hplusj's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Heather
Beneficiary's Name: Jon
VJ Member: hplusj
Country: South Africa
Last Updated: 2024-11-22
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Immigration Checklist for Heather & Jon:
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USCIS I-129F Petition:
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Dept of State K1 Visa:
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USCIS I-485 Petition:
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USCIS I-765 Petition:
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USCIS I-131 Petition:
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USCIS I-751 Petition:
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USCIS N-400 Petition:
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K1 Visa
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
California Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
South Africa |
| I-129F Sent : |
2023-08-07 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2023-08-09 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
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| RFE Reply(s) : |
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| I-129F NOA2 : |
2024-03-01 |
| NVC Received : |
2024-03-08 |
| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
2024-04-01 |
| NVC Left : |
2024-07-02 |
| Consulate Received : |
2024-07-05 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
2024-07-08 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2024-07-08 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
2024-07-08 |
| Interview Date : |
2024-08-08 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2024-08-20 |
| US Entry : |
2024-09-13 |
| Marriage : |
2024-10-10 |
| Comments : |
Duplicate NOA2 issued (same case number) in May 2024; New validity dates, 8 May-7 Sep 2024
23 Jul 24: Medical appointment with Dr. Brauer (Cape Town)
Visa interview occurred 16 days after medical, and packet was not filed at consulate; Jon's visa will be issued upon completion, estimate given 3-4 weeks
13 Aug 24: emailed Johannesburg to request an update as CEAC was still reflecting "Application Received" as status
14 Aug 24: Johannesburg replied to say they had received the medical and were processing the visa. Our CEAC status changed to "Approved".
15 Aug 24: CEAC status changed to "Issued".
19 Aug 24: Consulate sent email to Jon (beneficiary) with DHL tracking information.
20 Aug 24: DHL status change to Ready for Collection, Jon picked up his visa!!! |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 205 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 365 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Detroit |
| POE Date : |
2024-09-13 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
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| Biometrics Taken : |
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| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
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Adjustment of Status
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Des Moines IA |
| Date Filed : |
2024-10-28 |
| NOA Date : |
2024-11-01 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2024-11-20 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
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| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
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| Approved : |
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| Got I551 Stamp : |
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| Greencard Received: |
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| Comments : |
Application mailed on 24 Oct
NOA received via mail on 9 Nov |
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Employment Authorization
Document
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago National Office |
| Filing Method : |
Mail |
| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2024-10-28 |
| NOA Date : |
2024-11-01 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2024-11-20 |
| Approved Date : |
2024-11-22 |
| Date Card Received : |
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| Comments : |
Application mailed on 24 Oct
NOA received via mail on 9 Nov |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 25 days. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: South Africa
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
August 8, 2024 |
| Embassy Review : |
Jon arrived at the consulate approximately 90 minutes prior to his appointment time, and passed through security without issue. He stayed at the nearby Protea Hotel Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton, and was able to leave his luggage with the concierge until after the interview.
After passing security, Jon was given a blue folder and a checklist and asked to place the documents listed into the folder. Even then, the CO did not review them all (see below).
CO met with Jon at a window setting, and was very straightforward and professional with his approach. Questions were only five in total:
*What is your fiancée's name
*Where does she live
*How did you two meet
*Have you ever met in person
*What are your wedding plans
Very simple and to the point. Other COs seemed a bit friendlier but the one Jon had was just all business. He spent much longer with other interviewees prior to Jon but for some reason, everything was in order and the interview Jon had was considerably shorter than the ones he witnessed.
Documents reviewed were Heather's tax transcript and the DS-160 receipt, and little else.
Passport and original birth certificate were collected along with the passport photos. Jon was told he would receive everything back in the mail within 3-4 weeks.
Jon left the consulate with everything completed, before the scheduled appointment time. He was in and out in just over an hour.
(updated on August 8, 2024) |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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Timeline Comments: 8Additional NOA2 issued on 5/8/24, valid until 9/7/24
Youna on 2024-05-23 said:Hey there! Any updates on your end? Still haven’t received anything.
Hi Youna! Still tracking on CEAC, still At NVC status. I have been checking cases from the same day (last three digits signify our position, so I just swap out those numbers for smaller ones) and I discovered we are in dead last for our day lol! Seven cases in front of us: 2 are in transit today, 3 are ready, and 2 are at NVC with us. Spoken to other JHN K1s approved after us, who are in transit/ready already. Everything is opaque but I suspect we'll see movement in a cycle or two. Fingers crossed.
Youna on 2024-05-23 said: Oh wow pretty nifty trick there! Fingers crossed indeed, started to get a bit nervous, checking my emails and mail several times a day lol. Hopefully we do get something soon. Cheers.
Just remember there's a shipment schedule: packages leave the NVC for the requesting embassies every other Tuesday/Wednesday. Just finished a shipping window, time to get nervous again around the 4th of June. <3
Youna on 2024-05-23 said: I wasn’t aware of the shipment schedule, thanks for the info. I’ll definitely breathe a bit easier…for now ?
Congratulations! Do you have an entry date scheduled yet?
Jon just went through DTW! Will get more details tonight, he's got one more leg to fly :)
*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
JimmyX on 2024-09-12 said: