JayFromTexas

@big_tex_69 I sent you a PM

What you describe is precisely what the B2 visa is for. From travel.state.gov: Tourism (B-2) Tourism Vacation (holiday) Visit with friends or relatives Medical treatment Participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations Participation by amateurs in musical, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating Enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation)

Yes, your military service could absolutely be the reason for the delay. Plus, your current involvement in the IT field, although there is another guy from Texas who works in IT who didn't have any AP issues, 6 or 7 months ago. But he didn't serve in the military, afaik.

I'm working with a person who specializes in preparing and assisting with green card cases. She is a Russian (or Ukrainian) immigrant located in the US and she handles 5-10 cases per month including a K1 approved yesterday in Poland, and a CR1 in Armenia a few days before and a CR1 in Kyrgyzstan the week before. She doesn't think there is a different process in place for Russians. Similar to your description above, she said AP usually appears when either the immigrant or her spouse has a technical degree or military history or something that the US wants to investigate in more detail. Maybe something in your history is triggering it, like military service?

@big_tex_69, do you think it has to do mainly with the Warsaw embassy? Maybe it would be better to try to transfer our case somewhere else?

@big_tex_69, if a blood or urine test is required and it takes several days for it to be completed that would mean a longer stay in Warsaw, correct? In this case, wouldn't it be better to do the medical test in Moscow? Btw, my wife and step daughter just had their I130 applications approved and we will be dealing with this situation soon. I love the idea of driving from Budapest to Warsaw. I see that you have to go through 1 or 2 other countries. Did you need anything other than the Schengen for these other countries?

Good luck @BenNomad. Your journey has had more potholes than most. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Keep us posted. My Russian wife's case is still 6-9 months from clearing the NVC stage. Who knows what will be the best option then.

What was it not possible for you? I have a CR1 application in the process and we will be needing to solve the interview challenge in the next few months.

I filed I-130 applications for my Russian wife and stepdaughter back in March. I hope to be cleared into the NVC stage in the next few months. I've been following all the threads discussing the final interview with great interest, as you could imagine. It seems to be getting progressively more difficult to get the interview scheduled and to travel to whatever country you've got it scheduled in. Some here went to Almaty, but they seem to be less likely to accept a transfer. Israel was an option, but with the war going on, that's not an option. I haven't heard any recent stories where someone has navigated the Schengen minefield to attend an interview in Poland. Most have made the decision to not even try to get there. With all that as a premise, where do we go now? Any thoughts?

I just checked the status of my wife's I-130 and her daughter, my step-daughter's. My wife's case is projected to be complete in 3 months, but her daughter's is projected to complete in 2 months. I've read some comments here that we can request they be linked. How do I do that?

We did both We met in Turkey and got married online in Utah.

Have you considered an online Utah wedding? It is 100% valid and gives you a US marriage certificate. My Russian wife and I got married in March and several others have used this service. Are you familiar with this option?

Good luck, BenNomad. My Russian wife's case hasn't been DQ'd either, but we hope to have her case transferred to Almaty when the time is right. Keep us posted on your progress please.

Strange. And frustrating.

Good to know. Yes, please post what happens with your outbound post card. My wife found a friend who was traveling to Turkey and I Fedex'd the letter to her in Istanbul last week. She and my wife met today and the marriage certificate is now in my wife's possession.

No. You can file separately and they can be processed separately.

If you're referring to the I-797C Notice of Action, I have received one for each case I have submitted

I filed an I130 for my wife and stepdaughter back on 3/13. How do I find out what my case # is? Maybe one hasn't been assigned yet?

To repeat, I am not seeking a non-immigrant visa (K3/K4) for either mother or daughter. The I129F is a strategy that several here have used to speed up processing of I130 apps. The I130 apps do reference the related petition. The mother's I130 lists the daughter's app as a related petition and vice versa.

Actually, you may have a point. We'll see what happens.

Thanks, top_secret. How did you get your I130 approved in 48 days? During covid?

What if my wife's I130 reaches the NVC months before my daughter's? That is what I'm trying to avoid. I realize they are separate entities in the eyes of the USCIS, but others have posted that they were able to link 2 related apps. Maybe a waste of time, but it can't hurt to try.

I changed my original reply as I wasn't sure about my comment regarding filing an I129f for the child. Everything I have read indicates that I only file the I129f for my spouse because the objective is not to get a K3 for her, but to accelerate her I130 approval. Likewise, I am not trying to get a K4 for my stepdaughter, just to accelerate her I130 approval. Regarding my calling the USCIS, I won't be calling about the I129f, only about linking my wife's and stepdaughter's I130s.

THANK YOU, very much. We're at the "excited at starting the process" stage. I'm sure we'll visit all the different stages of frustration and dismay. I'm hopeful that the 129f trick will speed things up substantially, but prepared for the long haul. As we all know, we can only do what we can do.

Yes, I had a momentary brain malfunction there. Back to reality...