DGAB2008's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Dionne
Beneficiary's Name: Gabriel
VJ Member: DGAB2008
Country: Nigeria
Last Updated: 2013-03-10
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Immigration Checklist for Dionne & Gabriel:
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USCIS I-129F Petition:
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Dept of State K1 Visa:
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USCIS I-485 Petition:
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USCIS I-765 Petition:
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USCIS I-131 Petition:
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USCIS I-751 Petition:
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USCIS N-400 Petition:
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K1 Visa
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
Nigeria |
| I-129F Sent : |
2009-01-31 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2009-02-03 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
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| RFE Reply(s) : |
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| I-129F NOA2 : |
2009-06-03 |
| NVC Received : |
2009-06-08 |
| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
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| NVC Left : |
2009-06-09 |
| Consulate Received : |
2009-06-12 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
2009-06-17 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
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| Packet 4 Received : |
2009-06-17 |
| Interview Date : |
2009-07-20 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2009-08-04 |
| US Entry : |
2009-08-09 |
| Marriage : |
2009-09-20 |
| Comments : |
Visit my home page for specific details. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 120 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 167 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Houston |
| POE Date : |
2009-08-09 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
No |
| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
Arrived at approximately 6:00 p.m. in Houston (IAH). Gabriel was directed to immigration for biometrics. He said it took less than 10 minutes. Officer looked at his passport, took the brown envelope the consulate gave to him, and got fingerprinted and photographed.
After that, he was taken to another office and he waited for approximately 1 hour. Immigration officer called his name. He went into another room with the immigration official for a brief interview.
Questions:
1. Why are you here?
2. Have you been married before?
3. How old are you?
4. Has your fiance been married before?
5. Have you ever met your fiance's ex-husband?
6. When are you planning to get married?
Officer gave k1 instructions (you must get married within 90 days . . .) Took about 10-15 minutes.
Gabriel then went through customs. Took an additional 30 - 40 minutes. |
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Adjustment of Status
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Houston TX |
| Date Filed : |
2009-10-05 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-10-13 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2009-11-03 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
2009-10-23 |
| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2009-11-30 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
No |
| Greencard Received: |
2009-12-07 |
| Comments : |
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Employment Authorization
Document
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago National Office |
| Filing Method : |
Mail |
| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2009-10-05 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-10-13 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2009-11-03 |
| Approved Date : |
2009-11-30 |
| Date Card Received : |
2009-12-07 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 56 days. |
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Advance Parole
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago National Office |
| Filing Method : |
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| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2009-10-05 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-10-13 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Date Received : |
2009-12-05 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your AP was approved in 51 days. |
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Lifting Conditions
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Date Filed : |
2011-10-01 |
| NOA Date : |
2011-10-03 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2011-10-25 |
| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2012-08-11 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
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| Green Card Received : |
2012-08-17 |
| Comments : |
There was a very big backlog of cases. It's easy to panic about why there is such a hold up with your case. Gratefully Visa Journey has a page that allows you to see all the applicants by date of application, first notice date, and approval date. That allowed us to see where we were regarding other applicants on Visa Journey.
http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/monthly_filers.php?form=3&scenter=2&option=1&sortby=2
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Citizenship
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Lewisville TX Lockbox |
| CIS Office : |
Houston TX |
| Date Filed : |
2012-10-04 |
| NOA Date : |
2012-10-09 |
| Bio. Appt. : |
2012-11-09 |
| Interview Date : |
2013-02-05 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Oath Ceremony : |
2013-02-25 |
| Comments : |
Appt. at 9:30. Arrived at 8:45 a.m. Waited until 10:30 to be interviewed. Interviewer was very professional and kind. Was first asked 6 civic questions and then asked to read a English sentence. Next, I was asked questions about my N-400 application. My interview concluded around 11:00 a.m.
The oath ceremony took place at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center, Houston, TX on Feb. 25, 2013. It was a wonderful ceremony, however, it did take hours. You are told to arrive at 7:00 a.m. My wife and I live an hour away from the facility which is located near IAH airport area. So we left the house at 5:30 a.m. and arrived at 6:30. Family and friends are asked to enter one way, while prospective citizens are asked to go in a different direction based on your A#. Once inside you stand in a line corresponding to your A# and turn in your permanent resident card and other immigration documents. Then you are given a color card to correspond with your A#. Then you are free to go inside and meet up with your family. You are allowed to sit anywhere you want. It's a huge stadium so there are about 10,000+ seats. There were 2,227 people getting their citizenship along with their friends and family. Handicapped individuals are allowed to sit on the floor level or in special seating. So I met back with my family at about 7:00 a.m. At that point a gentleman began announcing that they have food items such as chick fil a sandwiches, donuts, coffee, etc. He tells you to make yourself comfortable, points out all the restroom areas, etc. We thought that the ceremony would start at about 8:00 a.m., but the man kept making the same announcement about the food and restrooms every 10 or 15 minutes until 10:00 a.m. So from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. we sat there waiting for the judge to arrive. My wife insists that was just their way of making sure the food they purchased was sold (yes, the food is not free so come with your own food or at least $20.00). Perhaps selling food is the way they can pay for the facility who knows. Nevertheless, at 10:10 a.m. the ceremony began. District Judge Miller presided and gave a brief welcome. The judges grandchildren led us in the national anthem and pledge and then the judge proceeded to go through a 5-10 minute court proceeding with the INS official affirming all 2,227 of us were eligible for citizenship, provided all the necessary documentation, had clean backgrounds with no criminal records, etc. We were asked to take the oath of office and were told we were now citizens of the United States. It was a joyous moment for my family. After the oath ceremony, the judge called speaker Dr. Mike Keeton to give a speech. His speach lasted 15-20 minutes. Then we were told to remain seated until our card color was called. The process was quick and efficient and didn't take that long once your card was called. You went back to the line that you were in that morning to collect your citizenship document. After the ceremony, my wife and I drove down to the downtown post office to apply for my passport. However, that post office no longer does passports on the spot. They said their waiting list is 2 months long. So we drove to the passport office on 1919 Smith Street. This office does not do regular passport filings, only expedited applications so the fee is $195. They don't make change so either bring exact change or your credit card. Also, parking is very challenging so make sure you bring dollars and coins. You can get your passport photo either in the building on the first floor or across the street at a passport photo business. However, I strongly encourage you to get your photo from CVS well in advance and download and complete your application on line. When you walk in the passport office you're directed into a line for the rep to look over your completed application, then you are given a number and have to wait for it to be called before you can pay. They collect your citizenship document and it takes 3-5 business days before your passport arrives in the mail. Your citizenship document arrives separately the next day. The wait in the passport office took about 1:30 minutes.
To see what your citizenship document will look like go to: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=81f649c62ed6e210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD.
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Nigeria
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
July 20, 2009 |
| Embassy Review : |
Gabriel said everything was wonderful. Yesterday he went and got a hotel close to the Consulate. Arrived at 5:20 a.m. At 7:00 he was let in. He first showed his interview letter and they checked to see if his name was on the list. They then gave him a paper with a number on it, and then he went to pay his visa fee. He then had to wait a while, and then was called into cue. He waited in cue for a while and then was called by a very nice lady who collected his receipt and card, and immediately started asking him questions.
1) Who filed your petition?
2) How did you meet? (We met because I had formed a Foundation and asked a Nigerian friend of mine if he had any contacts in Nigeria who I could work with on an HIV/AIDS project. My friend said he knew someone in Delta State who had an NGO and gave me Gabriel's website address. I then contacted him.)
3) Who is this friend? What does he do for a living? When's the last time he visited Nigeria?
4) How long have Gabriel and I been talking?
5) Have I ever visited Nigeria?
6) Why have I not visited Nigeria?
7) Who is Emmanuel (Emmanuel is Gabriel's brother whose number was on my phone records.
8) What proof do you have for us? Gabriel took out pictures, cards, letters, phone records, receipts, travel documents, but she said she only wanted to see the pictures. He tried to also give the cards, but she said, no I don't need to look at that, just give me a few minutes. She took the pictures and came back shortly with a slip that says he has been approved.
PRAISE GOD!
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| Rating : |
Very Good |
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Timeline Comments: None yet, be the first!
*Notice about estimates: The estimates are based off averages of other members recent experiences
(documented in their timelines) for the same benefit/petition/application at the same filing location.
Individual results may vary as every case is not always 'average'. Past performance does not necessarily
predict future results. The 'as early as date' may change over time based on current reported processing
times from members. There have historically been cases where a benefit/petition/application processing
briefly slows down or stops and this can not be predicted. Use these dates as reference only and do not
rely on them for planning. As always you should check the
USCIS processing times to see if your application
is past due.
** Not all cases are transfered
ver 5.0
