Elrona's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: E
Beneficiary's Name: B
VJ Member: Elrona
Country: Estonia
Last Updated: 2022-01-26
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Immigration Checklist for E & B:
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USCIS 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? |
Potomac Service Center |
| Consulate : |
Estonia |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
2017-06-01 |
| I-130 Sent : |
2017-09-02 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2017-09-09 |
| I-130 RFE : |
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| I-130 RFE Sent : |
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| I-130 Approved : |
2018-03-13 |
| NVC Received : |
2018-03-29 |
| Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
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| Pay AOS Bill : |
2018-08-01 |
| Receive I-864 Package : |
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| Send AOS Package : |
2018-08-28 |
| Submit DS-261 : |
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| Receive IV Bill : |
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| Pay IV Bill : |
2018-08-01 |
| Send IV Package : |
2018-08-28 |
| Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
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| Case Completed at NVC : |
2018-09-27 |
| NVC Left : |
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| Consulate Received : |
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| Packet 3 Received : |
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| Packet 3 Sent : |
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| Packet 4 Received : |
2018-10-09 |
| Interview Date : |
2018-11-07 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2018-11-19 |
| US Entry : |
2018-11-20 |
| Comments : |
Interview was 7th of November 2018. E-mail with the information that visa is issued was received on 15th of November. Delay was because of New Zealand police clearance certificate that had not reached to embassy. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 185 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 424 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Denver |
| POE Date : |
2018-11-20 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
Yes,Passport Stamp |
| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
I entered through Denver on 20th of November. Officer asked for my package, I said it was online. He said everything goes online now but thats easier anyway for them and for us. Fingerprints, photo, stamp in the pass and "Welcome to the United States" |
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Lifting Conditions
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
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| Date Filed : |
2020-25-10 |
| NOA Date : |
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| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2021-07-23 |
| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
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| Approved : |
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| Got I551 Stamp : |
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| Green Card Received : |
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| Comments : |
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Citizenship
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Online |
| CIS Office : |
Denver CO |
| Date Filed : |
2021-09-29 |
| NOA Date : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
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| Interview Date : |
2022-01-25 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Oath Ceremony : |
2022-01-25 |
| Comments : |
y field office was Denver and appointment time was 12:30. Drove up to Denver night before and stayed there. I live only like 2h drive away but I with mountains and winter, I knew I would be a nervous wreck if driving up the same morning. So it was very much worth it, to get to interview fresh and rested.
Got to the office about 15 minutes before my time. It was rather empty, no line and really no other people. Showed my appointment letter and ID, through the security and to the check in desk. The employee there was really calm, friendly and nice. A great start for the whole process 😃 In the room there were several windows (like in a bank) and I was kind of surprised that I wasn't directed to a separate office but the whole process happened just there. I did hear that several people who came in after me, they were guided to the second floor. Obviously I do not know if they were also there for citizenship or no, but after a while when I was the only person still sitting in the main room, I really started to wonder what the heck is going on!
Just on the dot 12:30 I was invited forward. The USCIS officer I had was just amazing. She was so friendly, polite and really made the whole nervousness go away! Even cracked a couple of jokes during the whole process! She explained really nicely, whats going to happen, in what order etc.
First part was the civics test. I got asked 6 questions and as I got all right, that was it. Questions I was asked:
1. What is the capital of your state?
2. Name one problem that led to the Civil War
3. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
4. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
5. What is the "rule of law"?
6. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizen?
After that was the reading and writing test. I cannot remember the exact wording but what I do remember, I had to read "When is the Flag Day?" and then I had to write "Flag Day is in June".
Yay, the test part got done! Then it was time to go over my N400 application. I had to change the employer for both me and my husband, fix a mistake in two addresses and update trip list with two trips (one done after the application was sent in, one back in 2018 that I apparently forgot). No issues there! All got done nicely.
Other questions the officer asked:
* My current and previous addresses
No issues with the current and two previous addresses, but for the next one I actually could not remember the address itself, had to check it from papers :D Felt so bad, but luckily it wasn't an issue. Since at the current place we share an apartment, I was also asked with who we live (a colleague of mine but all three of us, me, husband and colleague, work for the same company) and what is the living situation (separate bedrooms, sharing the common areas).
* Proof to show marriage is still on-going since I applied for citizenship
I showed the statements from the bank, paperwork for the car we bought together (she asked if that was the car we drove to the office, I said yes and mentioned my husband is sitting in the parking lot in the car waiting for me) and past/current health insurance information.
* Why the mailing address is so different from physical address? (addresses are in different counties, good 4 hour drive)
Explained that the mailing in the town where I live is a true nightmare and after several international packages got returned to sender, decided its easier to just send everything to mother-in-law and she can forward it to us or bring with her when she visits.
* Have I worked or lived abroad?
That was honestly the topic I was worried the most. I have worked in New Zealand for extended time (also after becoming resident, but never more than 6 months). I answered truthfully that both me and my husband worked abroad, we have always included foreign income in the taxes and we never claimed to actually live abroad, our residency has always been in US.
N400 form done! Had to check the changes and sign them. Then it was time for background check. No idea what that entitled. Officer was doing the stuff in the computer and I was sitting, trying not to look too weird.
At some point I was asked if I was approved, whether I would want to take oath the same day. Of course I said yes! And that meant that once background check was also done, I was ready for oath! She left to get the certificate of the naturalization and was kind enough to inform me that at that moment I could use the phone as long as its on silence. Made the waiting a lot easier! Once she was back, I checked the paperwork, signed some more papers and then stood up and repeated the oath after her. And - done! I was a bit surprised that I wasn't sent to a proper ceremony, taking the oath happened in the same open room, in front of the window and the desk. But I was happy with that decision as I am not a big fan of ceremonies anyway. And then it was done! I got my certificate, tiny US flag and an envelope with the information how to apply for passport.
The whole process was just about an hour. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Estonia
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
November 14, 2018 |
| Embassy Review : |
Had the interview today. Although I was a nervous wreck before, trying to get everything assembled the last minute (my interview was moved up 1 day so I had 5h to get everything done, but to be fair they did offer also Friday but I preferred day early rather than day late). Interview was great, the people were really nice. Most of the documents I had prepared, I didn't even need to show (did not ask for any pictures, chat logs, travels that we have done etc).
Questions asked:
-Tell me about your husband
-When did you get married?
-What are you going to do in USA?
-What will you do in summer? (My first job is seasonal)
-When do you plan to travel to USA?
-Where does his mom get her income? (we used my MIL as a jointed sponsor)
That was pretty much it. They kept my passport but I won't get it back before I figure out what happened with my New Zealand police certificate. Overall very nice experience. Took like 40 minutes and thats because I got there early. |
| 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
