Bh_sarah

You’re very welcome! Congratulations on your approval! I’m glad I could help I meant one case has been REOPENED* Sorry! It’s late!

Today's numbers [May 12th, 2023] One case has been approved and I think it was an approval (maybe NVC sent it back to USCIS). Also saw many of the approvals were from RFE/touched cases. Well, USCIS made me hate weekends. See you all Monday! 46500 - 1 case reopened (need to confirm, but seems like a previous approval) 47500 - 1 approval (from RFE) 48500 - 1 approval, 1 RFE 49000 - 1 approval (from RFE) 49500 - 2 approvals (from RFEs) 51000 - 1 approval 51500 - 1 withdrawal 53500 - 1 RFE 54000 - 1 approval 54500 - 2 approvals 55000 - 1 expedite denied 55500 - 1 RFE, 1 expedite denied 56000 - 2 approvals (from RFEs) Today's totals: 11 new approvals (mine one reopened), 2 RFEs, 1 withdrawal Totals so far: 1898(+10) Approved 301 Denied/Rejected 587(-3) RFE/RFERs 435 Pending Cases 154(+1) Withdrawals Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yTdQDjmS6ik3bPNGmThSc0jFUszsiGcXurI1hT_Jcw/edit?usp=sharing

Today's numbers [May 11th, 2023] Many approvals from RFEs and RFEs received today. Could be better, but not complaining. 47500 - 2 approvals (from RFEs) 48500 - 2 approvals (from RFEs), 1 RFE, 1 other 49000 - 1 RFE 50000 - 3 RFEs 51000 - 1 approval (from RFE) 52500 - 2 approvals (from RFEs) 54000 - 2 approvals 54500 - 1 approval 55000 - 1 approval 55500 - 2 approvals, 2 RFEs Today's totals: 13 new approvals, (7 from RFEs), 7 RFEs, 1 other Totals so far: 1888(+13) Approved 301 Denied/Rejected 590(+3) RFE/RFERs 443 Pending Cases 153 Withdrawals Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yTdQDjmS6ik3bPNGmThSc0jFUszsiGcXurI1hT_Jcw/edit?usp=sharing

Gah, I'm sorry. It's been a tough week for the earlier groups. Most approvals (if any) were from RFEs not untouched cases. Stay strong. I know how hard it is.

Today's numbers [May 10th, 2023] Noticed a lot of approvals changed date. They were counted before therefore are not showing here. Could be because of the system lag. 49000 - 1 approval, 1 RFE 51000 - 1 approval, 1 other 52000 - 1 approval 53000 - 1 approval 53500 - 7 approvals, 3 RFEs 54000 - 2 approvals 54500 - 2 approvals 55000 - 3 approvals, 3 RFEs 55500 - 1 approval Today's totals: 19 new approvals, 7 RFEs, 1 other Totals so far: 1875(+19) Approved 301 Denied/Rejected 587(+1) RFE/RFERs 459 Pending Cases 153 Withdrawals Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yTdQDjmS6ik3bPNGmThSc0jFUszsiGcXurI1hT_Jcw/edit?usp=sharing

Yep, my range has 7 approvals dated today already. I am still the unlucky one but could be them just updating the approvals from yesterday now! Yay! Thank you @Obllak for letting us know first-hand too! It's great to have your precise data to rely on

Hey all, seems there was a system bug yesterday all over (also seeing Obllak's spreadsheet). That's why there were only 4 approvals yesterday. Just scanned my range and there are 7 new approvals! I wasn't the lucky one but still hopeful for today!

Got it. I think this is the best plan now, get married, file for spousal visa, and then wait and keep meeting during the wait. I saw that 15 day public announcement requirement to get married in Brazil too before deciding on K1 and thought it was crazy we require that. Only in Brazil I guess! Haha you will find a lot of things we have here makes no sense at all, it's fun to see the cultural differences. It's all worth it though! And this is amazing that you got it in 2 months! Seems they are opening more slots then now with so many people applying. For my parents renewal, we also kept checking the website every day but only managed to get a date 1 month earlier than planned, after waiting 8 months. It was in São Paulo, not Rio. But they also had no rush. Now knowing about this, I see no harm in having her go to the interview. The fee is already paid and it will be her first flight which is great for her to get used to it, especially if you can be with her. But then also don't expect an approval, it seems unlikely but who knows, it depends on the consular officer. And I get it. It's all on your plate. Especially with USD being 1:5 in relation to BRL. And yes, super expensive. It's crazy how we don't value our tourists, everything from flights to hotels to attractions are expensive – especially for us Brazilians. But yes, depending on where she is located in Brazil, it's even easier to get direct flights to the Caribbean. It can be an alternative, especially as I saw in another post of yours that you also have hotel, car rental and more expenses whenever you visit her here. All needs research and comparison, of course. And you know your situation better than us. I wish you all the best in this new plan, and hoping you can be together soon to enjoy the house you bought for you (also read it in you other post here). You seem 100% committed and truthful, and I wish you all the best for you and your fiancé. In the end, it will all be worth it.

Yeah, I don't know many Jan/Feb filers from UK and Germany to give you an idea. I just searched my WhatsApp group and someone mentioned UK filers waiting 100 days from K1 to interview so that doesn't seem too bad. Like 60 days for NVC to send to embassy + 40 to get an interview date?! Or even less. But some people from other countries are now at 70 days of waiting for NVC to even receive their petition. I do feel it's all still dependant on embassy. People from Thailand and other smaller countries already got their case as "ready". I would just be glad to be in that phase, I feel 70-90 days would go way faster than what I am experiencing now haha I just want things moving!

Thank you! And yes, I wouldn't mind at all to already be counting the NVC days! haha I haven't seen anyone from my country get a number yet, even those approved late March. It seems they also are scheduling interviews in Brazil far far ahead. So I am truly worried and time is ticking. But once I am done with I-129F I feel I will be in a better state of mind. I base myself off Facebook (yep, I'm that desperate, I joined 2 of them but small groups of Jan/Feb), the WhatsApp group, and also comparing timelines here on VJ. You can get a sense of when they got their NVC number and when they have the interview scheduled. Unfortunately, it's a small quantity of people that do update their timelines or even let us know about their whole journey with complete info.

Thank you! Seeing only 4 approvals in Feb yesterday was brutal because my hopes were truly high after 7 approvals in my range Monday super super close to me. But now seeing it was a low number all over and should be a bug makes my hope get high again that maybe I was approved and the system is just lagging. Like I said, it's a terrible rollercoaster – and I'm already lifting up my hands euphorically to have the ride stopped so I can get out but the rollercoaster staff is ignoring me completely thinking I'm having the best of times.

This is perfectly put. It's all a matter of perspective to be fair. When we late 2021/early 2022 filers filed the petition, the waiting times were 6-8 months. Then we saw it go up to 10, 12, 14, 15.5 and 15.6 months, feeling hopeless. Then we started to have some hope with the data from Obllak and seeing real improvement and renewed our hopes once again... and then to get all happy they started your month before you were expecting only to be left behind and see people that filed 2-3 months after you getting approved hurts. I always knew that things are not in order, but people from late April getting approved in less than 400 days frustrates me. It's not a pretty feeling at all. I always feared to be left behind in those 20%. I am now in the last 15% and I can't even complain too much knowing that there are people from December and January still waiting too. It's also a matter of perspective when people say to us left behind that the "NVC waiting is even worse" (maybe to make us feel better). I can't attest to that because I am not on the NVC phase yet, but then these people can't attest to it either because they were approved in the peak of activity, they never had to see everyone passing them by and try to keep the hope every single day only to be let down at the end of it. It's been a rollercoaster and I just want to be done with this phase already.

Today's numbers [May 9th, 2023] Even delayed my scan by half an hour today to see if more showed up. Nope. Seems like most of updates were RFE received (that I do not count here). Hope it's a system lag... 48000 - 1 RFE 49000 - 1 withdrawal 50000 - 1 approval 51000 - 1 approval, 1 RFE 53500 - 1 approval 54500 - 1 approval 55000 - 2 RFEs Today's totals: 5 new approvals (one from yesterday), 4 RFEs, 1 withdrawal Totals so far: 1856(+5) Approved 301 Denied/Rejected 586 RFE/RFERs 479 Pending Cases 153(+1) Withdrawals Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yTdQDjmS6ik3bPNGmThSc0jFUszsiGcXurI1hT_Jcw/edit?usp=sharing

My heart breaks for you. I’m a Feb 22 filer still waiting and the thought of waiting for a month more (like you are already) frustrates me a lot. I’d say you can try reaching out to congress/house representatives or call USCIS saying info pass to speak to an agent. Nothing in guaranteed though, because we’re unfortunately still the processing times. We are just the unlucky ones left behind. But at least it might put some pressure and help to know you are not sitting still waiting for it.

Today's numbers [May 8th, 2023] Also counting weekend numbers. 7 approvals on my range, fingers crossed this week is the week! Overall a nice day for us late February filers. 46500 - 1 approval 49000 - 1 approval 50500 - 1 RFE 52000 - 2 approvals 52500 - 1 denial 53000 - 1 RFE 53500 - 7 approvals, 4 RFEs, 1 other 54000 - 1 approval, 4 RFEs 54500 - 3 approvals 55000 - 1 approval 55500 - 3 approvals, 1 RFE Today's totals: 20 new approvals, 11 RFEs, 1 denial, 1 other Totals so far: 1851(+20) Approved 301(+1) Denied/Rejected 581(+4) RFE/RFERs 489 Pending Cases 152 Withdrawals Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yTdQDjmS6ik3bPNGmThSc0jFUszsiGcXurI1hT_Jcw/edit?usp=sharing

My goodness @Aesop23, you're a December 28th filer! That's too long of a wait! I'm sorry! I also believe it's all a matter of luck. And we're the unlucky ones left behind. I also wish I was in the dark at NVC instead of seeing April filers get their approvals. Just a note that I also lost faith with the inquiry date. I wondered why my inquiry date didn't match the 16.5 month processing times and the inquiry date actually considers the time they took to process 93% of the cases during the past 6 months, and not the 80% we are used to see. I would suggest contacting as many congress representatives as you can, calling USCIS (saying info pass to speak to a live agent) and literally annoy the hell out of them. They unfortunately don't have to take a look at your case if you're inside the horrible 93% of cases processing time, but maybe it's better not to keep idle and keep waiting. I know it's infuriating.

Hi! I usually get a break from immigration things during the weekend haha but I saw your post on Saturday. I scanned some of the ranges you mentioned and compared too to my totals and there wasn't any approval on May 6th. Your spreadsheet is even the same number as mine in the ranges I scanned. They could've changed the date of the approval, but during weekends it's usually just RFEs and withdrawals, possibly due to mail. Or maybe the CaseTracker and the script are showing differences, I am not sure. Thank you for letting me know anyway! On the other hand, two approvals already on my range today SUPER close to mine and I just want they pick up mine!

Today's numbers [May 5th, 2023] 46500 - 4 approvals 48000 - 1 approval 48500 - 2 approvals, 1 denial 49000 - 1 approval, 1 withdrawal 50000 - 1 approval 50500 - 1 approval 52000 - 1 approval 52500 - 1 RFE 53500 - 2 approvals, 2 RFEs 54000 - 2 approvals, 54500 - 2 approvals 55500 - 1 approval Today's totals: 18 new approvals, 3 RFEs, 1 denial, 1 withdrawal Totals so far: 1831(+18) Approved 300(+1) Denied/Rejected 573(-8) RFE/RFERs 517 Pending Cases 152(+1) Withdrawals Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yTdQDjmS6ik3bPNGmThSc0jFUszsiGcXurI1hT_Jcw/edit?usp=sharing

Oh, no worries at all. I'd be doing the same even if this forum didn't exist because I am truly an over thinker haha and I feel the same for the January cases I know are still waiting. As much as I want my approval, I would love to see them approved before myself. They truly deserve it for enduring it so long.

As you can see there are 100+ people still waiting too from the earlier weeks so it's not definitive that you will get left behind if you file early, but I can say there is a slightly higher chance of this happening if you do. Build down to luck, so I think I consider any probability now. Nah, I'm from February 22nd. I was left behind. Still waiting for an approval. But thank you ❤️ I've come to the conclusion we filed in the worst period we could ever have filed seeing the majority of March, April and other months are getting approved/will be approved in less than 400 days. I feel it won't be as long for you October filers!

Oh, in April. I see. They started out approving February 7-8th NOA1s first, then soon after the earlier ones were approved too in the 1st major wave of activity. But once they slowed down with February (the wave was gone), then I saw more late February cases until untouched. Going by my own spreadsheet (not as precise as Obllak's), there are more late Feb cases untouched in absolute numbers and in percentage too. If you see, the second week of Feb has almost the same number of cases than the last week, and the number of untouched cases is way smaller. Here's a good way to see it divided by weeks (thanks @mw & rg k1 for this model of graph).

Did you happen to see a lot of first weeks filers left behind on FB? There are people waiting on all NOA1 dates (February at least). But the majority of those waiting are inside the last 2 weeks. Especially Feb 22 to 25.

Mine was August... now it's September 😢 I recently went to find out why the inquiry date doesn't really match the 16.5 months exactly and it was under my nose the whole time on the USCIS explanation page but it's because they "allow inquiries for cases that are taking longer than the time USCIS took to complete 93% of adjudications". Not 80%. Going by my case/inquiry date, it's taking them 561 days for 93% of the cases to be processed. About 18 months. I have no words. I don't wish this wait on anyone.

I do not follow the spousal visa timelines but I think it’s now almost the same as K1? 1 year and half for the whole process? I would need to look it up. But yes, a K1 is out of question if you plan to marry here, can’t be married for it. And intent to marry, do you mean the whole thing about making it public for at least 15 days and then being able to marry in Brazil? I looked into it a bit but not in detail. If you’re getting married already, the obvious path is the spousal visa. Also, do you mean April 2022 or were you able to get a interview in 2 months?! Did you use an visa agent?! My parents renewed their visa and the interview is waived but still needed to wait 8+ months to drop their passports. And this is because we got a better date later trying every day! To answer your question, we met in Mexico because it was easier and at the time, borders were open there for both of us. He came to Brazil last year too, but in Mexico we both went “halfway” (it’s a longer trip for me, but I’m used to it, and one time I went there straight from Canada). We also got to spend quality time together with no family, no work, no worries and a lot of privacy. It was also cheaper for flights on both of us so we had more money to spend at a resort. It's definitely a different experience than staying with me in my parents’ house during Christmas haha I would encourage couples to just take a vacation and actually spend quality time alone if it’s not possible in the home countries. But of course, every couple knows what’s best and this needs to be planned, but depending on the situation or season, choosing a place to meet in the Caribbean is even cheaper and quicker than you coming to Brazil. Just an alternative! I know how exhausting and expensive long flights are and, depending on where your fiancé is located, how hard it is to reach the international airports here.

Today's numbers [May 4th, 2023] Also counting some late yesterday numbers, so thank you @Elays for letting me know about the tools outage and @Obllak for letting me know about the difference in numbers! All hope is not lost! Also hoping I missed some cases still not pulled from today haha we'll see. 49000 - 2 approvals 50000 - 2 approvals 51000 - 3 approvals 51500 - 2 approvals 52000 - 2 approvals 53500 - 3 approvals, 1 RFE 54000 - 1 approval, 1 denial, 2 RFEs 55000 - 1 approval 55500 - 5 approvals 56000 - 4 approvals, 1 denial Today's totals + yesterday's missed numbers: 25 new approvals, 3 RFEs, 2 denials Totals so far: 1813(+25) Approved 299(+2) Denied/Rejected 581(-11) RFE/RFERs 530 Pending Cases 151 Withdrawals Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yTdQDjmS6ik3bPNGmThSc0jFUszsiGcXurI1hT_Jcw/edit?usp=sharing