October / November I-130 2007 Filers

[StoneLove4Ever 0]

Congratulations...was your check cashed first or did you get the NOA1 first...I am so jealous now...it is so unfair...but congratulations...

[Milton y Claudia 0]

Congratulations...was your check cashed first or did you get the NOA1 first...I am so jealous now...it is so unfair...but congratulations...

I sent Money Order, im waiting for the USPS to send copy of money order cashed!

[Evgeniya 3]

jgay, just hang in there. If it comforts you a little bit. Our check was cashed by CSC on January 21st but we still have not recieved NOA1. I guess it doesn't really matter, and you are right there is just a mess with these reciepts that we just can hope that they will deal with all these boxes as soon as possible so that things get somewhat more organized.

[StoneLove4Ever 0]

My whole thing at least you know they received your package because your check has been cashed. I haven't have a clue with mine. They haven't cash my check, nothing, and that was since Oct. 2007. But I will sit tight a little while longer and see. I told myself I will give up until the third week of February. If my check is not yet cash and I don't receive a NOA1 by then I will just send in a new app.

[heyjimi 0]

I spoke with someone today at USCIS and they told me the way it works is that Service Centers are just piling I-130s in a box and sending them off to the Chicago Lockbox. There is no order whatsoever. He even told me when it reaches the Chicago lockbox they are just picking up boxes as they come not looking to see which box has an earlier receive date compared to the others and since vermont and california are both sending their I-130s to Chicago lockbox they don't really have the time to look for dates; they are just trying to get rid of them as soon as possible. He said they just pick up the box that is closest to them. I think this is the first legit answer I got from USCIS because it total put things in perspective. It makes more sense why some people in November got theres and some people in Sept didn't. Its not fair though. He told me to just imagine working a mailroom full of envelopes; are you A)going to take your time to sort them in order or B)put everything in a box to cut time. He said majority of the workers are going to do B. Sad but try I'll probably do B too. So I guess just sit tight and wait and hopefully they get done with all application by mid Feb. like I heard they probably do. So I guess I am also saying it doesn't really make sense to send in another app just yet.

yes,this does make sense,and this is probably the truth !!! so,we sit and wait some more.Yeah i guess i will hold off sending in a new app also.

good luck

and a prayer !!!!

jim

[knittygurl 0]

Thank you for this explanation. I was planning on calling in tomorrow, and still will, but ask whomever I speak to to explain a bit further to see if I can even get a straight answer out of them. I'd volunteer to go help them process applications if they'd let me! At least that would help speed up the process!

Peggy

I spoke with someone today at USCIS and they told me the way it works is that Service Centers are just piling I-130s in a box and sending them off to the Chicago Lockbox. There is no order whatsoever. He even told me when it reaches the Chicago lockbox they are just picking up boxes as they come not looking to see which box has an earlier receive date compared to the others and since vermont and california are both sending their I-130s to Chicago lockbox they don't really have the time to look for dates; they are just trying to get rid of them as soon as possible. He said they just pick up the box that is closest to them. I think this is the first legit answer I got from USCIS because it total put things in perspective. It makes more sense why some people in November got theres and some people in Sept didn't. Its not fair though. He told me to just imagine working a mailroom full of envelopes; are you A)going to take your time to sort them in order or B)put everything in a box to cut time. He said majority of the workers are going to do B. Sad but try I'll probably do B too. So I guess just sit tight and wait and hopefully they get done with all application by mid Feb. like I heard they probably do. So I guess I am also saying it doesn't really make sense to send in another app just yet.

yes,this does make sense,and this is probably the truth !!! so,we sit and wait some more.Yeah i guess i will hold off sending in a new app also.

good luck

and a prayer !!!!

jim

[nepaliguy 0]

SORRY FOR THE DOUBLE POST..

My wife got a letter yesterday with receipt number in it. I guess the letter with receipt number is NOA1..please correct

me if I am wrong. My wife had filed the petition on November 13th and we finally got the NOA1.

After that she called the USCIS. The lady on the phone told her that they are focusing heavily on the petitions receipt of which they issued before Jan. 15th (the are going to finish these petitions in 3 months) but the petitions receipted after that, more specifically ours, (jan. 24) will take at least 6.5 months:(. I dont know how we are going to wait out these 6.5 months (for I130) plus 4 months for NVC and immigration visa because my wife has already started crying..... ....It just sucks.

The lady on the phone also suggested my wife that she should file I129f and that will cut down our waiting time. But few days ago, I read some blogs in this forum that I-129f is not a good idea anymore because as soon as i-129f is filed, they stop looking at I-130 and that there is no guarantee that I-129f is processed any quicker anyways. PLEASE GUYS, if anybody has any suggestion for us, I will really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

Edited January 30, 2008 by nepaliguy

[nepaliguy 0]

My wife got a letter yesterday with receipt number in it. I guess the letter with receipt number is NOA1..please correct me if I am wrong. My wife had filed the petition on November 13th and we finally got the NOA1.

After that she called the USCIS. The lady on the phone told her that they are focusing heavily on the petitions receipt of which they issued before Jan. 15th (the are going to finish these petitions in 3 months) but the petitions receipted after that, more specifically ours, (jan. 24) will take at least 6.5 months:(. I dont know how we are going to wait out these 6.5 months (for I130) plus 4 months for NVC and immigration visa because my wife has already started crying..... ....It just sucks.

The lady on the phone also suggested my wife that she should file I129f and that will cut down our waiting time. But few days ago, I read some blogs in this forum that I-129f is not a good idea anymore because as soon as i-129f is filed, they stop looking at I-130 and that there is no guarantee that I-129f is processed any quicker anyways. PLEASE GUYS, if anybody has any suggestion for us, I will really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

[j.debonis 0]

My wife got a letter yesterday with receipt number in it. I guess the letter with receipt number is NOA1..please correct me if I am wrong. My wife had filed the petition on November 13th and we finally got the NOA1.

After that she called the USCIS. The lady on the phone told her that they are focusing heavily on the petitions receipt of which they issued before Jan. 15th (the are going to finish these petitions in 3 months) but the petitions receipted after that, more specifically ours, (jan. 24) will take at least 6.5 months:(. I dont know how we are going to wait out these 6.5 months (for I130) plus 4 months for NVC and immigration visa because my wife has already started crying..... ....It just sucks.

The lady on the phone also suggested my wife that she should file I129f and that will cut down our waiting time. But few days ago, I read some blogs in this forum that I-129f is not a good idea anymore because as soon as i-129f is filed, they stop looking at I-130 and that there is no guarantee that I-129f is processed any quicker anyways. PLEASE GUYS, if anybody has any suggestion for us, I will really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

Think about your logic and then figure out where you went wrong. If petitions receipted before Jan 15th will be finished in 3 months (according to your post...according to the info you received from uscis) but petitions receipted after that will be finished in 6.5 months, then what petitions will they work on and finish between 3 and 6.5 months? Your post makes no sense...unless uscis shuts down. Nevertheless, I still feel as if you've got about 6 months until your NOA2. One thing you are super correct about is.....it just sucks!!! It seemed about a month ago that the K3 and the IR/CR were being approved roughly the same time. Now that uscis has started to move a little bit, I'm not so sure. K3 may still be the faster way to get your wife here. It certainly shouldn't slow the process down. My advice....if time is the only issue, go K3 because it may be faster but if not, won't slow you down. But in my opinion, the IR/CR is the better way to go and the time difference is not too great...even at its worst. Just my opinion.

James

[StoneLove4Ever 0]

I was told USCIS are honoring "received dates", meaning when USCIS received your package not "receipt dates", when USCIS issued you the NOA1. So if what USCIS told you is true, they are going to try to process everyone's application who sent their I-130 before Jan.

[Milton y Claudia 0]

New update

Chicago Lockbox (as of 1/30/08)

Form Number Date Received

I-130 12/18/2007

All Other Forms Current

[StoneLove4Ever 0]

Wow...they only did 4 days worth of applications. It is so frustrating looking at that update because they post that but I am an Oct filer and still haven't heard a word...This is so bogus...

[Marlita 0]

Nepaliguy,

I think if you want to go ahead and submit an I129F...go right ahead....i don't know how it could really hurt. Afterall it is free, and as MANY people on VJ can attest to...your I130 will continue processing. As far as what USCIS told you...that makes alot of sense. there seems to be a lot of misinformation on VJ as of lately. i think its because of the newer filers who are getting lost in the web that has recently started at USCIS since the fee hike. Since then nothing has really operated in a "normal' fashion. So for those who have just started their journey or just got on VJ within the last 6 months or so....lots can be confusing with them.

I've been on VJ about a year and before the fee hike. From the trends I've seen I do beileve that I130 are processed for a certain amount of time and then put on "hold", while USCIS begins to focus on another form within the immigration system. We must remember that USCIS handles LOTS more than just family based visas. So they very well could put I130's on a hiatus for a couple of months as they move on to other applications and then back to I130's or CR1/IR1 visas to be more exact. It also depends on what service center you are being processed under too. I "assume" that when USCIS says that they will be done with applictions with NOA1 in 3 months makes sense...seeing how there are many people with NOA1 who filed back in July-October. So from October to 3 months from now is mid April....thats about a 6month processing time. Once again that makes sense. People coming after Jan15 may have to wait a bit longer for NOA2 but thats the trend as it always has been. Its kinda luck of the draw. If you are lucky enough to have filed at a time when the visa you applied for is "actively" processing then lucky you. If you file at the end of that processing or when they are not processing at all...then you'll have a longer wait ahead of you. i know alot of what I type is confusing as its much easier to just talk about that write about.

Example is:

Many August filers had to wait 4 months or so for an NOA1 becuase they filed at a time when there was a flood of applications and a "hiatus" in the processing of their typical visa. Once that hiatus was over, they got their NOA1 and were put in the queue.People like myself...filing in October....didnt have to wait as long for NOA1 ( I realize some are still waiting) because the processing began again for these visas not too long after we filed. We are in a queue that will end its active processing with NOA1's before Jan15th.

This is all theory from what I have noticed in the processing over the year, but it could make alot of sense. Overall everyone (who has filed in the last 8 months or so) will have a longer time to get to NOA2 (which is where you ultimately want to be with USCIS), before moving on to NVC.

Hope this makes sense.

[heyjimi 0]

Thank you for this explanation. I was planning on calling in tomorrow, and still will, but ask whomever I speak to to explain a bit further to see if I can even get a straight answer out of them. I'd volunteer to go help them process applications if they'd let me! At least that would help speed up the process!

Peggy

hahaha !!! I'd volunteer to go help process applications too !!! I think we all would ....we would sure to get these app's done quickly,no doubt !

jimi

[StoneLove4Ever 0]

The Chicago Lockbox as of 01/31/2008 states receipts has been sent to Petitioners who filed up to 12/24/2007. I called USCIS once again and said why do they state that date when as an October filer has not received anything yet or had a cashed check. He told me that that date reflects the date that filers who submitted their I-130 directly to the Chicago Lockbox not to the other service centers. He said there is no timeline for petitioners who filed their I-130 to the other service center so its bascially a free fall, which I stated in an earlier blog. So, basically it does not make sense for petitioners who did not file at the Chicago Lockbox to rely on that date because it does not involve us. He told me to wait another 45days to see what happens because they should be caught up by then. Yeah, Right....