lucybelle's US Immigration Timeline
|
Petitioner's Name: S
Beneficiary's Name: O
VJ Member: lucybelle
Country: Costa Rica
Last Updated: 2017-10-31
|
|
|
Immigration Checklist for S & O:
|
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 : |
National Benefits Center |
| Transferred? |
Texas Service Center on 2013-10-31 |
| Consulate : |
Costa Rica |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
2013-01-12 |
| I-130 Sent : |
2013-03-11 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2013-03-19 |
| I-130 RFE : |
2013-12-31 |
| I-130 RFE Sent : |
2014-01-15 |
| I-130 Approved : |
2014-01-28 |
| NVC Received : |
2014-02-10 |
| Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
2014-03-19 |
| Pay AOS Bill : |
2014-03-25 |
| Receive I-864 Package : |
|
| Send AOS Package : |
|
| Submit DS-261 : |
|
| Receive IV Bill : |
2014-03-31 |
| Pay IV Bill : |
2014-04-02 |
| Send IV Package : |
|
| Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
2014-03-31 |
| Case Completed at NVC : |
2014-05-31 |
| NVC Left : |
|
| Consulate Received : |
|
| Packet 3 Received : |
|
| Packet 3 Sent : |
|
| Packet 4 Received : |
|
| Interview Date : |
2014-07-01 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
|
Second Interview
(If Required): |
|
| Second Interview Result: |
|
| Visa Received : |
2014-07-07 |
| US Entry : |
2014-07-16 |
| Comments : |
POE through MIA. No problems, but 2.5 hour wait total. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 315 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 469 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
|
Lifting Conditions
|
| Event |
Date |
| CIS Office : |
Vermont Service Center |
| Date Filed : |
2016-04-27 |
| NOA Date : |
2016-04-29 |
| RFE(s) : |
|
| Bio. Appt. : |
2016-06-20 |
| Interview Date : |
|
| Approval / Denial Date : |
2017-04-28 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Got I551 Stamp : |
No |
| Green Card Received : |
2017-05-15 |
| Comments : |
My husband travels abroad frequently for work. Traveling on an expired GC with the extension letter was never an issue. Even after letter "expiration date". |
|
Citizenship
|
| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Lewisville TX Lockbox |
| CIS Office : |
Raleigh NC |
| Date Filed : |
2017-05-08 |
| NOA Date : |
2017-05-12 |
| Bio. Appt. : |
2017-06-07 |
| Interview Date : |
2017-10-31 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Oath Ceremony : |
2017-11-13 |
| Comments : |
We arrived 40 minutes early and they let us in. Everyone was nice. I didn't realize I (USC) was allowed to go upstairs with my husband, you can!
Questions-
1. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
2. How many years do we elect a senator?
3. What does the President's cabinet do?
4. How many members are in the Supreme Court?
5. Name one branch of the government.
6. Who rules if the president and vice president can no longer rule?
English sentence to read ''When is Columbus Day?'' English sentence to write ''Columbus Day is in October''
They didn't ask for any extra information (we applied under 3 year rule). My husband said the officer was kind, but spoke fast, so be prepared. |
|
Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Costa Rica
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
|
| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
July 1, 2014 |
| Embassy Review : |
Our appointment was at 12pm and we got there at 11:30am. We waited outside until about 11:50 when they started letting people in. There was already a line formed so I suggest getting there early to be first in line. There was one person ahead of us in line for residency interviews.
We were called to a window and basically stood there and watched a slim guy in glasses staple and organize our papers for about 30-40 minutes. He asked for proof that we filled the online DS-260 (the confirmation page). He asked us a few questions "when did you get married?", "when/where did you meet?" (everything in Spanish) We gave the whole story of how we met up until now. He asked us for supporting evidence of the relationship and I began pulling a ton of info out of my folders. He eventually said "that should be plenty" The same went for evidence of domicile. My husband also had to fill out a form of everywhere he's lived for over six months since the ago of 18. And we had to bring a list of his entries and exits to and from the USA.
After he finished organizing everything we went and sat down again. In a few minutes my husband was called by name to get his fingerprints taken. Then we sat down again.
About 10 minutes later a guy in the very back booth called for us by name. This was the actual interview (everything in English). He had us swear we were telling the truth, then my husband had to "sign" by giving his fingerprints. The interviewer then asked me about a question on the DS-261. The one that says "are you immigrating to the USA with your spouse?" I was told to put "no" since I'm not "immigrating" just moving. I explained that and he said that it should say "yes" and changed it. He asked about our history, meeting, where and when. (we met in Costa Rica and he asked why I was in the country and for how long) Then how many times I visited my husband and how many times he visited me in the USA. He asked about the lease agreement I provided as proof of domicile. It said rent was $100/month and he thought it was very low and I explained it was because we were only renting a room. He asked if we had been married before (no) and if we had any kids together (no) and if we had any kids before being married (no).
He then rips off a piece of pink paper and says "your visa is approved!" I might have yelled a little "YAY!" We'll go pick up the passport in a week! Sounds like it could have been ready earlier but Thursday and Friday of this week the embassy is closed.
The interviewers were not friendly, but also weren't mean. They seemed neutral like they wanted to get the job done. The guard who is inside the consular section of the embassy and wears a suit and glasses is EXTREMELY friendly and helpful. If you have any questions during the process, just ask him (in Spanish). We got to the embassy at 11:30am and left at 2:30pm. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
|
POE Review: Miami
|
| Event |
Description |
| Entry Date : |
2014/07/16 |
| Embassy Review : |
Our plane landed at 11am right as it seemed at least two or three other planes landed as well. So there was quite a heard of us rushing towards immigration. MIA has a new kiosk system for USCs, I didn't know if we could use them or not so we had to stop and ask. You can't, go straight to the visitors/green card holder line. Again, you CAN'T go through the USC line even if you're with a USC. You must go through the visitor's side. Which kind of sucks since the line is waayyyy longer.
We waited about an hour to get to an agent. We handed him the big brown envelope and he called over another guy who took us to another room. We waited in the other room for about 30-45 min until a guy came out and asked us if we had our medical packet. We said we weren't given it back after the interview and he said it wasn't in the envelope. Cue freakout. The guy went back to check again and he did find the packet. Thank goodness!
He then took us back, had us sign a few papers, gave my husband his passport and told us "welcome!" (of course when we walked out of the room around 1 pm there was NO LINE in immigration)
We picked up our bags and went through customs which was easy. Whole process (landing to checking back in for our connection) took about 2.5 hours. No problems, just a long wait!
And just FYI- I think just about everyone that worked in immigration spoke Spanish. For those who are worried about language barriers- DON'T BE! |
| Harassment Level : |
Low |
|
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
