September 2023 I-130 Filers

[OldUser 7,568]

1 hour ago, Cookie88 said:

Also did you notice any changes in the 'myprogress' tab in the past day? Ours went from 5 months to 22 months... I know these don't mean much but I just wondered if the shift meant it was assigned to someone or anything - any clue. Clutching at straws!

You cannot read into it at all.

Here's example:

 

 

 

[Stiven26 22]

11 minutes ago, OldUser said:

You cannot read into it at all.

Here's example:

 

 

 

In 1 or 2 days it will update, then in 3 or 4 days it update,that it was transferred to NVC, and then you receive the email with the case number and Invoice. 

[emeditz 13]

1 hour ago, Josh B K said:

Hello Friends. I received my approval today after 16 months of waiting. 

 

NOA1: September 22, 2023

NOA2: January 14, 2025

 

 

Very relieved to finally see some more approvals in our cohort. 

[Cookie88 103]

I asked an Emma agent for another update, and seems now all 3 of our petitions (spouse and children) are at California SC. As of yesterday, they were distributed between Nebraska and California both. Seems the California SC officer got all three under them. I hope we hear something soon now. And something good!

[emeditz 13]

1 hour ago, Cookie88 said:

I asked an Emma agent for another update, and seems now all 3 of our petitions (spouse and children) are at California SC. As of yesterday, they were distributed between Nebraska and California both. Seems the California SC officer got all three under them. I hope we hear something soon now. And something good!

I very much hope that as well. My case is in California as well. Fingers crossed.

[Josh B K 24]

On 1/14/2025 at 9:18 AM, emeditz said:

Very relieved to finally see some more approvals in our cohort. 

 

@emeditz and @Cookie88 I forgot to mention in my announcement that our case approval came from Nebraska; so, I assume I was transferred at some point in the process. 

 

I know it is very difficult to keep waiting and to feel that you don't have power to improve your situation. My thoughts are with you, and I hope you hear something any week now. 

[Cookie88 103]

15 hours ago, Josh B K said:

 

@emeditz and @Cookie88 I forgot to mention in my announcement that our case approval came from Nebraska; so, I assume I was transferred at some point in the process. 

 

I know it is very difficult to keep waiting and to feel that you don't have power to improve your situation. My thoughts are with you, and I hope you hear something any week now. 

Thank you for adding this. 

 

I am not sure what is going on with mine, as when I asked Emma again today I was now told all 3 are at Nebraska, not California. Not that it should make a big diff, I just wish they'd respond now and put us out of our misery.

[emeditz 13]

I know it doesn't do any good to put this negativity out into the universe, but USCIS clearly has broken software platforms and/or employees who don't care about their jobs, and that is entirely the way our government prefers it. It's all by design. Present the illusion of a process that only the tough and dedicated, and likely financially capable, can endure. It's inexcusable that we pay hundreds of dollars to the government and possibly thousands to lawyers to be treated this way.

 

But I would interpret a transfer to Nebraska as a positive development, if that is in fact what happened, if anyone actually knows what happened. There are so few data points from California that this website doesn't even give me an estimated approval window.

[Cookie88 103]

37 minutes ago, emeditz said:

I know it doesn't do any good to put this negativity out into the universe, but USCIS clearly has broken software platforms and/or employees who don't care about their jobs, and that is entirely the way our government prefers it. It's all by design. Present the illusion of a process that only the tough and dedicated, and likely financially capable, can endure. It's inexcusable that we pay hundreds of dollars to the government and possibly thousands to lawyers to be treated this way.

 

But I would interpret a transfer to Nebraska as a positive development, if that is in fact what happened, if anyone actually knows what happened. There are so few data points from California that this website doesn't even give me an estimated approval window.

@emeditzI totally get your frustration. The frustration gets a lot worse when the deep rooted fear of being skipped over starts creeping in... it's nice seeing dates around yours get approved, but it also starts making the anxiety worse in some sense. I hope we all see positive news very soon. 

 

My VJ progress is set to California still and it shows me an estimated approval date of 1/18. But it also keeps skipping ahead by 2 days every time we pass by a date without an approval. It was 1/16 2 days ago. 

[Cookie88 103]

Got a notification of an RFE... anyone know how long these take to come through? Are they sent via post or uploaded online to the account? 

[k0nstantin 9]

2 hours ago, Cookie88 said:

Got a notification of an RFE... anyone know how long these take to come through? Are they sent via post or uploaded online to the account? 

I didn't get one personally, but from what I heard they should upload it to your account.

[GABO507_PTY 11]

Hello.

Today I received my interview appointment for March, 2025.

Hope that all the information I have posted here help others and remember: dont lose hope, if your case is legit you will be OK, just as all of us: we need to wait a lot and be patients.

Cheers👍

[emeditz 13]

I'm glad your case is moving along, but I don't feel like being patient if people who filed just days before I did are already having their interviews scheduled, and I have nothing but a receipt from 16 months ago saying the case was accepted. When I first talked to a lawyer about my case the processing times for I-130s were 10 months and now they're half a year longer. I've paid this agency hundreds of dollars to look at my case and they haven't, so I have reached my expiration date on being patient, although there also doesn't appear to be much that I can do anyway.

[Josh B K 24]

On 1/21/2025 at 9:42 AM, emeditz said:

I'm glad your case is moving along, but I don't feel like being patient if people who filed just days before I did are already having their interviews scheduled, and I have nothing but a receipt from 16 months ago saying the case was accepted. When I first talked to a lawyer about my case the processing times for I-130s were 10 months and now they're half a year longer. I've paid this agency hundreds of dollars to look at my case and they haven't, so I have reached my expiration date on being patient, although there also doesn't appear to be much that I can do anyway.

 

@emeditz I'm so sorry for the pain this process is causing. I 100% understand what you feel.

 

When I calculate all the taxes I've paid over my lifetime (and I have explicitly done this), I feel infuriated. I understand that the political situation is very tricky right now, and it's very unlikely congress will do much to improve immigration law. I also know that many people much less fortunate than me are suffering more intense hardships, but I feel that citizens certainly have the right to expect that their government will serve their requests promptly and efficiently.

 

I can't fathom any valid excuse for what we are experiencing. I suspect the reality is that these agencies are underfunded and under terribly uncreative leadership.  Their perspective is likely that the pandemic shutdowns created a backlog, and at their current level of staffing, they can't catch up. I'm sure that is partially true, but I also hold the leadership at USCIS responsible for not updating their processes in the face of a historic backlog. It appears they are just attempting to keep following the same processes and hope they get more funding. I don't accept that approach. We deserve better. If they have honestly tried to improve efficiency and processes, I am stunned as to why they wouldn't have trumpeted it from the rooftops. 

Sadly, in the current environment, I don't think we can expect anything to get better soon, but I do hope this experience inspires us to become more active and to speak up about these concerns. Though I have finally received my USCIS approval, I still face an unknown process forward as I try to get an appointment at the US consulate in Mexico, and on top of this unknown I face the constant reality that even at the last minute they could reject our petition. It's maddening and emotionally draining. I think it is very important that we take the time to write down our experiences and opinions and share them with our representatives, family, and friends. Though I don't think one letter will matter, hundreds of thousands might. 

[Cookie88 103]

5 hours ago, Josh B K said:

 

@emeditz I'm so sorry for the pain this process is causing. I 100% understand what you feel.

 

When I calculate all the taxes I've paid over my lifetime (and I have explicitly done this), I feel infuriated. I understand that the political situation is very tricky right now, and it's very unlikely congress will do much to improve immigration law. I also know that many people much less fortunate than me are suffering more intense hardships, but I feel that citizens certainly have the right to expect that their government will serve their requests promptly and efficiently.

 

I can't fathom any valid excuse for what we are experiencing. I suspect the reality is that these agencies are underfunded and under terribly uncreative leadership.  Their perspective is likely that the pandemic shutdowns created a backlog, and at their current level of staffing, they can't catch up. I'm sure that is partially true, but I also hold the leadership at USCIS responsible for not updating their processes in the face of a historic backlog. It appears they are just attempting to keep following the same processes and hope they get more funding. I don't accept that approach. We deserve better. If they have honestly tried to improve efficiency and processes, I am stunned as to why they wouldn't have trumpeted it from the rooftops. 

Sadly, in the current environment, I don't think we can expect anything to get better soon, but I do hope this experience inspires us to become more active and to speak up about these concerns. Though I have finally received my USCIS approval, I still face an unknown process forward as I try to get an appointment at the US consulate in Mexico, and on top of this unknown I face the constant reality that even at the last minute they could reject our petition. It's maddening and emotionally draining. I think it is very important that we take the time to write down our experiences and opinions and share them with our representatives, family, and friends. Though I don't think one letter will matter, hundreds of thousands might. 

 

@Josh B K Where are you at now in the process? Are you DQ'd yet? Anything you can tell us for your timeline between the date of approval until what the update is today, it would be very helpful! Thank you.