Help! Panicking Big Time!

[bcking 3,157]

7 hours ago, Inabars said:

Thank you once again for all your invaluable advice. You all have been amazing! 

 

At this point, I'm trying to maintain my sanity by concentrating on each day as it comes. I'm due in December and we were I thinking that I could travel to the US in July for a month or so but I'm worried about dealing with the BCP officers especially after my last interaction with them, I bet this time I'll go into premature labour! I was taken aside and questioned for 3 hours before being permitted entry so I bet the system would have some sort of flag on me now. (p.s./fyi: I have never overstayed my ESTA). 

 

Is there any indication if I-130s are taking longer under the new administration?  I'm preparing myself for 12-14 month wait, though I have noticed some very, very lucky couples have gone through the entire process and had visas in hand within 6-8 months. 

My wife and I applied at the end of April last year, and she had her visa in hand the beginning of this month, so around 11 months. That was WITH a 3 month delay at the NVC stage because we needed to send in a different kind of birth certificate.

 

If everything had gone smoothly the first time, she would have probably had a visa around January, which would have been ~8 months. Apparently there were abnormally long delays at the NVC around November-January. Not sure what is happening now. Some people at the NVC when you called admitted there was a "technical problem" in November, but then others would deny it so I don't really know what happened. Took them 11 weeks to review our files, and then another 11 weeks to review the birth certificate.

 

Best I can say is while you are waiting for the I-130 to go through, get everything ready for the NVC. Fill out the forms, gather the evidence. The only thing you should wait on is the police certificate. I would probably apply for that once the I-130 is approved and it's being sent to the NVC. Then at the NVC stage basically call every day to try to get things 'activated' online (the fees and such). What the people on the phone are able to do varies a lot based on who you get. Some say they can do nothing, and then others will review a fee payment, or the very first form (something about attesting whether you have a lawyer or not) quickly so that the next thing can be activated. It is really random and frustrating.

 

Good luck though! My wife was a nervous wreck when she came to visit, I can't imagine what she would have been like if she was also pregnant. 

 

I would say that if you are due in December I would prepare to delivery in Australia. If you are lucky then great, but you wouldn't want to fly such a long distance in the last month or two anyway (Giving birth in Australia is MUCH better than giving birth on a plane! :))

[Ina2017 40]

Thank you @bcking and @Dee elle 

Looks like I'll be having the baby in Australia which is ok with me because I have been told that we have a better health care system than the US. 

 

So from your advice, looks like we're in for about a year's wait but can I ask, how does the beneficiary's country affect the application (in this case Australia)?  Should I hope that we might have a faster run compared to applicants from other countries? 

 

Second, just wondering, as I mentioned I was taken aside and questioned significantly the last time I went to US. The BCP officer finally let me in but I noticed he made significant notes during the process. In a nutshell he was convinced that I would be attempting to adjust my status. I assured him that I would not be doing this and that I would be leaving as planned - and I did. 

 

Will this have an impact on my petition? Should I be worried now that I have been flagged? Do the officers assessing the petition at the service centre see these notes? 

[bcking 3,157]

3 minutes ago, Inabars said:

Thank you @bcking and @Dee elle 

Looks like I'll be having the baby in Australia which is ok with me because I have been told that we have a better health care system than the US. 

 

So from your advice, looks like we're in for about a year's wait but can I ask, how does the beneficiary's country affect the application (in this case Australia)?  Should I hope that we might have a faster run compared to applicants from other countries? 

 

Second, just wondering, as I mentioned I was taken aside and questioned significantly the last time I went to US. The BCP officer finally let me in but I noticed he made significant notes during the process. In a nutshell he was convinced that I would be attempting to adjust my status. I assured him that I would not be doing this and that I would be leaving as planned - and I did. 

 

Will this have an impact on my petition? Should I be worried now that I have been flagged? Do the officers assessing the petition at the service centre see these notes? 

My wife is from the UK, which I imagine would be pretty similar to Australia (low fraud, english speaking).

 

The countries that are significantly faster are the ones that allowed electronic filing (and I mean MUCH faster), but unfortunately there aren't many and it's random. 

 

No your last entry I'm sure was fine. My wife went through the same thing. We were interviewed and separated for 2 hours. In the end she was let in. I'm sure they made notes. The important thing is you clearly left when you said you would, so you "upheld" your end.

[bcking 3,157]

1 minute ago, Dee elle said:

USCIS Australian process  thankfully allows Electronic processing Very nice!!!! not mandatory but optional... definitely the way to go~!

Oh nevermind then.

 

Australia will be MUCH quicker than UK. If you have everything ready, this may change a lot. You may very well get through before December. I've heard electronic processing can get you a case complete in like 1-2 weeks at the NVC. It is crazy how much quicker it is.

[Ina2017 40]

23 minutes ago, bcking said:

My wife is from the UK, which I imagine would be pretty similar to Australia (low fraud, english speaking).

 

The countries that are significantly faster are the ones that allowed electronic filing (and I mean MUCH faster), but unfortunately there aren't many and it's random. 

 

No your last entry I'm sure was fine. My wife went through the same thing. We were interviewed and separated for 2 hours. In the end she was let in. I'm sure they made notes. The important thing is you clearly left when you said you would, so you "upheld" your end.

Thank you for the advice @bcking

[bcking 3,157]

1 minute ago, Dee elle said:

Back this time last year we got through NVC in 4 weeks even with an RFE... but still with scheduling etc it was 8 months all up. Add an extra month at least for Nebraska, and a bit more to transit through NVC and you easily get to 10 months from NOA1  Aussie timelines vary from 150 days to 350 days over the past 2 years.. who knows!!

Wow either you were unlucky with the other times, or we were extremely lucky.

 

If our NVC process had taken 4 weeks we would have been done in November. We started essentially May 1st so that would have been 6 months. We spent a total of 22 weeks at the NVC. USCIS was approved in August, our initial scan date with the NVC was September. We would have gotten a CC in October, and at least London embassy schedules about 1 month later.

 

Is the Australian embassy a longer wait? 

[Ina2017 40]

Thank you @Dee elle - I feel a bit better. I definitely stuck by what I said so I'm hoping this counts for something. 

 

I've been looking at other Aussie's timelines and looks like there's no formula to how they process - all over the shop really. Some get through faster, some slower.

[bcking 3,157]

Just now, Inabars said:

Thank you @Dee elle - I feel a bit better. I definitely stuck by what I said so I'm hoping this counts for something. 

 

I've been looking at other Aussie's timelines and looks like there's no formula to how they process - all over the shop really. Some get through faster, some slower.

Just get everything ready to submit. Especially with electronic, having everything ready will be speed it up. As soon as the NVC gets your stuff you can push to get it all submitted.

[Ina2017 40]

stupid question - what's a cc? 

Edited April 15, 2017 by Inabars

[bcking 3,157]

1 minute ago, Inabars said:

stupid question - what's a cc? 

case complete.

 

Once the NVC looks at everything they will officially say the case is complete. Then they send it to the embassy so you can be interviewed.

 

SC = Scan date, which is when NVC gets all of your files. Normal with snail mail processing they have up to 12 weeks from scan date to complete your case. With electronic it cuts that down by 2/3's or so, it seems.

[Ina2017 40]

1 minute ago, bcking said:

case complete.

 

Once the NVC looks at everything they will officially say the case is complete. Then they send it to the embassy so you can be interviewed.

 

SC = Scan date, which is when NVC gets all of your files. Normal with snail mail processing they have up to 12 weeks from scan date to complete your case. With electronic it cuts that down by 2/3's or so, it seems.

Thanks @bcking... Totally a newbie question 🙈🙈🙈

[bcking 3,157]

Just now, Inabars said:

Thanks @bcking... Totally a newbie question 🙈🙈🙈

No problem. I'm no expert in this so it's nice to have questions I can answer

 

I'm also a Pediatrician so if you have any newbie questions about babies I can tackle that as well  Seriously congrats and I echo Dee elle. No matter how long or frustrating it is, you will eventually look back and be like "what?!? it's done?!?"

 

My wife moves here a week from Sunday. We are in that strange now. It's surreal.

[Ina2017 40]

1 minute ago, Dee elle said:

There are several things you can be sure of... it will happen, you cannot predict the timeline, you will get frustrated, you will feel like it is a,, too much....  but it will happen, it will be finished and you will look aback and ask "how did we get here!" with a smile of course, and a new baby!!  

Don't forget to get baby's Australian passport before leaving Australia.. as an Australian citizen by birth. baby must enter Australia on an Aus passport and it is so much easier to get it in Australia than in the US (here you have to go to an Australian consulate for the appointment, even for a renewal - no nice short line at the Post Office!!)

What part of Australia is home?

Ok, baby passport will be added to the 'to do list' along with the CBRA report. 

 

Home is Perth in beautiful Western Australia 💕💕💕💕

[Ina2017 40]

1 minute ago, bcking said:

No problem. I'm no expert in this so it's nice to have questions I can answer

 

I'm also a Pediatrician so if you have any newbie questions about babies I can tackle that as well  Seriously congrats and I echo Dee elle. No matter how long or frustrating it is, you will eventually look back and be like "what?!? it's done?!?"

 

My wife moves here a week from Sunday. We are in that strange now. It's surreal.

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm going to be a first time mum so I have lots of questions about the medical and the baby. I'll definitely be in touch 😊😊😊

[Ina2017 40]

2 minutes ago, Dee elle said:

"Home is Perth in beautiful Western Australia 💕💕💕💕 "

 

No argument from here on that!!

Where's home for you in Australia  @Dee elle

 

I can never watch the qantas 'still call Australia home' without crying like baby 😂😂😂