Is there any backlog for SA ? Timeline? (IR1/CR1)

[AlwaysStressed 3]

11 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Do you mean the I-130? 20 months for that is unusual, it’s 17 months ish at the moment. It may be that he’s not a citizen, and has just misread your question. 

I believe it's for the I-130 and they are a US Citizen. The case started in Nebraska, went to Texas and has been at Vermont Service Center for 6+ months  . I was told by other people it's taking longer than expected due to backlogs and each case is being processed differently . Someone else said they were DQ'd on 24 July 2024. They've been waiting 8 months for a visa interview appointment date. I mean, this is scary if it's true. 

 

Thank you, I'll try not to stress about it. Might as well take a mental break from it. 

Edited March 26 by AlwaysStressed

[appleblossom 3,671]

1 minute ago, AlwaysStressed said:

I believe it's for the I-130 and they are a US Citizen. The case started in Nebraska, went to Texas and has been at Vermont Service Center for 6+ months  . I was told by other people it's taking longer than expected due to backlogs and each case is being processed differently . Someone else said they were DQ'd on 24 July 2024. They've been waiting 8 months for a visa interview appointment date. I mean, this is scary if it's true. 

 

You can see all of the cases on here, people are generally pretty much bang on the 17 months estimate, unless they receive an RFE. Honestly, forget Lawfully, it’s not a great resource. 

 

And 8 months for an interview at which consulate? 

[JeanneAdil 6,802]

1 hour ago, AlwaysStressed said:

If I may ask, what is your age difference ? I also have one. It's 5 years and I'm the older one. How long did the CR1 process for you take overall and what did you have to change so you could be approved ? 

 

Thank you for that advice. I have been moping about the stress and it can drag on in conversation. 

 

How did you cope through it all? What helped especially with the separation anxiety ? 

we are over 20 years and i made 5 trips and spent 10 months there to help

i stayed busy here and visited family often as they live far away / i think holidays were the worst 

the time difference made me stay up late to talk so sleeping was not normal

i also joined a gym to work thru the stress and volunteered my time with the handicapped adults 

 

Three things that allowed me to go for months

1. retired

2  set up all bills to pay online so i didn't need to be here

3. didn't have a pet at the time

 

I registered with US embassy (as suggested ) in Morocco

and with police chief in his city

[hplusj 354]

6 hours ago, AlwaysStressed said:

 I was told by other people it's taking longer than expected due to backlogs and each case is being processed differently . Someone else said they were DQ'd on 24 July 2024. They've been waiting 8 months for a visa interview appointment date. I mean, this is scary if it's true. 

Are any of these people processing through South Africa, by any chance...

 

There's no relativity if they aren't

[AlwaysStressed 3]

26 minutes ago, hplusj said:

Are any of these people processing through South Africa, by any chance...

 

There's no relativity if they aren't

Although they are not processing through South Africa, their experiences with delays still offer some insight into the overall processing times and current backlogs, which helps me gauge what to expect. I prefer to be well prepared in advance. 

[AlwaysStressed 3]

9 hours ago, hplusj said:

You have to take into account the new refugee status applied to SA citizens with the current administration.  This may have resulted in an increase in staffing to accommodate the increased workload, and it may not have: yet.

 

You can always use the Department of State website to assess the visa bulletin and see the monthly processing by visa type.  Traditionally Joberg processes a vast amount of work visas, namely H-1B, compared to family based.  Currently no legislation has changed the H-1B process so that staff is still allocated to that work, as well as the new refugee status applications.  Family based will remain high priority but I am unsure if the refugee status precludes it.

 

Ultimately I would expect at least 3 months, perhaps longer.  Our K1 sat at NVC last summer for four months before being received at the embassy, which although you should not comparatively assess other timelines too much, given it's the same embassy and combined with current events, gives some useful context.

 

Good luck with your journey!

Thank you for the detailed insights. I understand that the new refugee status and current administration may impact processing times, and I appreciate the context regarding staffing and workload. Yikes, 4 months is a long wait though. That's worrying. A relief you made it through though. I'll continue monitoring the visa bulletin and tracking progress. Your experience with the K1 process is helpful, and I'll keep that in mind. I'm also looking into the Retention of South African Citizenship, as I’d prefer not to lose it during the process. Hopefully, the Constitutional Court will address this soon though, as it adds unnecessary stress. Thanks again for the well wishes, and I wish you the best as well fellow Saffa!

[hplusj 354]

22 hours ago, AlwaysStressed said:

Although they are not processing through South Africa, their experiences with delays still offer some insight into the overall processing times and current backlogs, which helps me gauge what to expect. I prefer to be well prepared in advance. 

The backlogs come at the embassy level, which is why there is a disparity in wait times.

 

Embassy is an important factor.

[hplusj 354]

22 hours ago, AlwaysStressed said:

Thanks again for the well wishes, and I wish you the best as well fellow Saffa!

Honorary Saffa; or so my bokkie says 😂

[Confusedtinybird 42]

Agree with other posters you cant compare your times to other countries. In general South Africa moves faster than other African countries. But do you have everything ready to go? Police clearance? Birth Certificate? As those items can take a while in South Africa and a lot of people will use an outside company to help speed the process to obtain these items. 

[hplusj 354]

On 4/3/2025 at 9:47 AM, Confusedtinybird said:

Agree with other posters you cant compare your times to other countries. In general South Africa moves faster than other African countries. But do you have everything ready to go? Police clearance? Birth Certificate? As those items can take a while in South Africa and a lot of people will use an outside company to help speed the process to obtain these items. 

100% agree, most of the wait for us was actually in dealing with Home Affairs (yikes, IYKYK).  I would hope that the new refugee status actually won't disrupt the efficiency of Joberg too much.  Compared to other places in Africa like Lagos, South African processing has historically been a dream.

 

Fingers crossed that remains true for a while.