Daphne .

Nothing wrong with multiple trips and later on filing for a spousal visa, I did that as well. If anything, it is great proof of a genuine relationship. I also got married during one of my visits, returned to the NL after the wedding and we started the spousal visa process. And I was able to continue to visit while my spousal visa application was processing, BUT I had very strong ties to the NL still (and therefore no issues visiting).

I strongly advise against applying for a B visa because you are Esta eligible. I would always stay a few days under the 90 days, but preferably not that long at all, especially because you don't seem to have the strongest ties to the UK and CBP might have worries letting you in because they might suspect you of not leaving after your visit.

You won't need a visa, you can apply for an Esta. But, Esta only allows visits up to 90 days. I strongly recommend that you apply for an Esta instead of applying for a visa. Are you a citizen? Let's say you choose to apply for a B visa anyway: the most important thing about getting a visitor visa approved, is showing strong ties like a job, house, etc. to your home country. This way, they don't have to worry about you trying to stay in the US. Being able to visit for 6 months doesn't show very strong ties to your home country. And, you will lose your Esta privilege if your B visa gets denied. You can apply for an Esta here: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/

As frustrating as the wait times are, adding immigration to a marriage will always complicate matters and waiting comes with the package. I often think how much easier my life would have been if I would have just liked my Dutch neighbor instead of my US husband! 😅

Nope, mine had to go through all of that too and I am 15 months into ROC. USCIS is working really hard on new applications, I see super quick approvals fly left and right, but they hardly seem to touch ‘older’ cases…

Congrats OP I am super happy for you! But also very frustrated that it’s been 15 months and no movement here.. And other people who have been waiting even longer..

I am so sorry for your loss.. That is very sad.. I doubt this timeline realistic, even for an emergency visa. Also not sure if the reason would be grounds for an emergency visa to begin with.

From your post history, I see that it has been a rocky road for the 2 of you. So I assume that the divorce is off the table? Relationships can be put under a lot of stress with the timelines and being apart, most of us understand and have gone through it. I do think that you (and your spouse) need to be 100% sure that this relationship will work, especially because there are some big implications with immigration in the mix

I had a few from a troll a while back (and they were VERY nasty..) I told them to stop and reported them. Even though I knew they were a troll, it still felt very uneasy.

This is all so true! Thank goodness I did the CR1, but even with the ability to work (stay busy) and travel (go ‘back home’ sometimes) the struggle of living in a country that is so different from home, is real. Thank you for posting this, this gets overlooked by so many people!

I know, but I added it to my account and kind of hoped that this would also trigger digital notifications, but unfortunately not the case..

The K1 is not going to be a lot quicker so if I were you I would take ‘fast’ off the list and base your decision on ‘best solution’

Don’t just look at faster, also look at best solution for the immigrant. They will have a nicer start of their life in the US if they have the freedom to work and travel immediately upon arriving in the US. My choice would be the CR1.

No real way of predicting, it all depends on how quickly the NVC stage goes for you. Documents can get rejected, etc. NVC should take at least about 2 months. After that, you’ll have to get scheduled for your interview and this could also take some time (depending on your embassy). Also, please note that the new estimated processing time tab might not be the most reliable estimate. Best advice is to just take it as it comes and go with the flow!

USCIS is killing me! i have been checking the progress on my case through my online account and of course no movement at all, my case has been ‘ready to be scheduled for an interview’ since March. The day before Thanksgiving, I received my biometrics appointment letter, it took 2 weeks to get to me and my appointment is scheduled for Monday at 8 am. I will make it work, but it scares the heck out of me that there were no updates on my USCIS account, the letter not added to the Documents tab or anything. What if the letter wouldn’t have arrived? I wouldn’t have known about my appointment.. I don’t even want to think about it! Very happy that I am making (slow) progress of course, but having to rely on USPS is not a great situation to be in. I do have Informed Delivery, so I guess I need to watch that as a hawk as well moving forward. *rant over*

To me it reads that the expedite request was granted (approved?) and that OP’s I-130 is now under expedited review. Could still be a while, just less slow than the ‘normal’ applications.

I am eligible to file for naturalization but I am not sure if I want to? I see many people file the minute they become eligible, but I'm just not feeling it! At the moment, I would only do it in the hopes that it might speed up my I-751 and to (of course) never have to deal with USCIS again, but I have no desire whatsoever to become a USC! I don't feel committed to the US enough, I won't leave any time soon, but I just don't feel like it's 'my' country and I'm also not sure if it ever will feel like 'my' country. I can have dual citizenship, so that's not an issue. Am I just being silly? What were your reasons to file for naturalization? Just to be done with the Immigration process, or does being a USC mean more to you than that?