JVC516's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: John Beneficiary's Name: Christian VJ Member: JVC516 Country: Guatemala Last Updated: 2014-07-04 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for John & Christian:

USCIS I-129F Petition:       Dept of State K1 Visa:     USCIS I-485 Petition:   USCIS I-765 Petition:       USCIS I-131 Petition:       USCIS I-751 Petition:   USCIS N-400 Petition:

K1 Visa Event Date Service Center : Vermont Service Center Transferred? No Consulate : Guatemala I-129F Sent : 2013-08-06 I-129F NOA1 : 2013-08-16 I-129F RFE(s) : 2013-09-28 RFE Reply(s) : 2013-09-30 I-129F NOA2 : 2013-12-16 NVC Received : 2013-12-20 Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : NVC Left : 2014-01-07 Consulate Received : 2014-01-10 Packet 3 Received : 2014-01-20 Packet 3 Sent : 2014-01-20 Packet 4 Received : Interview Date : 2014-03-07 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2014-03-10 US Entry : 2014-03-15 Marriage : 2014-03-28 Comments : From the time DOMA was renounced in June, 2013, the door had now opened for me to petition my partner of 8 years to come to the US and live here with me. The initial setback was that I hadn't been to Guatemala since 2010. We hadn't seen each other for 4 years and that fell outside the criteria of having met within the past 2 years. Being that we're on the phone every day didn't make that 4 years seem as long. However, there was always the heartache of not being able to always be together - to go to sleep and wake up side by side. I immediately arranged for a vacation in July, 2013. I went to Guatemala and spend a wonderful week with Christian, his family and my two godchildren (both aged 5). We took pictures and had a great time. When I returned, I immediately began all of the necessary paperwork. There is ALOT of repetition on the various forms that need to be sent in. Since some of them required my partner's signature as well, I preprinted 3 sets of all the paperwork. One set stayed with him, two sets came back with me. Since I had to mail in the papers, in case anything was lost, I still had another full set with original signatures. In my anxiety to get the process going, I sent a check for the incorrect amount. It was about $20 more than necessary. That caused a delay because they had to return all the paperwork to me. The day it was returned (about 10 days after I had sent it), I immediately re-mailed it via US Postal Service Express Mail. So, instead of the processing starting around July 20th, it wasn't until August 6th, 2013 that the wheels began turning. It was about 7 months from the beginning, until the interview/approval date for the K1 Visa. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 122 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 203 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Guatemala Review Topic: K1 Visa Event Description Review Date : July 4, 2014 Embassy Review : Things are done a little differently now in Guatemala. Even though the website has you select a courier method for Visa delivery, we had our interview at the window. I was with my foreign partner. The man who interviewed us was extremely nice (and gay, himself). We heard him being a little harsh with a woman prior to us being called, but she had been there for the third time and still didn't bring some papers he specifically told her to bring. He flipped through the paperwork, asked my partner some very simple questions and approved us. There was no trickery to the questions and no attempt on the embassy part to want to decline us. We had just a handful of photos, but from my first visit in 2009, then 2010, and 2013. He also had copies of credit cards for both of us (as I added him as an authorized user to about 6 of my cards) way back since 2008 as well as each renewal time. It showed longevity and sincerity. He kept my partner's passport and gave him a ticket with instructions to return on Monday (this was on Friday) after 3:00pm. There was no issue with me being there for both transactions. They were receptive for both of us. He got his Visa with a single entry stamp and that Saturday we flew to the US. I was always a little concerned at the fact that all the paperwork indicated that the final decision is made at the point of entry. It made me feel that if you arrived and stood before a biased or unfriendly Point of Entry officer, he could turn my partner away. It was nothing like that. The man (who spoke Spanish) was very straight, but explained the requirement for us to get married within 90 days without any signs of bias or disdain. It was an easy process all the way around. It was long, but if your relationship is legitimate and no obvious signs of fraud, you shouldn't have any problem. The longer you've been together, the better. They may look closer and harder at 6 month - 1 year relationships just to weed out the "marriage for money" possibilities, but I've read so many people's posts here while I was waiting, and it almost terrified me. I think some of the people who posted here were either fraudulent or simply were obvious frauds in the eyes of the embassy. I can only speak of my own experience and how it went in Guatemala. All of the employees who make the decisions are American. We saw approval after approval by each any every applicant at every window. Only the one woman irked the guy who approved us. Of course, we were always concerned until that very last moment when he said "Congratulations", but honestly, after I started speaking with him at the window, I felt more at ease. A possible suggestion: If both you and your American spouse are together at the window, don't just stand there quietly while he/she does everything. It's good for the American to make a little friendly conversation (whether it be about the heat, your home state .. anything) and you'll feel much more at ease and you can develop a slight rapport with the officer. Overall, they all seemed to be very nice. Not quite the doubting monsters portrayed by many people posting. It may also depend on the country. I can only speak for my experience in Guatemala. Maybe some countries with a high fraud rate may be a little more strict. Just be in a real relationship and show it, and you should all be fine. Rating : Very Good

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*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.

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