calengineer's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Jack
Beneficiary's Name: Jill
VJ Member: calengineer
Country: Mexico
Last Updated: 2015-10-13
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Immigration Checklist for Jack & Jill:
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USCIS I-130 Petition:
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Dept of State IR-1/CR-1 Visa:
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USCIS I-751 Petition:
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USCIS N-400 Petition:
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IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Transferred? |
California Service Center on 2012-08-02 |
| Consulate : |
Juarez, Mexico |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
2012-06-16 |
| I-130 Sent : |
2012-09-13 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2012-09-18 |
| I-130 RFE : |
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| I-130 RFE Sent : |
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| I-130 Approved : |
2012-10-19 |
| NVC Received : |
2013-01-08 |
| Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
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| Pay AOS Bill : |
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| Receive I-864 Package : |
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| Send AOS Package : |
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| Submit DS-261 : |
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| Receive IV Bill : |
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| Pay IV Bill : |
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| Send IV Package : |
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| Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
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| Case Completed at NVC : |
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| NVC Left : |
2013-01-15 |
| Consulate Received : |
2013-01-16 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
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| Packet 3 Sent : |
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| Packet 4 Received : |
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| Interview Date : |
2013-03-15 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2013-04-10 |
| US Entry : |
2013-03-16 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 31 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 178 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
El Paso |
| POE Date : |
2013-03-16 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
Yes,Passport Stamp |
| Biometrics Taken : |
No |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
Very smooth point of entry in El Paso. |
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Citizenship
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Phoenix AZ Lockbox |
| CIS Office : |
Washington DC |
| Date Filed : |
2014-08-15 |
| NOA Date : |
2014-08-19 |
| Bio. Appt. : |
2014-09-09 |
| Interview Date : |
2014-12-09 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Oath Ceremony : |
2014-12-09 |
| Comments : |
Applying pursuant to INA 319(b) on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen who is or will be regularly stationed abroad.
Application sent to Phoenix office requesting to be processed in Virginia.
Fingerprints taken at overseas embassy and sealed on enveloped to be sent with N-400 application.
US Passport received on 11-Dec-14. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Juarez, Mexico
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
August 12, 2014 |
| Embassy Review : |
I will give the reviews as descriptive as possible as to how it went for my wife, the beneficiary, on her interview in Juarez. I will separate this review in three paragraphs. The first paragraph is to described the events prior to the interview, the second paragraph is for the actual interview, and the third is for the events after.
1. She has her interviewed on a Friday, March 15, 2013. However, we arrived to Ciudad Juarez on a Tuesday to allow plenty of time for preparation. Wednesday, we immediately woke up early morning and attended her interview for fingerprints. The place is located fairy close to the consulate, about 5-10 minute walk. The fingerprints went really smooth and she was out in 10-15 minutes. The following day, Thursday, we woke up very early to attend the medical appointment at one of the two approved hospitals in Juarez. Once again, the hospitals are located at walking distance from the consulate, at about 5-10 minutes. We paid some fees due to the medical test, and that afternoon we returned to the hospital to receive a sealed envelope you are not supposed to open. As for the preparation, it was fairly easy and quick, nothing to worry about here.
2. On Friday, we arrived at the consulate 30 minutes before her interview, she was walked in and I stay in a waiting room, a building, separate to the the actual consulate. She was there for about 60 minutes and was successfully approved. As per her experience inside is as follows. My wife said that once her number was called to see the immigration office, she was very confident and was not scared. She was not hiding anything and her application was accurate as it could be. She was met by the officer very pleasantly. The officer asked basic details about our wedding, which had occurred a few months before. She was also asked about how we met, and that was about it. She was approved and she walked out. Even though we had only been married for a few months, we believe the officer validated our marriage immediately because she was 7 months pregnant.
3. On the same day, the officer gave me wife a tracking number for DHL to check on the status of the documentation. We kept checking all day because we had our flights to depart from El Paso on Sunday so we were hoping to receive it on Saturday. On Saturday morning at around 5am, we checked DHL website and package had arrived at a DHL in Juarez. We picked it up at 8am in the morning, and by 10am we left the hotel. At the port of entry to the USA, we gave the document to immigration which made us wait for around 30-40 minutes and that was it, we entered the USA together. About less than a month later, she received her green card valid for 2 years conditional and also her social security card.
Any questions, please ask. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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Local US CIS Office Review: Washington DC
Review Topic: cis_topic
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
January 12, 2015 |
| Embassy Review : |
Well, first let me get started by stating that my wife applied for US Naturalization only after 18 months of having received her green card. She initially received the LPR in 2013 with a 2 year conditional green card. She qualified for N-400 naturalization even before applying for I-751: Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence due to 319(b): Spouses of U.S. Citizens Employed Abroad.
Only a year after she became a LPR, we left to the Middle East due to an opportunity that arose with an American company overseas. Due to the nature of the 319(b) application, only very few USCIS offices in the US know the procedure to handle this type of applications. It is mostly reserved for US military and a few US contractors overseas. However, we were advised by different sources to mention in the cover letter to be processed directly in the Fairfax, VA known as the Washington DC office.
In the N-400 application my wife had already submitted certified and sealed copies of her fingerprint cards taken at our US embassy overseas. Then, we sent our application to the Phoenix Lockbox. However, we soon realized only 3 months later that some of their USCIS staff was unfamiliar with the 319(b) statue and therefore were requesting to have my wife show up in the US to have her fingerprints taken at an authorized place. After many failed calls to USCIS, I finally decided to contact the DC office directly to let them know about the situation.
Then, within 48 hours, we received an email response letting us know not to worry about the fingerprints. Indeed, they fix the issue immediately and we never receive any further notification about fingerprints from USCIS. Any question I had about my wife's N-400, the DC office reply immediately within 24 hours. Very useful and responsive professional individuals.
When my wife received an email about her appointment, she was also informed about her situation with the I-751. Here is how it works, because 90 days before her two years of LPR green card expires, she has to apply for removal of conditional residence regardless of her status with the N-400. However, the DC USCIS officer explain that if she had her N-400 test and passed it before the 90 days came into effect, the I-751 application was not going to be necessary anymore. In fact, we took his advice and scheduled her interview only 5 days before the 90 days took effect.
We flew from the Middle East to DC a day before the scheduled interview. When the interview day came, we were greeted very courteous. My wife was called after 40 minutes of arrival.
INTERVIEW: My wife was greeted normally, she says that the guy wasn't too chatty, so I guess its a good and not a good thing but he was very professional. He asked her about my profession, about where we liver overseas, and then right away he moved to the civic and english questions. As expected, my wife passed with flying colors. The officer told my wife, congrats, you have your oath ceremony in 30 minutes.
And in fact, she did have her oath ceremony within 30 minutes which was a very pleasant experience with only 4 individuals becoming US citizens with their families. Obviously all had a similar 319(b) experience, otherwise, you have to wait a month for the ceremony.
That same day, we went to the social security to update her information. The next day, we went to the DC office, and apply for her US passport. She received it within 24 hours the next day.
And that's it, we were only there about 4 days. Best experience ever! |
| Harassment Level : |
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
