Ben&Ana's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Ana
Beneficiary's Name: Ben
VJ Member: Ben&Ana
Country: United Kingdom
Last Updated: 2011-09-07
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Immigration Checklist for Ana & Ben:
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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 : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
London, United Kingdom |
| I-129F Sent : |
2008-05-31 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2008-06-05 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
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| RFE Reply(s) : |
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| I-129F NOA2 : |
2008-10-07 |
| NVC Received : |
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| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
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| NVC Left : |
2008-10-14 |
| Consulate Received : |
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| Packet 3 Received : |
2008-11-24 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2008-12-02 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
2008-12-15 |
| Interview Date : |
2009-01-27 |
| Interview Result : |
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2009-01-29 |
| US Entry : |
2009-01-31 |
| Marriage : |
2009-02-12 |
| Comments : |
Embassy had to resend Packet 3 after it went missing in the mail. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 124 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 236 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
Newark |
| POE Date : |
2009-01-31 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
No |
| Biometrics Taken : |
Yes |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
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Adjustment of Status
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Newark NJ |
| Date Filed : |
2009-03-31 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-04-10 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2009-04-25 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
2009-04-21 |
| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2009-06-01 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
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| Greencard Received: |
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| Comments : |
Didn't have to interview. |
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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 : |
2009-03-31 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-04-10 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
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| Approved Date : |
2009-05-26 |
| Date Card Received : |
2009-06-04 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 56 days. |
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Advance Parole
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Chicago National Office |
| Filing Method : |
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| Filing Instance : |
First |
| Date Filed : |
2009-03-31 |
| NOA Date : |
2009-04-10 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Date Received : |
2009-06-01 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your AP was approved in 62 days. |
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Lifting Conditions
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Date Filed : |
2011-03-25 |
| NOA Date : |
2011-04-02 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2011-05-11 |
| 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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| Green Card Received : |
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| Comments : |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: London, United Kingdom
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
January 27, 2009 |
| Embassy Review : |
A ridiculously easy experience. Arrived at the Embassy at about 7:45am for an 8am interview. The security guards were friendly enough and by the time I went through all the checks I was in the building by just after 8.
At the reception I took a number (5003) and was directed upstairs. I took a seat and within thirty minutes I was called to a window. Here I spoke to a woman who asked to look at my passport, birth certificate and my police certificate. I gave these to her (with copies - except for the passport) and she put the originals in a plastic bag. I was then instructed to provide her with fingerprints. Here I had to do four fingers at a time before providing my thumb prints. After I'd given them - it took a couple of goes - the woman remarked that I didn't have very good fingerprints. Quite what this means, I don't know. Maybe I could have utilised my 'bad fingerprints' for a life of crime. But alas I try my best to be a model citizen. She then gave me a yellow form and instructed me to pay for the Visa. I wandered around for a while, vainly searching for the cashier's window and eventually found out that it was right next to the window I was previously at (d'oh!).
At the window were a couple with a baby, trying to pay for their Visa. They were having some sort of trouble with their credit card and so it took a while for my turn to come around. Having seen this debacle, I decided to pay cash (£94.19 - damn weak pound!).
After this, I went back to the original window. The woman asked for my fiancee's affidavit of support. I gave this to her and then she asked for supporting documents. I gave her copies of my fiancee's pay slips, her tax returns for the last three years and a letter from her employer. The woman then asked if my fiancee had a back account. I said she did but I didn't have a copy of her statement to provide. The woman nodded her head and gave me a pink form to fill out for the courier. I said I didn't have a pen with me and asked if I could fill the form out at the window - she said okay but told me to be quick as they were running a little late with the processing of visas.
Once I'd filled the form out, I returned to the waiting room. A little hungry, I bought a (cold) sandwich at the canteen at the far end of the room. It wasn't particularly good, but it did the job.
It's here that things turned a little surreal. I sat behind a party of people and then slowly realised that I was sitting behind the 'glamour' model Jordan. She talked to her group and I eavesdropped like mad and then I was called again (this was maybe 30-45 minutes after I sat back down).
At the window this time was a young American man, with the original copies of my birth certificate and police certificate, and the documents relating to my fiancee's employment and finances waiting to be taken. He was extremely friendly and I had to swear that I was telling the truth. I did so and then had to answer about 3 or 4 questions - how did you meet?, what do you do for a living?, where is your fiancee from?, and have you ever had any trouble with immigration before? I answered all of these and then managed to make him smile by telling him, in response to the 'where is your fiancee from?' question, that I'd been to her citizenship ceremony the year previously. He said that in a few years time I might be going to one so that I too could become a citizen.
The whole interview took 2 minutes (if that) and he said that he was approving my visa. All that was left was for me to go to the courier's desk to arrange for delivery (£14.20).
After getting into the Embassy at just after 8am, I was out of it by 9:45. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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POE Review: Newark
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| Event |
Description |
| Entry Date : |
2009-01-31 |
| Embassy Review : |
Arrived in the evening on a flight that was only a quarter full. Therefore I was expecting to be processed quite quickly.
At the booth I gave my massive envelope to the officer, who was extremely nice and friendly. However, he didn't seem to know what to do with K-1 Visas - he even had to shout to his colleague in the next booth and ask whether K-1s needed secondary processing.
I was then taken into another room (basically a big waiting room). Here there were loads of people waiting as a few officers went through various passports and immigration forms. I was told that it wouldn't take long so I happily took a seat. Behind me was a drunken man and on the TV was Spin City. Yes it was a kind of depressing environment, but at least I was very close to being with my girl...
Unfortunately, I was not processed as quickly as I'd been hoping (reading other people's experiences, they never seemed to have to wait any length of time). I ended up waiting for a couple of hours. In this time I saw many people get processed, which was kind of fascinating to watch sometimes. Some people would be called up by the officer and then have to state their case, while others would just be handed their passport and told to go on their way. I even got to see the officers' reactions to passport photos - more than once photos were handed around and the results laughed at (not while the people were standing before them, though).
One of the most frustrating things was the amount of times I thought I was going to be called. Time after time I saw an officer looking at a British passport, and as the waiting room slowly emptied, I always thought it would be me that would be called. But it always seemed to be someone else.
However, eventually, I was called. And from a raised platform - the officers seem to want to make themselves look large and imposing - a female officer called me and smilingly asked me a couple of questions about my impending marriage. I answered the questions and she gave me my passport back and I was told that I could go.
So although I experienced no harassment, the experience was frustrating in how long it took...
And just to illustrate how many times I've been through Newark, I recognised the female officer that processed me. She once took my Customs form and was disbelieving when I told her that I was visiting for four days and only had the one (small) bag. The conversation went something like this:
Her: 'How long are you staying for?'
Me: 'Four days.'
Her: 'And you only have one bag?'
Me: 'Yes.'
Her: 'And you're staying for four days?'
Me: 'Yes.'
Her: 'And you only have one bag?'
Me: 'Yes.'
[disgusted look from her]
Her: 'Okay, go on.'
So it was nice that the grumpy officer I once encountered was nice and friendly to me when I arrived on my K-1. |
| Harassment Level : |
Low |
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Timeline Comments: None yet, be the first!
*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
