Elllena's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: A Beneficiary's Name: E VJ Member: Elllena Country: Romania Last Updated: 2024-10-28 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for A & E:

USCIS I-130 Petition:       Dept of State IR-1/CR-1 Visa:     USCIS I-751 Petition:   USCIS N-400 Petition:

IR-1/CR-1 Visa Event Date Service Center : Nebraska Service Center Transferred? California Service Center on 2020-03-17 Consulate : Bucharest, Romania Marriage (if applicable): 2019-09-17 I-130 Sent : 2020-03-09 I-130 NOA1 : 2020-03-10 I-130 RFE : I-130 RFE Sent : I-130 Approved : 2020-06-16 NVC Received : 2020-06-17 Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : 2020-06-17 Pay AOS Bill : 2020-06-17 Receive I-864 Package : Send AOS Package : 2020-06-24 Submit DS-261 : Receive IV Bill : 2020-06-17 Pay IV Bill : 2020-06-17 Send IV Package : 2020-06-24 Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : 2020-07-29 Case Completed at NVC : 2020-07-08 NVC Left : 2020-07-30 Consulate Received : 2020-07-31 Packet 3 Received : Packet 3 Sent : Packet 4 Received : Interview Date : 2020-08-12 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2020-08-17 US Entry : 2020-08-18 Comments : No stage of my journey was expedited, tried at USCIS once, but got denied. CEAC status: 12 Aug, 13 Aug - Ready 14 Aug- Administrative Processing; a few hours later my visa has finally been ISSUED!!! Medical exam: Regina Maria Baneasa I was scheduled on August 3rd at 9:00 AM. Got there at 8:30, at 9:00 I was called in a room and got blood taken and an urine sample. They then send me to the second floor where Dr. Toma looked over my vaccination record, asked general questions, took my height, weight, blood pressure, listend to my lungs. After this was all done she send me to the hospital( 2 minutes from the clinic) to get the X-rays done and that was all. Everyone was very nice and calm, overall a great experience. X-rays cost 120 lei and the consultation is 680 lei. I didn’t need any extra vaccinations, but if you do that will cost extra. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-130 was approved in 98 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 155 days from your I-130 NOA1 date.

Lifting Conditions Event Date CIS Office : Date Filed : 2022-08-06 NOA Date : 2022-08-11 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2022-09-06 Interview Date : Approval / Denial Date : 2023-05-02 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : No Green Card Received : 2023-05-09 Comments : I did not have an interview; I just received my unrestricted 10-year green card in the mail.

Citizenship Event Date Service Center : Online CIS Office : Denver CO Date Filed : 2024-07-01 NOA Date : 2024-07-01 Bio. Appt. : 2024-07-01 Interview Date : 2024-10-24 Approved : Yes Oath Ceremony : 2024-10-24 Comments : My interview was scheduled for 8:15. At about 8:30, the officer called me in for the interview. My husband and I were both allowed to be present. The officer did the civics and English tests first, which I passed. She then reviewed my application to make sure all the information was accurate. I realized I had forgotten to mention one of my jobs, but she simply made a note of it. She also added a couple of dates since I had traveled abroad twice since submitting my application. She asked me if my husband and I wanted to have kids, if we planned to buy a house if we owed any taxes, and, in the end, why I wanted to become a US citizen. If you interview in Denver, they have same-day naturalization available daily till the election!!! I was so happy when she told me I could naturalize the same day; the ceremony was at 10 AM, so I only had to wait one hour for it. They are doing same-day ceremonies till the election so people can go ahead and vote. The ceremony was small but beautiful. As soon as we left, I went ahead and registered to vote, and I also went to USPS and applied for my passport and passport card. Overall, the interview vibe was relaxed; the officer joked a few times, and we had a lot of casual conversation. This is by far the easiest interview I had in my entire immigration journey.

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Bucharest, Romania Review Topic: General Review Event Description Review Date : August 14, 2020 Embassy Review : I had my interview at 10:00, but I got there early around 9:15 and they let me in. Went through security, just like you would at the airport. All I had with me was my bag, my wallet, keys, phone and the documents for the visa. They kept my phone and gave me a card. With that card you will be able to pick the phone back when you leave. There were only 2 other people in the room, someone with a K1 and someone with a spousal visa. At the first counter they took my fingerprints, my original marriage certificate, birth certificate, police clearance, one 5x5 picture, evidence of relationship and my new and old passport because it had an old J1 visa in it. I sat down for maybe 20 minutes and then I was called by a lady consul. She was very nice and friendly. First I took the oath that I will say the truth and then she asked me how I met my husband, what was I doing in the US at the time I met him, when we officially started dating and when I saw him last time. I had 2 J1 visas, one in 2018 and another in 2019 and she asked me a lot of questions about my J visas( where I worked, if I had intentions of marriage before my second J1 visa, when I finished working, when I left the US, how many times I was in the US, if I had any unpaid sevis fee). She then invited me to sit down because there were a few verification checks she had to do, but assured me everything is fine. After about 5 minutes she called me back and asked me what my husband is working, what our joint sponsor is working, what I plan to work and if I will have insurance. She told me everything looks good and is approved, but she still has to wait for some verification to be done and that my visa should arrive next week. She kept my passport and police clearance, all the other documents were handed back to me. I was in and out in 1 hour, everyone from the security at the entrance to the consul was very nice. My interview took around 25 minutes, more than I expected and she also asked me a lot of questions about my J1 visas. After leaving the embassy I was very anxious and nervous not knowing if my case will end in AP, but my visa was issued 2 days later. Rating : Good

POE Review: Chicago Event Description Entry Date : 2020-08-18 Embassy Review : Very easy, I gave them my passport and just waited a couple of minutes for them to put my info in the computer, they stamped my passport and I was good to go. They didn’t ask me anything. My flight was the only one that arrived at that time so the line went very fast, maximum 30 minutes and I was one of the last people they checked. Lots of international students on our flight, something to be expected as school starts soon. Harassment Level : Low

Timeline Comments: 18



*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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