Shaun and Steph's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: Shaun Beneficiary's Name: Stephanie VJ Member: Shaun and Steph Country: Canada Last Updated: 2015-10-16 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for Shaun & Stephanie:

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 : California Service Center Transferred? No Consulate : Montreal, Canada I-129F Sent : 2015-04-15 I-129F NOA1 : 2015-04-22 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2015-05-27 NVC Received : 2015-07-01 Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : NVC Left : 2015-07-01 Consulate Received : 2015-07-08 Packet 3 Received : 2015-07-08 Packet 3 Sent : 2015-07-13 Packet 4 Received : 2015-08-18 Interview Date : 2015-10-02 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2015-10-09 US Entry : 2015-10-15 Marriage : Comments : When arriving at the USA Border we were asked to pull over to the immigration building. A very basic search was conducted on our vehicle. They didn't even bother taking the keys to check the trailer we were pulling. We stood in line about 15-20 minutes with a couple of folks ahead of us. I was asked to confirm my address in the USA. They were only interested in our passports, a slip handed at the gate before pulling over, and the packet given to us by the consulate. The border officer made small talk with us while stamping our paperwork, then told us he had to send it back to the consulate and we'd get it all back once we were married and verified. That was it. A very painless process and now we live together in the USA. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 35 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 163 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada Review Topic: K1 Visa Event Description Review Date : October 8, 2015 Embassy Review : Summary of Interview Experience Arrived 10 minutes early of our 7:40 Appointment via Taxi. There was a small line of around 15 people. At roughly 7:40 the line began to move and we were asked to present our confirmation page of the DS-160. They confirmed our appointment and let is in for security check. On our way in we were handed a laminated number (number 9) to be called for our paperwork and interview. At security we were asked to leave our cell phone we had brought and were presented a ticket to pick it up on our way out. We then waited in a small waiting room in the basement near an elevator. After about 15 minutes we were instructed by a security officer to go up the elevator to the 19th floor. This was the waiting room for the actual Interview. We shared the room with folks there for non-immigrant visas. We were instructed to sit in the middle row and waited for roughly 2 hours. After 2 hours we were called up the first window. We presented our paperwork. They asked for our identification (passport). Next they asked for confirmation of our payment for the interview. We presented our confirmation page for the appointment that was emailed to us after scheduling which also showed we had registered for visa pickup at the loomis carrier in Quebec. Next we handed our paperwork documents one at a time. Many of the papers we slid through the glass window were handed back to us because we provided to many details or gave more than required. For example, I gave summary pages for the last three years when handing my affidavit of support supporting documents, and the lady helping us handed back all but the last year. In general I think we were over prepared which is what we were shooting for. My Fiance was then instructed to place her hand on a digital finger print reader to scan her fingerprints and thumbprints on each hand. We were then given the document that explains our rights when immigrating the united states and asked to review until called for the interview. We waited about 40 more minutes and then our number was called. The interview wasn't as intimate as I expected. The whole thing was conducted standing in a more private glass window area. When approaching the window my Fiance was asked to read a pledge taped to the window. I don't remember the exact wording but it was basically swearing the information we submitted was true to our knowledge and we didn't forge any documents etc. She was also instructed to submit her fingerprints a second time. The gentleman conducting the interview asked very basic questions that were mostly confirming what was submitted on our original application. From memory some questions were: "Where do you Live" "Where does your Fiancee live" "What does your Fiance do for a living" "What city does he work in" "How did you meet" "How long have you been together" "When did you first meet" "Where did you first meet" That was essentially it. The questions were very easy to answer for us, and the actual interview part only took about 5-8 minutes. After the questions were over we were handed back photos we submitted with our original application as evidence. "Your visa was approved, Welcome to the United States." Originally I approached the window with my Fiance but was told to sit back down on the chairs nearby or go back to the waiting room, so if you are at the interview with your SO, stay in the background unless instructed to do otherwise. We were given a printed document explaining what to do next and that was it. Overall the experience was good. I went in expecting our interview to take place when it was scheduled, but instead we had to come at that time and were taken in order of a line. I expected the interview to be more intense but it was very easy. Come with more paperwork than you need, but have easy access to the documents in the provided checklist from the appointment website, as this is mostly what they want. Have your DS-160 confirmation page ready as you enter the consulate and good luck to anyone reading this. Rating : 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.

** Not all cases are transfered

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