vs2011's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: V
Beneficiary's Name: S
VJ Member: vs2011
Country: India
Last Updated: 2013-05-06
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Immigration Checklist for V & S:
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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 : |
New Delhi, India |
| I-129F Sent : |
2011-06-07 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2011-06-10 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
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| RFE Reply(s) : |
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| I-129F NOA2 : |
2011-12-15 |
| NVC Received : |
2012-01-10 |
| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
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| NVC Left : |
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| Consulate Received : |
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| Packet 3 Received : |
2012-01-23 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2012-01-24 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
2012-02-06 |
| Interview Date : |
2012-03-12 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2012-03-18 |
| US Entry : |
2012-05-07 |
| Marriage : |
2012-05-15 |
| Comments : |
Advice: After about 4 months of waiting for your NOA2, I would recommend to start gathering all the information for Packet 3 and Packet 4 because some items take some time, such as the PCC (we got the PCC same day but it took 5-6 hours). For us, Packet 3 arrived very late in the regular mail. The US Embassy should email you Packet 3 and regular mail you the Packet 4 (if you want the checklist for it, I can give you it so you can get a head start while you are waiting for the NOA2). Packet 3 you can fill it out, scan it in and email it back to them, they don't need the original. Much quicker. My fiancee just submitted all of her documents for Packet 4.
It says on VisaJourney that you have to submit your Packet 4 to the VFS office 10-15 days before your interview (excluding weekends and holidays). My fiancee submitted her Packet 4 exactly on the 10th day, last day to submit basically and they told her that she was too early and also told her she could just bring in Packet 4 to the US Embassy on the day of her interview! It was new news to me and her. Also, they did not take her passport, just told her to take it with her to the interview with her medical report.
My advice is to make sure the Packet 4 is neatly organized, easy to read and go through. Make it very professional. And have a copy of it! Just in case. People lose stuff all the time. Better to have a back up. Start prepping your fiance/e for the interview with questions. There are a lot online or just ask other VJ members.
Any other questions/advice/comments, you can directly message me and I will be more than glad to help you out on your journey! Good Luck!!
------FOR THE INTERVIEW------
Prep your fiance for the interview, compile a list of any and all possible questions they could ask, quiz her, just like it's an actual interview. Make him/her feel confident. It helps tremendously, trust me, we just did it and it made all the difference. The CO did not ask any question my fiance wasn't prepared for, therefor she answered every question with confidence and ease. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 188 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 276 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Dallas |
| POE Date : |
2012-05-07 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
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| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
Quick, easy. Just asked when are we planning on getting married. Stamped the I-94 and that was it. |
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Adjustment of Status
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Dallas TX |
| Date Filed : |
2012-07-03 |
| NOA Date : |
2012-07-11 |
| RFE(s) : |
2012-07-24 |
| Bio. Appt. : |
2012-07-18 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
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| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2013-04-24 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
No |
| Greencard Received: |
2013-05-06 |
| Comments : |
No interview, only standard fingerprints/biometrics taken. Green Card got misrouted through USPS, took a few days longer than it should. Just glad it arrived! |
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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 : |
2012-07-03 |
| NOA Date : |
2012-07-11 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
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| Approved Date : |
2012-09-12 |
| Date Card Received : |
2012-09-15 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 71 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 : |
2012-07-03 |
| NOA Date : |
2012-07-11 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Date Received : |
2012-09-15 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your AP was approved in 71 days. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: New Delhi, India
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
March 22, 2012 |
| Embassy Review : |
Arrived at the US Embassy around 7:15 AM. Appointment time was 8:00 AM. They started letting people in at 7:45 AM. I, the US Citizen and petitioner attended the interview. You must have an appointment letter with the date, time and your name on it to get in. If you have a cell phone, you can store it at the entry and pick it up on your way out, that's what I did, no problem. Once we got inside, we went through security and then my fiance was given a token number. After that we went inside the Embassy and she got her fingerprints done. Also, they asked for 2 passport size pictures, which we did not have so we were able to take them inside the Embassy for Rs. 100. After the pictures and fingerprints, we waited until her number was called and then were called to a window to pick up any original forms (birth certificate, tax forms, etc) and submit her passport and medical report. The guy who was taking our documents seemed a bit lost, he took a long time and had to ask other CO for help as to which forms we needed and how to put them in order. He asked us for a DS-230 and I told him it was already there and he looked surprised. Maybe it was his first K-1 Fiance Visa processing. After that we paid the $350 visa fee, got a receipt and sat back down waiting for her number to be called again for the actual interview.
There are about 30 windows inside the Embassy, but only a few were doing K-1 Fiance Visa Interviews. The other were doing fingerprints, work or tourist visas or student visas, or verifying documents.
Since the waiting area and the windows where the interviews are conducted are all in the same room in the open, you can hear the questions and answers during interviews. My fiance and I listened to a few of the K-1 Fiance Interviews just to see what types of questions they were asking and what were the answers. (It wasn't that we were eavesdropping, it was happening right in front of us and there is no way not to listen to it unless you close your ears hahaha)
Finally her token number was called, we both went up. The CO was a young white guy, probably in his late 20s to early 30s. Nice guy who spoke Hindi and English. He asked my fiance what her name was and then asked me what my name is and once I told him he looked surprised, looked back at the application and asked "So you are the petitioner?" I said yes I am. From that point on, I knew my fiance was going to be approved, just the look on his face and everything. I felt very confident. So after that, he said that he would be asking me a few questions then ask some to my fiance.
He first asked me:
1. What do I do
2. How long I have been a US Citizen for
3. How my parents came to the USA and became US Citizens
4. How we met
5. Do I have any family in India and where
6. Why are we getting married in the USA and not India
7. Will her parents/family attend the wedding in the USA
Then he asked me to take a few steps back and ask questions to my wife. That's where I corrected him and said 'No, we are only engaged, she is my fiance, not my wife.' He smiled and said 'Sorry I have had a lot of spouse visas, get confused.' I smiled back and said no problem. I honestly think and feel it was a honest mistake on his part. He wasn't trying to trip us up or trick us in any way.
He asked my fiance:
1. What do you do
2. Where do you live
3. How did you two meet
4. Why are you getting married in the USA and not India
5. Do your parents have visas to come for the wedding
6. Have you ever traveled outside India and what for
7. Will anyone from your family attend the wedding in the USA
8. When did your fiance come and visit you the last time
After that he said 'You will receive your passport and visa in the mail within 5-7 days.' I came up to the counter at this point and asked the same question as to what happens now, and he said the same thing. I gave my fiance a big smile and huge hug! So happy!!
The interview was on a Monday. On Friday she got a text saying that her passport was ready for pickup between 4-5 PM at the US Embassy in New Delhi. If not, it would be mailed back to the VFS Office in Chandigarh where she could pick it up. We were already back in Punjab so we just waited to pick it up from there. On Monday they called her saying it was ready for pick up at the VFS Office, so she went the next day and picked it up. |
| Rating : |
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
