[ppfkl 0]

PPFKL,

You stated that "For UK beneficiaries, it takes 74 days on average from receipt to interview.." Is that really true? That seems short compared to what I think I have seen on others timelines. Don't get me wrong, I hope you are right! That would be fabulous and I just got all excited. I know I have to remember that you used the word "average" so I know it may not happen for us that quickly. Thanks:)

Hi Jennymc11,

I was getting a little tired so maybe I wasn't clear. Looking at the timelines on VJ, it says takes on average 74 days from when the consulate receives the approved petition until the interview. You still have to add in time to NOA2 and time to consulate. From what I look at for CSC filers only, that's 190 days in total on average for UK beneficiaries:

- 9 days send to NOA1

- 81 days NOA1 -> NOA2

- 23 days NOA2 -> Consulate delivery

- 74 days Consulate deliver -> Interview

- 3 days Interview -> visa

I'm only looking at data for the past 3 months because what happened earlier (like IMBRA) delays doesn't really have anything to do with the current processing time.

As with any of these estimates, your mileage may vary . I just do this to keep my fiancee and myself sane during our wait since the only way to see if progress is being made is watching other slowly get their NOA2 before us.

Hope this helps and doesn't burst your balloon too much.

PPFKL

[Jennymc11 2]

PPFKL,

Ah, I should have known it was too good to be true. Thank you, though, for all your research. I knew I must have misunderstood. Only about 160 days left until we have the visa, then:)

Jenny

[msu17 0]

Doll, you can still have the wedding in Aug/Sept if you are VERY flexible. Paul and I dont want to do the courthouse and then a ceremony so we are going to have a real wedding soon after he gets here. Look around at places and talk with all the vendors and explain your situation. I have found many are very understanding. We are going to do it on a Thursday, so no where is booked. I need to give them 2 weeks notice at the hall is all! Look for somewhere that is already nicely decorated so the florist wont have much to do on short notice. Thursday is great as well because you get lots of discounts (50% on my DJ!) So for us, Paul gets his visa, I call all the vendors with an actual date, he gets here and we get married! Just depends on what you want for the wedding but its another option. Just dont pay for any specific dates until he has the visa (or an interview date at the very least). Good luck and check out the timelines, great info for how long each step takes!!!

[joeyjoey 1]

This is my first time posting on here, and I'm kind of at my wits end...

I received an email receipt on Jan 23 (the actual NOA "received" date is Jan 12) for my I-129F. It's now February 23 and I have yet to hear anything else. I know everyone goes through this paranoia, thinking "What if they lost mine? What if I'm supposed to be doing something??" and this is basically where I'm at right now.

I am working with an immigration attorney who only answers me in 1-word responses via email, which makes me feel like I'm bothering him. I have tried to contact someone- ANYONE- at the USCIS customer service number and it seems like I get caught up in an automated-hell. Does anyone know how to get a hold of an actual person??

Is this normal to not hear anything besides my NOA1?? I saw that some people received an NOA in the mail- I never got one of these.

Also, my fiance and I are planning our wedding at the end of August. With a received date of Jan 12, does this seem like enough time for the full process to be completed?

This experience isn't nearly as funny or kitschy as the movie Green Card...

Sorry to hear about that Attorney you hired. He's been paid, so he doesn't have to talk much now! VisaJourney is free, has 7 day /24 hour access and you'll always get more than 1 word responses! There's nothing like using the experiences of the group to guide you through the process. It's normal to have some "silence" at this stage of your process. In the mean time, start prepping for the next phase of the process at the Foreign consulate. It is coming!