ljujas2019's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: C Beneficiary's Name: J VJ Member: ljujas2019 Country: Sweden
Last Updated: 2020-06-28
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Immigration Checklist for C & J:
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? |
No |
Consulate : |
Sweden |
Marriage (if applicable): |
2018-11-30 |
I-130 Sent : |
2018-12-18 |
I-130 NOA1 : |
2018-12-24 |
I-130 RFE : |
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I-130 RFE Sent : |
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I-130 Approved : |
2019-08-13 |
NVC Received : |
2019-08-28 |
Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
2019-09-27 |
Pay AOS Bill : |
2019-09-27 |
Receive I-864 Package : |
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Send AOS Package : |
2019-10-21 |
Submit DS-261 : |
2019-10-03 |
Receive IV Bill : |
2019-09-27 |
Pay IV Bill : |
2019-09-27 |
Send IV Package : |
2019-10-21 |
Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
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Case Completed at NVC : |
2019-11-12 |
NVC Left : |
2019-11-25 |
Consulate Received : |
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Packet 3 Received : |
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Packet 3 Sent : |
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Packet 4 Received : |
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Interview Date : |
2019-12-18 |
Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview (If Required): |
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Second Interview Result: |
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Visa Received : |
2020-01-06 |
US Entry : |
2020-01-22 |
Comments : |
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Processing Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 232 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 359 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Sweden Review Topic: General Review
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Event |
Description |
Review Date : |
December 22, 2019 |
Embassy Review : |
I had my CR-1/IR-1 interview on December 18, at 8:30 in the morning. I had had a very hectic the day before, and especially on the night of the 17th, so I ended up arriving to my hotel in Stockholm after midnight haha! I slept for five hours or so, then got up right away and got ready to leave the hotel. I checked out and left my luggage in the luggage room around 7:20 AM. This could be an important detail for you to note, those of you that have an appointment at the embassy coming up soon. You're not allowed to bring your luggage to the embassy, so try to find a place to store it or leave it with a friend/at the hotel/centralstation, etc., before leaving to go to the embassy. And by the way, for those of you who are concerned about transportation, getting an uber to the embassy was easy, and taxi services seem to always be accessible in this area, at every hour.
When I arrived to the embassy around 7:45 AM, there was a long line outside of the building already, with about 20+ people waiting in this glass-sealed open space. Most people had their appointments set even before my scheduled time, so I understood that most of the people around me had prioritized coming very early ahead of time, for their appointments. At first, I did not know what line to stand in, because I had read about two different systems, one for immigrant visas and one for non-immigrant visas. The queue of people I saw, however, was apparently for everyone. I walked up to the building at first, following some other people, but then realized rather quickly that this was only for staff haha!
Regarding the initial security check, I only brought a purse with my folder and wallet, to decrease the risk of experiencing any inconveniences. Everything went fine upon entering. They had called people up, one at a time, based on who was first in line ("next," "next," etc.). That's why it was a good idea to be one of the first people in line and to be there super early! Before entering, I had to take off my jacket, show the officer the bottoms of my shoes and to display my passport through the glass window. Then I was let in, and my stuff had to go through the security check, like at the airport. I had work and home keys in my wallet, so this was taken out and placed in a separate box, to be picked up after the interview. They also took my phone.
After this part, I was sent to the building closest to the front office/security building, following the yellow line for immigrant visas. I entered and was told to sit by a table and wait to be called up. There were other people in this waiting room, sitting in chairs and waiting for their number/name to be called, but I was sitting in a separate section of this room, at a table with only three other people. Perhaps, they also had the same application as me.I had to wait for the three people before me to submit their documents during the initial review when being called up the first time. When it was my turn, I had to submit my original documents, add financial documents upon request, and also proof of bonafide relationship. Everything went fine, and I had to wait for the second review.
This time, I had to wait much longer for my turn, about 1 hour. My case was called up, I entered the room, and was met by a very friendly face who welcomed me and asked me very basic questions about our relationship. We were discussing a financial document, and there was some kind of issue with a discrepency between the salary that my spouse had indicated in the I-864 vs as shown in the paystubs. However, I explained that there had been a salary increase since September, since my spouse has recently started a new position and is now making more money. This was accepted. The officer told me to just wait for my medical exam (which I had the week before) to reach the embassy, and that my passport will be sent back with my visa then. I was so happy!
After these good news, I got back all the documents I had submitted during the first review, except my passport, I believe. I was finished and good to go, went back to the security room to pick up my keys and phone, and then left the embassy area with a big smile on my face!! Don't worry everyone - this part was the easiest of them all throughout this long process of being far away from one's spouse and waiting abroad for a year. I wish you the best of luck, and please do not be nervous. There is no need to. I was also nervous, but everything went completely fine. Just have all your documents ready - that's it :-)
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Rating : |
Very Good |
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Timeline Comments: 91) Case left USCIS to NVC on August 13, 2019 according to the approval notice, but my case status online (on https://egov.uscis.gov) reads August 20, 2019.
2) NVC has not received my case yet, as confirmed on August 30.
3) I have called the NVC multiple times this week, today and yesterday (September 11, 12) to find out whether the NVC has received my case. Unable to reach a representative, only the automated voice message.
September 13, 2019:
The current waiting time over the phone with NVC in the early mornings (between 7 to 10 AM) - which is generally the recommended calling time - seems to exceed 1,25 hours. Today, I waited on the phone for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes (!!). Thankfully, I received new information today; that my case was received on August 28. No assigned case number or IIN yet, unfortunately. I was told that the NVC is currently processing cases received on August 12, and am hoping for good news next week.
September 16, 2019: Calling the NVC today yet no case number or IIN # assigned yet. About 30 min waiting over the phone today, called as soon as the line opened (7 AM EST). The representative said that currently, it could possibly take 8 weeks to get a case number. Very frustrating!
September 23, 2019: Calling the NVC today again, yet no updates, unfortunately :( About 16 minutes waiting time to reach representative when calling at 7 AM EST, so a little bit shorter this time! I recommend calling this time, as soon as the line opens. The representative said that they are still working on cases received on August 16.
Like many of you, I have been trying to upload documents on CEAC since last week, but the website is still undergoing maintenance. Very annoying! It's been a week now.
I have now waited nine days to upload my documents since the CEAC maintenance started. I was ready with all my documents and was about to upload everything on the same day that the system crashed, unfortunately. Very frustrating!
Today, I was documentarily qualified, and the status for both IV and AOS reads "Accepted," but I still got this message which is kind of concerning:
"[My partner's name] does not meet the minimum income requirement to sponsor the intending immigrants for this case. The consular officer will make a decision regarding this requirement at the time of the interview. For more information, please visit https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p. To avoid delays, an additional Affidavit of Support Form I-864 for a joint sponsor may be submitted. FINANCIAL SPONSORSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES: Financial sponsors, joint sponsors, and applicants should be aware of responsibilities when signing an I-864 and the consequences for a sponsored immigrant's acceptance of federal means-tested public benefits. For more information visit https://nvc.state.gov/aos."
Update: I am now following up on the recommendations of getting a joint sponsor, even though my spouse would qualify and meet well above the miniumum income requirement as my sponsor.
1) Medical exam completed on December 12.
2) I had my interview in Stockholm today (December 18), and everything went smoothly. My visa will be approved and sent to me along with my passport as soon as the results from the medical exam are received! :-) Hoping to move to the US in the beginning of January!
*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