Melancholic Mage

@Crazy Cat Hi Crazy Cat, just noticed your edit asking about a fee increase? Admittedly I wasn't aware of one. When was this implemented? The I-130 fee was paid in April 2023. DS-260, Affidavit, and all other extras were paid between April and May 2024.

I always took what I read as estimates if it was time related. Given how long it took just to process the I-130, I don't think USCIS can be trusted to be reliable. That's why I was trying to use other immigrant's timescales to try and work it out, but at this point I've just resigned myself to trying to hold out in my job through the stress and not think about it.

@Nat Murph Oh I see. Looks like I've missed things or misread them entirely. Myself and my husband haven't used a lawyer at all so we were meticulous in reading as much as we could while processing all forms. So I'm kicking myself a bit for not catching on to the NVC IL dates, and especially for not catching the medical appointment booking requirements. Maybe it worked in my favour though given the weird timescales going on. Best waiting it out. @BernieDuck Thanks for the extra info! Sorry about them turning down your ACRO police report. Very strange.

So it's definitely one batch of IL's per month? That really is a narrow date range... and that's bad news if the DQ date doesn't really count if some are sent IL's and some are not despite being greenlit on the same day... ;; I couldn't book my medical without an IL so thankfully I don't have to worry about that. I wasn't going to either until I had a definite appointment: I was planning to spend two weeks in London to do the medical, give the practitioner enough time to send my results to the embassy, then attend the interview. So long as I give it 5 working days inbetween I should be okay. It's a bit long for me to travel backwards and forwards to London twice for each thing. Even if it's more expensive, I wanted to hang around and knock it all out at once. Did you book your medical already? How were you able to?

Maybe they have a quota of so many people they can send IL's to in one month? I'd be surprised if it turns out you missed a cut off by two days. If I was DQ'd May 22nd, then by the above timeline I should get an IL on July 20th, since myself and that user were DQ'd same day, just different month. Let's wait it out and see if that's remotely accurate or not, or if the embassy just uses some magical immigrant crystal ball to send out letters whenever they feel like. It's a step towards trying to figure out timescales at least. I've been trying to throw myself into work or hobbies to keep myself sane in the meantime. It's very hard.

Thanks for getting back to me. That's worrying to hear. I know 'how long is a piece of string' heavily applies to the US visa process, but it's very difficult getting essentially stonewalled when all you're trying to find out is an estimate. Being apart from my husband, especially in my own delicate circumstances where I'm living in an unsafe household for the time being, is needless to say exacerbating poor health. I'm sure you're in a similar situation in terms of dealing with the stress and anxiety that comes with the process. Any news and I'll be sure to update. I was DQ'd May 22nd. At least we're trying to measure the string together. Hang in there.

What is London's usual IL amount? I've heard London Embassy is fast but then popping on this thread there's a lot of people saying it's slowed down completely.

That's great! Thanks for sharing. If I go off your timescale, I might get an interview for September then being DQ'd late May. I'll have to wait and see.

I'll be living in Illinois. I actually know exactly what I want to do. I want to become a writer and artist. Perhaps both: I've been working on a children's book. It's written! Just the first draft - it needs editing and pictures now. My degrees are in art and graphic design. I also have a 100% distinction in a fiction writing course. My confusion career wise is more in terms of being grounded and realistic: to get financial stability over trying to break into a pretty hard-to-crack industry that may take years/more qualifications or education than I have. To put my money where my mouth is, here is an example of my artwork. This was done way back in 2009. There were no job opportunities back then, coming straight out of college and slap-bang into a UK recession, especially in my poor region, so I ended up taking up menial work to put bread on the table. I would love to re-educate myself in the medium to include digital techniques and give pursuit of my dream once again. I couldn't afford university back then and I'm hesitant that I could now. I figured my time in America would be similar: to be reasonable and find a job to give me financial stability first before persuing lofty dreams. Then again, sister-in-law has been telling me to go self-employed doing T-Shirt designs. Maybe I can home school with YouTube? Who knows. A small example of my writing style is here in this little Fallout 4 game-based snippet. Just if anyone is interested/to prove I'm serious. I've been writing for years but all fan-based fiction. Thank you for all the advice and hopeful comments. I'm eager to start my 'American Dream' but part of it is knowing just how to get my feet on the ground first. It's really good to know I don't need to give equivalencies unless asked. It'll help save me a little bit of money that I could have spent needlessly.

Maybe my own culture is bleeding in here. Around my parts, even if you have a college NVQ level 2, 3, etc, employers still want to see your GCSE results. You need to prove you have basic Maths and English skills. Even if you're applying for an artistic role, they may ask to see basic English qualifications and even Maths, depending on the job. I've never not been asked for my GCSE's/GED equivalent. I thought US was the same, and my in-laws voiced enough concern about it that it made me concerned. This is super helpful, thank you! I do Google what I can and ask on here what I can't find now that I found this Forum. Sorry if some questions are obvious to visa vets. I've been preparing as much as I can for work over there mentally but it's intimidating when I'm not from a well-off family/area for opportunities. I don't drink or take drugs. Drug tests of any kind don't bother me one bit. I used to work for HMRC tax office. It was a long time ago but it might help in terms of my character if I looked at any kind of US government job role.

Thank you for the replies. I'm not ruling out going back into education, but I honestly don't know what career I'll pursue once I'm in the US. I do have dreams I want to chase since I was a child, but the knowledge gap is too big for me. I come from a poor part of the UK which only have a limited range of job sectors and hence choices within that region. Pigeonholing is the common norm here. How would I go about getting an equivalency? My high school/comp and college don't even exist anymore, they've been bulldozer or converted into something else, so I don't know who to contact if an education board or employer asked. There's also the question of cost.

I couldn't find any information on the Forum about this, but there's some confusion about whether my GCSE certificates will be counted at face value as proof of myself finishing high school once I'm in the US. In-laws tell me I may need to resit exams to earn a GED for employment, while others say I can convert my GCSE's and other results to a US recognised grade using WES.org, while some say it isn't an issue at all. My highest degrees are College level which I have certificates for. I also have some spare degrees (Generative AI for example) which I'm unsure what these would equal in US terms, or if they'll be taken as they are. Would appreciate some kind of conversion scale or advice. Thank you.

Just checked and edited the list, missed it off first time. There might be more things I've missed but this is as accurate as I can make to my knowledge.

Hi @coffee_joy, I'll try and break down some of the costs I've paid for while processing my CR-1 as an applicant. Please note I'm awaiting an IL so the fees listed here aren't a final representation of the cost of the whole process. They're also subject to currency conversion and GBP to USD rates where specified. There's also extras I've paid for that may not apply to you. So this is all just approximation. UK Applicant, US Citizen Petitioner: I-130 Filing Fee: $535 DS-260 Fee: $325 Affidavit of Support Fee: $120 ACRO Police Report: £115 (Expedited) Full Birth Certificate: £35 (Expedited) AQA Exam Board Certificates: £43 *Pending - Estimates* Medical: £385 Est. Additional Vaccinations: £90 per missing Accommodation: £1400 Est. Flights: £300 Est. I hope this helps give you an idea of the costs involved.

This is not a rental property, I'm staying with family. It's a lot more complicated than that but @appleblossom and @Boiler already answered my query without your abrupt point. No need for the hostility.

I understand that, I was just asking the question if there was grounds to speed it up due to my circumstances. They're not my locks to change, which is one complication, for example. I have nowhere else to go. Your last comment can come across as a bit brash.

It appears USCIS think that his nickname is an actual legal name change rather than, well, a nickname. Personally I would provide all legal name evidence: birth certificate, passport, marriage certificate, employment records... just as much as you can that's shown in that list. Try not to provide anything with his nickname going forward, except as relationship evidence at the interview perhaps. Chat logs between you, for example, just to avoid confusion. If there's any 'additional comment' boxes online, you could try and explain the mix up and that no legal name change has been made. I think your best bet is submitting as much official legal documentation showing his full name as you can.

My case is still at NVC when I've just checked. How quick is London Embassy as an estimate? Thank you for the info. I see. It was a long shot. It's bad that I'm living in vulnerability and fear which is affecting my health quite severely, and it's frustrating that I was assaulted and essentially nothing has come of it. Not even repurcussions upon the assailant. I was hoping to escape sooner for safety. My living conditions are very poor at current. Here's hoping America's justice system is better, though with what's happened in the news lately I know I'm just kidding myself.

Thank you, @appleblossom. The situation is adding more stress onto an already stressful time, so I apologise if my questions seem obvious. Should the situation worsen or escalate, is expedition completely off the cards? I was hoping just reporting the offender would help flag them should they ever try to follow me to the US, but it's unclear if a noted incident without conviction would stop the individual at US border control. This is all hypotheticals, but I'm trying to ensure the safety of myself and my spouse. To be honest I'm more frustrated I couldn't fight back because of my visa. I withheld myself. Needless to say it's led to some shades of mental hardship.

Please note this does not concern my husband. My circumstances are complicated so I'll spare in-depth details, but I was punched and bitten by a family member late May who has since left the residence where I'm staying. A police report has been filed and a statement given, but the police have made it clear this will most likely not lead to anything significant. Despite me wanting to press charges. Even so, is the incident and record of such (pictures, victim statement, even offender claiming to call the police back on me in retaliation if I call them to, and I quote, "knack my visa up"), be enough reason to get my visa expedited? Or is it no longer a concern since the offender has left the property, despite still having keys and potential access? The police are aware of the threat and my visa situation, which I've made clear over and over out of fear of it affecting my entry into the States, and it's a bit of a messy situation. The injustice of it has left a mark deeper than the wounds inflicted, but I can't say I feel entirely well or safe since the incident. I've had no incident updates since giving my victim statement, and can't say I have any hope it will go any further despite me being assaulted. My I-130 and DS-260 have been greenlit and I'm currently waiting for embassy appointment letter and to organise my medical at current. Is it worth chasing any of this or should I just wait out the visa process?

Just to add to this, I had a pending I-130 when I went to visit my husband in November last year. I went through border security on an ESTA with little problems, and even stated I had an I-130 pending for honest transparency. They seemed utterly unconcerned. My I-130 has since been approved and processed and I'm now awaiting an interview letter for the embassy in London. While it's not wise to visit the US at this point, I've been told by other members that this is also something that shouldn't stop you from visiting the States.

Re-reading the OP's post, I feel there might be some Mental Health issues at play. You can live on one meal a day, so long as it's a big, healthy meal, but it's certainly not advised. I hope you speak to someone about your eating patterns, if not your husband then a trusted friend or family member. Don't feel guilty about relying financially on your husband or his family - they knew what adjusting status for you entailed. Take care of yourself and eat well.

Hello, is there any chance someone can point me to or help make an Abbreviation Glossary for some of the most used terms on this site? I'm actually willing to do this myself and make this the thread for it, if other seasoned members can help provide the most used terms that float around here for us newbies. As someone going through the process of a CR-1/IR-1 visa, It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out IL means interview letter, and not the state of Illinois. 🙃 So: IL = Interview Letter DQ = Documentarily Qualified Any others?

Thanks for responding - congrats on being at the embassy! I hope it went well. When reading the small print/help boxes during the I-130/DS-260, it actually said NOT to upload relationship photos etc. Would having images/screenshots on my phone be enough or would you recommend printouts given your interview experience? Wedding album, maybe? Can you explain what you mean by second part of the interview? I thought it was just one long interview, one part, and that was that. Ah, I mean people on Reddit claiming they got a visa interview waiver. The interview being skipped completely and they instead getting sent their visa. I don't know if they submitted their medical records before the interview, or applied for a waiver, but there's some posts floating around about it. Confusing. Your medical - I read that there's a required vaccine that can't be given in the UK. Was that a problem for you? Does it cost more getting missing vaccinations, and what does the medical detail? Bit worried about it. I was going to book mine in a week or two before the interview date, once I get one. Proof of job and residence I take it would just be UK P60, payslips, bills, utility letters and such? I might struggle with that. Just to explain a little, myself and my US husband lived together in the UK for about 5 years, but we got a no-fault eviction notice last year. Landlord was just like 'I want to sell, get out in two months'. It was awful. The UK government still haven't prevented this unjustified way of making honest people homeless. We couldn't fight it despite being no-problem tenants, did nothing wrong, and were so worried it would affect our visa. We also couldn't find let alone go into another rental property without signing a contract for at least one year minimum, which we didn't want to do because of the visa timeline and it possibly processing. Imagine getting the visa and being contractually obligated to stay behind? It was also far more expensive than what we were paying. Hence us now having to live countries apart with our parents temporarily until the visa processes. To say it's incredibly hard? Understatement. Oh no, I hope your husband is okay! How stressful. I hope you're alright. Thank you for your reassurances. I have a whole month booked off start of August so hoping I can visit my husband then. See if I don't get an IL before that, or worse, get an interview arranged for a date while I'm over there visiting. It's a headache to navigate all this... Is there any other relationship evidence bar photos and conversations you provided? Just so I'm prepared if I need more evidence. Thank you to you both for the information given so far.

Hello all, new here to the Forum. I have a few questions about the interview process as I've found a lot of confusing information online. Myself and my partner (US Citizen) are currently apart due to complicated circumstances. They're at home in the US and I'm grounded here in my home country the UK. We were Documentarily Qualified (DQ'd, is that right? 🫠) on May 23rd. They plan to visit once we get that interview date so we can then book in medical, attend interview etc together. We've been married since March 23. I-130 was submitted the month after on April 23. My questions: Can I visit my husband in the US while my visa is processing/awaiting an IL (Interview Letter, is that right)? We didn't provide any additional documentation with I-130 or DS-260 such as marriage photos, communication, etc as online this was advised against: only give what is asked for. But now I'm seeing some threads where they were asked for this. Can I get any extra thoughts on this? We were hoping to have all of this cleared and for me to enter the US early August. Is this a fairytale dream or do you think from your experiences here this is possible? I've visited his family on an ESTA three times now over the span of four to five years. Will this help with our visa application? And the big question which I've seen some people claim: is there a chance we're eligible for a visa waiver? Even though I haven't undergone a medical? Some Reddit posts claimed this but I'm sceptical. Thank you so much for reading through this. I'll keep this thread updated with updates from my end.