I-130 August 2021 Filers

[Educ8r 39]

25 minutes ago, gsdc23 said:

Anyone have any updates or received any approvals as of yet? Especially if your case is at CSC? My priority date is 8/26. I would be able to make an inquiry soon since they have 8/25/2021 currently listed on the processing times website for USC’s filing I-130 through California. Just wanted to know if anyone else went from AR to Approved recently.

I am at CSC with a PD of 8/10/21. USC petitioning for spouse.  I filed an out of processing inquiry on 4/12/22 and have not gotten a response other than an email saying that they received my inquiry.

[Mimicherie 142]

12 minutes ago, Educ8r said:

I am at CSC with a PD of 8/10/21. USC petitioning for spouse.  I filed an out of processing inquiry on 4/12/22 and have not gotten a response other than an email saying that they received my inquiry.

Wow, thank you for sharing. I wonder what’s going on. I’m petitioning for my stepson. I know CSC had a longer wait time for USC I-130 petitions at one point, however it recently dropped to a 6.5-8.5 month turn around time, yet my case is on month 9 going on 10. I sure do hope we hear something soon. Let’s keep each other posted, thanks !

[Educ8r 39]

7 minutes ago, gsdc23 said:

Let’s keep each other posted, thanks !

Absolutely!  As Tom Petty said, "The waiting is the hardest part".  After 260 days and seeing tons of other approvals, my patience is wearing thin.  My case is very straight forward.  Keep in touch.

[Mimicherie 142]

34 minutes ago, Educ8r said:

My case is very straight forward.  Keep in touch.

Mine as well 😂 and will do. Thank you! 

[Ctavarez90 244]

40 minutes ago, gsdc23 said:

Mine as well 😂 and will do. Thank you! 

Same here. My PD is 08/31 so I can make an inquiry next week. Hoping that at the latest we get an approval no later than end of June or July. Everyone keep each other posted please! My case is straight forward as well. Everyone keep each other posted

[Ctavarez90 244]

On 4/27/2022 at 11:01 AM, Ctavarez90 said:

Same here. My PD is 08/31 so I can make an inquiry next week. Hoping that at the latest we get an approval no later than end of June or July. Everyone keep each other posted please! My case is straight forward as well. Everyone keep each other posted

Has anyone had their petition approved that has applied anytime during august? Just curious. I am submitting an inquiry next week on my petition because it will be outside normal processing times 

[hopeJourney 14]

Yes, it seems they have started to approve some cases with NOAs in early August 2021. I have seen 5-6 over the last week here and on Facebook. Keep in mind there were over 268,000 thousand pending cases in Jul-Aug 2021, so seeing a handful of August filers getting approved doesn't mean ours will soon, but it is nonetheless a good sign.

[Seth Collins 19]

12 minutes ago, hopeJourney said:

Yes, it seems they have started to approve some cases with NOAs in early August 2021. I have seen 5-6 over the last week here and on Facebook. Keep in mind there were over 268,000 thousand pending cases in Jul-Aug 2021, so seeing a handful of August filers getting approved doesn't mean ours will soon, but it is nonetheless a good sign.

Sorry for being off topic, but what groups do you follow on FB to keep up with stuff like this?

[hopeJourney 14]

35 minutes ago, Seth Collins said:

Sorry for being off topic, but what groups do you follow on FB to keep up with stuff like this?

 

There are a few and some are specific to service centers. Try searching for "I-130 filers Immigration Visa Group" or "I-130 Texas service centre." There is overlap in posts between VJ and FB, so just keep that in mind. It can seem like more are being approved than actually are because of cross-posting (which is a good thing to reach more people).

 

I also track the VJ service center tracker and I find that really helpful. For example USCIS Monthly Filers & Approvals (Igor's List) (visajourney.com).

[Ctavarez90 244]

Yea I hope that mine gets approved by the end of June or July at the latest. I feel like the petition is the most stressful part of the process because of the continued waiting. I’m at the California Service center and I can inquire next week about my case so I hope that helps

[Ed & Kat 2]

My PD date is 8/1/2021 at Potomac initially, and sometime before late November my case was transferred to the Texas SC.  I have been under AR since Feb. 21.  I called today and was told the case is now at the Vermont SC.

 

In what seemed to be a programmed response, the agent said the transfer was for "processing efficiency", but then she noted that the processing time is several months longer at the VSC  than at the TSC (?) .   I have read that the processing times listed on the USCIS website can be unreliable, and the VJ timeline does show the VSC to be faster--so who knows. I also filed a K3 is November, and I was told that case is still at TSC.  I am not trying to bemoan my wait; I just want to give my fellow August files an update. 

[Ctavarez90 244]

14 minutes ago, Ed & Kat said:

My PD date is 8/1/2021 at Potomac initially, and sometime before late November my case was transferred to the Texas SC.  I have been under AR since Feb. 21.  I called today and was told the case is now at the Vermont SC.

 

In what seemed to be a programmed response, the agent said the transfer was for "processing efficiency", but then she noted that the processing time is several months longer at the VSC  than at the TSC (?) .   I have read that the processing times listed on the USCIS website can be unreliable, and the VJ timeline does show the VSC to be faster--so who knows. I also filed a K3 is November, and I was told that case is still at TSC.  I am not trying to bemoan my wait; I just want to give my fellow August files an update. 

I hope you get an approval soon. I just checked and my case is still at California Service Center so hopefully soon the approval with come and I will get some good news

[Ctavarez90 244]

How long does the whole process usually take from start to finish (by that I mean getting the petition approved and finishing with getting your visa)

[hopeJourney 14]

1 hour ago, Ctavarez90 said:

How long does the whole process usually take from start to finish (by that I mean getting the petition approved and finishing with getting your visa)

Currently, the median time for an I-130 for an immediate relative is 9.5 months (Historic Processing Times (uscis.gov)). That means 50 percent of cases are processed within 9.5 months. Then it takes 1-8 weeks for USCIS to send the case to NVC. Once NVC receives the case, you can expect about 90 days for them to process everything (NVC Timeframes (state.gov)). Then it totally depends on at which consulate you will do the interview. If you are in a backlogged consulate in countries like Mexico, India, and Pakistan, I've heard of waits of 9-12 months. At other consulates, it is as short as within one month. On here and Facebook you can usually find groups that have information on your specific consulate's wait time.

 

Here is a reasonable time frame:

 

10-12 months for I-130 approval (12 months might be more reasonable depending on service center)

1 month for NVC to receive case

3 months for NVC to process case

4 months to schedule interview (note again there is much variation based on consulate)

 

Total: 18-20 months

 

Also note that if you get a request for evidence (RFE) at the USCIS or NVC stage, it can add 3 months. It is critical you submit everything correctly. Read the directions carefully and have someone double-check. 

Edited May 1, 2022 by hopeJourney

[Ctavarez90 244]

5 minutes ago, hopeJourney said:

Currently, the median time for an I-130 for an immediate relative is 9.5 months (Historic Processing Times (uscis.gov)). That means 50 percent of cases are processed within 9.5 months. Then it takes 1-8 weeks for USCIS to send the case to NVC. Once NVC receives the case, you can expect about 90 days for them to process everything (NVC Timeframes (state.gov)). Then it totally depends on at which consulate you will do the interview. If you are in a backlogged consulate in countries like Mexico, India, and Pakistan, I've heard of waits of 9-12 months. At other consulates, it is as short as within one month. On here and Facebook you can usually find groups that have information on your specific consulate's wait time.

 

Here is a reasonable time frame:

 

10-12 months for I-130 approval (12 months might be more reasonable depending on service center)

1 month for NVC to receive case

3 months for NVC to process case

4 months to schedule interview (note again there is much variation based on consulate)

 

Total: 18-20 months

 

Also note that if you get a request for evidence (RFE) at the USCIS or NVC stage, it can add 3 months. It is critical you submit everything correctly. Read the directions carefully and have someone double-check. 

Thanks so much for this info. It’s better to have some type of hope then none at all.

hopefully everything will pick back up a little here soon. Even if it is not super fast,

just faster than before