Time is running out... Need advice

[Trevandglo 2]

Hello, 

 

In need of some advice as my fiance and I are extremely stressed and don't know what to do. 

 

We filed for the K1 visa back in June on the 29th 2017 and received our NOA1 July 2nd. We  met on a ship and have several friends who have been through this process they advised us that it shouldn't take more than 9 months. We checked  timelines at the time  everything seemed to agree with that. So we ignorantly planned a wedding for beginning of April and hoped for the best.

 

However we have not even had our NOA2 back yet and I am reading that the process after that is also very backlogged and may take several weeks after that.

 

Does anyone have any idea how long the process may take after we receive our NOA2? My embassy is London. I am just so stressed about getting there  for April I am getting sick. Just need someone to talk to as my  friends  and family don't really understand how horrible this limbo is...

[payxibka 10,045]

Just now, Trevandglo said:

Hello, 

 

In need of some advice as my fiance and I are extremely stressed and don't know what to do. 

 

We filed for the K1 visa back in June on the 29th 2017 and received our NOA1 July 2nd. We  met on a ship and have several friends who have been through this process they advised us that it shouldn't take more than 9 months. We checked  timelines at the time  everything seemed to agree with that. So we ignorantly planned a wedding for beginning of April and hoped for the best.

 

However we have not even had our NOA2 back yet and I am reading that the process after that is also very backlogged and may take several weeks after that.

 

Does anyone have any idea how long the process may take after we receive our NOA2? My embassy is London. I am just so stressed about getting there  for April I am getting sick. Just need someone to talk to as my  friends  and family don't really understand how horrible this limbo is...

2 -3 mos

[EandH0904 1,184]

I strongly suggest you postpone the wedfing. There may of course be fees involved. April is *possible* as end of June's are getting NOA2 now but it takes another month to get to your country then scheduling interview.  It would be close. 

 

If it were me I'd postpone now while there's still time. Don't give them a new date unless it's maybe December. You could just do a court wedding when you get here and do your big ceremony later 

[kris&me 572]

Rule is 

do not make any plans,  wedding or airline reserations or quit your job or sell property until you have the visa in hand

you are looking to loose money if you make plans ahead of immigration process

quit stressing and cancel now

be patient and just get ready for the interview

[dentsflogged 352]

Sorry to agree with everyone else, but I would also say to move the wedding date.  Add an extra 3 months onto the current timeline at the very earliest. 

Better to lose a little bit in deposits and such now (though you may get lucky and they could allow you to move the date without any loss, as long as you're keeping the booking with them). 

Don't get me wrong, if everything works out for the best, it's gonna SUCK that it was postponed for nothing, but better waiting a little while than to lose all your deposits and have the stress & heartache that comes with trying to re-plan, re-pay deposits and then having to decide between a quickie wedding to meet the K1 requirement or waiting having the wedding you really want. 

[TNJ17 1,329]

First rule of K1 Visa is do not make wedding plans. It’s taking longer and longer every day now. I don’t think you’re gonna be done by April. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

13 hours ago, Trevandglo said:

Does anyone have any idea how long the process may take after we receive our NOA2? My embassy is London. I am just so stressed about getting there  for April I am getting sick. Just need someone to talk to as my  friends  and family don't really understand how horrible this limbo is...

 

According to current average times on Visa Journey:

 

35 days from NOA2 to get to NVC

 8 days at NVC

 4 days transit to London 

62 days once in London

 

That's 109 days. If you get NOA2 say on Monday, averages predict your visa will be issued May 4, then a couple of days for delivery.

 

Visa Journey time graphs. http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1historical

London graph found on this page http://www.visajourney.com/content/consulate-k1-historical

 

 

 

 

 

[C-ma'am 684]

**Post moved from K1 Process to Progress Reports

[John & Rose 7,239]

3 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

 

According to current average times on Visa Journey:

 

35 days from NOA2 to get to NVC

 8 days at NVC

 4 days transit to London 

62 days once in London

 

That's 109 days. If you get NOA2 say on Monday, averages predict your visa will be issued May 4, then a couple of days for delivery.

 

Visa Journey time graphs. http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1historical

London graph found on this page http://www.visajourney.com/content/consulate-k1-historical

 

 

 

 

 

Those are OLD numbers.  It is a solid 7 weeks average and it getting longer for USCIS just to send the files to NVC.  From there another 3 to 4 weeks.  Now it is between 60 to 90 days to get the number from NVC

[John & Rose 7,239]

16 hours ago, EandH0904 said:

I strongly suggest you postpone the wedfing. There may of course be fees involved. April is *possible* as end of June's are getting NOA2 now but it takes another month to get to your country then scheduling interview.  It would be close. 

 

If it were me I'd postpone now while there's still time. Don't give them a new date unless it's maybe December. You could just do a court wedding when you get here and do your big ceremony later 

I'm a June 6 filer and if we get approved today, we won't see POE until May or June.  April is not even mathematically possible.

Edited January 12, 2018 by John & Rose

[geowrian 22,337]

Beginning of April? That seems unlikely even if everything goes as expected. And not everything goes as expected...

This seems to be very high risk to keep it as-is. I concur on cancelling the existing date.

[gibbersome 152]

14 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Beginning of April? That seems unlikely even if everything goes as expected. And not everything goes as expected...

This seems to be very high risk to keep it as-is. I concur on cancelling the existing date.

Few things that may delay the process:

RFE ~ 1 month

Slower NOA2 to NVC ~ 4 to 6 weeks

Admin Review (unlikely but could happen) ~ 1 month

 

Best case scenario, you squeak it in before April. However, good chances the process is going to slow down some more this year. I'm estimating 120 days from NOA2 to visa myself.

[Trevandglo 2]

Thank you everyone. Unfortunately we are in quite a pickle as several people from overseas have booked to come to our wedding. So it’s not just our money on the line.

 

Does anyone One know if it would be an issue if I flew over on a visit and we did the ceremony but not the legal marriage. Could this cause any legal issues? If it was just a ceremony and we do not sign a marriage licence? My fiancé is worried this could look bad to the embassy...

[gibbersome 152]

2 minutes ago, Trevandglo said:

Thank you everyone. Unfortunately we are in quite a pickle as several people from overseas have booked to come to our wedding. So it’s not just our money on the line.

 

Does anyone One know if it would be an issue if I flew over on a visit and we did the ceremony but not the legal marriage. Could this cause any legal issues? If it was just a ceremony and we do not sign a marriage licence? My fiancé is worried this could look bad to the embassy...

Couple of things... as I've seen this question a few times on this board now.

 

Don't do anything that would be considered a traditional marriage by your culture. If it's a pre-wedding celebration, that should not be a problem. But if you're going through the steps of marriage but not calling a marriage, I wouldn't risk it. I'm not a lawyer, but this is my understanding. I would consult with a lawyer before doing anything like this. 

 

Also, it's very early still. People can change their plans, but don't jeopardize your visa process over this. Your guests will understand, and if they don't understand, then it's their problem, not yours. 

[geowrian 22,337]

16 minutes ago, gibbersome said:

Few things that may delay the process:

RFE ~ 1 month

Slower NOA2 to NVC ~ 4 to 6 weeks

Admin Review (unlikely but could happen) ~ 1 month

There's a lot of things that can go wrong and cause delays...some more common ones (as noted here) and some less common ones. Some are in your control and some aren't. For example:

Medical results (either due to a condition that needs to be resolved first, or a processing/delivery issue)

221g at the interview pending additional documents

Background checks after interview

Damage to sealed package after visa is issued.

Mistake on printed visa.

 

As for NVC, 50-60+ days is common right now just to get the NVC number, then another week or so to get to the embassy. So expect ~2+ months after NOA2 to get to the embassy. VJ's trend chart reflects an uptick but hasn't caught up with the delay yet (since there probably aren't enough updates yet due to the delays).

 

9 minutes ago, Trevandglo said:

Does anyone One know if it would be an issue if I flew over on a visit and we did the ceremony but not the legal marriage. Could this cause any legal issues? If it was just a ceremony and we do not sign a marriage licence? My fiancé is worried this could look bad to the embassy...

You would need to check if such "ceremony" qualifies as a legal marriage there. If so, then it would be fraud to continue the K-1 process or use a K-1 visa. In some countries, you can be legally married without any paperwork beforehand (you're usually required to register said marriage, but it's still a legal marriage even if you don't register it).

 

That said, this is incredibly risky. Just do a search here on VJ and you'll see people who have been denied a K-1 visa for this. I would not suggest doing so.

Edited January 12, 2018 by geowrian