I filed an expedite request today (Ukraine I-130)

[O&R 5]

My sister was approved today after Expedite request was sent on Mon. My mom's case is pending at NVC at well. Not sure what to expect next with the petition being at NVC, where should we go form there.

Questions: 

1. Police clearance: The police office is closed for over 10 days now. How can we obtain it? Can we apply without one and how?

2. Embassy: Not sure where it will be transferred. 

 

[slavaskii 886]

26 minutes ago, chivaschivas said:

We’ve filed an expedite request through Senator, after being refused ~2 weeks ago for the first time, and got an email that it’s under review and we should hear back shortly. I really hope it will be approved…

 

The timeline NOA2 - NVC - Embassy is a bit confusing too, but that’s probably because my mind is all jumbled up from the war events.

 

So up to 45 days for them to decide whether they approve the petition or not, up to 2 months to get to the NVC (does it include processing? can that be expedited as well?), and then however long at the Embassy. I hope there will be more options than Frankfurt…the wait is probably gonna be massive.

 

Thank you for all the answers and wishes of safety for us all!

The timeline from here on out is certainly very confusing for all Eastern Europeans now, particularly Ukrainians, as literally Minsk/Moscow/Kyiv aren't processing petitions anymore and are sending them elsewhere. It's quite chaotic, but you're in good hands here with people that eat and breathe all things Eastern Europe

 

So after the expedite approval (which has seemingly taken but a few days to get), USCIS will say to wait up to 45 days for a notice of action. This could, of course, still be an RFE, but it's safe to estimate 45-60 days for your approval to roll in from the moment you place the request. We hope sooner, but there's not enough data now. 

 

From that point, it will go to NVC with all other applications. NVC itself will not generally take expedite requests for K1 because it's already processed relatively quick. The NOA2 - NVC stage seems to be taking around a month. From that point, it will be up to Frankfurt to request it. I agree that sounds rough, because there are already others there, but I wouldn't worry terribly. Warsaw is already quite overwhelmed, and the State Department must think Frankfurt can handle the influx of people. Trust them on this. I've also heard people have success moving to Bucharest; if you have difficulty getting to Germany or would prefer to stay in one of the Eastern EU countries, you could probably try asking to transfer elsewhere. But, as of now, I think Frankfurt is indeed the best option.

 

And no worries, for most of us in this thread, the war has become very personal. I can't imagine doing anything else than finding a way to help out in whatever way I can right now.

 

1 minute ago, O&R said:

My sister was approved today after Expedite request was sent on Mon. My mom's case is pending at NVC at well. Not sure what to expect next with the petition being at NVC, where should we go form there.

Questions: 

1. Police clearance: The police office is closed for over 10 days now. How can we obtain it? Can we apply without one and how?

2. Embassy: Not sure where it will be transferred. 

 

So the police certificate is going to be complicated no matter what and that's something for Frankfurt to deal with. But that's only needed at the very, very end - when you're actually going to the interview. There will likely be more guidance posted by then, but as of now, it's impossible for Ukrainians to get police certificates. This is extraordinarily low priority for Ukraine and I am honestly very concerned it will take a long time for the Information Ministry to get back up and running. Continue on the process exactly as you were planning before. My guess is that Frankfurt may conduct interviews but not actually issue the visa pending the certificates, or there will be some waiver system put into place, sort of like how you can 'technically' waive medical but still need to do it in the US. Police and medical is a bit apples-and-oranges, though, so we'll see.

 

And to your second question, as stated above, it will be routed to Frankfurt as identified by @millefleur.

[Boiler 44,857]

What is the point of an expedite for your Sister?

[O&R 5]

6 minutes ago, Boiler said:

What is the point of an expedite for your Sister?

?

If you mean what basis, it was expedited due to war. 

Edited March 4, 2022 by O&R

[Boiler 44,857]

2 minutes ago, O&R said:

?

If you mean what basis, it was expedited due to war. 

You had mentioned filing a F4 2 years ago.

[O&R 5]

6 minutes ago, Boiler said:

You had mentioned filing a F4 2 years ago.

Yes but the one expedited was F2a by one of the parents. 

[Boiler 44,857]

Just now, O&R said:

Yes but the one expedited was F2a by one of the parents. 

That makes sense.

[chivaschivas 33]

18 hours ago, chivaschivas said:

We’ve filed an expedite request through Senator, after being refused ~2 weeks ago for the first time, and got an email that it’s under review and we should hear back shortly. I really hope it will be approved…

 

The timeline NOA2 - NVC - Embassy is a bit confusing too, but that’s probably because my mind is all jumbled up from the war events.

 

So up to 45 days for them to decide whether they approve the petition or not, up to 2 months to get to the NVC (does it include processing? can that be expedited as well?), and then however long at the Embassy. I hope there will be more options than Frankfurt…the wait is probably gonna be massive.

 

Thank you for all the answers and wishes of safety for us all!

Just to update on this, our expedite was approved a couple days after we filed.

 

The first one before the war was refused, this one was successful through a Senator and legal rep.

 

Now we wait for the decision and see where to go from there.

[texastincup 52]

I found my wife's NOA2 in her documents tab of the online portal today. It still says it is under active review though. The active review & approval date was 3/4/2022 which was nine calendar days after the expedite request was made.

 

Still no response from Potomac SC on the expedite request for "favorite daughter."

[chivaschivas 33]

9 hours ago, texastincup said:

I found my wife's NOA2 in her documents tab of the online portal today. It still says it is under active review though. The active review & approval date was 3/4/2022 which was nine calendar days after the expedite request was made.

 

Still no response from Potomac SC on the expedite request for "favorite daughter."

Do I understand correctly that the petition was approved after nine days of expedite approval? That sounds like a dream timeline!

 

My I-129F is at California Center which is famously slow so I'm not hoping for such a fast response but it's amazing to hear they are working.

Hope your wife is safe!

[texastincup 52]

3 hours ago, chivaschivas said:

Do I understand correctly that the petition was approved after nine days of expedite approval? That sounds like a dream timeline!

Yes. I was shocked at the approval speed. I did not even expect the expedite to be approved.

 

3 hours ago, chivaschivas said:

My I-129F is at California Center which is famously slow so I'm not hoping for such a fast response but it's amazing to hear they are working.

Hope your wife is safe!

My wife and daughter, her mom, brother, and nephew left Vinnytsia yesterday and made it to Romania via Moldova. They are now in Bulgaria on the way to her brother's wife and other son in Istanbul. The boy is being treated for a 2nd fight with cancer now. 

 

There is an exception which allows a man to leave Ukraine if he is a single parent.

 

[millefleur 5,043]

23 minutes ago, texastincup said:

My wife and daughter, her mom, brother, and nephew left Vinnytsia yesterday and made it to Romania via Moldova. They are now in Bulgaria on the way to her brother's wife and other son in Istanbul. The boy is being treated for a 2nd fight with cancer now. 

How did the brother get out with the current enforced draft in Ukraine? I know friends in a similar situation and apparently the men cannot leave, please let me know if there's a way....thank you.

[texastincup 52]

https://visitukraine.today/blog/102/exceptions-when-a-man-can-leave-ukraine-under-martial-law

[texastincup 52]

Filed a humanitarian expedite request for wife & daughter on 2/24/2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. They live in the west (Vinnytsia) but our apartment was shaken by an explosion. Both expedite requests were exactly the same.

 

TSC: Wife's I-130 went actively reviewing on 3/4 and was approved on 3/4. It was sent to the NVC on 3/11. Her petition had been actively reviewing since Dec 10, 2021.

 

PSC: Daughter's expedite request was not processed within the 7 days so on March 16 I uploaded a copy (I filed online through the USCIS website so I had the ability to upload unsolicited documents) of my wife's NOA2 and the email saying her expedite was approved. Apparently this prompted an examination and her I-130 was approved on March 16. Daughter has been actively reviewing since Sept 10, 2021.

 

The irritating thing about this is that both petitions were apparently sitting on a desk ready to approve and all someone had to do was look at them.

[Mrs:D 0]

Thank you so much for posting this. It would not have crossed my mind.