CMJuilland's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: C Beneficiary's Name: M VJ Member: CMJuilland Country: Switzerland Last Updated: 2021-11-08 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for C & M:

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 : Switzerland I-129F Sent : 2016-11-01 I-129F NOA1 : 2016-11-07 I-129F RFE(s) : 2017-02-01 RFE Reply(s) : 2017-03-14 I-129F NOA2 : 2017-03-28 NVC Received : 2017-04-10 Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : 2017-04-11 NVC Left : 2017-04-11 Consulate Received : 2017-04-18 Packet 3 Received : 2017-04-19 Packet 3 Sent : 2017-04-24 Packet 4 Received : 2017-04-25 Interview Date : 2017-05-08 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2017-05-10 US Entry : 2017-05-25 Marriage : Comments : Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 141 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 182 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

Adjustment of Status Event Date CIS Office : Washington DC Date Filed : 2017-06-26 NOA Date : 2017-06-29 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2017-07-17 AOS Transfer** : Interview Date : 2018-03-27 Approval / Denial Date : 2018-03-27 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : No Greencard Received: 2018-04-04 Comments : We arrived around 30 minutes before the interview, went through security, and were directed to report to the reception desk on the 2nd floor, where our interview notice was taken. We were told to sit down and wait until called, which is what we did. The waiting area is fairly big; there are restrooms at the very back and drinking fountains in the middle. About 30-45 minutes past our stated interview time (12.45pm), we my name was called by an immigration officer, and we proceeded to the interview section with him. The officer was very nice and welcoming. We were first sworn in and then had a seat. The officer took my finger prints, my picture, and looked at all of our ID documents. We both had our driver's licenses and our passports with us, and I had brought in my old (now invalidated) passport with the K1-visa in it as well. He then proceeded to explain to us that he would ask us some questions and that only the person addressed should answer, joking that even though, as a married couple, we might be used to answering questions for each other. He proceeded in asking my spouse how we had met to which she gave a brief overview. He asked a bunch of follow-up questions, and then asked me about my previous stays in the U.S., which took some time because there were at least 25, one of which was an F1-visa. After that, he asked for evidence we had brought, and I handed him two lease agreements (we recently moved to a new place), two bank account statements for a checking and a savings account respectively, and a move-out notice for an external storage unit with both of our names. I also gave him a photo album with pictures from our wedding that my mother had put together for us as a Christmas present. The officer looked through the pages of the album and asked me one question regarding the name of a person (which happened to be somebody from my own bridal party). He briefly went over the rest of the evidence and then put it aside. He proceeded to ask us both questions as to how our families reacted to the announcement of our wedding, when we had met each others' families, and then, he proceeded to ask my wife who had proposed. She answered and provided some background information as to how it went. He then went on to ask me whether or not I had at all expected it, and I went on to elaborate a little bit on that. The officer then proceeded to ask me all the questions from the form (are you a terrorist, etc.), and in the middle of that, he turned to my wife and asked her my parents' names (very weird). After that, he explained to us what would happen next and that we would have to file for Removal of Conditions (I-751) two years after my green card would be issued. He also mentioned that I would become eligible for citizenship three years after the issuance of my first green card, emphasizing that I will be able to file that application, even if the I-751 would still be pending. We joked a bit about the processing times for I-751, and then, because we didn't have any further questions, the interview was over. All in all, it was a surprisingly painless experience and went very smoothly. A note about parking: we parked across the street from the office, and it was free! Update: on March 31, the approval notice got here. However, the online status has not changed (and probably won't, even after my green card gets issued...). Update II: on April 4, 8 days after our interview, my green card arrived. Online status on USCIS still says "Interview scheduled"...

Employment Authorization Document Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method : Mail Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2017-06-26 NOA Date : 2017-06-29 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2017-07-17 Approved Date : 2017-11-30 Date Card Received : 2017-12-07 Comments : Approval after two service requests, multiple calls to USCIS, and finally, involving our congressperson... A day after USCIS got back to our congressman's office, my EAD was approved. The online status, however, hasn't changed, even after receiving the actual card. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your EAD was approved in 157 days.

Advance Parole Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method :   Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2017-06-26 NOA Date : 2017-06-29 RFE(s) : Date Received : 2017-12-07 Comments : Processing Estimates/Stats : Your AP was approved in 157 days.

Lifting Conditions Event Date CIS Office : Potomac Service Center Date Filed : 2019-12-30 NOA Date : 2020-01-03 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2020-03-06 Interview Date : Approval / Denial Date : 2021-08-09 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : No Green Card Received : 2021-08-16 Comments : Lifting conditions got approved just about six weeks before the extension letter would have expired and around three months before the lower end of USCIS’s stated processing times (20-22months). Furthermore, I have an application for naturalization pending with USCIS; not sure of this makes a difference.

Citizenship Event Date Service Center : Online CIS Office : Washington DC Date Filed : 2020-12-29 NOA Date : 2020-12-29 Bio. Appt. : 2021-02-27 Interview Date : 2021-10-27 Approved : Yes Oath Ceremony : 2021-11-06 Comments : The interview itself was incredibly quick. I had a fairly new officer, which I only know because another officer said she was going to observe the interview and helping the interviewing officer here and there with the system. Also, USCIS had apparently not updated my electronic file after my I-751 had been approved, so this had to be taken care of first, right after I was sworn in. After that, we started with the civics questions: Who is the Speaker of the House? Who is the governor of you state? How many years do we elect a president for? What did the emancipation proclamation do? When do all men have to register for the selective service? And one more question I cannot remember right now (I will update if it comes back to me). We proceeded with the English test, where I had to read “What do we pay to the government”, or something along those lines, and then, I had to write, “We pay taxes”. As usual, we went over my file then; there was nothing to write home about in there, just a speeding ticket from two years ago, which she crossed out and changed the answer (in #23 and 24, have you ever been arrested, detained or cited, on the N400 form) back to “no”. She updated my work history as well, and before I knew it, I heard “approved” and whether I had time on November 6 for my ceremony (of course I have time to become a U.S. citizen!!! Lol). I then got the N445 with the oath date and was walked out. The whole experience was very warm and welcoming, and more like a friendly conversation than an official immigration interview, and I have nothing but positive feedback. Finally, I came armed with a lot of extra stuff as I had applied under INA 319a, the 3-year-rule, but they didn’t want any of it, not even my wife’s birth certificate or our marriage certificate (both forms are already somewhere in our pile, which is about 6inches thick…). Update regarding oath: our ceremony was scheduled at 7.30 on a Saturday morning. There were only 21 of us, the chairs were spaced far apart, and nobody was allowed to come in with us (no family or friends). The ceremony was incredibly short; we basically swore the oath, and by 7.37am, we had been made U.S. citizens. We were then called to a counter one by one to receive our certificates and then exit the building as the next ceremony was scheduled at 8.00am. While this sounds pretty sterile, it was actually a nice and, despite all the restrictions, pretty nice ceremony. The immigration official administering the oath had a very welcoming attitude, and even though it might seem like it, nobody seemed to feel rushed at all. My wife and a close friend of ours were waiting outside the building, and while I would have wished for them to be inside with me, it was a good feeling to rejoin them as a citizen just about 40mins after entering the building.

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Switzerland Review Topic: K1 Visa Event Description Review Date : May 8, 2017 Embassy Review : There is not much information around about this embassy, and since I have found this forum very helpful throughout the whole process, here is my own review: After we had finally gotten our NOA2, I tried to gather as much information as possible about the U.S. embassy in Bern. Yet, since Switzerland is comparatively small, finding anything beyond this forum was close to impossible. Luckily, a couple of really nice VJ members I contacted could give me a few hints. As soon as we received our case number from the NVC, I contacted the embassy to make sure they had the correct email address for me. And once our paperwork reached the embassy, they got back in touch with me immediately by sending me packet 3 (instructions regarding medical, which documents to bring, i.e. I-134, police record, birth certificate, proof of ongoing relationship, unexpired passport, etc., and where to obtain some of them). There is a checklist in the following PDF: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/iv-dv-supplemental/BEN%20-%20Bern.pdf. After having received packet 3, I finished up and digitally signed my DS-160, paid the visa fee, and sent them my DS-160 confirmation page, proof of payment (statement I downloaded through my e-banking), and the checklist (completed and signed). This was about half a week after receiving their initial email. Also, I gave them the exact date of my medical and stated that I was ready for the interview, and they got back to me within 24 hours, providing me with an interview date (packet 4) roughly two weeks later. The interview itself was quite unspectacular. I had my appointment at 2pm, and it turned out that going there ahead of time is to no avail as the security guards won't open the door until 2pm. Once I was let in, I had to go through security first. As others have stated, it's a bit like airport security. As instructed in packet 4, I had left my purse (including phone, wallet, etc.) in the car and only had my documents, my car keys, and an umbrella on me. The latter was to be left in the designated umbrella stand, while the car keys were stored by the security staff on duty (I received a tag with a number to reclaim them on my way out). After clearing security, one of the guards escorted me downstairs, took my passport, and called the embassy staff to ask when they expected me, and right after this phone call had ended, I was directed to take a seat in a small room labeled "Window 5". After about 2-3 minutes, a lady appeared behind the window, and I was instructed to hand her my documents, and since I had obviously brought way more than enough, here is what she kept to put in my file for the CO: - I-134, tax returns (1 year), W2 (1 year), employment letter, pay stubs - birth certificate + photocopy (I got the original back at the end) - police certificate + photocopy (I got the original back at the end) - 2 pictures (2x2in) - passport and photocopy of biographical page - medical results She asked me a couple of questions regarding some of them, wanted to know my fiancée's phone number, and verified her address. She also took my finger prints. Furthermore, she wanted to know whether I wanted my passport sent back to me or whether I wanted to pick it up. When I said pick up, she handed me a pick up slip where she noted the presumed pick up date (2 days later). After about 10 minutes, she instructed me to go back out and wait for the CO in front of Window 12 around the corner. About another 10 minutes later, the CO appeared behind Window 12 and waved me toward him. He was very friendly and welcoming, scanned my fingerprints again for verification reasons, and swore me in. He didn't really ask any actual questions regarding our relationship; in fact, most of what he said were observations made based on our files (i.e. "so, you guys met in [year]?"). I usually added some kind of information because I felt a little silly by just confirming that what he said was right (i.e. "exactly, that was in [city where we met]"). He did want to know though what I did for a living here in Switzerland, what I intended to do for a living in the U.S., and what my fiancée did for a living. And based on my profession, he even gave me a suggestion as to where to look for jobs when the time comes. I was quite surprised about that. The interview was over in no time; although I didn't have a watch on me, it can't have taken more than a couple of minutes. At the end, the CO said that everything looked good and that I would most likely be able to pick up my visa at the pick up window outside two days later at 4pm. He finished the conversation by saying congratulations, and before I knew it, I was on my way out. The whole deal did not even take an hour. I wasn't asked for any relationship evidence, and when I asked the lady that checked my documents whether she needed that as well, she just said, "have it ready if the CO wants to see it. He might." Well, he didn't, but I would still advise people to bring a couple of pieces of evidence - I'm much rather overly prepared than not enough. It was a very good experience, but because it was so quick and unspectacular, it took me hours to realize that it was over. Now, I just hope that I'll get my passport back soon so that I have the visa to look at for proof that this easy appointment and interview was really all there is to it. (updated on May 8, 2017) Rating : Very Good

POE Review: Washington DC Event Description Entry Date : 2017-05-25 Embassy Review : I entered the country on a K1-visa. My flight arrived between 7 and 7.30pm from Iceland, and we were shuttled to the terminal in no time. What took the longest time from then on out was standing in the visitors' line (as an ESTA user traveling under the VWP before, I just wasn't used to that anymore...). There were only two counters open for us, so I thought I was in for a pretty long wait. Luckily though, they opened up two more after some time, which made the line move faster. When it was my turn, I showed the IO my passport opened at the visa page and handed him the orange envelope given to me by the embassy. He looked at the visa and asked when the wedding was. I mentioned the date, and he proceeded looking through the documents in the envelope. He nodded, scrabbled about our documents some more, and finally took my passport to stamp it. Before doing so, he scanned my fingerprints, and while I was getting the stamp, he said, "welcome to the United States. You understand though that if you don't get married by August 22, you'll be on a plane out." He wasn't joking or anything, and I was a bit taken aback. I said, "yes sir", and as soon as I had my passport back, I proceeded to baggage claim, where I got my bags back immediately. I thought that customs might be a problem because of the five bags I was carrying, but when I reached it, the officers were just standing there waiving me through. The whole deal took maybe 1 to 1.5 hours, which is not bad at all. I'm glad to be here now! Harassment Level : Low

Local US CIS Office Review: Washington DC Review Topic: cis_topic Event Description Review Date : March 27, 2018 Embassy Review : We arrived around 30 minutes before the interview, went through security, and were directed to report to the reception desk on the 2nd floor, where our interview notice was taken. We were told to sit down and wait until called, which is what we did. The waiting area is fairly big, and there are restrooms at the very back and drinking fountains in the middle. After about 30-45 minutes past our stated interview time (12.45pm), we my name was called by an immigration officer, and we proceeded to the interview section with him. The officer was very nice and welcoming. We were first sworn in and then had a seat. The officer took my finger prints, my picture, and looked at all of our ID documents. We both had our driver's licenses and our passports with us, and I had brought in my old (now invalidated) passport with the K1-visa in it as well. He then proceeded to explain to us that he would ask us some questions and that only the person addressed should answer, joking that even though, as a married couple, we might be used to answering questions for each other. He proceeded in asking my spouse how we met to which she gave a brief overview. He asked a bunch of follow-up questions, and then proceeded to ask me about my previous stays in the U.S., which took some time because there were at least 25, one of which was an F1-visa. After that, he asked for evidence we had brought, and I handed him two lease agreements (we recently moved to a new place), two bank account statements for a checking and a savings account respectively, and a move-out notice for an external storage unit with both of our names. I also gave him a photo album my mother had put together for us as a Christmas present with pictures from our wedding. The officer looked through the pages of the album and asked me one question regarding the name of a person (which happened to be somebody from my own bridal party). He briefly went over the rest of the evidence and then put it aside. He proceeded to ask us both questions as to how our families reacted to the announcement of our wedding, when we had met each others' families, and then, he proceeded to ask my wife who had proposed. She answered and provided some background information as to how it went. He then went on to ask me whether or not I had at all expected it, and I went on to elaborate a little bit on that. The officer then proceeded to ask me all the questions from the form (are you a terrorist, etc.), and in the middle of that, he turned to my wife and asked her my parents' names (very weird). After that, he explained to us what would happen next and that we would have to file for Removal of Conditions (I-751) two years after my green card would be issued. He also mentioned that I would become eligible for citizenship three years after the issuance of my first green card, emphasizing that I will be able to file that application, even if the I-751 would still be pending. We joked a bit about the processing times for I-751, and then, because we didn't have any further questions, the interview was over. All in all, it was a surprisingly painless experience and went very smoothly. A note about parking: we parked across the street from the office, and it was free! Harassment Level : Very Good

Timeline Comments: 2



*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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