A few questions - Spouse visa progress

[jadmac 8]

My US spouse filed the application for a spouse visa at the beginning of this month and recieved a receipt one a week later (at Nebraska). 

I'm in the UK, so just curious to what the next steps are and estimated timelines? 

In addition, what's the prospects like for visiting the US in the meantime? 

[HRQX 4,145]

29 minutes ago, jadmac said:

what's the prospects like for visiting the US in the meantime? 

If eligible for VWP, submit ESTA application if you haven't already done so. Then follow the embassy's recommendations: https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/u-s-visa-and-travel-faqs/

If you travel, please follow the steps below:

• Do not attempt to check in for your flight online if you have an ESTA registration.
• Arrive early for your flight.
• Carry as many original documents as you have available that you believe demonstrate why you have been excepted from a travel restriction, such as a Permanent Resident Card (commonly known as a Green Card), a marriage certificate, or a birth certificate. We are unable to provide guidance about your documents or whether copies will be considered sufficient as such questions are a matter for CBP when you travel.
• You may also wish to carry a printed copy of the Presidential Proclamation itself.
• Your status will be reviewed in consultation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials. Please note that smaller airports may not have CBP officials on site.
• If applicable in your case, your ESTA will be reinstated in order to allow you to board.

 

Do I need a negative COVID test result to travel to the United States?
Travelers from the United Kingdom must test negative for the coronavirus no more than three days before boarding flights bound for the United States. For more information on testing requirements please see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

Edited February 19, 2021 by HRQX

[JFH 12,189]

Allow about 18 months for the whole process to be complete. You won’t hear anything for many months after Nebraska receives the petition. Assuming everything is in order with your petition, the next thing you will receive is the petition approval, many months down the line. Use this waiting time wisely to gather documents needed for the NVC stage of the process, in particular your long-form birth certificate from GRO (assuming you were born in the UK), and divorce or death certificates from any previous marriages either of you have had.

[jadmac 8]

38 minutes ago, HRQX said:

If eligible for VWP, submit ESTA application if you haven't already done so. Then follow the embassy's recommendations: https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/u-s-visa-and-travel-faqs/

If you travel, please follow the steps below:

• Do not attempt to check in for your flight online if you have an ESTA registration.
• Arrive early for your flight.
• Carry as many original documents as you have available that you believe demonstrate why you have been excepted from a travel restriction, such as a Permanent Resident Card (commonly known as a Green Card), a marriage certificate, or a birth certificate. We are unable to provide guidance about your documents or whether copies will be considered sufficient as such questions are a matter for CBP when you travel.
• You may also wish to carry a printed copy of the Presidential Proclamation itself.
• Your status will be reviewed in consultation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials. Please note that smaller airports may not have CBP officials on site.
• If applicable in your case, your ESTA will be reinstated in order to allow you to board.

 

Do I need a negative COVID test result to travel to the United States?
Travelers from the United Kingdom must test negative for the coronavirus no more than three days before boarding flights bound for the United States. For more information on testing requirements please see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

Yeah I've been to the USA in the past, I know the typical process. 

But I'm reading a lot about not being allowed entry when married and awaiting a visa? 

In addition, COVID-19 makes things even more complicated? 

 

[jadmac 8]

30 minutes ago, JFH said:

Allow about 18 months for the whole process to be complete. You won’t hear anything for many months after Nebraska receives the petition. Assuming everything is in order with your petition, the next thing you will receive is the petition approval, many months down the line. Use this waiting time wisely to gather documents needed for the NVC stage of the process, in particular your long-form birth certificate from GRO (assuming you were born in the UK), and divorce or death certificates from any previous marriages either of you have had.

18 months? Wow! 

Am I just reading about people with wildly different timelines or is that the average? 


 

[Bug&Bug 146]

16 minutes ago, jadmac said:

18 months? Wow! 

Am I just reading about people with wildly different timelines or is that the average? 


 

Pre pandemic was about a year, now its about 1.5-2 years.

[JFH 12,189]

33 minutes ago, jadmac said:

Yeah I've been to the USA in the past, I know the typical process. 

But I'm reading a lot about not being allowed entry when married and awaiting a visa? 

In addition, COVID-19 makes things even more complicated? 

 

Ignore anything you see about not being able to visit. I visited on the VWP over 40 times, including several times during my visa application period. Each visitor entry is at the discretion of the CBP officer on duty when you arrive at the border but merely having an immigrant visa application in the works is not a reason to be denied entry. 

[jadmac 8]

16 minutes ago, JFH said:

Ignore anything you see about not being able to visit. I visited on the VWP over 40 times, including several times during my visa application period. Each visitor entry is at the discretion of the CBP officer on duty when you arrive at the border but merely having an immigrant visa application in the works is not a reason to be denied entry. 

Thanks for sharing. 

Did they ask about it? And was each time pretty straight forward? 




 

[JFH 12,189]

4 minutes ago, jadmac said:

Thanks for sharing. 

Did they ask about it? And was each time pretty straight forward? 




 

Every single entry was straightforward except one. Las Vegas airport. Awful experience one time although I went through CBP at Las Vegas several times with no issue at all. I just think the officer was having a bad day. 
 

I was only asked about it once but it was just a quick “what stage of the process are you at?” and when I told him that we were still waiting for the I-130 to be approved (which we were) he smiled and stamped my passport and I was on my way. 

[jadmac 8]

40 minutes ago, JFH said:

Every single entry was straightforward except one. Las Vegas airport. Awful experience one time although I went through CBP at Las Vegas several times with no issue at all. I just think the officer was having a bad day. 
 

I was only asked about it once but it was just a quick “what stage of the process are you at?” and when I told him that we were still waiting for the I-130 to be approved (which we were) he smiled and stamped my passport and I was on my way. 

Interesting. 

I had a bad expierence in Philadelphia - they took biometrics and interviewed me and asked me so many questions about what I was doing, my job, was it a romantic visit etc. 

I hope it doesn't happen again, but who knows? 


 

[JFH 12,189]

1 minute ago, jadmac said:

they took biometrics

 

They will always take your fingerprints. That’s normal. Being taken into secondary and having your bags searched etc is not normal. That happened to me once. But only once. 

[jadmac 8]

19 minutes ago, JFH said:

They will always take your fingerprints. That’s normal. Being taken into secondary and having your bags searched etc is not normal. That happened to me once. But only once. 

You would assume they'd have them on a database after the first time though?

Yes, not sure why! Did you find the first visit particualrly difficult or different? 

[Laud 40]

2 hours ago, jadmac said:

18 months? Wow! 

Am I just reading about people with wildly different timelines or is that the average? 


 

Sounds like our timeline and situation is very similar to yours.

 

Remember that those people who are finishing the process now have different timelines from the people who were finishing the process 18 months ago. It's really hard to predict what our timeline will be. We're trying not to get too excited by a few profiles of people who have sped through the process in 9 months, and instead prepare for at least 18 months. Anything shorter is a bonus.

[jadmac 8]

Would be interesting to see if there's any differences depending on where you file? 

When I checked the official site it gave estimated timelines for each centre, which were very different. 

For the first stage that was  (where I am) - Potomac was the best, and California was the worst. You would think they would distribute them around to even it out a little, but does not seem so. 

I was working on a 7 month timeline lol so I'm pretty depressed now and thinking I should probably look to plan my next visit rather than the move. 

[Laud 40]

2 minutes ago, jadmac said:

Would be interesting to see if there's any differences depending on where you file? 

When I checked the official site it gave estimated timelines for each centre, which were very different. 

For the first stage that was  (where I am) - Potomac was the best, and California was the worst. You would think they would distribute them around to even it out a little, but does not seem so. 

I was working on a 7 month timeline lol so I'm pretty depressed now and thinking I should probably look to plan my next visit rather than the move. 

Interesting. Don't think I've come across that. Can you link me to that site?

 

I do think 7 months would be extremely optimistic (though who knows?!) so planning a visit seems a good idea. Good luck!