January 2018 Filers

[Deehotstepper 230]

2 minutes ago, emekus94 said:

Actually, I have had two recent people with no medical records do their medicals And it cost them a little less than N90,000. At the Children's practice in Lagos with Dr. Alexandra Ange

I think the N110,000+ amount was from back when the inflation game was high in Naija 
Of course it's always safe to have the money, but I don't think it will cost more than #100,000. 

Oh that you Emekus, this is lovely to hear. 

you said in another post that the USA Embassy in Lagos is Busy, can one go from NOA2 to POE in 30 days?

[emekus94 1,125]

2 minutes ago, Deehotstepper said:

Oh that you Emekus, this is lovely to hear. 

you said in another post that the USA Embassy in Lagos is Busy, can one go from NOA2 to POE in 30 days?

I don't see how that's possible right now with how quickly interviews are flying off the shelves. 
I say 40 days will be a miracle. 

Because keep in mind the timeline is like this at best:
NOA2 to NVC: 12-16 days

NVC number to "Ready": 5-10 days
Interview: 2 weeks
That's already 30-40 days if everything goes SMOOTHLY. Plus the 3-10 days for your Visa to be ready after interview.
and that's WITHOUT accounting for the Lagos calendar.

I was telling my girl @ChuAni that the earliest interview for Lagos right now is like June 16th. There is ALWAYS the possibility that things open but I highly doubt it because of this summer/travelling season. 

HOWEVER, you're a January filer so I don't want to discourage you. Because If you get approval in end June/July, then you possibly can do 30 days because then you're looking at August interviews and things should hopefully be less busy. It's all about that calendar my brother. Nothing is guaranteed. 

I'll advice anyone really to just give themselves a comfort of 2-3 months after NOA2 to POE. 
I did NOA2 to interview in about 50 days and that was a MIRACLE

[Amiina and Kim 21]

36 minutes ago, GP1977 said:

Also, the cruise and marriage thing have no bearing on re-entering the USA. The only thing that is important is you Marry within 90 days, don’t leave the country and expect to come back in unless you have adjusted status or have advance parole. Yes it’s like prison lol. Cr1 avoids all of this as you get a free card upon entry but process takes a lot longer 

I called USCIS and you are correct.  When we file for Adjustment of status the employment and travel forms are free.  He advised me the prossessing time for empoyment form could take up to 90 days, and the travel form could be 75 days up to 6 months depending on the processing service center.  Thank you for this information.  Im so happy we found out now better than later.

[Deehotstepper 230]

10 minutes ago, emekus94 said:

I don't see how that's possible right now with how quickly interviews are flying off the shelves. 
I say 40 days will be a miracle. 

Because keep in mind the timeline is like this at best:
NOA2 to NVC: 12-16 days

NVC number to "Ready": 5-10 days
Interview: 2 weeks
That's already 30-40 days if everything goes SMOOTHLY. Plus the 3-10 days for your Visa to be ready after interview.
and that's WITHOUT accounting for the Lagos calendar.

I was telling my girl @ChuAni that the earliest interview for Lagos right now is like June 16th. There is ALWAYS the possibility that things open but I highly doubt it because of this summer/travelling season. 

HOWEVER, you're a January filer so I don't want to discourage you. Because If you get approval in end June/July, then you possibly can do 30 days because then you're looking at August interviews and things should hopefully be less busy. It's all about that calendar my brother. Nothing is guaranteed. 

I'll advice anyone really to just give themselves a comfort of 2-3 months after NOA2 to POE. 
I did NOA2 to interview in about 50 days and that was a MIRACLE

Chineke!!!, 50 days to POE? Ah, And here i was, planning for an October wedding. Haha. Well miracles are always possible. I was hoping she would have a POE of July and then we can send out the invitations in July for an October wedding to give people enough notice to attend.

[emekus94 1,125]

9 minutes ago, Deehotstepper said:

Chineke!!!, 50 days to POE? Ah, And here i was, planning for an October wedding. Haha. Well miracles are always possible. I was hoping she would have a POE of July and then we can send out the invitations in July for an October wedding to give people enough notice to attend.

Oga, I said I did NOA to INTERVIEW in 50 days.
I still don't have Visa yet ooo
So if you're me, it would probably be NOA to POE in 60 days.

You can certainly have an October wedding.
I don't know if you're already planning things. I would caution against planning things without at least a passed interview. There are many places in this process where things can be held up. If USCIS does not take forever, then NVC. If not that, then finding an interview date, if not that, then picking up Visa.
So stay Calm- God is in control. 

[ChuAni 1,191]

51 minutes ago, emekus94 said:

Actually, I have had two recent people with no medical records do their medicals And it cost them a little less than N90,000. At the Children's practice in Lagos with Dr. Alexandra Ange

I think the N110,000+ amount was from back when the inflation game was high in Naija 
Of course it's always safe to have the money, but I don't think it will cost more than #100,000. 

Chim oo! 🙆 Ekele diri Chineke! 💃

I've got to save the money!😛😋

 

Thanks, Sweet Girl!💖💖😍😍

[ChuAni 1,191]

11 minutes ago, emekus94 said:

Oga, I said I did NOA to INTERVIEW in 50 days.
I still don't have Visa yet ooo
So if you're me, it would probably be NOA to POE in 60 days.

You can certainly have an October wedding.
I don't know if you're already planning things. I would caution against planning things without at least a passed interview. There are many places in this process where things can be held up. If USCIS does not take forever, then NVC. If not that, then finding an interview date, if not that, then picking up Visa.
So stay Calm- God is in control. 

Exactly!!!

 

Staying Calm and looking up to God is the Best Solution for this process. 

 

@Deehotstepper, we only need to take it step by step and always pray.

 

Very Soon, this process will be a memory. 🤞

[GP1977 288]

45 minutes ago, Amiina and Kim said:

I called USCIS and you are correct.  When we file for Adjustment of status the employment and travel forms are free.  He advised me the prossessing time for empoyment form could take up to 90 days, and the travel form could be 75 days up to 6 months depending on the processing service center.  Thank you for this information.  Im so happy we found out now better than later.

Yes. Good luck. I have thought about the honeymoon thing as well and doing one of the us Virgin Islands but many have advised not to do until status is adjusted you could have problems upon returning to continental us.

[Deehotstepper 230]

47 minutes ago, ChuAni said:

Exactly!!!

 

Staying Calm and looking up to God is the Best Solution for this process. 

 

@Deehotstepper, we only need to take it step by step and always pray.

 

Very Soon, this process will be a memory. 🤞

Patience is a Virtue. I have to keep working on it. Thank you, i will wait until visa is in hand to begin planning.

[D&B 34]

On ‎2018‎-‎04‎-‎11 at 1:58 PM, Jlomartin said:

@D&B and @SMK 89 I am also from Canada (beneficiary) 😃. I sign onto VJ on my fiancé’s account here and there to see if I have any questions or members I can relate to. I am so glad I have found 2!!!

 

My Fiancé the petitioner is front New Jersey.  I was just there last February 7- March 13. I had no issues at customs. I brought all documents with me like letter of employment, bank statements, etc just in case they asked for them but to my surprise the officer didn’t! 

 

I have requested for my current immunization record so far. I will be requesting for my criminal record check in June and I need to request to have a copy of my original birth certificate. Also, I am making sure my fiancé has everything ready too just to speed up the process.

 

We plan to have the civil ceremony in NJ ASAP because we plan to have our catholic ceremony in Winnipeg next year May 2019 (hoping the AOS process goes smoothly).  If not worst case scenario I can apply for a waiver to exit and enter U.S. while waiting for my AOS. We have the venue and wedding coordinator booked and have inquired about the deposits we made. Thankfully they said as long as we change the date within the year they’re okay with that we don’t lose any of our deposits!A

 

My Fiancé will be coming in May for 2 weeks for a visit! So I cannot wait! After May the next visit is hopefully my POE! 

 

Such a breath of fresh air to see my fellow Canadians on here! 

@Jlomartin So great to meet another Canadian on this Board. So exciting that you have so much of your wedding planned already. I think it's going to be last minute planning for us......although of course the all important wedding dress has been purchased. Now if only I can get into my fitness routine...

 

I think as the wait becomes more country specific the further along we are in the process (NVC to consulate) it will be even more comforting to be able to lean on each other and cheer each other on through the good days and bad.

 

To all January filers, have we chosen an official nickname yet? 

 

 

[Lucy&Jason 807]

2 minutes ago, D&B said:

To all January filers, have we chosen an official nickname yet? 

Some call us Janies

 

 

[D&B 34]

11 hours ago, SMK 89 said:

@Jlomartin welcome! It seems we are all trying to get proactive! When did you file your I-129F? January? We were also planning on having a civil ceremony ASAP after the K1 Visa, especially with the timelines being all over the place based on what we've been reading online. It's good we can keep each other posted on our progress/trips/etc! I hope you have a wonderful visit in May! It's so nice to hear from multiple canadians that coming for longer visits isn't that troublesome at the boarder. I was so worried about not being able to come back for long-ish visits throughout this process but it seems that as long as you are verbally very upfront with the CBP officers/agents, you don't need to worry about all the fuss and "proving" your case/ties to Canada. I feel like i was almost imagining a court hearing every time i crossed the boarder with loads of paper work that they would tell me isn't sufficient evidence of my ties, etc. Clearly i am a worrier, over thinker, and at times my own worst enemy haha 

 

@D&B I completely understand your need to keep extending visits in Nashville especially during the summer months! It's why i was also so heartbroken thinking I wouldn't be able to come back again for awhile after May - now i'm getting the feeling like we discussed before that this won't be the case ! I'm hoping that if I come back again early June I can stay through until the end of July (fiancee's bday is the end of July - obvi gotta be here! lol). Unless of course, we get that NOA2, and the NVC process doesn't take a million years and I have to rush home to go get that Medical. In which case, I'd be more than happy to come back for that!! What a gift that would be.

 

You mentioned passport photos - we had to send ones in with our I-129F as well and what I ended up doing was going to Shoppers Drug Mart (they have those all over Canada right?) and telling the lady that I needed a US Visa/Passport photo, and specified that it had to be 2x2. She actually went to the back and i guess looked on a chart they have where she looked up what the "US requirements" were. Of course she had the 2x2 dimensions in cm's in the back due to our metrics systems, but she was great about taking the photo. She made me pull my hair back, took pictures a few times telling me to use a kleenex to take off some shine on my nose and stuff like that depending on how the picture looked on the screen, and other little quarks that she said were things specifically the U.S. is very particular about versus what she'd do for a Canadian passport photo. Of course I looked terrible in the photo - hair slicked back and out of the way, straight face, very little make-up, "no dewy shine look" of youth haha. BUT whatever it takes to make sure we get a green light on all fronts! So long story short (not so short, sorry), you can definitely take your photos in TN to be sure, but I think make sure the photos are also "recent" enough with the date stamped... especially with our uncertain timelines. I'm thinking of getting my pictures done right before the medical exam i eventually end up booking so they can't fuss at how recent (or not) the photos are. 

 

I'm curious to see what booster shots I need to get vaccinated for. I looked up the list of "US immigration" vaccine requirements per the CDC and think i'll bring all that to my family doctor, along with my immunization record (by the way you can request it online if you got your immunizations in Ontario if you go here: https://esthu.icon.ehealthontario.ca/#!/welcome and select view immunizations. If you are from a different province, just google your province's Public Health office(s), pick one close to where you live, and find "immunization record request" or something like that on their site). I may also request the family doctor to do an "Anti-bodies Titer" test for all the vaccines needed to prove in one report that i am immunized currently for all (for example, Varicella is chicken pox so a blood test would prove that having it as a child has you still immune). 

 

I tried posting a new topic in the Canada forum to see what current Canadian NOA2 recipients are experiencing timeline wise to receive their NVC Case number to gain access to interview time slots. Hopefully we get some traction! 

 

 

@SMK 89 I am so hoping we get our NOA2's before the end of July.....especially now that it appears the NVC process is a little slow. Wouldn't it be amazing if June was your last B2 entry to the US and the next time it was on the K1 Visa? Although I would imagine if we have to wait months for the NVC and interview stage we'd much rather be waiting in Nashville...

 

Thanks so much for the passport photo information. I was in the US when we filed our I-129F (Texas actually - about 1/2 an hour from the Lewisville lockbox....fiancé travels ALOT for work and I tag along when I am here....in Texas right now as well). Anyways, so I had my photos done in the US. Yes, Shoppers Drug is Canada wide - great to know they knew about US requirements and also great advice to wait and get as recent pictures as possible.

 

I am going to start dealing with the immunizations when I get back to Canada in May. I was also thinking about titer testing as I hate to get unnecessary immunizations.

 

I am going to have to check out your new post in the Canada forum. I think the "unknown" timeline is probably the hardest part of this journey for me.

[D&B 34]

19 minutes ago, ShyLucy said:

Some call us Janies

 

 

@ShyLucy Well here's hoping that all Janies see our wait times shrinking as time marches on...

[Lucy&Jason 807]

32 minutes ago, D&B said:

@ShyLucy Well here's hoping that all Janies see our wait times shrinking as time marches on...

Hoping and Praying for it too @D&B. Can’t wait for the day that USCIS will start touching January. We are halfway there. 🤞

[LuFlolady 881]

1 hour ago, D&B said:

@ShyLucy Well here's hoping that all Janies see our wait times shrinking as time marches on...

yes the shrinkage is real!