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You said above their petitions were approved in Feb 2021, they can’t have been DQ’ed the same month. So when were their I-130’s approved, and when were they DQ’ed (documentation qualified at the NVC stage, after paying fees, completing DS-260’s and submitting docs)??

When were they actually DQ’ed? Your post seems to say it was only last month?

The wait is about 6 months I believe, so hopefully in spring. There’s a tracking thread in the consulate section of the forum (follow the link in the sticky thread at the top of the forum). Good luck.

No, that’s just the petition, the first step. Then they have to apply for the actual visas, which is the second step.

If you’re suggesting that she enters on a B2 with the intention of staying, that would be immigration fraud. If you’ve not held your GC for even a year yet then it’s likely to take about the same amount of time whether you’re a GC holder or apply for citizenship in 4 years or so. Your wife’s category will be F2A, you can keep an eye on the Visa Bulletin once you’ve filed to see how it’s moving forward - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-for-january-2024.html As you can see from that, those that applied in November 2019 have visas available to them now. If you get citizenship, her category will change and spouses of citizens are Immediate Relatives, so no wait for her Priority Date to become current. Good luck.

Somebody will be happy to help I’m sure. Or you can start your own new thread if you prefer.

Perfectly normal, that daft online timeline is notoriously unreliable so ignore it completely! 14 months is what the processing times page is currently showing for 80% of cases. https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ As to overall timing, that will depend on the consulate, some have longer waits for interviews than others. Good luck.

The OP isn’t applying for a K-1 though.

If you have doubts, then find another lawyer that does offer a money back guarantee. Plenty of them out there for O visas. Personally, from what you've said, I'd say you're eligible (and I had an O visa). Best of luck.

The person you spoke to is wrong - even if you were at that stage by December (unlikely going on current processing times) she can't leave the US until she has AP in hand, otherwise the whole process is abandoned and you have to start again. That's one of the big advantages of the CR1 visa route over the K1 - she'd be work authorised as soon as she enters the US, and able to come and go as she pleases too.

Really odd, it usually doesn't take much time for your case to transfer, no idea why yours is taking so long. Have you asked what's going on and why it's still sitting at NVC after 2.5 months? I hope you get the IL very soon, best of luck to you.

Don't know where SLEC is, but you usually need a confirmed interview date to be able to book an immigration medical - and you have to take your interview letter to the medical too. But if you can clarify which country you're asking about, hopefully those in the know will be able to tell you for sure.

Odd, but maybe it is the multiple interviews, although we were 4 interviews and that didn't delay our case - we were all interviewed together in one time slot but maybe it's different for family apps (ours was employment based). It's strange that it still says at NVC though, but is that just on CEAC? What does the online status tracker say, does it say in transit? https://egov.uscis.gov Might be worth asking on the big CR1 thread in the UK sub forum, tons of people there with a lot more knowledge that may be able to help. Best of luck to you.

Are you sure you haven't had an interview date? It's very odd if you were DQ'ed in October, you should have had an interview letter (via email) ages ago. London is one of the quickest consulate, for an October DQ date I'd have expected an IL in November for an interview date in December, maybe January at the latest. They've sent out two rounds of IL's since then, and people who were DQ'ed way after you have had them. Worth double checking your spam/junk folder maybe?

How did she originally enter the US?

That doesn't make a lot of sense, unless you've got a green card then even if you already had a visa it would be tied to an existing employer, and it's not something you can apply for yourself either. So if some uni's don't sponsor visas then your only option would be to find one that does. Good luck.

You can, but it's yet another cost, and not everybody can get one - my teenage son couldn't for example, so he'd have had no way of proving his LPR status without the stamp until the GC arrived. Luckily, we all have our GC's now, but it's far from ideal for anybody new arriving if they really have stopped stamping/endorsing visas.

State issued ID won't work as not everybody has a driving licence or similar though, and it wouldn't prove you're a GC holder anyway. It's definitely really odd if they really are no longer stamping passports, I just don't know how you're supposed to prove your status without that bit of ink!

That’s not true, it would depend on the category but it’ll be longer than that usually. But as above, you are unlikely to have any say in the visa anyway, J1 is most likely but your employer will be able to tell you what visa they plan to petition you for.

Nobody can tell you when you’ll get an interview, all you can do is keep an eye on the Visa Bulletin. And no, it won’t be H-1B, that’s an employment based temporary visa. There may not be a section for DV’s as they’re processed so differently from ´normal’ visas. Good luck.

Whichever one your future employer (or their immigration lawyers) decide they’ll sponsor you for.

He needs to contact NVC with proof of his new citizenship - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/family-immigration/immigrant-visa-for-spouse.html#:~:text=If you filed a petition,National Visa Center (NVC).

No, it’s not a requirement. And no, the medical has to be done before the interview - do have a read of the link I gave above, step 10 onwards lays it out for you. Your lawyers sound pretty rubbish, part of their job is to keep you informed and guide you through the whole process! And I’m wondering if they’re the reason you’ve had such a big delay?

No worries at all, I'll ask a kind mod to move it to the spouse visa forum for you. But not sure why it's taken so long, something doesn't sound right if you've been waiting since 2019/2020 - normally it would be 18 months or so start to finish. Covid did delay things a bit, but not by that much! How long did your I-130 take to be approved? Assume you've been following this step by step guide? https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/step-2-begin-nvc-processing.html You've just completed Step 9 and now have Steps 10-12 to go, basically just waiting for an interview date and then booking your medical once you know when it will be. If you do need psych assessment because of mental health history, then that will be advised when you go for your medical. That may delay things but even so, you should have a visa this year, not next.

If he's from the UK, why did he apply for a visa rather than using the VWP? Just wondering if he's got citizenship of another country, or a criminal record etc - in case it makes a difference.