ATTENTION JULY FILERS!

[a-jeanne 2]

We are going to have a very small wedding with just the sponsors and my parents. My two daughters will be flower girls. They are looking forward to being part of the ceremony. We are hoping for an April or May wedding. My friend has found an old stone church that I think Phil would appreciate.

Just looking forward to him being here - and hopefully soon!

[totes 0]

...Am I the only one who has done zero wedding planning or anything?

Seriously, until I see NOA2 either in my hot little hands or through a CRIS email, I see no reason to even think to start planning anything concrete.

Even after NOA2, we'll still have to wait for NVC, the Interview, etc etc etc.

Maybe I am being naive by feeling okay in waiting so long, but I mean, I see lots of people spazzing out about not being able to make their wedding dates because they haven't even been approved yet, etc.

Just pondering out loud...

I've done nothing concrete. I've picked out the style of my dress and know the colors... that's it! Until we get the NOA2 anyway.

[lilou 0]

well today the average time between NOA1 and NOA2 at CSC is 109 days

I've plan everything that don't require a specific date to be plan, so I've my dress and all the accessories for it, my fiancé got his suit, we have choose the menu the decoration, I've already make my bouquet and we bought the boutonnières not so long ago ( non real flower of course) we have choose the dishes, the music we want we know the place (we haven't make a reservation yet but it is still free the all Saturdays of May...) i already talk once to the hair dresser, i know the make-up girl and we have choose the wedding cake we want that way we are not stress if it takes longer to have my visa but when it will come everything will be ready and I will be able to enjoy the month before our wedding with no stress.

[Jeraly 4]

I think that's just it Chris - I think there is a lot of "making do" because of our situations - almost everyone has to let something slide - putting it like that makes me think that Jeremy and I are really lucky - we are going to have the date we want and the wedding we want - the only real question is whether we will get our visa in time to have a full legal wedding or whether we have to get married without a license and then cover the legalities when we get the visa through

Am chilling out now *passes on the baileys and has a sip of red wine* Listening to the music we are having played at our wedding

[bakofoil 27]

I think Bill y Bella is right. As musch as it sucks, we need to face the reality that our NOA2s are going to take the full six months. Doesn't make me happy, but I think reality is so much better than false hope.

We'll all get there one day, guys!

yep, I think Bill is right too... oh well, doesn't change much in the end; time always flies

hell, we're already more than two months in! can hardly believe that

Yep, I'm amazed at how quickly the time has gone. Since putting the countdown on my signature and periodically changing the date (due to the confusion over when my petition actually arrived at CSC) I'm shocked by how far IN to the process we are. Our day will come and it's getting closer every day

-that's my positive input for the day

[bakofoil 27]

...Am I the only one who has done zero wedding planning or anything?

nope!

For me the time is not all the same. This time is precious because there is a young child involved. I am missing first steps, first words, etc. Those events will never be repeated so they are lost forever. I was lucky to be with her last week for her first tooth and first birthday. And thank goodness for webcams so that I can see the baby every day and she can see me.

But when those little arms reach out and her big eyes ask to be picked up, Papi will not be there. Sometimes realizing that makes the waiting a little more difficult.

I had no idea of your situation Bill. You never seem to complain, always pragmatic about this whole visa thing. I can understand you stressing this time wasted. I really have little to complain about. Here's hoping you and your family are reunited very soon.

[Jeraly 4]

I must say the time has seemed to pass quite quickly as much as we complain - I don't tend to look at my signature but realising that it is a little over four months until I get married and over 2 months since our NOA1.. well it just makes you realise how far we really have come!!

You can also tell because we are talking weddings more rather than visa At first it was all about getting our NOA1s, then wondering about our NOA2s, then the excitement wore off because we realised it wasn't happening anytime soon, then we b*tched about it, then we started looking to the future... it's a weird process and it'll be interesting to see if the other filers (Aug, Sept etc) pan out the same way

OK - that's me done for the night - have had borderline migraine for past two days and am staving it off with red wine... prolly not the best thing but it's almost the weekend then I can rest up

[bakofoil 27]

I must say the time has seemed to pass quite quickly as much as we complain - I don't tend to look at my signature but realising that it is a little over four months until I get married and over 2 months since our NOA1.. well it just makes you realise how far we really have come!!

You can also tell because we are talking weddings more rather than visa At first it was all about getting our NOA1s, then wondering about our NOA2s, then the excitement wore off because we realised it wasn't happening anytime soon, then we b*tched about it, then we started looking to the future... it's a weird process and it'll be interesting to see if the other filers (Aug, Sept etc) pan out the same way

OK - that's me done for the night - have had borderline migraine for past two days and am staving it off with red wine... prolly not the best thing but it's almost the weekend then I can rest up

Oh! I know it must be stressful for you too. Don't get me wrong, it is for everyone. I have stressed quite a bit and I would be stressing far more if I had circumstances like yours, but you made plans to offset part of that worry. I'm just hoping you get your NOA2 in december and manage to expedite your interview. I was looking at figures for approvals the other day, placement on the bszoom list (although that is ordered by NOA1 date and not sent date so that might cause a problem) and wondering if we could estimate a date for them getting around to july apps. The VJ estimate seems to fluctuate wildly...but it is probably the best way to calculate it. I'm going to wait a few days since the approvals have only just started to stream steadily out then i'll try and give you a guesstimate and see how close it is to the VJ timeframe.

Edited October 4, 2007 by babblesgirl

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

Oh I know it can be crazy - especially the summer months... unfortunately when we come back for our UK wedding celebration it is going to be next summer most probably (end of June) and we just can't book that at all yet which is annoying - we'll either have to go for a mid-week or just pick through the leftovers

yup...and then it will be all in a rush and some people that we invited to our wedding might not even be available for those days, everybody is from a different part of the world and it just sucks...I think if we have to change our wedding date, we will just get married with a witness in the 90 days they tell us to get married in cuz trying to gather family from different parts of the world isn´t that easy...

[Nicole_Michel2007 0]

I know it is just so frustrating - I have to stop myself from saying "I wish" five hundred times a day!!

ooooo I'm with you on that. It's usually...I wish we'd done this 2 months earlier!!!!

Tell me about it - we would have if Jeremy had researched more thoroughly and I hadn't gotten so confused by it all in the beginning... He thought that the K-1 process only took 3 months... He didn't realise we had to send of the I129-F first...

Ok well mine slipped all the way from Sept. 27th to Jan. 1st today! Holy Moly!

But someone in another forumn told me that it could be processed anytime sooner because it's just a projected date.

Are they factoring in Holiday seasons breaks and stuff like this now?

Ouch - that's nasty... Mine is on Dec 22nd now :/ Although you are right - it is just a projected date based on VJ timelines so the date is only as accurate as the timelines that are filled in At one point I had a projected date of the beginning of September... that was in the middle of last month - it kinda went screwy which was funny

Right now my projected approval date is Dec 23 ........whatever, I won't look anymore, I have enough stress as it is with school, it's too depressing, and I can't afford to be this way. At least I'll see him in Nov. and again in Dec........and most probably in March (spring break) all I can say is Thank GOD for student loans....

whatever I have to go to bed and dream of structures .........good luck everyone.....

Student loans were a godsend - as well as the long holidays!!! Now I'm in work it's slightly different but at least there is a (rather distant) light at the end of the tunnel!!

Confused... most of you have noa1 dates earlier than mine - some much earlier - yet my projected is dec 9 and rising - what's factored into the equation for that date?

[Bill y Bella 0]

Confused... most of you have noa1 dates earlier than mine - some much earlier - yet my projected is dec 9 and rising - what's factored into the equation for that date?

It is based on the date the petition was sent and the average processing time for the service center in question. NOA1 dates have no impact on the VJ projected adjudication date.

Whenever a petition is approved, the average processing time for that service center is recalculated and assuming the average changes, the projected adjudication date will change also.

Edited October 5, 2007 by Bill y Bella

[Rob & Jin 0]

Confused... most of you have noa1 dates earlier than mine - some much earlier - yet my projected is dec 9 and rising - what's factored into the equation for that date?

It is based on the date the petition was sent and the average processing time for the service center in question. NOA1 dates have no impact on the VJ projected adjudication date.

Whenever a petition is approved, the average processing time for that service center is recalculated and assuming the average changes, the projected adjudication date will change also.

Well, our projected date for NOA-2 is now in December, THEN JUST ANOTHER 5 MONTHS WAIT FOR THE INTERVIEW

[StillThePrettiest 3]

Confused... most of you have noa1 dates earlier than mine - some much earlier - yet my projected is dec 9 and rising - what's factored into the equation for that date?

It is based on the date the petition was sent and the average processing time for the service center in question. NOA1 dates have no impact on the VJ projected adjudication date.

Whenever a petition is approved, the average processing time for that service center is recalculated and assuming the average changes, the projected adjudication date will change also.

and I'll just add - you're at VSC, Nicole, and as there haven't been any approvals out of there in the last few days, the 'average' timeframe is frozen... so everyone's estimated dates stay the same

whereas for us going through CSC, we're GETTING approvals (albeit slowly), and the average wait time is around 145 days, so our estimated approval dates reflect that

hope that makes sense, and doesn't repeat what you already know

as for the family-at-wedding headache -

when we first started telling people that we'd be marrying in the States, a few said they'd love to be there... but it was some pretty random people; no one who I WOULDN'T want at my wedding, but loads of people who I WOULD want unable to come... so we've been telling people that the wedding itself is going to be REALLY small; parents only, but if they had been thinking they'd like to come across, would they mind saving that visit for later in the year? as we'll have the big house, and I will probably not be working for a while, and we'd love a steady stream of visitors (well, not TOO steady, but that's unlikely to happen )

and thankfully I have the sort of family where everyone thinks that's a great idea without getting insulted

so we'll have an engagement (or whatever; I don't care what we call it) sort of party in Australia, after getting the visa but before using it, with all my friends and family, and then go on to the States and get married there, and then hopefully see people at regular intervals afterward

[a-jeanne 2]

I have a quick question for Jeraly. I know that you had mentioned awhile back being able to watch a flight path. Where do you go to find that? He is flying in today on British Airways. Thanks for your help and hope your headache is gone.

[bakofoil 27]

I have a quick question for Jeraly. I know that you had mentioned awhile back being able to watch a flight path. Where do you go to find that? He is flying in today on British Airways. Thanks for your help and hope your headache is gone.

Here's a flight tracker. Not sure how well it works but there are some others if this one doesn't work well. Just google search 'flight tracker'. Hope this helps and enjoy the visit!