Coffee-addict's US Immigration Timeline
Immigration Checklist for Allison & Simon:
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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 : |
Texas Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
London, United Kingdom |
| I-129F Sent : |
2013-09-04 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2013-09-13 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
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| RFE Reply(s) : |
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| I-129F NOA2 : |
2013-10-28 |
| NVC Received : |
2013-12-16 |
| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
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| NVC Left : |
2013-12-27 |
| Consulate Received : |
2014-01-03 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
2014-01-07 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2014-02-07 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
2014-02-23 |
| Interview Date : |
2014-03-13 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
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| US Entry : |
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| Marriage : |
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| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 45 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 181 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: London, United Kingdom
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
March 13, 2014 |
| Embassy Review : |
I got off the bus from Oxford at marble arch. I was about an hour early because my appointment was at 0830 and I didn't want to come unstuck because of London morning traffic. I considered turning up two hours late as symbolic punishment for America's two year dalliance in World War Two, but thought better of it.
It's about an 8 minute walk from there to the embassy so I went to check it out. The building's a bit of an eye-sore but the area is lovely with a monument to the American pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain (see they're not ALL bad) and a marvellous statue of Roosevelt. The embassy bristles with armed policeman; used to the somber, menacing faces of such guards I was pleasantly surprised when one of them smiled at me and wished me good morning.
It was now 7AM and I was conscious that my letter said I couldn't be admitted for an hour. So I walked just a hundred metres or so down the street to a Starbucks to nervously wait it out.
I came back about 0750 fully ready to wait outside for a bit but was astonished to find that what was a placid scene 50 minutes earlier was now a bustling scene of excitement and youth. It seemed that I was arriving at the same time as all the university kids who are going on camp America, or CCUSA in the summer. This gave me flashbacks to when I'd done this 7 years ago. Swallowing the upsetting realisation of my advancing years, I set about tying to figure out what to do.
The US embassy seemed to have followed the British Government's lead in contracting the security out to G4S, no doubt in recognition of their track record of complete incompetence. They had two lines; one of maybe 10 people and one of about 60. No signs indicated which one to use and so I had to ask some woman in G4S garb floating around. It turns out, you sign it at the small queue then join the second. All along you hear the cries of, "have your forms out of your folders", "remove all watches and belts and put in plastic bags provided for security", The prevalent sight is that of nervous people figuring out how to do all these things with only two hands, and trying to stop their now beltless trousers from falling down.
A note of caution for anyone caught up with these youngsters. They're really annoying, not like when we were younger you know? More importantly they have a ton of documents! Having left much of the preparation to my far more organised fiancé I was left panicking why I only had a passport and a letter and these guys were handing security papers upon papers of forms and photos. Not to worry as it turns out. We are different to them it seems. More on that anon.
The queue was short though and security a breeze. I set the metal detector off, which prompted security to ask to see the soles of my shoes. Apparently I don't have the tell-tale shoe soles of a terrorist and I was waved through.
You walk around the building and through some double doors into another queue. This moved fast as we were all given our sheets of paper with numbers and barcodes. Again, everyone had sheets with barcodes and photos that were being scanned, and I worried about my paltry appointment letter. When she reached me the woman behind the desk said, "oh, you're immigration". She then shouted to the rest of the queue to see who else was...no one it turns out. And thus I was sent into the waiting area suitably singled out from these cheerful, unwashed youngsters.
But the waiting area was teeming with them and it wasn't long before I realised that I, and a mere handful of other non-students were designated 'I' numbers with everyone else's starting with 'N'.
The waiting hall was busy but comfortable. Massive screens at the front call the numbers and show the news, some American tourist adverts and such like. I had hoped to sit and read until my name was called but this was fairly tricky because the numbers are called quite literally every 20 seconds. Nervous you'll miss yours you look up every time it 'dings' (a sound which gets old very soon). I arrived there at about 0810 and was seen at maybe 0840 which wasn't bad going I thoughts a my appointment was for 0830.
I went up to the screen and was greeted by an African-American lady. I was pleased as every account I'd read on here that was particularly positive referenced an African-American woman so I thought there was a chance I'd be ok. She merely told me all the documents she needed. She was clear and helpful. This took maybe ten minutes and I went back to the waiting area minus my birth certificate, passport and several other documents. I'd gained my chest X-Ray and clear knowledge of the final date I could enter the US, on which she joked "you're fiancé will be maaaad if you miss that". It turns out I was over prepared. I'd brought my fiance's tax returns and pay slips but it seems the letter from her employer was sufficient.
The second wait was far longer. Maybe an an hour and a bit. During this time I became more familiar with the sequence of the numbers and it was clear my fellow 'I's were hurtling through interview one with interview two being considerably longer. This concerned me slightly as I did not want a long interview. Still I had nothing to hide and knew it would be ok.
My spirits were also lifted as it became clear the N's were being processed rather rapidly and there weren't many left. As they scurried back to the flea-pit student houses from whence they presumably came, it became far easier to pick out my fellow I's. Older than the millions of camp America types, but just as noticeable was that they were considerably more nervous. More on the line for us I suppose! I tried to give them what I thought would be helpful nods and smiles of support and encouragement, but I now fear may have seemed strange or creepy. Certainly I received no such gestures of solidarity back.
Finally, I was called up for interview two. I had a nice man who I'd guess was in his mid thirties. I took the oath to tell the truth (right hand in the air and everything, my first American 'Hollywood' moment!) and he began asking me simple questions. Some of which were: if I'd ever lived abroad; how I met my fiancé; how many times I'd been to see her; where I'd be living in the US; what her occupation is. None were trying and all were asked in a friendly and jovial, albeit clearly very professional, manner. I thought we'd been barely speaking at all when he said "congratulations, you're approved". He told me the visa would arrive soon. Stunned by how quick and easy it all was, I asked if I should just go home to which he smiled and assented.
I was out by 10:00, an hour and a half after my appointment time and 2 hours after entering. I called the fiancé to deliver the good news and went on my merry way.
I'd have to say it was a surprisingly efficient, friendly service (if that's the right word?) I was certainly over prepared but that's probably a good thing. I'd say I'm glad it's over but it was by no means an ordeal. |
| 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
