Expedite I129F

[walran 24]

I don't have a lot of secrets in my life, seems to keep things simpler.. And.... I am not sure how I would edit that? This forum is pretty innocuous and how would anyone really know who you are??

[NatashaSah 3]

I got my K1 visa last week. The whole process took 88 days. And I could have done it even faster if I wasn't travelling. I'd recommend not trying to go around the system and do it the simple way since they are being super cooperative at the moment and getting it done so quick. I'd say don't waste any more time thinking and send in your petition asap.

[Essiej 42]

As I said before, we all want to be with our loved ones. No matter what reason u have. U do not have a case. U will have to wait, like 99% of the people do here. And I also said, if u file now, the waiting time wont be long. The 7-9 months u see are still from Texas service center who are not taking any K1 petitions at this moment.

[aaron2020 11,651]

People new to the immigration game thinks the wait time are ridiculous and there has to be a way around it. Their naïveté makes it hard for them to believe those of us with years of immigration experience because we are just an online forum telling them they have to wait like everyone else.

Yes, we are complete idiots who are waiting because we are too stupid to find a short cut. But don't worry, the newbies got it. They aren't going to wait. They are going to do something about it by contacting a senator, representative, and/or a lawyer to speed up their cases. We don't understand that they are special. They have hardships like vacations and missing their love ones.

These posts happen every week on VJ.

Edited November 23, 2015 by aaron2020

[baron555 934]

There is no added cost in asking for an expedite, so go ahead and request it.

The OP will see how much a senator's letter will do for him.

And, there is no penalty in being denied an expedite.

[walran 24]

People new to the immigration game thinks the wait time are ridiculous and there has to be a way around it. Their naïveté makes it hard for them to believe those of us with years of immigration experience because we are just an online forum telling them they have to wait like everyone else.

Yes, we are complete idiots who are waiting because we are too stupid to find a short cut. But don't worry, the newbies got it. They aren't going to wait. They are going to do something about it by contacting a senator, representative, and/or a lawyer to speed up their cases. We don't understand that they are special. They have hardships like vacations and missing their love ones.

These posts happen every week on VJ.

Actually I used to translate visa documents for the Embassy in Germany.. I know that there are ways around everything ( I actually did one in the 80's for myself) but as mentioned it is not always wise to try and find a way and if you don't get expedited it could put you to the bottom of the pile again.

I submitted my file and will wait as the timelines seem to be pretty quick as mentioned by a previous poster who said she got hers in 88 days beginning to end. I do think that 7 months is ridiculous and no amount of "this is just the way it is" will change my mind..If for some reason it looked like that was going to happen and I spent 5 months and was getting nowhere then I would take action as I can to speed things up. One of the officers at the USCIS stated that a letter from a senator will do that nicely but usually only if they have mislaid the documents or something to that effect.

The average timeline for Nepal is 45 days I think once it hits the consulate and from those I looked at it could be faster if they were ready (I assume the average includes those with problems regarding documentation etc.) I will try and get a copy of the embassy packet prior and have that filled out before as well as the medical etc. if I can find what exactly is needed and I may be able to get that from the consulate itself.

[Pennycat 880]

Your previous experiences have nothing to do with the current reality of US immigration. There have been far too many changes in the post- 9/11 world and the general structure of the government etc... it's not even the same process, really. And while in theory, there are ways around it at the embassy (but in practice, not really, not anymore), the major factor in the timeline these days is USCIS. That is who you'd be applying for an expedite from and that is where it is all but impossible to get an expedite from.

The people telling you this have direct, personal and recent experience with this issue ( we applied for a medical expedite and were denied). There have been several VJ babies who were born abroad (pregnant foreign fiances), necessitating a whole separate process for Counselor Report of Birth Abroad who had been denied expedites from USCIS, and several VJ babies born in the US without their (foreign) fathers present-- mom now unable to work, no paid maternity leave and no one to help with the baby. Denied expedite by USICS. That is the current reality of the US immigration process. Now, almost all of these people were "expedited" by the consulate, but that just shaves a week or two off the total timeline. The real speedbump is USCIS.

The reason you're hearing about/ seeing drastically different wait times for K1s is because until April, they were being handled by two different USCIS service centers: Texas and California. Texas was taking an average of 210 days (7 months) to pass them along to the State Department whereas California was taking 21 days (3 weeks). This is because Texas had a HUGE backlog that California did not have. Thanks to lobbying from mostly people right here on VJ, USCIS started sending all new applicants to California which is currently averaging 32 days (see here: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1historical ). So... good news for you.

Yes, 6+ months is ridiculous (remember, the average not too long ago for Texas folks was 9+ months). Especially when compared to other people's 3 month or less timelines. That is why the backlash against USCIS and why the change. A change that you are about to benefit from (that those of us who fought for it did not).

Where you're unintentionally ruffling feathers is that when faced with what is normal for everyone (or, in your case much much much faster than most 2015/2015 applicants) as too much for you, it kind of implies that other people don't experience financial hardship and missing their loved ones--- like it's somehow unique to you. People don't tend to like that. That, and people who DID face real hardship (pregnancy is only one example) it just... hits people the wrong way.

Edited November 24, 2015 by CatherineA