I-129F November 2016 Filers

[geowrian 22,337]

7 minutes ago, ali1632 said:

Wow! That's a big difference!

Yes it is. All 79 approvals were in the first 25% of the scan. I started about 15 minutes earlier than "normal"....assuming they updated at their normal times. I was grossly mistaken. I think I'll aim closer to 10:30 PM EST moving forward. That said, I do check the previous date's numbers, in which case tomorrow's scan would have caught it. But who wants to wait that long?

Edited January 31, 2017 by geowrian

[ShanghaiSurfer 135]

4 minutes ago, ali1632 said:

 

Sorry Jim, thanks for the reminder; I'm still getting familiar with this community and I might have gone too far in assuming my views are widely shared, even in such a community as this.

 

In my view (though you are welcome to reject it), these issues are too important not to address, anywhere and everywhere. I'm ashamed of our "elected" leadership and I want everyone to know that these nationalist/xenophobic/racist/warmongering policies are not supported by the majority of Americans. I agree, my tone might have been 'excessive,' so I'll tone it down to a respectful pitch but I feel a responsibility to not sit quietly aside in any forum. The very minute most of us "well mannered" Americans decide it's impolite to rail against the loss of our civil and human rights, that's when we've lost them for good.

 

This is not what is actually happening on the ground, at airports all over the world. People with valid visas are still being denied boarding, or sent home if they managed to land in the US, and some are still being detained without due process. They don't have to revoke anything, they simply aren't honoring them is all. Even where federal judges have ruled this ban illegal, that is only in 4 of 50 states. It's complete chaos and that's not going to change any time soon. We can only speculate on why the one example approval was revoked; maybe someone didn't want to lose their job. Maybe someone called and asked if their approval was still valid, so they got some unwanted attention. ??? Yes, findings of fraud is maybe as likely, but what further review would uncover that after the approval is granted?

 

I said the visas were not being revoked. That's all. I never said people with visas from these countries were all being allowed in. Please read my words more carefully next time. Sorry you misunderstood my post.

[fishe23a 240]

6 minutes ago, ali1632 said:

Wow! That's a big difference!

ali1632 - just noticed here that you're from Orono! I'm in Portland, OR now, but grew up in the Brunswick, Maine area. I've convinced my fiance that we can be in the Boston area when we relocate after the wedding...you're brave & must be mightily convincing to have someone from Spain joining you there!!

[Anthony and Bobby 170]

46 minutes ago, Scott P said:

Is there any corner of the internet where people aren't trying to rant about politics?  If anyone knows where it is, please let me know.  It's not that the topic isn't important, it's that it is all over every conceivable media.  There are several threads on visajourney already completely focused on this issue where you can weigh in and comment, etc., and where anyone who may have been affected is most likely participating.  These events aren't focused on K1 visas and as far as I can tell the 170 or so affected people don't include any 129F November filers who participate in this forum.  Can we stay on topic?

I know it's tough to deal with this constant barrage of news re: the ridiculousness happening in our country, but this is a forum where people are encouraged to share their experiences. 

 

What happened over the weekend actually does directly relate to what we discuss here, so it's a bit unfair to expect that nobody discuss the current political craziness. And maybe it doesn't apply to many countries at this time, who knows what countries will be part of the ban next?

 

Even though we might be 1000% sick of hearing about politics everywhere else, I think it's important for everybody to feel like this is a safe space to ask questions and interact with each other. 

[fishe23a 240]

1 minute ago, Anthony and Bobby said:

I know it's tough to deal with this constant barrage of news re: the ridiculousness happening in our country, but this is a forum where people are encouraged to share their experiences. 

 

What happened over the weekend actually does directly relate to what we discuss here, so it's a bit unfair to expect that nobody discuss the current political craziness. And maybe it doesn't apply to many countries at this time, who knows what countries will be part of the ban next?

 

Even though we might be 1000% sick of hearing about politics everywhere else, I think it's important for everybody to feel like this is a safe space to ask questions and interact with each other. 

 

I do think it should be a safe space for at least asking questions and interact, agreed. While few folks I have seen on VJ are from affected countries, we do not have any idea of the depth and breadth of the immigration changes that the Trump administration will bring about - even in the above-the-board K-1 to Permanent Resident route that we are taking. A New York Times article yesterday quoted USCIS officials off the record saying that employees were mandated to cease work on applications from the 7 countries past the interview stage - meaning that even for K-1, these petitions are currently poised to die at the respective embassy once a couple has waited through the agony of application, NOA-1 to NOA-2 to NVC to embassy to medical all the way to interview. I know that if my application were denied (or "decision to approve visa pending change of official American policy") after spending such a long time waiting, especially having chosen a state-sanctioned method to move toward immigration to the US, I would be beyond devastated. Crushed, heartbroken. These far-reaching changes are currently American immigration policy and I wait with dread to read the news every morning. So I know the VJ community, even possibly K-1, will be affected.

[ali1632 10]

7 minutes ago, fishe23a said:

ali1632 - just noticed here that you're from Orono! I'm in Portland, OR now, but grew up in the Brunswick, Maine area. I've convinced my fiance that we can be in the Boston area when we relocate after the wedding...you're brave & must be mightily convincing to have someone from Spain joining you there!!

Haha, yes, I'm extremely lucky he is willing to ditch Barcelona for Bangor! ? Eventually, though, I hope we'll be spending summers here, and winters on the Mediterranean! 

I hope you do make to Boston; I lived there for a few years in my 20s and really loved it. 

[ShanghaiSurfer 135]

5 minutes ago, fishe23a said:

I do think it should be a safe space for at least asking questions and interact, agreed. While few folks I have seen on VJ are from affected countries, we do not have any idea of the depth and breadth of the immigration changes that the Trump administration will bring about - even in the above-the-board K-1 to Permanent Resident route that we are taking. A New York Times article yesterday quoted USCIS officials off the record saying that employees were mandated to cease work on applications from the 7 countries past the interview stage - meaning that even for K-1, these petitions are currently poised to die at the respective embassy once a couple has waited through the agony of application, NOA-1 to NOA-2 to NVC to embassy to medical all the way to interview. I know that if my application were denied (or "decision to approve visa pending change of official American policy") after spending such a long time waiting, especially having chosen a state-sanctioned method to move toward immigration to the US, I would be beyond devastated. Crushed, heartbroken. These far-reaching changes are currently American immigration policy and I wait with dread to read the news every morning. So I know the VJ community, even possibly K-1, will be affected.

Sadly this is my exact understanding of what is happening as well. 

[fishe23a 240]

2 minutes ago, ali1632 said:

Haha, yes, I'm extremely lucky he is willing to ditch Barcelona for Bangor! ? Eventually, though, I hope we'll be spending summers here, and winters on the Mediterranean! 

I hope you do make to Boston; I lived there for a few years in my 20s and really loved it. 

 

I can imagine almost nowhere more beautiful than Maine in the summer and the Mediterranean in the winter. Best of both worlds. Good luck to you.

[forena99 74]

26 minutes ago, geowrian said:

***Today's revised comprehensive update***
Date: 1/30/2017
Records: 5000

 

Cases updated today: 124
Approved: 79 (Woohoo!)
RFEs:33
Other: 12

 

Today's Data: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8es4j04tzi2QjBCck44SVpxM3M

 

All data: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1B_oR3Imoi-dVhQSG02YkFhVjg

 

*Keep in mind I'm only counting WACs from WAC1790048000 onward. Records untouched prior to this are not included.*

Thanks for the update geowrian!  

 

We are making progress!

Forena

[forena99 74]

Hey everyone!  I got my text at 7:30 PST today.  We are APPROVED!!!   Wow can't believe the day has come.   

 

Wasn't paying attention to my phone until I was getting ready to turn in.  Yup. Looks like we are making more progress!  But why haven't some of you before me gotten some notice yet?  Here's to more approvals tomorrow!  Good Luck!

 

Forena99

[Serik 9]

22 minutes ago, fishe23a said:

ali1632 - just noticed here that you're from Orono! I'm in Portland, OR now, but grew up in the Brunswick, Maine area. I've convinced my fiance that we can be in the Boston area when we relocate after the wedding...you're brave & must be mightily convincing to have someone from Spain joining you there!!

Hey, fishe23a, I am in Portland, OR as well  

[Nico22 68]

CSC is rolling right now. Lol

[Anthony and Bobby 170]

1 minute ago, forena99 said:

Hey everyone!  I got my text at 7:30 PST today.  We are APPROVED!!!   Wow can't believe the day has come.   

 

Wasn't paying attention to my phone until I was getting ready to turn in.  Yup. Looks like we are making more progress!  But why haven't some of you before me gotten some notice yet?  Here's to more approvals tomorrow!  Good Luck!

 

Forena99

we got approved at the same day! it is really nice that we're getting more movement. but i do hope that they work on the remaining cases from earlier dates before moving forward because it would be kind of unfair to those who've waited for so long.

 

Congratulations and let's all make sure we update our timeline and signature so that other people can benefit from it

 

Let's all stay positive, even when sometimes it's hard to do it.

 

Bobby

 

 

[girly/ward 28]

Yes!Thanks for the updates

[Scott P 11]

16 minutes ago, fishe23a said:

I do think it should be a safe space for at least asking questions and interact, agreed. While few folks I have seen on VJ are from affected countries, we do not have any idea of the depth and breadth of the immigration changes that the Trump administration will bring about - even in the above-the-board K-1 to Permanent Resident route that we are taking. A New York Times article yesterday quoted USCIS officials off the record saying that employees were mandated to cease work on applications from the 7 countries past the interview stage - meaning that even for K-1, these petitions are currently poised to die at the respective embassy once a couple has waited through the agony of application, NOA-1 to NOA-2 to NVC to embassy to medical all the way to interview. I know that if my application were denied (or "decision to approve visa pending change of official American policy") after spending such a long time waiting, especially having chosen a state-sanctioned method to move toward immigration to the US, I would be beyond devastated. Crushed, heartbroken. These far-reaching changes are currently American immigration policy and I wait with dread to read the news every morning. So I know the VJ community, even possibly K-1, will be affected.

Cool.  If this is going to become another politics forum I wish you all well but I'll sign off.  Good luck to you all.