P+J

Seems like we were already assigned to adjudicators who are now having to review cases they gave RFEs from earlier in the month.....thats the only explanation to the stand still. there were a lot of RFEs for peeps in the Jan 6th to jan 13th so maybe they just getting back and approving those, and due to this, we get pushed back cause i cant see any other reason. jan 18th-20th is just at a stand still

yes. hopefully they will clear these out and get this month over with. would be good to see some more RFEs approved. Just would be happy to see some progress. I received a letter from my Congressman's office that stated they contacted USCIS on my behalf and have urged them to review this matter promptly and to advise him (the Congressman's office) regarding what action they are taking on it....basically they'll contact me when they hear something..hope it's soon. and maybe this directs some more attention toward my adjudication as well as others who might still be waiting somewhere in the pile. only time will tell..I guess I should give it a few days now and revisit the situation next week. I don't want too much heat on it until I get an official response. It might become confusing for USCIS to have multiple offices dealing with my petition. if Congress office strikes out then I guess I can use other sources but for now the wait continues......It's still very scary to think it took over 1.5 months to review 5 days worth of petitions (9-13) at VSC. But I guess it means most of us should be done with this in about a month....guess we might be approaching the 200s ...When we do get approved it's really going to increase that average processing time on VJ. this lag in approvals is not indicating the true picture to everyone.

okay. what is happening at VSC? this has seriously been one of the slowest weeks for approval in a very long time...things are bad...i really wish someone could give us some answers...I guess it's off to the senator now...i'm feeling pretty certain my Congressman got a relatively canned response..still not a word from them...not good.

i thought this monday wouldnt have passed without an approval, i was wrong....its like a kick to the face....so we have all right to vent, i dont know who wouldnt if they were in our position

Yes. Just have to vent our frustration and hope this concludes very soon. I would hope it can't go on like this for much longer or we'll be reaching some pretty historic levels. Once most of us start receiving adjudication that average processing time on VJ is going to skyrocket to the 180s. The random approvals trickling in right now have skewed the data significantly. Things are much worse than they appear..the lack of approvals is concealing the severity of the situation. which is not a good thing...

It affects all of the UK, not just England. Basically, the UK citizen would need to show income of close to $30k without a co-sponsor, including any income that could be brought to the table by the spouse. If there are children, the income requirement goes up to a minimum of $35k (each additional kid increases the minimum by about $3800). Don't have $30k saved up? Well, the UK citizen can return to the UK to secure a job, but the spouse and kid(s) will have to stay behind until the financials are in place.

The non-UK citizen(s) would have to show their knowledge of the English language that is suffice to pass an official exam. There's also a history test involved that unfortunately doesn't include any questions about Mr. Bean, Eastenders, or Dr. Who. The UK citizen must show they can support the non-UK citizen financially (i.e. no public assistance) for 27 months. And that's just the "probationary period."

wow yes. definitely getting stricter. guess immigration is getting tougher everywhere.

i only want my petition approved thats all im asking for. why all those around mine and sabi has some form of action but we still waiting.....when its clear we might be in the same box or what ever the %$#@ they store them in

Yes..The last activity I saw around mine happened on July 11. a single approval on that date. (and recently an RFE response was received but no approval yet RFE July 2nd and RFE received 23rd))....The biggest activity around mine happened June 29th with about 4 approvals...So about 6 petitions have had some sort of action while 8 remain untouched. I would guess that there maybe about half way through approval of petitions received on the 18th.

In May they got 2240 petitions and completed 1292... that says everything... Just checking the trends from May on USCIS website... looking bad... that's exactly when it all came to a stand still!

Yup right when we were all getting close to approval it just shut down on us. and it's been going like this for 3 months....terrible..

I stop watching the amount of days during the week. i get too mad when i see 180+ days. this is hard enough to break any one........even some relationships

Yes. It's a very unnatural process. And now all timeframes are out the window. One would think that the idea that any day could be the day for approval would make one relieved. But it only causes more anxiety and disappointment. It's the same cycle every day and it becomes exhausting for both people in the relationship. Thank god most of us are very strong. But this is very unfair.

since California is already approving April, maybe they are just making a room to accept some Vermont's petitions... At this stage I would really prefer if my petition stayed where it is!

Yes. We'll def be with Vermont until the end since technically we should be next in line...But I agree that some petitions will not be adjudicated there. It doesn't seem possible anymore. The backlog is probably too much for one service center to deal with now. receipts looked pretty high too February and onward. More than CSC. VSC has quite a situation on their hands.

I thought this many times during the process. I could move to the UK with no problem. Well, I could before they put new immigration laws into effect a few weeks ago; now they're making it tough for at least half of the applicants to get in. I wish I knew what to say to make the 190 days better, but I know how I'd feel if it were me. I probably would try the Ombudsman and any other congressional representative that you have. The wait is ridiculous at this point.

Sabi, maybe you'll get an approval in a day or so and then you won't have to find a new flatmate? I can't see any reason why you wouldn't be approved by the end of September. Living on your own for a month might be better than having a stranger for that time period.

Yes. I had heard something about that recently for England. What were some of the details?

i like how your always positive, but it seems like thats all we can do to try feel better. 190 days is brutal, when u have people in these same time getting through in 90+ days.....i think im gonna reach breaking point soon. im getting really close. im fed up with this system

I'm feeling really bad about things today too. It's hitting me very hard. There should be an absolute limit on processing time that qualifies one for an expedite (not this garbage with a reported processing date which USCIS completely controls and can designate whatever date it chooses). I knew 190 would do this to me..It's so incredibly hard. And to think I'll have to tell my fiance again probably that we just have to be hopeful for next week..Maybe I should be the one immigrating. It doesn't seem like too bad of an idea lately. Honestly I could live just about anywhere (within reason).

agreed!

When / if we reach August I will really start panicking! Well I will wait for Terry to wake up and ring the senator to check what they are going to tell us... I don't need them to make USCIS approve me, I just want to hear my petition is safe and sound and when can I expect sth... is that so much!? yes apparently it is!

Yup. Apparently any level of accountability is far too much to ask. When we started this process it was inconvenient, then it became very disappointing, now it's transitioned to cruelty. I'm embarrassed and ashamed that my country is allowing tax payers and their significant others to be treated in this manner. And I know people say some crazy things are a violation of constitutional rights. But this one I would certainly designate as applicable. We're all being denied "our pursuit of happiness" Certain inalienable rights we should have. Particularly in our situation as the desire to be with our loved ones is not negatively impacting anyone. We're just pursuing the happiness and joy that we want to share with our fiances..But USCIS could care less. They are just a machine (a particularly inefficient one at that). I do not understand how such a gap in processing time could develop between CSC and VSC. But this process has taught me one thing..My country will infringe upon my rights whenever they can get away with it, and that is something that scares me. Sometimes I wonder why my fiance even wants to live here. Many things have changed in the US from even a couple of years ago. Maybe I should just move to Ukraine.

When I looked at people being approved on 170 or 180 days I was thinking to myself how horrible they have to feel and how long that is… well “long” has a new meaning to me now… 188! You are 190! What the hell is happening? They moved on to end of January and beginning of February, those people at least have a chance to be approved within 6 months… and what about us? This is just unbelievable! Someone has to do sth finally about it cause I am really scared my petition is missing or I will get RFE after 6+ months of waiting!

Exactly..I wish we knew what to do..It seems they've erected barriers at every possible attempt to get information and or promote some action on our cases. I guess for me the senatorial route will be next. I will call my Congressman's office tonight again to see if they have any information for me....My guess is that they received a canned response or didn't make much progress because too much time has passed. If they had talked to the right people, I would have heard something by now (not necessarily an approval but at least an update). The silence is the worst part....I just don't understand why they are neglecting these petitions so severely...And it's just the same response (just wait a little more) oh yes. we're listing 5 months but we're really processing this date. just wait a little more you know? ha. and even if the processing date does advance at the next update in like 2 weeks..We've all still lost so much time...I'm not going to panic yet..But if we start to see a significant number of February petitions receive approval...Then I have to say things are very bad. For whatever reason our petitions are not getting any attention. I just don't understand how or why this is happening. It's like they are refusing to work our cases. Even when you look at NOA1s, they are reporting a processing date perfectly aligned with continued neglect of our cases. What the hell is this?

yes, hopefully the lack of updates doesn't mean lack of approvals and those who adjudicate from home will call into the office today to update the system!

I am sort of desperate now, my flatmate just told me he is leaving end of September and I was really hoping I wouldn't have to look for a new one... this puts another pressure on me now and it is really sad how many things don't fall into place

Yes. I've had to alter our plans in so many ways. I never would have imagined that it could be almost August and still waiting on this NOA2. I just don't understand how they can keep this up for so long. almost 150 unapproved February petitions is a scary thing to see. hope they pull it together soon. Somebody from this thread needs approval. Just want to see someone get some good news for once and then at least it shows the rest of us we're not forgotten. No word from my Congressman yet...I'm expecting a canned response..Too much time has gone by.

so what do we have, February approvals?!

As much as I am delighted for those guys I would like to know where are our petitions! We got a letter from the senator saying they are contacting USCIS now and will let us know. Terry will actually give them a call in the morning to make sure they know what's happening and prepare them for the January 16th B***S**T!

Other than that, we have Thursday today (feels like yesterday when I was saying the same thing) and you know what happens on that day! Good luck you guys!

Yes. We'll see what happens. The beginning of the week has been very slow. Maybe they can make up for it today and tomorrow. 190 days today

I read somewhere here at vj that vsc is backlogged to to something with the problem with syria..something about the syrians with protected status..I dont know how true that is but maybe that is one reason..We filed in may..noa1 was may 15..our lawyer said we should here about the noa2 between oct 15 and nov 1...lawyer stated that if we do not here anything then he and his office has the power to make them get a move on with our case..I dont know about that but I hope Raquel and I dont have to find that out..hopefully things will start moving better for us all..i havent seen raquel since march 11 this year..i know that is only 4 months..but I dont have the funds for another trip to peru for a while..probably until our interview..this 4 months apart has been rough..our relationship and love is stronger than ever, but still, I miss being with her more than words can say..so I know you couples who have been waiting longer than us are suffering a lot too..we gotta keep each other positive..I try to look at it this way: this time apart is harder than anyone not in this process knows..but Raquel and I have each other for the rest of our lives and when we look back 20, 30, or 50 years from now..this waiting will only seem to have been a flash. ....Stay strong and keep faith!!!....... Te extraño mucho mi hermosa Raquelita!! Te adoro mi vida!! Con todo mi corazon y alma te adorooo!!!

Just hope that VSC speeds up before it's time for your adjudication. Lawyers can do nothing to speed up the process. They are treated the same as if the petitioner had called. Even elected representatives have a difficult time dealing with USCIS and their success varies. We're basically all on our own when it comes to this process.

I absolutely understand where are you guys coming from, that's why I said "what we see, depends on where we are standing" . It's perfectly fine when people vent about their frustration and I don't think I ever commented on anything like that before but this time there were comments about how people would prefer to wait for NOA2 rather than having to wait for NVC or embassy's response...I was only making comment about that. In a quoted by you post, I was actually trying to show Beth good points of her situation, assuming that this is what we are here for, trying to make others feel better. I know that we are all selfish in a way, looking at our own issues but sometimes looking at how much worse it could be, can really make us feel better for a while at least. That's what I have been doing those past few days myself and I thought that giving that advice would help someone else to feel better too... maybe you didn't understand what I was trying to say or maybe I didn't dress it in the right words which happens to me a lot. If so, I apologies if you feel this way, that wasn't my intention...I'd rather stop posting here myself than making others feel not welcomed since I believe we are a one big family here...

You were just trying to help Sabi. And sometimes to look at a situation from another perspective can help someone to see the positive aspects in a difficult time. It's just hard sometimes because we are only limited to words here. No inflection of voice, body language, or other non verbal cues. You are a great part of this community, and we are all one big family here. Everyone who has embarked on this "visa journey" has a very big heart for committing the time, energy, and sacrifices necessary to be with his or her loved one. All shall pass in time, and we will look back at this with amazement and pride that we were all so strong.

Note: My senator's office just called me back and I told her I just made a request for expedite, but she said their office will still follow-up through their channels just in case my request doesn't make it. Well at least the senator's office is helpful. For all you Texans, call Senator Cornyn's office for help. The immigration assistant is Janie Skillman.

I might look into contacting my Senator next if my Congressman is not successful (Not sure how much experience his office has dealing with immigration)....But congrats on getting that expedite possibly through Vosnmars

if its a background check they running, idk how its taking this long, my fiancee has never had a run in with the law, not even a ticket..........so uscis need to tell me what they checking. if i wanted to marry and do AOS from my B1/B2 i could have done it, i have visited my fiancee twice and she visit me once. i spent over 9 months with her in person so i really would like to know ####### is going on. We are not criminals and we havent done anything wrong

I think VSC is caught up with some extra work bro...the good news is when they do direct resources back to K1s our heads will be spinning with the number of approvals. The bad news is...There is absolutely no indication when that's going to be....They're caught up in something big...The number of approvals right now is just so low. Even though we have some early February coming through, it seems similar to the slow down that happened at the end of December petition approvals. only thing is we never came out of it. I just hope someone notices the backlog soon . There's about 8 petitions around my own awaiting action. They remain untouched...And the last activity was July 11th for the most recently approved. They're just not focusing on K1s for whatever reason..

yeah, i'm sure you are all right about that, they are not going to respond in any positive manner to any sort of criticism of what they do or how they do it, but right now at 6 months and 1 week of waiting with no movement it gets very frustrating, and yes i sent an email to my congressman and it's the typical canned response. something needs to be done about this or it's just going to be a domino effect... if we january filers are waiting this long don't you think this will add up to everyone's wait time down the line..i'm sure the folks that are sitting at the 2,3 and 4 month mark really don't want to think about not having a noa2 at the 5, 6 or 7 month mark..

i'm wondering if my Congressman got a canned response too...it looks like we're on our own. there will be a domino effect. 150 pending petitions remain for February alone...that is a serious backlog...

I hope so, you and everybody else.

I know we're a little later on in the process, but watching this is unbearable and I can't imagine what you're all going through.

I really hope this is over for you soon, I know I keep saying that it's at the forefront of my mind. I'm all out of ideas on what is going on, the fact that congressmen aren't responding to phone calls is a little concerning to say the least, one wonders what things will be like when it comes to processing adjustment of status. Sorry I don't mean to add more doom and gloom.

All I can really say is that there is an end in sight I just hope it comes quickly. I think both me and Lorie can safely say that by the time everybody is able to come to our little January filers meet, it'll be a big sigh of relief to see that we all made it.

Yes the silence is definitely scary...I haven't heard anything back from my Congressman either. The last word I got from USCIS was when I attempted to put a service request through on Monday (even though they are almost useless). Because they are processing January 16th..they said call back August 6th..ha! My attorney had no luck either. they've tightened up the service requests too. We're on our own it seems...Still just seems like VSC is not focusing on K1s right now...Saw a couple more February petitions slip through. but even that is very small in comparison to the number of both January and February filers still waiting..Glad to see some people are moving forward at least..I remember when I used to look at timelines and think wow 160-170- and my god 180 days is such a long time to wait.. tomorrow will be 190 days and my perspective has really changed now..never would have thought we'd all wait so long. Just hope all of us left behind will be joining you guys very soon.

so today we have so far:

January 9:

1 x approval ( RFE 05/18, reply 06/22)

January 17:

1 x approval (RFE 07/03 reply 07/19) that was quick!

January 23:

1 x approval

January 30:

1 x approval

Nice to see a fast RFE reply. Hopefully some more approvals later!

I'd rather have the visa now and not have to wait at all I kind of agree with both of you because I'm on the fence. I think its hard for me to look at the big picture sometimes, but I do try. Its all kind of psychological for me to say I'm moving onto stage 2 or 3 and not still stuck at stage 1, because in this process I don't know ahead of time how long or short those later stages could take. hhm.. idk

Yes. There is really no time table now as the processing dates seem arbitrary and the goal processing time remains unchanged..so it's basically a black hole when it comes to consistent information. I would say the lack of consistency is the absolute worst aspect of the process. It just makes everything much harder to endure when there seems to be such randomness ranging from approvals to who succeeds with service requests or congressional inquiries.

things are getting from bad to worst to IDK......how is it possible that CSC start approving peeps from April, and im here @ VSC waiting from January.......this is @#$% unfair

Yes. The only positive thing I can say is that VSC to NVC to Consulate looks to be pretty fast...Now if we could just get NOA2...8 VJ timelines approved at CSC again yesterday. The problem is just that Vermont is doing something else. Whatever it is..Whether it be H1B or something we don't even know about..It has their full attention..It has to be something pretty significant because the approvals just aren't coming in.

sucks to know some of us might not get to married until the 1 year anniversary of the date we sent the K1 petition to uscis

Yes. It's very disappointing. I understood it before...But this process has made me realize it even more...Always expect the unexpected..99% of the time things will not go according to plan...Especially when you put your fate in the hands of an organization like USCIS...And today our numbers are up! they need to be.

I am usually a big believer in having a positive attitude and positive thoughts even though I have lost it a bit recently (thank you USCIS!)

Our thoughts determine how we feel, and often determine what we can accomplish. As Napoleon Hill once said, “What your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve.” Let's send those positive thoughts to the universe and we will get what we are waiting for! I know it's hard but let's think very positive today, like we haven't in the past 6 months and it will happen! you will see! just don't let me down, only positiveness here today!

Yes. Agreed. I guess the one thing we have to remember.. At least it's not just one petition left behind. There really seems to be a problem there...So although it's not what we wanted. Many of us are in this together. It would be very scary if they were processing February (with consistency) and a few of us were left behind like this....Let's just hope the wait is over sooner rather than later.