Eagleburra's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: Manny Beneficiary's Name: Jen VJ Member: Eagleburra Country: Australia Last Updated: 2022-05-03 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for Manny & Jen:

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 : Sydney, Australia I-129F Sent : 2018-12-13 I-129F NOA1 : 2018-12-24 I-129F RFE(s) : 2019-04-26 RFE Reply(s) : 2019-05-15 I-129F NOA2 : 2019-05-29 NVC Received : 2019-06-20 Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : 2019-06-21 NVC Left : 2019-07-09 Consulate Received : 2019-07-16 Packet 3 Received : 2019-07-16 Packet 3 Sent : 2019-07-16 Packet 4 Received : 2019-07-18 Interview Date : 2019-08-13 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2019-08-16 US Entry : 2019-09-05 Marriage : 2019-09-29 Comments : US Entry: Once you have landed in the US and head to customs, get your K1 yellow envelope/packet out and have it visible in your hands - in a very packed customs hall at LAX, I was unsure of where to go, but many of the attendants noticed the envelope in my hand and asked "immigrating? first entry? Go this way" and directed me where to go each step of the way. After looking through my packet/envelope for 10 mins in silence, the CBP officer approved my entry and stamped the K1 visa inside my passport. I was asked no questions, but he reminded me that if I was not married in 90 days I would need to return to my home country. The CBP officer then handed me back my sealed medical exam envelope. I checked with him twice if it was correct that I should be in possession of that envelope after entry, he said yes and waved me away. After a few calls to USCIS customer service later on, I did not get any clear information if I was meant to be in possession of my sealed medical or if it would affect my AOS. I basically had two options: send the envelope in with the AOS petition, or hold onto it and risk an RFE and provide it when requested. We chose the latter. We received no RFE, and our interview was scheduled a month after my biometrics appointment. At my AOS interview I almost forgot about the envelope while answering questions, so it did not seem to be on the USCIS interviewer's agenda. I raised the issue, and he seemed confused that I had it and asked me twice what happened at the airport. He opened it and said that it was my complete medical exam/form. He said that it should not have been handed back to me by CBP, and that it was lucky I followed the clear warning on the sealed envelope to not open it. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 156 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 232 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

Adjustment of Status Event Date CIS Office : Boston MA Date Filed : 2019-11-23 NOA Date : 2019-11-29 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2020-01-10 AOS Transfer** : Interview Date : 2020-03-09 Approval / Denial Date : 2020-03-14 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : No Greencard Received: 2020-03-13 Comments : EAD filed with AOS petition. Received Green Card before EAD was processed. AP filed with AOS petition. Received Green Card before AP was processed. AOS interview was completed in less than 30mins. Approved and told Green Card would arrive in a few weeks. Received Green Card in the mail 5 days after interview.

Lifting Conditions Event Date CIS Office : Vermont Service Center Date Filed : 2021-12-22 NOA Date : 2021-12-27 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2022-01-12 Interview Date : Approval / Denial Date : Approved : Got I551 Stamp : Green Card Received : Comments : 2022-01-12: Biometrics waived; No appointment

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Sydney, Australia Review Topic: K1 Visa Event Description Review Date : August 13, 2019 Embassy Review : Approved! Had a great experience today with the absolutely amazing staff at the Consulate General in Sydney. I was the first in at 8am, and even despite some technical issues they were having with biometrics/finger scans causing a delay, I was done within an hour. I was asked the following questions: 1. How did you meet your Fiancé? 2. How did your relationship progress after you met? 3. Everything happened quite quickly then? (I was expecting this question, as we became engaged only a month after we met each other by chance in a bar. CO seemed satisfied with my simple and genuine response and moved on quickly, which I think was also due to my answers to his other questions) 4. Have you/how many times have you seen each other since returning home to Sydney? 5. What does your Fiancé do for work? 6. How long did you live in the UK for? (In response to my provided UK Police Check) 7. Have you ever lived in any other country? The CO was very professional, but also very kind. He said that everything looked great with our petition and relationship, that I was approved and should expect my passport back with the issued visa within the next week or two, and wished me well for the future. I would like to express my gratitude to the other posters in this forum. Following the useful advice provided in a few previous consulate reviews, I think the whole embassy process went a lot quicker and smoother than it might have otherwise. This bought us valuable time when we already had a tight window planning for our preferred wedding date, and for family booking flights and accomodation. We did as follows: - As soon as we knew my case number (which we obtained by calling the NVC a few weeks after our NOA2, we never received an email from them), we estimated the possible/likely delivery date of our case to the embassy by looking at current estimations and following advice on visa journey forums related to NOA2 - NVC, and by looking at timelines of other K1 Australian members in the few months before me. - With my case number, I was able to book my medical with one of the authorized panel physicians in Sydney. I had my medical a few days before my case was due to arrive at the consulate. (Be aware that your K1 Visa validity is tied to the medical’s validity, which is only 6 months. This was a risk we were happy to take as I would be flying out well before the expiry, even if there were any delays. FYI The doctor’s office also advised me that the processing of the medicals can take up to 2 weeks once completed and sent to the embassy) - The day my case was due to arrive at the consulate, I monitored the CEAC site (https://ceac.state.gov) for the status to change from IN TRANSIT or RECEIVED to READY. This happened within a few hours of arriving at the consulate. As soon as I saw this change, I sent the following email to the Consulate General at support-australia@ustraveldocs.com ———————————————————————— Dear United States Consulate General Sydney, With my case number showing as ‘Ready’ on CEAC.state.gov I am pro-actively writing with the information required to schedule an interview date. Name: {your full name) Case No: SYD0000000000 Email: {your email} DS-160 Confirmation: {your DS160} MRV transaction confirmation and payment receipt are attached. I have all the required documents ready for the interview: + K1 Document cover checklist + Passport + U.S. passport size photo x 2 + MRV Fee receipt of payment + DS-160 Confirmation page + Revalidation letter + Birth certificate (original) + copy + Australian Federal Police Certificate (original) + copy + UK ACRO Police Certificate (original) + copy + I-134 with Supporting Documents I had my medical with authorized panel physician Dr. Celina Rappaport on {date} I am ready for an interview ASAP. Kind Regards, …. ——— - I instantly received an automatic reply saying that my enquiry had been received, and they would respond within 1-2 business days. My fiancé still received a ‘P3’ email later that evening, but it was sent automatically after I had already contacted them myself. - I received a reply 2 days later advising me that my case was ready for further processing, and advising me of my interview date. The interview date was booked for 3 weeks away, with which I was fine. - As per my email to the embassy, I had all the required documents ready before contacting them. Preparing this in advance was fairly easy, as the K Visa Required Documents List can be found anytime at https://au.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/fiancee-visa/the-interview/ or https://au.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/81/K-Required-Documents.pdf - I made sure the packet of required documents I took with me to the interview was only what was requested, and was in the order listed in the K1 document cover sheet (the pdf link to this can be found in the K1 Required Documents pdf). This greatly reduced my stress knowing that I had everything ready to go, and it also streamlined the admin and security process at the embassy. Good luck to you all with your own visa journeys!! Rating : Very Good

Timeline Comments: 6



*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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