TarKenkari's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Cate
Beneficiary's Name: Drew
VJ Member: TarKenkari
Country: New Zealand
Last Updated: 2022-01-14
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Immigration Checklist for Cate & Drew:
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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 : |
Nebraska Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
Auckland, New Zealand |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
2009 |
| I-130 Sent : |
2017-01-18 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2017-02-13 |
| I-130 RFE : |
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| I-130 RFE Sent : |
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| I-130 Approved : |
2017-10-30 |
| NVC Received : |
2017-11-07 |
| Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
2017-11-23 |
| Pay AOS Bill : |
2017-11-24 |
| Receive I-864 Package : |
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| Send AOS Package : |
2017-12-07 |
| Submit DS-261 : |
2017-11-23 |
| Receive IV Bill : |
2017-12-06 |
| Pay IV Bill : |
2017-12-06 |
| Send IV Package : |
2017-12-07 |
| Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
2018-03-02 |
| Case Completed at NVC : |
2018-02-01 |
| 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 : |
2018-03-02 |
| Interview Date : |
2018-04-17 |
| 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 : |
2018-06-21 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 259 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 428 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Houston |
| POE Date : |
2018-06-21 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
Yes,Passport Stamp |
| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
Taken to a seperate room for processing, nothing major though, waited 10 minutes and then I was told that I was approved! |
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Citizenship
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Online |
| CIS Office : |
Phoenix AZ |
| Date Filed : |
2021-03-23 |
| NOA Date : |
2021-03-23 |
| Bio. Appt. : |
2021-08-10 |
| Interview Date : |
2022-01-13 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Oath Ceremony : |
2022-01-13 |
| Comments : |
Grace period is 90 days NOT 3 months (watch out, some months have 31 days) |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Auckland, New Zealand
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
April 17, 2018 |
| Embassy Review : |
We showed up 20 minutes early for the appointment. The security is as others have described. Everything goes through the scanner. No taking shoes or belts off though. Security guard was friendly and polite.
My spouse went with me (they are allowed to), we left our 3yr old son with his grandparents. (Good decision)
Once inside directed to window 5, had an initial chat with a staff member, she was great, I think others on this forum have called her miss B. Friendly and understanding. She handed back a lot of the pre-interview pack. Only unexpected question was about previous passports and if they had any visas in them. They also asked when we were planning to move to the US.
She explained the process to us, and gave us the opportunity to ask questions.
After this she said to sit down and wait for the consulate staff to call us up.
Like others we waited nearly 2 hours, unsure of exact times as there was no clock in the room (phones/watch were left at security)
We were called up to window 2 for the interview.
Interview itself was short and simple. Questions were...
When did we get married?
What job did I have in nz? He asked my spouse what she did
Where were we planning to live?
Why were we planning to move?
We answered these, and then we were told that the visa was approved. 1 minute total for the interview with the consulate officer.
He said congratulations and that the documents would be couriered to me. (I had to provide a courier bag, A4 or bigger)
Lessons learned about the experience...
A. It takes time, our interview time was 10.45am, it was 12.30pm before we were called up
B. If you are outside if Auckland, bring a prepaid courierbag
C. If you have visas from previous US visits in an expired passport, bring that passport with you, this is not mentioned on any of the required document lists
D. The police check from NZ police only lasts 3 months. Don’t request it too soon. I included the confirmation email from NZ police with my Pre-interview pack.
E. I used a clear file with a cover letter and labelled pages to hold all the paperwork. It worked great. They commented on how well it was organised.
F. Try to leave kids at home unless they are a required participant in the interview.
Regrets:
A. Not asking for one of the little US flags that they give kids when they gain citizenship  |
| 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
