Kuegs's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: S
Beneficiary's Name: K
VJ Member: Kuegs
Country: Germany
Last Updated: 2016-12-13
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Immigration Checklist for S & K:
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USCIS DCF 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 : |
Texas Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
Frankfurt, Germany |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
2011-12-29 |
| I-130 Sent : |
2016-04-11 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2016-04-13 |
| I-130 RFE : |
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| I-130 RFE Sent : |
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| I-130 Approved : |
2016-05-02 |
| NVC Received : |
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| 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 : |
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| Consulate Received : |
2016-05-11 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
2016-05-18 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2016-08-18 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
2016-08-25 |
| Interview Date : |
2016-09-22 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2016-09-28 |
| US Entry : |
2016-11-01 |
| Comments : |
Delay between packet 3 received + sent due to us having to file taxes and wait for the transcripts (for the I 864.)
That cost us three extra months.
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Green card arrived on 12 December 2016. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 19 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 162 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Los Angeles |
| POE Date : |
2016-11-01 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
Yes,Passport Stamp |
| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
We've never been through customs and border patrol so quickly!
When we first got off the plane a nice gentleman directed us to the line we should wait in, because we were a little clueless on where to go with my visa.
Since we had two little kids with us (or so I'm guessing) they were incredibly nice and waved us through to a very short line.
After a short wait the officer took my visa documents, looked through them, took my fingerprints and a photo, and stamped my passport.
No questions were asked regarding the visa; and she was smiling at the fact how my sons' passports with their baby pictures were mainly distinguishable due to my younger son's ears. ;)
It took maybe 15 minutes total - much better than any prior time. We had been told to expect a potential 2-3 hour wait, but in our case it was obviously much quicker.
Very smooth, friendly, and an overall good experience!
We made it! :) |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Frankfurt, Germany
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
September 22, 2016 |
| Embassy Review : |
Our appointment was at 10 am. We had to take the train to Frankfurt, got there at 9 am and were able to make it in time using the U-Bahn U4 and bus 34 (since the U5 is currently still not running)
We left all our valuables, including phones, in a locker at the train station and paid 4€ for it.
It was a little hard to find the embassy for us without phone access, but the friendly owner of the kiosk pointed us in the right direction. 
Once we got there, we waited in line (outside) for "all other visas" and quickly got our pass and were sent to wait in line for the first security officer. He gave us a plastic bag and advised us to put everything in it that we had on us (wallet, change, key to locker).
He didn't communicate it very well that we had to take a few steps forward after that to wait at the white line on he ground for someone to open the door for us and let us in for the next security check.
Once they let us in we had to go through the airport like metal detector and put our belongings on the conveyor belt for the baggage check.
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After that we finally got to walk out of that small building and headed straight to the actual consulate building. There we were issued a waiting number and got told to walk directly to window 22 (to the very left, behind the pink wall) to pay our fee.
The man there was very friendly and told us to take a seat and wait for our number to be called (i.e. shown...)
When it was our turn, we went to window 17 where we reviewed and verified the data of my DS 260 and my fingerprints were taken. He woman there was also very friendly. While my English is fluent, I had to give her my phone number in German, simply because my brain was having trouble "translating" it. lol
It was not a problem as the lady spoke perfect German.
After that we got to wait yet again (there's a large area with seating for up to 299 people).
Finally, we got called to yet another window where we talked to a consular officer - the actual "interview." The consular officer was very friendly. She asked us how we met each other and when I told her it was through a school exchange program, she asked "and how was that?"
So I explained it a little bit (reciprocal visits / GAPP program, for those who've heard about it...)
She also asked my husband whether he had worked in Germany and what he was going to do stateside - he explained that he had gotten a job offer from his old company and that the offer was included in our paperwork and that he had since signed it.
That was sufficient for her and she said, "well, this is just too easy. Everything is fine."
Then she immediately started explaining about issuing the visa and that it should happen either today or within he next few days - as apparently the machines are a bit "fickle."
So I guess that means: don't get too anxious if you check your status online and it doesn't say "issued" yet.
She also showed us what the visa package will look like and to not open the sealed envelope etc.
And that was that.
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All in all it was a good experience. Everyone at the consulate was very friendly and minus the initial confusion upon entering the premises, it was easy and swift.
I do think it's annoying, though, that they only offer the interview in Frankfurt directly as we traveled 10 hours to and from Frankfurt just for an hour at the consulate. (And I had to leave my ten months old baby and 2.5 year old son in the care of someone else for almost a whole day.)
Immigrant visa / more specifically IR1 also doesn't seem to be that common, as there was basically no line for us, other than outside for the security check.
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We did the whole process through DCF, which took 5.5 months in total. Had we known we needed to file taxes despite staying under the taxable amount, we could have saved 3 months and been done in only 2 - 2.5 months.
But it was still fast and the consulate was very efficient. |
| 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
