September Filers!

[mox 298]

Did she send it registered mail, and if so, does she still have the receipt? If she still has the receipt then all is not lost and they will honor the date you sent it, even if they lost it. It's trickier if you have no evidence of even having sent it. Did they ever cash her check?

So sorry to hear this. Let us know how things progress and the resolution. We're all pulling for you!

Thanks for the kind words. Despite repeated reminders, promptings and what have you, she didn't send it registered mail and used a money order. She also appears to have known about this for a day or two already and yet I've only just found out. I can't quite tell whether I'm angry, amused or upset at the minute.

She's apparently trying to trace the money order now, though she was apparently trying to do that some weeks ago too. As far as I can tell, mox, there's nothing to show when it was sent.

Well dang. Is she working with a case officer right now to investigate? And did she make a copy of the entire file? I'm pretty sure I've read some posts where USCIS accepted a copy of the submitted file and then assigned the case in roughly the order where it would have been originally dated. Also, she should look to see if she's got any kind of evidence such as an ATM receipt or a bank statement or something that at least shows that she made a withdrawal in the amount of $455. The fact that she had to purchase the money order should have left some kind of money trail, and might be enough to convince them that there really was an initial filing.

I'll post more if I can think of anything else. Really sorry to hear about this, I hope it can be worked out quickly.

[웃 910]

I know this is a really pathetic question, but, the date that VJ gives on our time line. The date of adjudication. Is this the date that VJ anticipates we should A: Be in line at foreign embassy to (hopefully) pick up the visa? Or B: Is it the date that CSC or VSC will approve or deny our I-129F petitions and send out the NOA 2? I have a feeling the answer is B.

Your feeling is right, it's the date that VJ is predicting that your case will be adjudicated, usually ending up with an NOA2.

(Edit: oh, and not a pathetic question at all. Lotta terms and acronyms and dates and timelines and other stuff floating around here, it's easy to get confused by it all.)

I was doing some reading........... ........

So basically I can take the adjudication date (March 4) and add 2 months to the date (May 4), and that is an accurate estimate of when the visa will be in my fiancee's possession? Or in other words, approximately 8 months from filing the I-129F petition the visa will be secured, 7 months if extremely lucky?

Edited January 10, 2008 by thegreatgate

[웃 910]

P.S.

I don't know how my post ended up on here twice. My cat was sitting on the keyboard and apparently she managed how to figure out how to type and do some editing.

[mox 298]

Well guys and gals, I am APPROVED!!!

Receipt Number: EACXXXXXXXXXX

Application Type: I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On January 9, 2008, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

Woo HOO!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great news Bobalouie, so happy to hear it!

[bigsim 0]

Well dang. Is she working with a case officer right now to investigate? And did she make a copy of the entire file?

She's not told me anything about a case officer yet, and she's got copies of "the entire file except your biographical forms, which I didn't copy." Can't entirely blame her for that, since they were my forms and I don't have another copy either. I did, of course, until someone mistook them for trash.

The fact that she had to purchase the money order should have left some kind of money trail, and might be enough to convince them that there really was an initial filing.

I'll post more if I can think of anything else. Really sorry to hear about this, I hope it can be worked out quickly.

It might. The worry there is that I paid for it, with money that I had on a travellers cheque debit card, and I wouldn't imagine she transferred any money from there to her account before purchasing the money order - I'm sure all she'll have done is withdrawn the money from an ATM, which happened after I'd left for home. There's a real lack of ATM machines in her area, which came as a bit of a shock. Really, everything that could have been done badly has been done badly...

In happier news, congratulations on the approval Bobalouie!

Edited January 10, 2008 by bigsim

[mox 298]

So basically I can take the adjudication date (March 4) and add 2 months to the date (May 4), and that is an accurate estimate of when the visa will be in my fiancee's possession? Or in other words, approximately 8 months from filing the I-129F petition the visa will be secured, 7 months if extremely lucky?

To answer that question you're going to have to look at other Mexican approvals and look at the average time from NOA2 to interview date. If that works out to about 2 months, then yes you can add roughly 2 months onto your estimated VJ date. Of course, as you well know, none of these dates are written in stone. Heck, at this point they're not even written in...well anything. A couple weeks ago I thought CSC would be plowing through the August filers, and I based that assumption on how much ### they were kicking just before the holidays. And yet here we are going on 6 days (tomorrow) of no CSC approvals. So I guess what I'm saying is don't bet the farm.

[mox 298]

Really, everything that could have been done badly has been done badly...

Yeah, I've gotta agree with you there. Dangit.

The best thing for her to do now is to continue to work with USCIS. The fact that they have "no record" of your petition means, I hope, that she had USCIS initiate an investigation. If she's only getting this from customer service, then she needs to have them do a formal investigation. They will initiate an investigation if you haven't received NOA1 within 90 days.

The bad news is that there will almost undoubtedly be another filing fee involved. If USCIS didn't cash it, then they're going to want to be paid. Not much you're going to be able to do about that, unless her track on the money order is successful and it turns out USCIS did cash it. That's actually the best outcome because it proves they received your packet, and they'll just have you re-submit the copy and put you back in with the rest of the September filers.

It's a hard lesson to learn, but hopefully for the re-filing she will have learned to use a personal check and to mail with a tracking receipt. Don't despair quite yet though, it sounds like there's still a few threads of hope!

Edited January 10, 2008 by mox

[Mo_Mati 2]

Well guys and gals, I am APPROVED!!!

Receipt Number: EACXXXXXXXXXX

Application Type: I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On January 9, 2008, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

Woo HOO!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! THat is great, Bobalouie. Lets hope the next steps go quickly for you

[Haonie 0]

Well guys and gals, I am APPROVED!!!

Receipt Number: EACXXXXXXXXXX

Application Type: I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On January 9, 2008, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

Woo HOO!!!

Congratulations.!!! Good news.!

[Norman and Dijani 0]

Does anyone have any idea what is going on at CSC?!?!?! I am begining to find it a bit ridiculous that it has been a week since new years and no one has heard anything!!!! But VSC is moving right along!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mox 298]

Does anyone have any idea what is going on at CSC?!?!?! I am begining to find it a bit ridiculous that it has been a week since new years and no one has heard anything!!!! But VSC is moving right along!!!!!!!!!!!!

No idea. This is purely speculation on my part, so don't get your hopes up, but it could be that CSC just haven't been updating the case status online, and so there are people who have been approved but haven't gotten their approval in the mail. It's the only thing I can think of that makes any sense.

I called CSC this afternoon and asked if this could be the case, and the guy denied it and said they were operating as usual and that nothing was going on that would be slowing or stopping approvals. Take that for what it's worth.

[Norman and Dijani 0]

Sorry for my rant. It is just getting so frustrating! Things were looking so good before the holidays and now nothing! I was really thinking that we might get approval in January! I am trying not to give up hope, but it is getting harder everyday!

[mox 298]

Sorry for my rant. It is just getting so frustrating! Things were looking so good before the holidays and now nothing! I was really thinking that we might get approval in January! I am trying not to give up hope, but it is getting harder everyday!

No need to apologize. You're verbalizing what we're all feeling right now. In fact I ranted the same thing in another thread--that CSC were picking up so much steam before the holidays, and then all of a sudden they just fall off the planet. I have to hope that they're not updating the online case status, because the alternative is just too depressing.

Don't give up hope. We're all in the same boat, let's just keep rowing...

Edited January 10, 2008 by mox

[Bobalouie 0]

So basically I can take the adjudication date (March 4) and add 2 months to the date (May 4), and that is an accurate estimate of when the visa will be in my fiancee's possession? Or in other words, approximately 8 months from filing the I-129F petition the visa will be secured, 7 months if extremely lucky?

To answer that question you're going to have to look at other Mexican approvals and look at the average time from NOA2 to interview date. If that works out to about 2 months, then yes you can add roughly 2 months onto your estimated VJ date. Of course, as you well know, none of these dates are written in stone. Heck, at this point they're not even written in...well anything. A couple weeks ago I thought CSC would be plowing through the August filers, and I based that assumption on how much ### they were kicking just before the holidays. And yet here we are going on 6 days (tomorrow) of no CSC approvals. So I guess what I'm saying is don't bet the farm.

What Mox says here about taking the VJ date with a grain of salt is correct. My estimated VJ NOA2 date was Feb 9th and I was approved today Jan 9th. So they were a month off. But I tracked nicely to my date estimation. My timeline I did in Excel had me being approved on Saturday Jan 12th, so i was only off 3 days (in a good way)

[mox 298]

This is purely speculation on my part, so don't get your hopes up, but it could be that CSC just haven't been updating the case status online, and so there are people who have been approved but haven't gotten their approval in the mail. It's the only thing I can think of that makes any sense.

Strange to be quoting myself, but it looks as if my theory may be wrong. Jane & Jeff, July filers, approved at CSC today. Congrats to them!