Received first notice of action how long?

[NoJ 10]

Hi,

My fiance in Colombia and I are going thru this journey as many of you have or are in the process of. On January 25, 2018 I received the first NOA via text and hardcopy. I called the processing center and they said it will take at least 5-6 months before we hear anything back. I assume we are waiting for the NOA2 to arrive??

 

I feel like I am missing something they said they are processing August 2017 people right now and they are backed up. Does this sound right? anything else I should be doing right now besides waiting?

 

I already have all my financial paperwork on hand and ready for my fiance to take to the interview. any help is appreciated. thank you

[geowrian 22,337]

Yes, you're just waiting now. The entire process is taking, on average, about 8-10 months right now the last time I checked. The I-129F petition alone is taking 6+ months. This can grow or shrink by the time your petition is reviewed...the I-129F was taking ~30 days when I filed in Dec. 2016 but it ended up taking over 3 months by the time they got to mine (this is when the backlog started to really grow, and continued to do so through 2017).

 

I suggest following the January K-1 filers thread here. There's nothing actionable to do at this time, other than maybe to read up about what to do after NOA2 (this varied by embassy) and ensure you are ready to move forward at that time.

 

Great. Just make sure to have it (and all supporting evidence that goes with it) updated when you get the NOA2 and send it to your fiance.

[TNJ17 1,329]

Yeah, it’s a long road ahead. You most likely won’t hear in that time frame because current processing for K1s are just taking longer and longer. Don’t make any plans for anything until visa in hand. When you start seeing people who filed around the same time as you getting NOA2s, it’s time to start calling USCIS. Before that, just sit and wait. Patiently. This process will really test your patience. 

[Jin&Jordan 36]

Don't worry, you are on the same track as many others. The 5 to 6 month waiting period for the NOA2 is normal and expected. It may have been slightly faster in the past but recently this is a typical amount of time for them to process your I129f. I am currently waiting on my NOA2 as well and I submitted mine on September 5th (178 days ago). I am expecting to receive some kind of update soon, either an approval (hopefully) or an RFE (Request For Evidence), which is only a minor speed bump that is usually easily dealt with.

 

When you get closer to the time you expect to receive the NOA2, the beneficiary can work on getting things like vaccination records for the medical exam and police certificate. I have heard of some instances where it took people a month or even two to obtain the police cert. 

 

Once you do get the NOA2, start on your I134 and DS-160 forms/documentation. Don't forget to sign new letters of intent to marry and gather further evidence of ongoing relationship.

 

Good luck!