Edward and Jaycel

This is how I survived I-129F NOA1 through CFO Certificate issuance for Jaycel

I'll say this..... For a simple case, uncommon name, not a lot of social media stuff to pour through, it shouldn't take much longer, but let me give a huge disclaimer here - AP is a mysterious "black hole" which no one really has much insight into and I've seen immigration attorneys and former consular officers alike say that all you can do during AP is just hold on and wait it out unless it drags on for more than 6 months to a year. In the Philippines, super long AP is not that common. In the grand scheme of things, 13 business days is not that long when it comes to AP. The other big holdup can also be background checking in other countries. Did your fiancée have to submit any police certificates because she lived somewhere other than the Philippines for more than 6 months after the age of 16?

Yes.... The status would likely say "Refused" if they issued a 221g for more documents. That could change if they find something during the AP process but that's not as common as when the Consular Officer issues a 221g at the interview. Unfortunately with this administration's focus on "Enhanced Vetting" and now the social media focus, the length of time between interview and visa issuance seems (anecdotally) to be increasing. Hang in there, it's just a matter of patience now.

Administrative Processing happens on every case before the visa can be officially approved and then issued. How long it takes varies from case to case depending on many things, some of them being; how common the applicant's name is (background check) and now a review of their social media.

Best tip I can think to offer is make sure she has certified true copies of the important civil documents (marriage certificate, death certificate, passport or birth certificate of the deceased to establish their US Citizenship) and any proof that the marriage was bona fide that she can bring.

Yes when you fill out the request for the NBI clearance you need to include the AKA and it will be printed on the NBI Clearance.

Great news!!! Best piece of advice I can give you from here is start studying the AOS process for after you guys get married and then once they arrive in the US, make an appointment at your local Social Security office to get them SS Numbers. Makes things down the road a lot easier.

Woo Hoo!!! Congrats!! 🎉🎉

Get rid of your "Advisor" in Columbia. The DS-160 is for any Non-Immigrant visa, which the K-1 is. It must be filled out before you can schedule an interview with the embassy

This is correct... They gave Jaycel 5 shots on the 2nd day of the SLEC process

Anecdotally, since the increased vetting to include social media review, it seems that the time from interview to visa issued has increased from what it used to be. On the CEAC portal status, what is the "Last Updated" date?

If they now have everything they need, it can take a day or two to a week for them to issue it. The fact that the "Last Updated" date changed to the 14th is good because that means someone touched the file.

Are you talking about the Invoice Number? You will not get one of those with a K-1 case and you will not create a CEAC account for a K-1 Case.

I have seen on many forums that they were having an issue with getting receipt notices out to people that filed in January/February - Especially those who filed online.

A friend of ours who we helped file his K-1, had his received on July 31, 2025 and it just got approved a few days ago. Waiting is super rough, believe me I know but hang in there, it'll come.

Congrats!!! 🎉 From what I hear, the Denver field office in Centennial is pretty efficient with oath ceremonies. They apparently dedicate the whole office to the ceremonies 2 days a month. I would love to hear from you how it is, as Jaycel and I will hopefully be there in a couple of years for her Oath Ceremony

"Application Received" is the step when the Immigrant Visa Unit (who handles the K-1 processing, interview and approval) sends it to the NonImmigrant Visa Unit for Issuance (Because the K-1 is technically a nonimmigrant visa, it has to be issued by the NIV Unit). This status means the NIV Unit has received the application and will be processing the it for issuance.

What are the first 3 letters of the case number?

Go here and fill out the online form: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html

Have you tried doing a public inquiry with NVC pointing out that the AOMs you submitted to CEAC remain in "Submitted" state and not approved and that you have not received your IL yet?

Congrats!!! Glad it went well for you guys!! 🎉🎉 Hopefully you will have the approval today, that's what happened to us. Our officer said that when they do something in their system on a case, it takes 24 hours for it to show up on our portal and we got our approval almost exactly 25 hours after we walked out of the building.

Pretty unappreciative to the people like myself that took time out of their busy lives to do some research and tried to help you - Good luck

So you created a profile on https://www.usvisascheduling.com/ (which is linked from the ustraveldocs website), did everything below and you're saying there's no option to select the payment for a K-1 visa? Step 2 Select the “Start Application” option on the left-hand side of your screen, and proceed in answering the questions provided. We advise that you read carefully and respond accordingly to the questions. Step 3 On the Payment Options page, read the Disclaimer Notification AND verify that the number and amount of visa fees you are paying for are correct and that they match the number of applicants in your profile and the visa type you are applying for before selecting the “Submit” button. Step 4 Print the payment instruction page and bring a copy to RCBC branch. Hand over the copy to RCBC branch and make your consular visa application fee payment. After making the payment and before leaving RCBC branch, please check the validated receipt issued by RCBC and make sure the reference number and amount paid matches the details in your payment instruction copy. If incorrect please ask RCBC to have it corrected right away.

And also there is no welcome letter issued by the NVC to K-1 cases... only the K1-FTP letter when it is sent to the embassy. @REO-Sparks what site are you on that it is asking for an invoice number? Can you share a screen shot (with any personally identifiable information blacked out)?

Fantastic news!!! 🎉🎉