confusedshoes's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: Bruce Beneficiary's Name: Crisel VJ Member: confusedshoes Country: Philippines Last Updated: 2024-02-01 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for Bruce & Crisel:

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 : Manila, Philippines I-129F Sent : 2018-05-22 I-129F NOA1 : 2018-05-30 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2018-11-08 NVC Received : 2018-11-21 Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : 2018-12-04 NVC Left : 2018-12-11 Consulate Received : 2018-12-13 Packet 3 Received : Packet 3 Sent : Packet 4 Received : Interview Date : 2018-12-27 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2019-01-05 US Entry : 2019-01-16 Marriage : 2019-02-11 Comments : Dec 27 2018: Consular Officer says we are approved during the interview for visa. Dec 28 2018: CEAC status says "Administrative processing. Dec 29-30 is a weekend, and Jan 1 is NY day so the embassy is closed on those days. Jan 2 2019: CEAC Status shows "Issued" later in the afternoon. Jan 4 2019: 4.30pm Received text message from USCIS saying passport is ready for pickup. We dropped everything and went to 2Go before closing time (6pm) but it wasnt there. 2Go people said we should wait for a message from 2Go, not USCIS. Jan 5 2019: Visa in hand. 2.15pm Received text message from 2Go. The passport is in a resealable plastic pouch with a thick yellow envelope. You may open the resealable plastic pouch to get the passport but leave the yellow envelope alone. The yellow envelope is cut away on one corner so the paperwork/contents peek out from that corner. This is normal according to the 2Go people. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 162 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 211 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

Adjustment of Status Event Date CIS Office : San Francisco CA Date Filed : 2019-03-12 NOA Date : 2019-03-19 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2019-04-09 AOS Transfer** : Interview Date : 2020-02-20 Approval / Denial Date : 2020-02-21 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : Greencard Received: 2020-02-28 Comments : Feb 20: Interview in the morning in SF. We came 30mins before schedule. At the inner waiting area, we were called to the interview before our schedule and the officer thanked us for being early. He was pleasant, friendly and thorough. It was a pretty easy interview. I was bracing myself for intrusive questions such as 'What colour are your husband's underwear' but he asked nothing of the sort. First we swore to tell the truth before taking a seat. He asked for my passport, EAD, Social Security, state ID and my husband's passport and driver's license. He asked me all of the questions on the I-485 form and physically check-marked each item on the papers when my answer matches what was written. He would also write down on the form anything I answer that wasn't there (have I been a part of any organization- I didn't write any on the form but I said orally 'like girl scouts?' and he wrote that down). Then he went through all the Yes/No questions in the end, and looked especially serious when asking the question about having ever used public assistance from the US government. Then he showed me all the new information he wrote down on the form and had me sign it. Then he asked my husband where we first met and during this, I make a point of not helping him answer any of the questions, just nodding if he gets it right. After a while we just start telling our story. The officer seemed to be typing everything we were saying, all the stories we tell him and seemingly just every word we say. Then he looked through and kept a few photos from the stack of photos we had printed out and he liked that we had labelled it in the back of each. He commented that the group photos with family members were very good. Every time anything comes up in conversation that we had corresponding paperwork for, we would hand it to him. He said we're very organised, lol. He liked that we submitted mostly original documents and not photocopies (like the marriage certificate). In the end he asked if there's anything else we'd like to give him or tell him and we said no, that's what we have. Then he left to make a photocopy of my own work offer letter (I only brought the original, it was an afterthought). When he came back he gave us 2 pieces of paper, told us that our case will be reviewed to make sure that I will not be a public charge and that the decision will come within 2-4 weeks. Status changed later in the afternoon to interview is completed and that it was being reviewed. Evidence we had: joint bank statement (checking and savings, the officer asked what we used the checking for, this seemed kind of weird), husband's job offer letter, my job offer letter, my latest W2 and husband's latest tax forms (husband always does taxes early), 1 car title showing both our names as owners, health dental and life insurance through husband's job also showing my name as beneficiary and as dependent, plane ticket and lodging bookings for a future trip together, photos.

Employment Authorization Document Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method : Mail Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2019-03-12 NOA Date : 2019-03-19 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2019-04-09 Approved Date : 2019-10-10 Date Card Received : 2019-10-18 Comments : Processing Estimates/Stats : Your EAD was approved in 212 days.

Advance Parole Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method :   Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2019-03-12 NOA Date : 2019-03-19 RFE(s) : Date Received : 2019-10-18 Comments : Processing Estimates/Stats : Your AP was approved in 212 days.

Lifting Conditions Event Date CIS Office : California Service Center Date Filed : 2022-02-11 NOA Date : 2022-02-14 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2022-07-14 Interview Date : Approval / Denial Date : 2023-10-24 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : Green Card Received : Comments : ROC mailed: 2-10-22, received by 2-11-22 Biometrics note: I-797c dated 07-13-22 says my previous biometrics will be reused and I don't need to appear at an ASC for a biometrics appointment. Case status online changed to "Case Was Updated To Show Fingerprints Were Taken" on 07-14-22 3-20-23 got new notice, extending the GC validity to 48 months since GC expiration date 10-18-23 Petition transferred to another USCIS office 10-19-23 Petition again transferred to another USCIS office, with jurisdiction over my case 10-21-23 New Card being produced! 10-24-23 I-751 approved 10-25-23 Card mailed!

Citizenship Event Date Service Center : Online CIS Office : San Francisco CA Date Filed : 2022-12-26 NOA Date : 2022-12-26 Bio. Appt. : 2022-12-26 Interview Date : 2023-11-20 Approved : Yes Oath Ceremony : 2024-01-03 Comments : US passport in hand Jan 31, 2024

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Manila, Philippines Review Topic: K1 Visa Event Description Review Date : December 27, 2018 Embassy Review : +Update for Dec 28, 2018: CEAC status says "Administrative Processing". +Update for Jan 2, 2019: CEAC status says "Issued". My interview was scheduled for 8.10am of Dec. 27. We had checked in to an Airbnb the day before to avoid travelling too far on the morning of interview. There was not much traffic going to the embassy and got there around 7am. We only wanted to check the line and see what's up, leave to have breakfast nearby, then come back 15 minutes before my schedule but when we saw 'Now processing 8.15am appointments, we just went straight in, skipping a short line of about 10 people (probably for the next time slot). At the first 'check' outside where people line up, they asked to see my DS 160 confirmation page with the barcode and asked what time my schedule was. I showed also my appointment page (it also has a barcode) but it was returned to me. Then they let us through. I was with my fiancé and he was allowed to go inside the embassy with me. He went through a separate entrance (for US citizens) and I went through the other one where we had to go through baggage check/xray and met up on the other side. He had to deposit both our phones by leaving an ID before we went in. There are greeters milling about and they tell you/you can ask them where to go. K1 visa applicants were told to go through Door 2 this time. There was no line for us, although there were other people lined up outside the Doors. Went straight in, through another baggage check/xray, and to the 1st window for pre-screening. 1st window: pre-screening. Lady asked for passport and DS 160 confirmation page. She put my passport in a plastic ziplock, put a sticker on my DS 160 confirmation page and told me to prepare a 2x2 photo and go to another window. At the 2nd window, (the only hiccup of the day for us). She asked me my full name and birthdate and my US address. I was asked for the DS 160 page and passport again and the 2x2 photo. I explained that my photos that were meant for the embassy were put in the Medical Exam envelope by SLEC when I had my medical exam. She asked for the envelope, tore through it badly (she looked pretty annoyed), tearing uneven chunks of the envelope and pulled out some papers quite roughly, creasing them in the process. There is a small ziplock bag stapled to it where SLEC put my ugly photos*. She tore that ziplock off the paper and took one photo out, checked the back (I had printed my full name on the back) and did her thing with computer (she was tsk-ing, shaking her head and huffing throughout all this, specially when she saw the photos in a ziplock). She kept the medical result envelope, returned my DS 160 page and passport and told me to go to another window. At the 3rd window, I was asked for my original birth certificate, medical exam envelope, NBI clearance, CENOMAR, I-134 forms and the BPI MRV deposit slip/receipt for the interview fee. Then she said she already has my medical exam from the other lady. And then I explained I had paid through BPI online so no receipt but gave her the email confirmation of the online payment that I had printed out and she said that was fine. She filed everything and gave me back my DS 160 page and told me to go to another window. At the 4th window, my fingerprints were taken and after that we went to the line for the interview- the only line we waited in for the whole day. At this point the whole process has taken about 30mins from when we first entered. Line moved pretty quickly, we were always seated. We could all hear the interviews going on because the chairs were facing the windows where the interviews were taking place. We saw some denials and approvals. You could tell by how they looked after leaving the windows. Pretty soon, it was our turn. We were now in the first row of seats and were asked to stand up and line up in front of the interviewer windows. We could hear the interviews going on right in front of us more clearly. Before we got to the front, the interviewers were mostly Filipino. But by this time, all of them seemed to be caucasian. We were 3rd in line. Then a pregnant lady was guided to the front of the line which made us 4th, which was so lucky because we almost went to the stern interviewer lady who spoke louder than everyone else (you can hear everything going on, all her questions) and people in line were pretty much scared of her. She seemed fair though, just stern/strict. At the interview, we got a nice lady. I got fingerprinted again and I was asked to raise my right hand and swear that I was telling the truth and that all the contents of the file in front of her are all true to the best of my knowledge. She asked my full name and birthdate and my US address. I introduced my fiancé as the petitioner and the lady said it was nice he could come with me. She asked us how we met and we told her the story of how we met. She seemed surprised in a good way and remarked 'Wow it's like a movie.' Lol. And everything went fine. Nothing else was really asked except about more details about our relationship- did his parents like me, how many more times we met. We didn't feel like we were grilled at all- just asked those questions because she genuinely just wanted to know more, lol. We also had more evidence of ongoing relationship photos and chatlogs but she didn't ask for those anymore. She clearly said at the end that she has approved my visa and handed me 2 pamphlets (English and Filipino) and said if I ever feel abused, that I can call the police, it's free and it won't affect process or something. I can't remember, we were just so happy at this point. She also told me to take one of the flyers by her window. It's a number to call to register a delivery address for the passport. I called the number and opted for the pick up at a nearby 2GO branch. We had originally chosen to have it delivered to our address but changed it to pick-up because then we don't have to make sure someone is home to sign for it or deal with any delivery confusion/mistakes. We signed in to the http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ website to confirm the change and we saw that the call center agent had updated the delivery method accordingly. The end! Footnotes: *During the SLEC medical exam, they asked for 1 photo for them and 3 photos of the US Embassy. I gave them my 2x2 photos but I was told the photos I had were unacceptable because my ears weren't showing. They said they will take one of the photos for the SLEC file but they are requiring me to take new photos for the US embassy. I don't agree because all the guidelines I have read clearly said my photos were fine. But I know full well that you can't argue with Filipino red tape. So I had to have new last minute photos taken at a place very conveniently located in front of SLEC entrance and it was a really bad photo because they used a small point-and-shoot digicam with flash and photoshopped me in a white shirt and blazer thing and I had not even a bit of powder on my face (because medical, didn't want to wear any makeup or perfume-nothing) so I looked really shiny. Also I would like to note that outside the SLEC entrance are many posters and example photos of what is an 'OK' US Visa photo. I don't even know why they're the ones so strict about it when they should just be about the medical. (updated on December 27, 2018) (updated on December 27, 2018) (updated on January 2, 2019) Rating : Very Good

POE Review: San Francisco Event Description Entry Date : 2019-01-16 Embassy Review : Entered through San Francisco from a flight coming from Shanghai. There were a few flights that arrived from Shanghai so there were a lot of people in line for customs, mostly Chinese. It took about 2 hours to reach my turn in line. Honestly, the closer I got to the front, the worse the nerves got because the customs agents were in a really bad mood. People in line were getting yelled at and being told to shut up and to not use their phones. People who were being interviewed were getting yelled at too. One guy even had his hand slapped away from touching his papers. It took ages for some people and the questioning was extensive and pretty scary. Anyway when it was my turn, I greeted the agent and told him I had a K1 visa and handed him the huge folder I had been guarding with my life. He kinda whooped and said "Whoa-oh-oh is your life about to change forever!" The whole thing only took 2 minutes (my fiance used a stopwatch to time it), and I was through. No other questions were really asked aside from: what address I will live at and when we plan the marriage to be. Nothing was given to me, just the stamp on my passport, beside the visa. The I-94 is available online. Harassment Level : Low

Local US CIS Office Review: San Francisco CA Review Topic: cis_topic Event Description Review Date : March 8, 2023 Embassy Review : Feb 20 2022: Interview in the morning in SF. We arrived 30mins before schedule. While in the inner waiting area, we were called to the interview before our scheduled time and the officer thanked us for being early. He was pleasant, friendly and thorough. It was a pretty easy interview. I was bracing myself for intrusive questions such as 'What colour are your husband's underwear' but he asked nothing of the sort. First we were asked to swear to tell the truth before taking a seat. He asked for my passport, EAD, Social Security, state ID and my husband's passport and driver's license. He asked me all of the questions on the I-485 form and physically check-marked each item on the papers when my answer matches what was written. He would also write down on the form anything I answer that wasn't there (have I been a part of any organization- I didn't write any on the form but I said orally 'like girl scouts?' and he wrote that down). Then he went through all the Yes/No questions in the end, and looked especially serious when asking the question about having ever used public assistance from the US government. Then he showed me all the new information he wrote down on the form and had me sign it. Then he asked my husband where we first met and during this, I make a point of not helping him answer any of the questions, just nodding if he gets it right. After a while we just start telling our story. The officer seemed to be typing everything we were saying, all the stories we tell him and seemingly just every word we say. Then he looked through and kept a few photos from the stack of photos we had printed out and he liked that we had labelled it in the back of each. He commented that the group photos with family members were very good. Every time anything comes up in conversation that we had corresponding paperwork for, we would hand it to him. He said we're very organised, lol. He liked that we submitted mostly original documents and not photocopies (like the marriage certificate). In the end he asked if there's anything else we'd like to give him or tell him and we said no, that's what we have. Then he left to make a photocopy of my own work offer letter (I only brought the original, it was an afterthought). When he came back he gave us 2 pieces of paper, told us that our case will be reviewed to make sure that I will not be a public charge and that the decision will come within 2-4 weeks. Status changed later in the afternoon to interview is completed and that it was being reviewed. Evidence we had: joint bank statement (checking and savings, the officer asked what we used the checking for, this seemed kind of weird), husband's job offer letter, my job offer letter, my latest W2 and husband's latest tax forms (husband always does taxes early), 1 car title showing both our names as owners, health dental and life insurance through husband's job also showing my name as beneficiary and as dependent, plane ticket and lodging bookings for a future trip together, photos. (updated on March 8, 2023) 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
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rely on them for planning. As always you should check the USCIS processing times to see if your application
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