Andrew010101

Thank you. If I can get this confirmed that it is on hold and not denied, it is definitely the best case scenario. I thought it was denied and had to restart the entire petition, or we had to switch to the I-130. Waiting 11 more months only for the medical exam/interview is perfectly fine at this point. Thanks for the response!

Appreciate it. The main reason I was thinking about the I-130 is because my attorney is working pro bono and will only continue to represent me if I switch to the I-130. I was under the impression I’d have to restart the entire process but it sounds like it is on hold and not actually denied. Thanks for the reply!!

I am active duty but I believe it is only if you are on orders to deploy. Furthermore, it only expedites one part as far as I know- and I don’t believe it is getting the medical exam or interview faster. I may be wrong.

Thank you!! Sorry, my profile is new so it wouldn’t let me make another comment the whole day. I appreciate you and your advice. Is there a way I can get this confirmed? I know calling USCIS gets you nowhere so I wonder if the consulate is any better. Again, thank you. I’ll have to give them a call soon.

I see. Are you implying that it would've specifically mentioned something along the lines of "do 12 months of testing AND resubmit I-129f" if that was the case? We are still waiting on the letter of denial but if the consulate only said what they said, that is all we must do? Thank you for the response.

Thanks for the response. Although aware of the importance and pros of coming with a green card vs. having to get one afterwards, we are really focused on getting her here ASAP. I think being in the military relieves a lot of stress that would be caused if she comes without a green card (knowing we will be stable regardless of her temporarily not working, etc.). I’m leaning towards trying the K-1 again but I’m hoping to get legal advice before making any decisions that could cost us some years.

I appreciate your responses. The return of paperwork from the consulate to USCIS confuses me. I could not find an answer on how long it’ll take for an official letter or notice of denial. Is there a chance it does not get sent back to USCIS and it remains open? Either way, I think even a refile of the I-129f and redoing everything would still be faster than the CR-1 route. Thanks again and sorry for all the questions. Finding answers on official government websites is hard when situations start to get unique.

Understood. The clinic is the place that recommended 12 months of testing/rehabilitation, but the paper from the consulate stated the following: applicant has demonstrated abuse or addiction to a controlled substance. You may obtain a new medical examination on this date | dayDEC2025 ] to demonstrate that you no longer abuse controlled substances. Pretty straight forward information but I was looking for possible insight or experience before we redo it and possibly get denied again. I also understand it is up to the consulate at the time of interview and no one knows for sure.

That’s a hard decision to make, especially after expecting her to be here within a few months of the interview she had in December. Do you have any insight on how another I-129f petition would look after the prior denial? I am active duty so unfortunately I cannot move there with her while we file the paperwork. Thank you for your response.

Hello all. My fiancee was drug tested at her medical exam in early December and tested positive for marijuana. Our K-1 was denied at the interview 3 days later. Unfortunately we were ignorant to this being a problem and now are trying to figure out what the next best step would be. She was recommended to do 12 months of drug testing/rehabilitation and come back for the medical exam/interview DEC2025. While this is not a problem, I have read/been told conflicting things such as drug use will likely result in a denial even with 12 months of clean testing. Since we have to wait this long again, I figured it might be best to get married and submit for the CR-1 instead so she can have her green card upon arrival, but I have seen that the wait times are upwards of 18 months or more. I am unsure of what to do next and there is a lot of conflicting accounts from everything I have read. I believe our next step should be one of the following: 1. Request to extend the I-129f until December. Fiancee does 12 months of drug tests and we redo the medical exam/interview. As said before, I have seen conflicting information with extensions as well; I have read that you can extend after denials by 4 months and others saying that you must refile, pay fees again, etc.. 2. Cancel I-129f petition, get married, and submit the I-130. If anybody as experience/advice on this, it would be greatly appreciated. Apologies if this is the wrong forum to post this in.