Josh B K

@emeditz congratulations!

@pushbrk, Thank you for your timely advice and input. The Visa Journey community is fortunate to have such an involved, dedicated, and knowledgable member.

@Cookie88 On the Monday morning after my post, the upload magically started working. After uploading many documents, here's what I discovered about the two errors. 1) Error: "Webservice unable to scan file" - If you receive this error, give up. It seems to indicate a system error. For this error, I just waited until the weekend was over and tried again on Monday morning. 2) Error: "Invalid Image Detected" - This error seems to be related to the specific file you are uploading. Usually, "printing to a PDF" and saving as a new file, resolves the problem, but not always. I am having error #2 again since yesterday, and "printing to PDF" doesn't resolve the problem. I sent a message to Ask NVC.

@pushbrk I did not document my assets in my I-864. Was that my mistake? I decided not to document them because the I-864 had some language about "if your income meets the requirements you should not document assets". This morning, I gathered all my documentation of assets and uploaded the proof. I also updated my I-864 to include my assets, re-printed it, re-signed it, re-scanned it, re-reduced it, re-saved it, and in the end, could not get the upload to complete. 😐 Finally, I just uploaded the updated page 7 of my I-864 and sent an "Ask NVC" request for help and advice on why I can't upload my new I-864. Do you think I've done the right steps? Thanks for your advice.

Hello Friends. After submitting my I-864, the CEAC website says civil documents were "ACCEPTED", and I received an email saying our application has been sent to the consulate. Unfortunately, I also received a cryptic message titled "Case FE Review Note". The gist of the note is: The income reported ... is insufficient to overcome the public charge grounds of inadmissibility for visa issuance. You must provide updated or additional evidence for the applicant to present at the time of their interview such as: Other income Assets Proof of current employment You can continue to upload documents to CEAC up until the date of your visa interview. I am retired. My yearly income is generated from interest on my investments. I provided three years of tax transcripts that indicate my yearly income from interest and dividends well exceeds the requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p). I assume my income from investments as shown on the income tax transcripts is not sufficient. What should I provide? Should I update my I-864 with all my asset information and upload it again along with documentation to prove my assets? Or do I just leave the I-864 as it is and send the asset documents with my spouse (applicant) to the interview?

Hello Friends. @Cody M. would you be willing to summarize what you learned and post it here? Joshua Kilpatrick

@emeditz I'm so sorry for the pain this process is causing. I 100% understand what you feel. When I calculate all the taxes I've paid over my lifetime (and I have explicitly done this), I feel infuriated. I understand that the political situation is very tricky right now, and it's very unlikely congress will do much to improve immigration law. I also know that many people much less fortunate than me are suffering more intense hardships, but I feel that citizens certainly have the right to expect that their government will serve their requests promptly and efficiently. I can't fathom any valid excuse for what we are experiencing. I suspect the reality is that these agencies are underfunded and under terribly uncreative leadership. Their perspective is likely that the pandemic shutdowns created a backlog, and at their current level of staffing, they can't catch up. I'm sure that is partially true, but I also hold the leadership at USCIS responsible for not updating their processes in the face of a historic backlog. It appears they are just attempting to keep following the same processes and hope they get more funding. I don't accept that approach. We deserve better. If they have honestly tried to improve efficiency and processes, I am stunned as to why they wouldn't have trumpeted it from the rooftops. Sadly, in the current environment, I don't think we can expect anything to get better soon, but I do hope this experience inspires us to become more active and to speak up about these concerns. Though I have finally received my USCIS approval, I still face an unknown process forward as I try to get an appointment at the US consulate in Mexico, and on top of this unknown I face the constant reality that even at the last minute they could reject our petition. It's maddening and emotionally draining. I think it is very important that we take the time to write down our experiences and opinions and share them with our representatives, family, and friends. Though I don't think one letter will matter, hundreds of thousands might.

Hello Friends. I've noticed that in Mexico now there is a new federal system to request the "Constancia de Antecedentes Penales Federales". The URL for the new Federal System is below. Does anyone know if this new federal form is accepted by NVC? https://constancias.oadprs.gob.mx/ The website says "Ahora puedes tramitar la Constancia de Antecedentes Penales Federales desde internet. Es válida impresa en hoja blanca tamaño carta ante cualquier gobierno y autoridad municipal, estatal y federal." Translation: Now you can request a Constancia de Antecedentes Penales Federales online. It is valid before any government authority (municipal, state, and federal) when printed on white paper.

Hello Friends. I am trying to upload documents to the CEAC site for my husband's visa. I can't get any files to upload correctly. I've verified my sizes are below 4 MB (the currently reported limit). I'm uploading PDF's. I have seen the following two errors: Affidavit of Support Document (I864): Invalid Image Detected Note: I was uploading a PDF when I received this message. Select FORM I-864 AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT: Webservice unable to scan file I've tried all the tricks I can see online - compressing, printing as PDF. Nothing is working. Is anyone else having this issue currently? Please reply. I want to get an idea of how many people are being impacts. Hello Friends. I am trying to upload documents to the CEAC site for my husband's visa. I can't get any files to upload correctly. I've verified my sizes are below 4 MB (the currently reported limit). I'm uploading PDF's. I have seen the following two errors: Affidavit of Support Document (I864): Invalid Image Detected Note: I was uploading a PDF when I received this message. Select FORM I-864 AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT: Webservice unable to scan file I've tried all the tricks I can see online - compressing, printing as PDF. Nothing is working. Is anyone else having this issue currently? Please reply. I want to get an idea of how many people are being impacts.

@emeditz and @Cookie88 I forgot to mention in my announcement that our case approval came from Nebraska; so, I assume I was transferred at some point in the process. I know it is very difficult to keep waiting and to feel that you don't have power to improve your situation. My thoughts are with you, and I hope you hear something any week now.

Hello Friends. I received my approval today after 16 months of waiting. NOA1: September 22, 2023 NOA2: January 14, 2025

Congratulations @team-joric and thank you for sharing with all of us. Congratulations.

@emeditz I see the same think in my USCIS "myProgress". It changed about 2 weeks back. I am also considering it meaningless. But I would like to rant for a minute. How irresponsible of our government and the technology team at USCIS to put out a system that misguides and confuses people. It's the worst kind of technical carelessness.

Oh, congratulations @Shyler! What happy news. I wish you all the best as you proceed to the next step. Thanks for sharing with this group. I've been eagerly waiting to hear someone from this forum announce an approval. I think you are the first of our group to share good news. It makes me really happy for you and all of us.

What a kindness to share this experience with us! Thank you @GABO507_PTY. I have a follow up question for you? Were you a September 2023 filer? When did you receive your approval from USCIS?

@emeditz I feel the same. I'm hope we see September filers posting about approvals this coming week as everyone returns from the long Thanksgiving holiday.

@Cookie88 I got the same response. It made me quite angry and frustrated since I have heard other petitioners get more helpful responses from their congressmen. I feel like all the political energy and division around immigration is hiding smaller failures in government that all citizens would agree need to be addressed. I don't think our leaders or we should be accepting a 15 month processing time for simple petitions from US Citizens. How do you feel about it?

September Filers, It will be so encouraging when we start to see approvals for our group. Please share with us here when you hear a response. What is the "earliest" priority date we have in the group? My priority date is September 23. Do we have people closer to the start of September? Today my husband and I are celebrating 1 year since our family marriage celebration. We were legally married earlier, but this day is more special to us for the memories. Josh

Welcome to September 2024, friends. About a year has past since we all sent our I-130 applications to USCIS. Have you noticed that applicants with preference dates in June and July of 2023 are actively chatting in the forums? One individual reported they just received approval. Their preference date was the 14th of July. This means we have about 45 days of applications ahead of us in line. I won't make any predictions, but it does seem like a good sign that we are getting closer.

Awe @emeditz what a beautiful story! Thanks for sharing it, and encouraging us. I also love languages and am thinking of teaching English as a volunteer; so, we all (Ayda, you, and I) have a lot in common. With regard to your decision to stay in the US, I think you are doing the best you can - the best you know how. You are right that maintaining your US income will likely be a huge asset to Ayda and you as you continue your lives together. I don't think the wait will be too much longer for any of us. I'm mentally preparing to wait until end of 2025 for the whole process soup to nuts, and I'm hopeful we'll have USCIS approval by end of 2024. Hang in there!

Let's Talk, Friends One of the purposes of this site is to get information from the community of humans struggling with the USCIS. Practical information like processing times, tips, and experiences can help all of us feel more comfortable. Knowing a little more can take the sting out of our helplessness before a system we cannot control. The facts are great, but I also think the personal connections can help us too; so, I'd like to propose we include some "get to know you" info here on this thread. How did you meet your spouse? I met my partner on a beach in Mexico while I was visiting to fix up an investment property. I was at a restaurant on the beach that featured a popular evening fire-dance show, and I saw them sitting at a nearby table alone. I made the rare choice to risk a cold, stranger-to-stranger introduction in Spanish, a language I was just beginning to learn. Though we took it slow, I think it was a love at first sight kind of experience. We dated for 2.5 years before we decided to get married. We were married in the town where we met, and we celebrated on the rooftop of the building in which we live. Family from the US and Mexico came to celebrate with us, and we had a wonderful night of mariachi and dancing. Where do you and your spouse/family live now? Because I had a flexible career, after meeting my partner, I decided to stay in Mexico. I've been living with my partner here in Mexico for 3.5 years. Though I love Mexico, I never intended to make it my primary residence. I'm eager to get our visa so we can move back to my hometown, Seattle, WA. I'm not sure if my partner will like life in the US or Seattle specifically, but we are going to give it a try. I'd love to see my partner get access to better jobs with good pay, benefits, and time off, and as for me, I'd love to get back to the cool weather, mountain hikes, skiing, and friends of Seattle.

Let's Talk, Friends One of the purposes of this site is to get information from the community of humans struggling with the USCIS. Practical information like processing times, tips, and experiences can help all of us feel more comfortable. Knowing a little more can take the sting out of our helplessness before a system we cannot control. The facts are great, but I also think the personal connections can help us too; so, I'd like to propose we include some "get to know you" info here on this thread. How did you meet your spouse? I met my partner on a beach in Mexico while I was visiting to fix up an investment property. I was at a restaurant on the beach that featured a popular evening fire-dance show, and I saw them sitting at a nearby table alone. I made the rare choice to risk a cold, stranger-to-stranger introduction in Spanish, a language I was just beginning to learn. Though we took it slow, I think it was a love at first sight kind of experience. We dated for 2.5 years before we decided to get married. We were married in the town where we met, and we celebrated on the rooftop of the building in which we live. Family from the US and Mexico came to celebrate with us, and we had a wonderful night of mariachi and dancing. Where do you and your spouse/family live now? Because I had a flexible career, after meeting my partner, I decided to stay in Mexico. I've been living with my partner here in Mexico for 3.5 years. Though I love Mexico, I never intended to make it my primary residence. I'm eager to get our visa so we can move back to my hometown, Seattle, WA. I'm not sure if my partner will like life in the US or Seattle specifically, but we are going to give it a try. I'd love to see my partner get access to better jobs with good pay, benefits, and time off, and as for me, I'd love to get back to the cool weather, mountain hikes, skiing, and friends of Seattle. Let's Talk, Friends One of the purposes of this site is to get information from the community of humans struggling with the USCIS. Practical information like processing times, tips, and experiences can help all of us feel more comfortable. Knowing a little more can take the sting out of our helplessness before a system we cannot control. The facts are great, but I also think the personal connections can help us too; so, I'd like to propose we include some "get to know you" info here on this thread. How did you meet your spouse? I met my partner on a beach in Mexico while I was visiting to fix up an investment property. I was at a restaurant on the beach that featured a popular evening fire-dance show, and I saw them sitting at a nearby table alone. I made the rare choice to risk a cold, stranger-to-stranger introduction in Spanish, a language I was just beginning to learn. Though we took it slow, I think it was a love at first sight kind of experience. We dated for 2.5 years before we decided to get married. We were married in the town where we met, and we celebrated on the rooftop of the building in which we live. Family from the US and Mexico came to celebrate with us, and we had a wonderful night of mariachi and dancing. Where do you and your spouse/family live now? Because I had a flexible career, after meeting my partner, I decided to stay in Mexico. I've been living with my partner here in Mexico for 3.5 years. Though I love Mexico, I never intended to make it my primary residence. I'm eager to get our visa so we can move back to my hometown, Seattle, WA. I'm not sure if my partner will like life in the US or Seattle specifically, but we are going to give it a try. I'd love to see my partner get access to better jobs with good pay, benefits, and time off, and as for me, I'd love to get back to the cool weather, mountain hikes, skiing, and friends of Seattle. Let's Talk, Friends One of the purposes of this site is to get information from the community of humans struggling with the USCIS. Practical information like processing times, tips, and experiences can help all of us feel more comfortable. Knowing a little more can take the sting out of our helplessness before a system we cannot control. The facts are great, but I also think the personal connections can help us too; so, I'd like to propose we include some "get to know you" info here on this thread. How did you meet your spouse? I met my partner on a beach in Mexico while I was visiting to fix up an investment property. I was at a restaurant on the beach that featured a popular evening fire-dance show, and I saw them sitting at a nearby table alone. I made the rare choice to risk a cold, stranger-to-stranger introduction in Spanish, a language I was just beginning to learn. Though we took it slow, I think it was a love at first sight kind of experience. We dated for 2.5 years before we decided to get married. We were married in the town where we met, and we celebrated on the rooftop of the building in which we live. Family from the US and Mexico came to celebrate with us, and we had a wonderful night of mariachi and dancing. Where do you and your spouse/family live now? Because I had a flexible career, after meeting my partner, I decided to stay in Mexico. I've been living with my partner here in Mexico for 3.5 years. Though I love Mexico, I never intended to make it my primary residence. I'm eager to get our visa so we can move back to my hometown, Seattle, WA. I'm not sure if my partner will like life in the US or Seattle specifically, but we are going to give it a try. I'd love to see my partner get access to better jobs with good pay, benefits, and time off, and as for me, I'd love to get back to the cool weather, mountain hikes, skiing, and friends of Seattle.

@emeditz: First, let me welcome you to the group! I'm pretty new to this site myself. I only joined this week. Second, let me express my shared frustration and empathy for the long wait. The entire process of petitioning USCIS as a citizen has made me very angry and motivated me to become an advocate for change. I made the same assumption about TSC based on the return address in my receipt letter. I need to check on my actual processing center as well. I wanted to share with you and @Cookie88 that my understanding of the data on this site leads me to believe you might get earlier responses. I'm not sure where this data comes from, and I'm still working to find out, but according to this site, CSC processing time is about 300 days from your receipt date. The data table indicates that CSC is not processing applications received in September 2023. Reference:

Mine says October 24, 2024, @Cookie88.

Hello Friends: My husband and I are part of the September 2023 gang. Here are our dates. Mailed: Sept 19, 2023 Filed: Sept 22, 2023 NOA1: Sept 22, 2023 Service Center: Texas (TSC) Spouse Citizenship: Mexico The Texas center is currently processing petitions with NOA1 dates of May 27, 2023; so the backlog has about 3 months of petitions ahead of us "septemberers". I am hoping for some of us to get responses in October 2024. The historic processing times for USCIS (all service centers) held steady at about 11.5 months for all of 2023 and 2024; so, I was hoping we would have some action by July 2023. Unfortunately, that is not happening; so, obviously processing times have slowed and the rolling statistics published by USCIS have not yet updated. (source data) Data from the state department shows that 9,837 happy couples received CR-1/IR-1 visas in June (1,824 of these were CR-1). My thoughts are with all of you as we wait for action on our petitions. Joshua