November 2017 I-129F Filers, Part II

[Gem&Corey 62]

I'm an October filer day 246... Received all the above ( pretty much the same wording too) ... as the previous posts regarding where its up to ^^........  

[Amy & John 30]

3 hours ago, Mr Jay said:

Pls Help, this is what I got after my case inquiry, my case is 227 days today after sending noa1 and 240 days after sending my petition.

 

 

Your case is currently delayed because the required security checks are still pending. We cannot make a decision on your case until we receive the results of these security checks. 

We hope this information is helpful to you. 
 

 

how long did it take for you to get a response?

[x_driven_x 1,778]

November Full Scan  6/27  8:30pm CST

 

No Updates Today (2 days in a row)

 

We are looking at the very real possibility that the old website has been or will be phased out of use. I will continue checking for a few more days, but this could be the end of our scan capabilities and usefulness of the 'old' website.

 

@Naes @kennharv @BryceAndRebeca @Little_Vixen @Daniel P 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by x_driven_x

[Ben & Jela 140]

Not that this helps anyone still waiting... but thought I'd share...

 

Somewhere along this journey I read that IF you have a common name (Smith, Jones, Brown, etc... you get the idea), or a name the same as someone that has committed a crime or drawn red flags at some point - that your background checks and security clearance will take longer than the average amount of time. Just to rule out someone that could/would be a threat. No idea how much or how accurate this is? But thought I'd share... just in case. 

 

(I have read so much during my 228 day wait for NOA2, that I can't actually remember where I read this now...)

 

The long wait truly does stinks...we recently found out after NOA2 (which we thought was THE wait) we still have 2 to 4 months wait for our embassy (Abu Dhabi) to send us packet 3 (which is required to move forward).

 

I'm praying for each of you still waiting ❤ Hang in there guys!

 

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by Ben & Jela

[Sandy05 24]

6 hours ago, Rocko20 said:

My beneficiary is Romanian, never committed a crime nor has any family member of hers committed a crime. I'm US Air Force, obviously never committed a crime nor has my immediate family.

 

Simple case, we both have never been married, no kids, etc. Why would this be a middle eastern issue?

 

A poster with a Ghana beneficiary had to wait 9.5 months for their NO2 so I can't really complain right now. I'm just glad the petition is not lost nor have we received any RFE yet.

Thank you for the info. Sorry you are in the same boat as us, but it does make me feel a little better to know it's not just us or something wrong with our paperwork that is causing the delay but rather it is a common thing. I was just wondering if it was a middle eastern issue because of the issues with immigration happening now with the travel ban. I know that Jordan isn't on the list but there has been more vetting happening for certain countries more than others that's why I asked. I feel a little better knowing it's just a general issue with USCIS rather than country specific.  

[Sandy05 24]

5 hours ago, Gem&Corey said:

I'm an October filer day 246... Received all the above ( pretty much the same wording too) ... as the previous posts regarding where its up to ^^........  

Ugh...Im sorry.. this truly sucks but we are right there with you. Hang in there and I will try to take my own advice and hang in there too.  

[Naes 12,205]

1 hour ago, Ben & Jela said:

Not that this helps anyone still waiting... but thought I'd share...

 

Somewhere along this journey I read that IF you have a common name (Smith, Jones, Brown, etc... you get the idea), or a name the same as someone that has committed a crime or drawn red flags at some point - that your background checks and security clearance will take longer than the average amount of time. Just to rule out someone that could/would be a threat. No idea how much or how accurate this is? But thought I'd share... just in case. 

 

(I have read so much during my 228 day wait for NOA2, that I can't actually remember where I read this now...)

 

The long wait truly does stinks...we recently found out after NOA2 (which we thought was THE wait) we still have 2 to 4 months wait for our embassy (Abu Dhabi) to send us packet 3 (which is required to move forward).

 

I'm praying for each of you still waiting ❤ Hang in there guys!

 

 

That is pretty accurate about names.

 

(it even applies to other types of visas)

[Rocko20 159]

7 hours ago, Ben & Jela said:

Somewhere along this journey I read that IF you have a common name (Smith, Jones, Brown, etc... you get the idea), or a name the same as someone that has committed a crime or drawn red flags at some point - that your background checks and security clearance will take longer than the average amount of time. Just to rule out someone that could/would be a threat. No idea how much or how accurate this is? But thought I'd share... just in case.

Correct.

 

It's called a "visa donkey hit" among many other hits

Quote

Visa Donkey Checks are based on a “name hit”, meaning a name is similar to an individual of interest to U.S. authorities. In theory, the name hit is non nationality-specific. However, male applicants from Middle Eastern countries are most often subject to this type of check. Processing estimates for most Visa Donkey clearances take between 2 to 4 months, although long delays are no unheard of for a select few.

https://www.rreeves.com/security-check-delays/

 

Quote

Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) or Washington Special Clearance,^[1] commonly called security clearance, administrative clearance, or administrative processing,^[2] is a process the United States Department of State and the diplomatic missions of the United States use in deciding to grant or deny a United States visa to certain visa applicants. The process involves sending a request from the visa issuing post to the Department of State's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to investigate an individual's case for possible espionage, terrorism, and illegal export of technology out of the United States

Quote

There are various types of SAOs, usually named after various animals, with two named after legendary characters.

As of August 2006, these included:

• Visas Mantis: potential illegal transfer of sensitive or dual-use technology, which was introduced in 1998^[7][8]
• Visas Bear: for foreign government officials, representatives to international organizations, and their families
• Visas Donkey: name hits, certain nationalities
• Visas Merlin: refugees and asylees
• Visas Eagle: certain nationals of Cuba, China, Iran, Russia
• Visas Condor: certain nationalities, introduced in January 2002^[9]
• Visas Hawk: for immigrant visas
• Visas Viper: for suspected terrorists^[10]

There are also other types of SAOs used for notifying the Department of State about visa issuance and that the applicant will be traveling to the United States, including:

• Visas Horse: diplomatic visa holders of certain nationalities
• Visas Pegasus: officials of Commonwealth of Independent States^[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Advisory_Opinion

[Rocko20 159]

7 hours ago, Sandy05 said:

Thank you for the info. Sorry you are in the same boat as us, but it does make me feel a little better to know it's not just us or something wrong with our paperwork that is causing the delay but rather it is a common thing. I was just wondering if it was a middle eastern issue because of the issues with immigration happening now with the travel ban. I know that Jordan isn't on the list but there has been more vetting happening for certain countries more than others that's why I asked. I feel a little better knowing it's just a general issue with USCIS rather than country specific.  

Based on what I just got done reading, your petition/visa might be going through extra scrutiny. Take it with grain of salt, I'm no immigration officer, just came across this information online recently. Mind you, this was implemented back in 2002 way before any recent president.

 

Quote

Visas Condor is additional screening and background checks based on country of birth, citizenship, or residency in the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” (T-7) list: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria; or from the “List of 26”: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Yemen. This is a mandatory stop list and allegedly takes 2 to 4 days, thanks in part to the partially rolled out PATRIOT (Pre-Adjudicated Threat Recognition and Intelligence Operations Team) system managed by ICE, but often take 3 to 6 weeks and if there is a hit who knows how long.

https://www.soundimmigration.com/understanding-administrative-processing/

[Greenbaum 12,259]

44 minutes ago, Rocko20 said:

Correct.

 

It's called a "visa donkey hit" among many other hits

https://www.rreeves.com/security-check-delays/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Advisory_Opinion

Thanks for the information. It shows that you have done your homework to learn more about the "whys" on goes into AP and what AP can consist of.

[Ryanmaria2018 186]

On 6/27/2018 at 11:19 AM, AE2017 said:

This might've been asked already but I just wanted to make sure. 

I received my NOA2 in the mail on 06/25 and got the email approval on 06/19. The letter says I have to wait 30 days but I see some posting saying we can call right away for a #?  

As I am a little confuse please kindly advise on what next step I should make. 

 

Thank youuuuu!

AE2017 you can actually start calling for your NVC number 2 weeks from the date it was approved so for you that would have been on June 19th so meaning you can begin calling the day before the 4th of July and anytime after that so hope that helps. The number to call is (603) 344-7400 7 am to midnight.  

[Mike & Tanja 309]

18 hours ago, Ben & Jela said:

The long wait truly does stinks...we recently found out after NOA2 (which we thought was THE wait) we still have 2 to 4 months wait for our embassy (Abu Dhabi) to send us packet 3 (which is required to move forward).

 

I'm praying for each of you still waiting ❤ Hang in there guys!

 

 

Wow. If you have to wait that long, keep an eye on the expiration date of NOA2. Maybe you need to extend it?

[Blue Love U & I 6]

On 5/31/2018 at 11:03 AM, SvetikP said:

I cant believe !!!

I just received notification from app that we were approved!

 

NOA1 - 20 November

NOA2 - 31 May

Old site is updated

New site shows "received"

Thank to everyone here and Good luck to everyone still waiting!!! 

I am so happy for you all. We have been waiting it seems like forever. Noa1 was received nov. 2. 2017. We still have not received noa2 or nothing. And today is June 28. 2018.

Just now, Blue Love U & I said:

I am so happy for you all. We have been waiting it seems like forever. Noa1 was received nov. 2. 2017. We still have not received noa2 or nothing. And today is June 28. 2018.

 

[Hygeia 29]

Got our case number yesterday, noa 2 was June 12th. Nov 29 is our noa  1

[x_driven_x 1,778]

Again, No Updates in Today's Scan.... I'll check next week, but it looks like the old website is no longer being updated.