PedroDaGr8's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Jeffrey
Beneficiary's Name: Khuyên
VJ Member: PedroDaGr8
Country: Vietnam
Last Updated: 2022-08-19
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Immigration Checklist for Jeffrey & Khuyên:
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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 : |
Bangkok, Thailand |
| I-129F Sent : |
2016-09-24 |
| I-129F NOA1 : |
2016-09-26 |
| I-129F RFE(s) : |
2016-10-27 |
| RFE Reply(s) : |
2016-11-02 |
| I-129F NOA2 : |
2016-11-09 |
| NVC Received : |
2016-11-21 |
| Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : |
2016-12-09 |
| NVC Left : |
2016-12-12 |
| Consulate Received : |
2017-01-10 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
2017-01-16 |
| Packet 3 Sent : |
2017-02-28 |
| Packet 4 Received : |
2017-03-05 |
| Interview Date : |
2017-03-30 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2017-04-26 |
| US Entry : |
2017-05-02 |
| Marriage : |
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| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-129f was approved in 44 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 185 days from your I-129F NOA1 date. |
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Adjustment of Status
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Seattle WA |
| Date Filed : |
2017-07-03 |
| NOA Date : |
2017-07-06 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2017-08-02 |
| AOS Transfer** : |
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| Interview Date : |
2018-12-11 |
| Approval / Denial Date : |
2018-12-12 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
No |
| Greencard Received: |
2018-12-19 |
| Comments : |
The Seattle Office is notoriously slow at processing AoS due to the sheer high case load.
As for our interview:
Arrived at the USCIS office 30 min before our scheduled time, went through security, and got in line at the Triage Desk. Got a number like the DMV and went upstairs to the waiting area. FYI, based on my experience, sit in the waiting area on the right if you can, not the portion on the left by the restrooms. Most interviewers come from doors on the right side and a couple people on the left side didn’t hear their number being called.
Our number was not called until around 45 min after our scheduled time. Our interviewer asked us a few basic questions and confirmed our IDs. He then asked for a few basic documents: birth certificate from my wife, passport or birth certificate from me, and a certified copy of our marriage certificate (he also asked if he could keep it). At that time, I also volunteered the certificate and divorce documents from my previous marriage. He said that while he didn’t need them, it was a nice to directly confirm the submitted copies in our case file against the originals. From there, he then put us under oath. His first question comment was “The validity of the relationship was clearly established during the K-1 process, do you have any additional evidence to submit?†Based on my research online, the USCIS seems to use a few different categories of evidence to demonstrate validity; as such, I organized all of my evidence into these categories: comingling of finances, cohabitation, communications, co-mingling of personal lives/pictures. We submitted evidence from each of these categories. Interestingly he only wanted a few pictures stating, “I try not to overwhelm the case file with loads of picturesâ€. Of the pictures we provided, he focused in particular on ones containing each of us with the others parents and pictures from our parents meeting each other, again asking if he could keep the pictures (we agreed he could). As for other evidence provided, we communicate regularly via Google Hangouts, so I provided a number of chat logs and screenshots from Hangouts showing us communicating regular boring typical relationship stuff. I also included some screen captures showing the sheer number of chats. For finances I provided insurance documents, shared credit cards, utility bills, etc. Lastly, for cohabitation, we provided leases with both names on them and evidence that we both receive mail at the same address (USPS Informed Delivery). For comingling of lives, besides the pictures, we also provided a bunch of FB posts where my wife tagged me. Once this was complete, he asked some more basic questions: why did I split from my previous wife, how we first met, he asked my wife what is the name of a close friend of mine who lives here, etc. As we finished up, he asked if there was anything else we wanted to provide. When I asked if he wanted my current tax return, he stated it was not necessary as the financial evidence was more than enough. Additionally, my wife did not need to provide anything related to vaccination or medical exam.
When finished, we were not told whether we were approved or not. He gave us a sheet indicating that USCIS was issuing a continuance for additional processing. Frustratingly, this sheet had been printed out before the interview started. He stated that this is pretty much standard right now and that they had all of the documents needed at this time. If they discovered a document was missing they would issue an RFE. He said from there, if approved then we would be notified via mail and in the unlikely event we are denied, the letter would inform us on how to appeal. Furthermore, the continuation gave them up to 120 days to render a verdict. He said truthfully it is seldom that long, but that sometimes they do need that entire time. I was a bit crestfallen at this news, as being on hold indefinitely sucks. I asked him how things went and he stated “Honestly, this was a very basic and straightforward interviewâ€. I interpreted that as either a very good thing or very bad thing. We were rather blah about it afterwards, more worried about the wait. Turns out this wasn’t necessary! Last-night, about 13 hours after the interview, between 12:50am and 1:30am we received no less than SEVEN SMS messages letting us know that our case status has been updated. Checked on egov.uscis.com and sure enough we were approved! The status now states “New Card is Being Produced†I expect the “Welcome to America†Letter to come in the next week, with the card a few days behind it.
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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 : |
2017-07-03 |
| NOA Date : |
2017-07-06 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
2017-08-02 |
| Approved Date : |
2017-11-04 |
| Date Card Received : |
2017-11-13 |
| Comments : |
It took us 124 days from AoS received to notice of EAD approved. Still no info about AP, but I have heard this is not uncommon. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your EAD was approved in 124 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 : |
2017-07-03 |
| NOA Date : |
2017-07-06 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Date Received : |
2017-11-13 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your AP was approved in 129 days. |
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Lifting Conditions
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| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Nebraska Service Center |
| Date Filed : |
2020-11-20 |
| NOA Date : |
2021-01-09 |
| RFE(s) : |
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| Bio. Appt. : |
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| Interview Date : |
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| Approval / Denial Date : |
2021-08-04 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
No |
| Green Card Received : |
2021-08-11 |
| Comments : |
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Citizenship
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Online |
| CIS Office : |
Seattle WA |
| Date Filed : |
2021-09-15 |
| NOA Date : |
2021-09-15 |
| Bio. Appt. : |
2021-09-15 |
| Interview Date : |
2022-08-10 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Oath Ceremony : |
2022-08-10 |
| Comments : |
Received Receipt Notice and Biometrics Waiver Notice within an hour or two of online submission.
The Interview appointment was for 12:45. We arrived at 12:10 and she went in at 12:20 without issue.
She was immediately directed to have her biometrics done (they were waived previously). From there she went to the waiting room and was seen right around her interview time. The interviewing officer was remote, she communicated with him via a tablet and headphones. She said the guy was quite gruff and never smiled once (or even said she got an answer correct) but never was out of line.
They started with the Civics Questions:
1. We elect a President for how many years?
2. Name one state that borders Canada.
3. Who was the first President?
4. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
5. Who is the governor of your state?
6. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
This was followed by the Reading:
She forgets but it was something to do with George Washington.
And Writing:
George Washington was the first president.
Then he started confirming the N400 information. He didn't ask every single item in the N400 but asked a good chunk both initially and while waiting for submitted documents to be scanned in (which took a bunch of time because they were so busy).
After that, he asked for a joint bank account statement (we didn't bring it), so she suggested our most recent tax return which he accepted. He also asked for a copy of our lease, which we provided. From there he asked her a bunch of questions about our marriage (where did we get married, what's her job, what's my job, etc.) Interestingly, he never asked her for my (the US Citizen spouse) birth certificate or divorce papers or for our marriage certificate.
At the end of the interview, while they were waiting for some documents to be scanned in by the staff, he asked "Do you see the printer?" To which she responded yes, thinking he wanted her to scan something in because it was taking SO long. He said that he is going to send something to her. It was her approval. When she picked it up, he said "Congratulations, you passed." He then stated that in Washington, you will have a same day ceremony and the assistant will be in shortly to provide you with further instructions, before immediately hanging up. All in all the interview took around 45min-1 hour.
The assistant came in immediately after he hung up and directed her to the auditorium. They waited until a certain number of people were present and performed the ceremony at around 1:55. As she left, she saw they were already queueing up the next batch of approvals.
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Bangkok, Thailand
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
April 26, 2017 |
| Embassy Review : |
The process was truly chaotic. My fiancee is Vietnamese but interviewing at the Bangkok US Embassy, because she lives and works in Bangkok. The day before my fiancee's interview at the US Embassy, her interview appointment disappeared from the embassy website; it was wiped entirely off the schedule for that month. Surprised and unsure what to do, I posted on here if anyone had any experience with this. Nobody had encountered this happening before but the general consensus was to go to the interview anyways because we had not heard anything from the embassy. So she went to her appointment as it had been originally scheduled. Once there, they took all of her documents as if she was having her interview and there was no indication of anything wrong. She was asked the usual first round of questions when she gave the documents and then she waited 5 hours for her name to be called up for her interview. When she was called up, the officer simply said that they wanted to independently verify ALL of her official Vietnamese documents (the ones that she got directly from the Viet government) and as such there would be no interview today (his words). He gave her back her passport and a 221G with the only thing checked being "Other:" and it is filled in with "Administrative Processing of Vietnamese Documents". He refused to giver her any time frame, estimated time, or honestly any other details at all. This left us wondering how long it would take. The horror stories about 221G and Administrative Processing abound. After a couple of weeks she sent an email to the Embassy and they responded back:
Dear Sir/Madam:
Thank you for your email.
It is our pleasure to inform you that your visa has now been approved. We are working with the preparation of your visa package at the moment which takes approximately ten business days. Applicant should refrain from making any irrevocable travel arrangements until he/she receives the visa package back in hand. Once the package is ready, we will mail it to the applicant's mailing address in his/her GSS profile. All of the original documents will be returned to the applicant with this package.
The tracking number of the package will not be available until it is sent off. You are welcome to check back with us in the next ten business days for possible update.
Best Regards,
Immigrant Visa Unit
US Embassy Bangkok
This is strange, because she was literally told that she would not have the consular interview before, implying there would be an interview at a later date. Now here is where it gets even more weird: at this point, THEY DON'T HAVE HER PASSPORT! Wondering how they can process the packet without her passport, she emailed back. They responded to send it to the same address she sent her Packet 3 before. So she does this and it arrives there the day before the Songkran holiday. A couple days after the holiday she emails them and they said they are still working through the backlog from the holiday but will get to it shortly. Suddenly, two days ago (8 business days from the email) her CEAC status gets updated from Immigrant to Non-Immigrant and a new case date is submitted. Within 12 hours of this status change, her status flies through Ready-->Administrative Processing-->Issued. On top of that, checking her passport status yesterday shows that it has been submitted for shipping. Today when she came home from work her passport was there with the visa included! So they literally hit their 10 business days (if you ignore the days off for Songkran Holiday) |
| Rating : |
Moderate |
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Local US CIS Office Review: Seattle WA
Review Topic: cis_topic
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
December 12, 2018 |
| Embassy Review : |
Our interview process:
Arrived at the USCIS office 30 min before our scheduled time, went through security, and got in line at the Triage Desk. Got a number like the DMV and went upstairs to the waiting area. FYI, based on my experience, sit in the waiting area on the right if you can, not the portion on the left by the restrooms. Most interviewers come from doors on the right side and a couple people on the left side didn’t hear their number being called.
Our number was not called until around 45 min after our scheduled time. Our interviewer asked us a few basic questions and confirmed our IDs. He then asked for a few basic documents: birth certificate from my wife, passport or birth certificate from me, and a certified copy of our marriage certificate (he also asked if he could keep it). At that time, I also volunteered the certificate and divorce documents from my previous marriage. He said that while he didn’t need them, it was a nice to directly confirm the submitted copies in our case file against the originals. From there, he then put us under oath. His first question comment was “The validity of the relationship was clearly established during the K-1 process, do you have any additional evidence to submit?†Based on my research online, the USCIS seems to use a few different categories of evidence to demonstrate validity; as such, I organized all of my evidence into these categories: comingling of finances, cohabitation, communications, co-mingling of personal lives/pictures. We submitted evidence from each of these categories. Interestingly he only wanted a few pictures stating, “I try not to overwhelm the case file with loads of picturesâ€. Of the pictures we provided, he focused in particular on ones containing each of us with the others parents and pictures from our parents meeting each other, again asking if he could keep the pictures (we agreed he could). As for other evidence provided, we communicate regularly via Google Hangouts, so I provided a number of chat logs and screenshots from Hangouts showing us communicating regular boring typical relationship stuff. I also included some screen captures showing the sheer number of chats. For finances I provided insurance documents, shared credit cards, utility bills, etc. Lastly, for cohabitation, we provided leases with both names on them and evidence that we both receive mail at the same address (USPS Informed Delivery). For comingling of lives, besides the pictures, we also provided a bunch of FB posts where my wife tagged me. Once this was complete, he asked some more basic questions: why did I split from my previous wife, how we first met, he asked my wife what is the name of a close friend of mine who lives here, etc. As we finished up, he asked if there was anything else we wanted to provide. When I asked if he wanted my current tax return, he stated it was not necessary as the financial evidence was more than enough. Additionally, my wife did not need to provide anything related to vaccination or medical exam.
When finished, we were not told whether we were approved or not. He gave us a sheet indicating that USCIS was issuing a continuance for additional processing. Frustratingly, this sheet had been printed out before the interview started. He stated that this is pretty much standard right now and that they had all of the documents needed at this time. If they discovered a document was missing they would issue an RFE. He said from there, if approved then we would be notified via mail and in the unlikely event we are denied, the letter would inform us on how to appeal. Furthermore, the continuation gave them up to 120 days to render a verdict. He said truthfully it is seldom that long, but that sometimes they do need that entire time. I was a bit crestfallen at this news, as being on hold indefinitely sucks. I asked him how things went and he stated “Honestly, this was a very basic and straightforward interviewâ€. I interpreted that as either a very good thing or very bad thing. We were rather blah about it afterwards, more worried about the wait. Turns out this wasn’t necessary! Last-night, about 13 hours after the interview, between 12:50am and 1:30am we received no less than SEVEN SMS messages letting us know that our case status has been updated. Checked on egov.uscis.com and sure enough we were approved! The status now states “New Card is Being Produced†I expect the “Welcome to America†Letter to come in the next week, with the card a few days behind it.
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| Harassment Level : |
Good |
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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
