January 2018 Filers

[Amiina and Kim 21]

19 hours ago, GP1977 said:

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.

I change our wedding to Disney Parks in December and will take honeymoon cruise after adjustment to celebrate.  Thank you for your help.

[Jlomartin 71]

11 hours ago, D&B said:

@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.

@SMK 89 and @D&B My received date was January 12, 2018 and notice date was January 18, 2018.

 

I am not sure how it is for Alberta Health and Ontario Health but I called my regional health authority to request my immunization record be mailed to me.  On the immunization record mailed to me it indicated the vaccines I received, the dates on it, and if there are any vaccines I have missed out on.  So that part is straight forward.  And from what I read if you’re missing a vaccine it won’t matter too much for the k-1 visa process but for the AOS you will have to be up to US standards.

 

My Catholic ceremony in Canada is kind of planned out but the civil wedding in NJ will be planned as is.  I’ll take whatever just as long as we are married and apply for my AOS  that’s the important part.

 

I took my application photos in Costco, NJ so it was up to their standards.  Thanks for the info @SMK 89 in regards to shoppers drug mart I hope Costco will do the same since we all know Costco has the lowest pricing on passport photos. 

 

I am so happy we all can share/give each other information.  Easier to have people within the same country.  We may even run into each other during interviews in Montreal without even knowing it! 

 

Cheers to the weekend and to our k-1 Visa journey ❤️.

[lilit829 368]

1 hour ago, Jlomartin said:

 

My Catholic ceremony in Canada is kind of planned out but the civil wedding in NJ will be planned as is.  I’ll take whatever just as long as we are married and apply for my AOS  that’s the important part.

 

Im not sure when your catholic ceremony is but this makes it seem as if it's going to be before POE in the U.S. Just be very careful with any type of ceremony before coming in to the U.S. or the Visa interview, people have been denied visas and entry because of being "too married". I know it's dumb but just making sure you're aware. 

EDIT: WOOPS, sorry, just read back to your plan of May 2019. Certainly makes sense. I'll leave this up so people can be warned but you're fine. Sorry! 

Edited April 13, 2018 by lilit829

[lilit829 368]

11 hours ago, LuFlolady said:

yes the shrinkage is real!

I'm still hoping we can start seeing some movement in mid-June. I haven't been up-to-date with other months' threads as much, but are there problems again with NVC processing? I thought they had caught up from their 50 day waits in January. 

[D&B 34]

2 hours ago, Jlomartin said:

@SMK 89 and @D&B My received date was January 12, 2018 and notice date was January 18, 2018.

 

I am not sure how it is for Alberta Health and Ontario Health but I called my regional health authority to request my immunization record be mailed to me.  On the immunization record mailed to me it indicated the vaccines I received, the dates on it, and if there are any vaccines I have missed out on.  So that part is straight forward.  And from what I read if you’re missing a vaccine it won’t matter too much for the k-1 visa process but for the AOS you will have to be up to US standards.

 

My Catholic ceremony in Canada is kind of planned out but the civil wedding in NJ will be planned as is.  I’ll take whatever just as long as we are married and apply for my AOS  that’s the important part.

 

I took my application photos in Costco, NJ so it was up to their standards.  Thanks for the info @SMK 89 in regards to shoppers drug mart I hope Costco will do the same since we all know Costco has the lowest pricing on passport photos. 

 

I am so happy we all can share/give each other information.  Easier to have people within the same country.  We may even run into each other during interviews in Montreal without even knowing it! 

 

Cheers to the weekend and to our k-1 Visa journey ❤️.

@SMK 89 I assume you will get your medical in Toronto, but @Jlomartin are you aware of your plans for the medical/interview process yet? I am debating between flying to Vancouver and getting the medical done there or flying into Montreal a week before the interview to complete everything at once. I think spending a week in Montreal may be pricier than a separate Vancouver trip, but then again I have never been to Montreal and it may be nice to spend a week. Decisions, decisions....If only I had a short amount of time to make a decision and stick with it. All this time is allowing me to bounce back and forth between plans.

 

I am confused about the vaccination requirements. I too read about vaccinations being a requirement for AOS yet when I reviewed the doctor's website in Surrey BC it appears it was a requirement for the K1. Perhaps I am interpreting wrong. Sometimes I worry too  much. Oh it will be fun getting my immunization records. I had some in Ontario, some in Alberta and some in BC. The titer test may be much simpler.

 

@SMK 89 and @Jlomartin will you be flying in for your POE or are you driving a vehicle? I am actually planning on driving my vehicle to Nashville......

 

[D&B 34]

55 minutes ago, lilit829 said:

I'm still hoping we can start seeing some movement in mid-June. I haven't been up-to-date with other months' threads as much, but are there problems again with NVC processing? I thought they had caught up from their 50 day waits in January. 

@LuFlolady and @lilit829 I think we all secretly hope and pray we will see some action in June. There are days I say to myself "we could be getting our NOA2 in a couple of months and then there are days I tell myself "don't get yourself too excited about progress in June as the disappointment is heartbreaking." It's like we all got on a roller coaster ride together and there will be days when we''ll be screaming with excitement and I'm sure days when we'll be saying "just get me off this ride". But at the end of it all whether we enjoy roller coaster rides or not we will all get off the ride and our loved ones will be waiting for us....that in itself makes this the most exciting ride of our lifetime!

[D&B 34]

1 hour ago, lilit829 said:

I'm still hoping we can start seeing some movement in mid-June. I haven't been up-to-date with other months' threads as much, but are there problems again with NVC processing? I thought they had caught up from their 50 day waits in January. 

@lilit829 forgot to comment on the problems with NVC processing. This may be more of a country specific problem with Canada if you're referring to my comment. I'm going to search through posts to see what's up.

[Deehotstepper 230]

Happy Friday Folks,

While we patiently await our turn. Found a great article from a former USCIS employee. Now this article is not current, its from 2007 but it was insightful and helpful. Its a long article, so get comfy, grad your tea, coffee or favorite drink. Enjoy!!!

 

http://www.visajourney.com/content/adjudicator-q-and-a

[LuFlolady 881]

2 hours ago, lilit829 said:

I'm still hoping we can start seeing some movement in mid-June. I haven't been up-to-date with other months' threads as much, but are there problems again with NVC processing? I thought they had caught up from their 50 day waits in January. 

June may still be possible for some movement and I believe NVC time is about 12-14 days I believe

[GP1977 288]

4 hours ago, Amiina and Kim said:

I change our wedding to Disney Parks in December and will take honeymoon cruise after adjustment to celebrate.  Thank you for your help.

No problem. Enjoy your time in Disney. It will be here before you know it

[LuFlolady 881]

1 hour ago, D&B said:

@LuFlolady and @lilit829 I think we all secretly hope and pray we will see some action in June. There are days I say to myself "we could be getting our NOA2 in a couple of months and then there are days I tell myself "don't get yourself too excited about progress in June as the disappointment is heartbreaking." It's like we all got on a roller coaster ride together and there will be days when we''ll be screaming with excitement and I'm sure days when we'll be saying "just get me off this ride". But at the end of it all whether we enjoy roller coaster rides or not we will all get off the ride and our loved ones will be waiting for us....that in itself makes this the most exciting ride of our lifetime!

Very well said my friend I agree 10000000% the part where we get off and our loved ones are waiting is the part Im waiting on! thanks for this encouraging post

[LuFlolady 881]

50 minutes ago, Deehotstepper said:

Happy Friday Folks,

While we patiently await our turn. Found a great article from a former USCIS employee. Now this article is not current, its from 2007 but it was insightful and helpful. Its a long article, so get comfy, grad your tea, coffee or favorite drink. Enjoy!!!

 

http://www.visajourney.com/content/adjudicator-q-and-a

I didnt realize you were a January Filer!  

[Jlomartin 71]

3 hours ago, D&B said:

@SMK 89 I assume you will get your medical in Toronto, but @Jlomartin are you aware of your plans for the medical/interview process yet? I am debating between flying to Vancouver and getting the medical done there or flying into Montreal a week before the interview to complete everything at once. I think spending a week in Montreal may be pricier than a separate Vancouver trip, but then again I have never been to Montreal and it may be nice to spend a week. Decisions, decisions....If only I had a short amount of time to make a decision and stick with it. All this time is allowing me to bounce back and forth between plans.

 

I am confused about the vaccination requirements. I too read about vaccinations being a requirement for AOS yet when I reviewed the doctor's website in Surrey BC it appears it was a requirement for the K1. Perhaps I am interpreting wrong. Sometimes I worry too  much. Oh it will be fun getting my immunization records. I had some in Ontario, some in Alberta and some in BC. The titer test may be much simpler.

 

@SMK 89 and @Jlomartin will you be flying in for your POE or are you driving a vehicle? I am actually planning on driving my vehicle to Nashville......

 

@D&B I plan to fly into NJ. As for my medical, I will fly wherever I need to fly for the soonest appt whether it be in Toronto, Surrey, or Montreal.  I have families in all cities they offer medical’s so accommodation isn’t a problem, thankfully!  I have been to Montreal 3 times, it’s where I got engaged!  it does add up but worth while to make a short vaykay out of it.  If I can schedule my medical and interview together in Montreal that will make the most sense. 

[Deehotstepper 230]

4 hours ago, LuFlolady said:

I didnt realize you were a January Filer!  

Hahaha, what month did you think I was part of. 

[JGHH 76]

On 4/11/2018 at 6:43 PM, GP1977 said:

The earliest I am seeing so far is day 169 or 170 for someone getting an approval. There were some October 10th petitions approved on March 29th. I think if they continue this pace we should be 70-75 days before they start January. Time flies it’s already been 93 days for me. 

70-75 days would be amazing!  According to my timeline I still have about 90 days... So this gives me hope over this long period....  My fiance went back to Sweden January 1st and won't be back till end of June/bringing of July....