Sander1234

I am in the process of obtaining a CR1 visa. In the NVC phase, I paid all fees and submitted all documents. I then submitted an Expedite Request to the NVC (before being DQ), which they forwarded to the Frankfurt Consulate, and it was approved within a day on November 4. I believe the next step is to make an appointment through USTravelDocs. However, I have not heard back from the Frankfurt Consulate yet, so I don’t know if my documents were approved or when I can enter their system to schedule an interview. I also haven’t received the Interview Letter yet. Does anyone know when I can expect to hear back from the Frankfurt Consulate for an expedited case? And does anyone have insight on the timeline for an interview?

I was approved yesterday, PD 13 August 2023.

I believe the fast 33% are the people doing Adjustment of Status instead of Consular Processing. And the majority of the forms that are being skipped over (the last 25%) are likely the people who petition as an LPR and not as a US citizen. Also, this data only shows I-130s filed on paper, hence the #IOE09 for paper, and #IOE9 for digitally submitted forms. Even though we only can see the forms filed on paper, this is still very informative and the best data we have on an aggregate level to see where things stand as of right now.

I wanted to share an update on my expedite request. I didn’t hire a lawyer and instead submitted a new secure message through myUSCIS to request the expedite. This time, it passed the pre-screening, confirming that my request met the minimum criteria, and I was assigned a referral ID at the Potomac Service Center. However, it’s now been 18 days, and their initial response said they’d get back to me within 10 days. Has anyone else experienced this kind of delay? Is this a typical timeframe, or could it mean they’ve reviewed my request but didn’t find it urgent enough to even send a response? Also, I’m now 13 months into the process, and I’m expecting a decision around the 14-month mark. So, even if the expedite gets approved, it may not make much of a difference at this point.

Thank you for your detailed and helpful response! We've already taken the steps you mentioned, filing the I-129F (K3) one month after the I-130 and submitting additional evidence via myUSCIS last month (at the 11-month mark). I appreciate your lawyer's insights, they seem to be knowing what they are talking about. Would you be willing to share their contact information? At this point, I believe having an experienced professional review my Expedite Request is the best course of action. They might be able to identify any errors in my submission or advise if my reasoning for expediting aligns with USCIS guidelines.

You would need to upload it in myUSCIS under your case in the Documents tab. Scroll down to the bottom to Unsolicited Evidence and click Upload Evidence to upload your letter of explanation and the supporting evidence documents. In addition, you need to send them a secure message requesting the expedite, also in myUSCIS. Thank you for your responses. Although it wasn't the outcome I hoped for, I believe the most likely explanation is indeed that the request was denied. With a Priority Date of August 13th, my best estimate for approval would be sometime in October. I just wish USCIS would use more precise language in their communications...

Based on my understanding of USCIS's wording, the evidence is missing and therefore will not be provided to the officials responsible for reviewing expedite requests. That is different from a rejection. This is what the USCIS email states as well: "If at a later time you can provide the evidence needed to be considered for an expedite, we strongly suggest uploading a letter of explanation and any evidence you may have to support your request in your USCIS online account." and "Once the Expedite Service Request is submitted, it will then be forwarded to the office with jurisdiction over your case." Our Expedite Request concerns job loss, combined with a serious medical issue. The guidelines of USCIS specifically states "Job loss may be sufficient to establish severe financial loss for a person, depending on the individual circumstances." I've carefully put together all details and proof on our financial situation, proof of the layoff and proof of the medical situation which took me many hours. I know they have discretion and have a final say on whether they think it is severe enough in their eyes. But it is harder for me to accept if USCIS refuses even to look at the evidence I put together.

The issue is that they are not considering the Expedite Request at all. If USCIS would at least review it and then deny it, I would have a clear understanding of my situation.

I have been trying to submit our Expedite Request for our I-130 to USCIS for the past three weeks, but I've had no success. I used the secure message option in myUSCIS and uploaded a detailed request with all the necessary evidence. The request itself was clear and carefully put together: it is a single PDF with a cover letter, table of contents, detailed arguments, and a lot of evidence. However, after submitting the secure message twice and waiting 10 days each time, I received the same response from USCIS: "Unfortunately, your request will not be submitted because you do not currently have the required evidence to support the need for an expedite." I followed up with a live agent through Ask Emma, who confirmed that the evidence is in my account and correctly labeled. However, the agent couldn't explain why USCIS claimed the evidence was missing. This feels like a deliberate attempt to block people from submitting Expedite Requests or, at the very least, to make the process unnecessarily difficult. What should our next steps be? Should we try involving a Congressman or Senator, or submit the request again? Has this happened to anyone else here?

Thank you so much for your insights! I do have a concern, though, regarding potential contradictions between my wife's I-864 form and that of my in-laws. Specifically, my wife's I-864 would suggest that we're establishing a two-person household at her parents' address. Concurrently, her parents would be indicating a household size of 3, incorporating me as part of their joint household. Is this contradiction a problem? For additional context, my wife is not considered a dependent of her parents for IRS purposes. The primary challenge in meeting the sponsorship income requirement stems purely from her recent graduate studies. Although she exceeded the necessary income threshold in the years before her graduate program (tax years 2021 & 2022), her 2023 tax return will reflect zero income due to her academic commitments. By the time we need to submit our Affidavit of Support around September this year, the most recent tax return required (2023) will unfortunately showcase this lack of income. Her current annual income for 2024 is again also just under the minimum requirement. Given these circumstances, we're leaning towards having her parents provide additional sponsorship to ensure we meet the income requirements. The poverty thresholds for 2024 for a 3-person household is $25,820, so my in-laws showing an income of at least $32,275 would be sufficient in this case?

My wife and I are preparing for our move to the U.S. with a CR1 visa, following her I-130 petition for me. We're currently living abroad but planning ahead to avoid delays, even though we haven't reached the NVC stage yet. My wife is still considered domiciled in the U.S., as our stay overseas is temporary, and her address in the U.S. is with her parents, where we plan to live upon our arrival until we have found our own place. This address was also listed on our I-130 form. Last year, my wife was completing her graduate studies and did not earn enough to meet the income requirements for sponsorship. As a result, her parents have agreed to be our additional sponsors. Since they file their taxes jointly, we're exploring the best approach for them to become sponsors: Form I-864A Use: Is it appropriate for my wife's parents to use Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member, in our situation? If so, considering their joint tax filing, is it necessary for both parents to complete the form, or would only one parent suffice? Additionally, how would this choice affect the household size calculation for the I-864A form—would it be 3 if one parent fills it out, and 4 if both do? Regular I-864 Form: Alternatively, could they opt for the regular I-864 form as joint sponsors instead? If choosing this route, how does it impact the household size calculation—would it then be considered 2 for the purposes of the I-864 form? Comparison and Recommendation: Are there any advantages or disadvantages between choosing Form I-864A versus the regular I-864 form for our situation? I appreciate any guidance or experiences shared, as we want to avoid any delays because of RFEs. Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi everyone, I am a Dutch national and spouse of a US citizen and we both live in the Netherlands since July 2021. My partner is actively applying to jobs in the US. We would like to move to the US and apply for a CR1 visa for me, we want to submit our I-130 and get the process started. However, we don't know whether it is best to file the I-130 directly with USCIS and wait about 1,5 years or wait until my partner actually has a job offer and then file as DCF. If we do it the regular way and file through USCIS it is not much use for my partner to continue applying for US-based jobs since we would have to be apart for too long; we are also trying to start a family in this time-frame. In that case it would just be best to wait for 1,5 years until my CR1 visa is approved. My wife has a good career and I think her chances are pretty high to land a job in the short term, it would also be best for her career if she got a job in the US. However, the US consulate in Amsterdam doesn't seem to process DCF requests: they are unresponsive by email due to severe understaffing, they have no phone number, on their website they only mention sending the I-130 to the US lockbox for US nationals resident in the Netherlands, and on the internet I could find no one who has done DCF through the consulate in Amsterdam. However, the US consulate in Frankfurt seems to be handling many DCF requests, and I also read the following on their website: "Individuals who were previously assisted by the USCIS Frankfurt Field Office (which includes individuals residing in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein) must follow these filing instructions." I was wondering if there are people here who are not resident in Germany but were assisted by the Frankfurt consulate with their DCF request? We really are in a dilemma right now whether to do regular USCIS filing and just wait; or take a chance, my wife applying for US jobs, and then see whether we can file for DCF in Frankfurt instead.