P+J

Yes. After you input your receipt number, you can sign into your account and view the last updated section which indicates your most recent "touches." And I agree. It may be a little early to pass judgement on just how many petitions were filed in the past couple of months. 38 timelines seemed very low though for VSC in January 2012. Maybe people are slow with joining this wesbite after submission or creating a timeline. But even looking back to the months of October, November, and December in 2011, it still seemed that there were fewer petitions than previous years. The numbers seemed more along the lines of 08. But I guess we just have to wait and see what happens. The numbers may be unreliable right now. I guess if we start seeing more frequent 50-70 day approvals of petitions then will know something is up. It's interesting that some mid November petitions have processed through already.

These were all for K1s submitted to VSC (just pulled them right off the search function)

January 2008 K1 Timelines Created - 88

January 2009 K1 Timelines Created - 122

January 2010 K1 Timelines Created - 142

January 2011 K1 Timelines Created - 145

January 2012 K1 Timelines Created - 38

I was playing around with the timeline search feature and saw some interesting trends. The number of K1 petitions submitted to VSC for the months of November 2011, December 2011, and January 2012 seemed to be the lowest in years (at least according to the number of timelines created for those months on this website). I think January 2012 has only 38 timelines created thus far for K1 petitions submitted to VSC. I noticed that during 2008 (another year with far fewer petitions submitted), many K1s were pushing through VSC with times ranging from 45 - 60 days... It was interesting to look at the trends, and I'm curious to see what happens to some of the more recently filed petitions this year.

You should have your girlfriend contact a U.S. Senator or Congressman. You're beyond the estimated time frame for approval now. Some petitions from November 2011 have been approved according to timelines on this website. It would be good to find out what's going on, or at the very least get something moving at this point.

Yes. It would be very convenient if something like this is possible. I had planned to visit the first week in April, and we will be in Kiev for the duration of my stay. She could complete the medical during my visit, and then at least it's an additional requirement out of the way. It would be great if somehow I received NOA2 in March..but I know that's a long shot...Does anyone know if the KEV# is an absolute requirement? The medical exam letter from the website does reference the KEV # under a section that says "Each applicant must present the following documentation."

Thanks guys! Yes. It looks like she would be required to provide the KEV # at the medical appointment, so I'll have no choice but to wait for NOA2. I guess I'll contact the National Visa Center as soon as I receive it, and hopefully then she'll be able to figure out all the scheduling. She's a village girl, so it's about 8.5 hours by train to reach Kiev. I'm hoping to make this as simple as possible for her. Tell your wife thank you for the two day info. We probably wouldn't have realized that at all, and if we tried to schedule things too close together that would not be good.

I was wondering if anyone could provide me with some advice regarding the medical exam. Is it easy coordinate the appointment for the medical exam with the interview date for the K1 Visa? My fiance is hoping to schedule the interview at the earliest possible date after NOA2, and we don't want scheduling the medical exam to limit any of our options for potential dates. Is this exam valid for a certain amount of time after completion? Can it be scheduled and completed prior to NOA2?

So awesome! Congratulations guys! VSC is doing a great job.

Congrats! An approval for a petition submitted to USCIS in November is a very good sign for everyone with a petition at VSC.

JFK is awesome. I always take a direct flight to Kiev. All they ever say to me when I return is "Welcome Home."

That is awesome to hear titantom. And I agree. Anything is better than silence. At least we know that our petitions aren't idling at the bottom of some pile or in a random box somewhere. I actually talked to my attorney today about preparing my financial documents, and he did say something very interesting. He has been in this business for a while (over 20 years), and he thinks that the current processing times for petitions at VSC are aligning with what he saw in 2008. There were some pretty fast approvals back in 08. He actually remembered a couple cases he handled in 08 that were filed at a time similar to ours and came through between early and mid March with NOA2. I actually found a couple of timelines on this website with similar results. Even in terms of the touches. Although there is a bit of randomness with it all when it comes to approval, I'm happy to know that it's at least in the realm of possibility.

thanks JKelly. It feels good to know something is being done with it right now. I'll keep my fingers crossed for some luck with the processing time.

ha nevermind. Got my answer. I hope these "touches" continue. Even if it doesn't amount to much, it makes me feel that at least something is happening.

I noticed on My Case Status that the Last Updated section changed to 2/09/12 today. Is this what you guys refer to as a "touched?" What exactly does that mean? Is it something they would update just upon moving the file around?

so awesome! Congrats. I've noticed several of the October petitions received approval at around the 90 day mark. This is great news for everyone. I would think it might even get better for those who filed later. Hopefully, they'll start pushing through some of the petitions submitted around the holiday months soon. I would imagine there are fewer submissions during those months in comparison.

I know exactly how you feel man! You and I have an NOA1 date that's pretty close. Let's hope we both get as lucky as some of the more recent petitions at Vermont Service Center (one was only 54 days). I hope Vermont keeps up what it's doing now. The fact that some December petitions have managed to get an NOA2 is a very good sign. From what I've researched, this is the best time of the year to file!

Congratulations!! Posts like this make my day. I hope everyone that filed after October gets just as lucky. They are cranking these approvals out now. I would think the pace will continue or even accelerate during the winter months.

Wow! Congratulations!!! From everything I've been reading, it appears that Vermont is on a role. I would be thrilled if my petition hit NOA2 around early or mid April. It seems like quite a few October filers are getting approval now. So maybe it's looking something like this (not that all of the earlier peitions have been approved yet but if you filed in any of these months you have a chance at NOA2: January (October filers), February (November Filers), March (December Filers), April(January filers)...etc..

But anyway congratulations again! and hopefully Vermont maintains this speed or even accelerates. I wonder if this time of the year is popular for filing petitions because if not, that could be good news for anyone who has filed in the past 3 months..

I think you're right! It actually makes a lot of sense. I hope I make it into one of those boxes. My check was cashed Monday Knope, so it looks like we'll be on a similar timeline with all this. I'm hoping my NOA1 hardcopy gets here either tomorrow or Thursday. Did your receipt number work when you input it onto the USCIS website?

Congratulations man. I really hope that I get as lucky as you. I think I'll receive my NOA1 in the mail sometime this week (saw my check was cashed last week). I wonder what causes certain cases to go through so quickly. I'm hoping my fiance's 2 previous J1 student visas will have an effect. Maybe they will have most of her information in the database already. It would be interesting to know how certain petitions go through so fast.

Yes I agree with you there. they don't play with money. yes. Dallas than before Vermont. I just know that the petition's destination will be Vermont since I'm from NJ. So it really should be cashed by next week at the latest I hope.

Thanks guys. I think I will email my lawyer to make sure he knows I'm watching my online checking and haven't noticed the check cashed yet. My petition did have to go from San Diego (where my attorney is based while I'm from NJ) to Vermont Service Center though, and with the holiday last week, I'm not surprised that it might not have been processed yet. But at least I know it's something to stay on top of.

Does anyone know the typical amount of time for USCIS to cash the check sent with the petition. I know my lawyer mailed the petition last Thursday (1/12), so although he will receive the notifications, I figured I could also watch my bank account too for any signs of the check being cashed. No sign that they have cashed it yet, but I figured someone here might remember the timeframe between sending the petition and noticing the check was cashed.

Thanks.

Congrats! I'm really hoping that VSC is as good to me as it has been to others in this thread.

Thanks for the info Gary. My lawyer originally estimated that she might have her visa in hand within 5 months (so around mid June). Although I realize nothing is a guarantee, I would definitely be thrilled if we are lucky enough to get it in 3.

Good luck with the naturalization.

Take Care.