TRANSFERS: On <date>, we transferred your I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E), to your local USCIS Office for further processing.

[d3adc0d3 186]

Case Transfers

Current as of July 2013.

Many posts are being made about transfers, and what these emails/notifications mean.

If you received a notice that looked like one of the following, your case has been transferred to another Service Center.... NOT your local office. Local offices do not process I-129F petitions. This transfer is usually a good thing. A transfer will occur when a Service Center is backlogged and cannot keep up with the influx of petitions, so they transfer the backlogged cases to another service center so those people can be processed in a timely manner. If you were told you have to wait another 180 days -- this is incorrect. Many Tier 1 Immigration Officers (the first people you talk to when you call the customer service number) are given a script to read from, which more often than not contains misinformation. They do not have access to any information that you, yourself cannot find online by either checking your case status or what is available on the USCIS website. Your case will be processed by receipt date, at the speed of the adjudicator processing it, and influenced by the complexity of the case.

In many cases there will be three notifications when a case is transferred.

The first notification will contain something like this:

On July 10, 2013, we transferred this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) to another office for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

This means that USCIS has sent your electronic file to the other office. Every time your file is handled by someone they have to scan it (to track where it is and who last handled it so they know who is responsible if anything come back with an issue), when they scan it if there are updates regarding your case (transfer, RFE, typographical error, inquiry, etc) there will be an accompanying message.

The second notification will typically be a few hours after and will contain something like this:

On July 10, 2013, we transferred your I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E), to your local USCIS Office for further processing. The new office has jurisdiction over your case and will send you a decision as soon as processing is complete or you will be notified if further information or action is needed. If you move, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address.

This means that USCIS has mailed your physical file to the Service Center that will be processing your case moving forward.

The third notification will be about a week later and will contain something like this:

On July 17, 2013, we received the I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E), transfer to your local USCIS Office. This office has jurisdiction over your case and will send you a decision as soon as processing is complete or you will be notified if further information or action is needed. If you move, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address.

Note: Email 3's text above is a guess, if anyone has a REAL notification like this, please let me know so I can update it with the actual notification text, I couldn't find a post that quoted the text.

This means the Service Center that is processing your file has received the physical file and will begin processing once the adjudicator picks up the batch (based on received date).

What does this mean for me?

This means that for most straight forward cases you may see your NoA2 or an RFE within a month or two. If your case is not straight forward or your case got flagged, it may take longer. Keep in mind every case is different. If you are outside the standard processing times you should contact the USCIS Customer Service line and ask to speak to a Tier 2 Immigration Officer. You should make sure your case wasn't lost in the shuffle, and that it is being worked on. Find out if you missed any notifications or if there is something that you can do to help move it along. Some immigration officers can be quite rude, so always remember to be as polite as possible. These people are overloaded with work and they're just people too. Be clear, concise, and to the point. They are busy people and their time is valuable.

So I can expect to get approved in a month or two?

This is the United States Government. Nothing is a guarantee. You MIGHT hear back in a month or two... You might not. It might be an approval, it might be an RFE, it might even be a denial. A lot of cases which were transferred in the June 21st batch (2013) from the VSC to the TSC were adjudicated within 4-6 weeks. Follow the forum posts stay alert, and watch the progress of people within your Service Center to get an idea of what is going on. The speed of who is getting their cases adjudicated has to do with the complexity of the case, whether you're beneficiary is in a high fraud risk country, and the speed in which the adjudicator themselves work.

Edited July 12, 2013 by d3adc0d3

[d3adc0d3 186]

I meant to post this in the progress subforum, my bad -- my internet connection refreshed, and I wasn't paying attention when I went to re-post.

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

~ Moved from K-1 Process to K-1 Progress Reports ~

[janet&adonis 57]

what about this message? It does not say transfer or jurisdiction.

Your case has been accepted and routed to the USCIS Vermont Service Center for processing

[d3adc0d3 186]

That would be your NoA1 notice. It means your case has been scanned into the electronic system and your physical files are getting forwarded to the Vermont Service Center.

[h_m 12]

This is the third message I got:

The I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) was transferred and is now being processed at a USCIS office. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

Out of curiosity, how do you know what the messages mean regarding the electronic and physical files? Nothing in the messages indicates that either way.

[d3adc0d3 186]

This is the third message I got:

Out of curiosity, how do you know what the messages mean regarding the electronic and physical files? Nothing in the messages indicates that either way.

I called a Tier 2 Officer and asked him to explain. He explained that the first email you get is the electronic notification (in this instance). The second was the actual mailing of the physical files. In the case of the NoA1, that's standard protocol. They scan the file & mail the petition to the assigned Service center once the electronic processing is complete. Several threads have covered this in the past.

[nadsa 1]

The I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) was transferred and is now being processed at a USCIS office. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

that's what I got today on my e-mail, I got the first two on wednesday I think so, this notice would be the third one, I know my fiance hasn't gotten a hard copy on the mail, because I'm actually visiting now, so for those who ask if you can visit, YES you can.

Now hopefully this actually means something good.

[d3adc0d3 186]

I no longer can edit my post, if a forum admin/mod can update the quote for me, I would be eternally grateful.

Edited July 12, 2013 by d3adc0d3

[loran 4]

Thank you for all the information! I receive the first two messages already on 07/10/13. waiting for the third notice and of course keep waiting...

[Spice1473 10]

I too received two emails on Wednesday and a third this evening----- fingers are crossed for a fourth, saying.......APPROVED for us all!!!!

All the best guys

[lilypad 2]

Dear weird, outside of work friends in whose company I spend several hours a day,

Word of encouragement to veteran VJers: The kingdom of Heaven is like this. Hang in there.

Gentle reminder to newbies: Please take the time to read through contributing posts to find an answer to your question. I guarantee you will find them. After you have done that and still need to ask, then please do!

Reminder to pre- AND post-approval petitioners: Don't stop with one letter to your Senator/Congressman/etc., if nothing more than a short note on their convenient online submission form they provide just for the purposes of contacting them! I'm not talking about help with YOUR petition; I'm talking about complaining about the system as a whole. Immigration reform, however greatly needed, doesn't just need a solution; it needs the resources to be enacted. And resources are obviously lacking. The pressure is helping - believe it!

Aaaaand in more important news:

3rd transfer notice this evening as well.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them transfers rollin'
Rawhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!!

(Thank you for putting the transfer info together, d3adc0d3.)

[b and d 0]

How about if the message is like this

Initial Review

On May 28, 2013, your Alien Registration Number was changed relating to your I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please check our website at www.uscis.gov for further updates on your case. Please wait until the end of normal processing time before calling customer

This is means papers in process already? And kindly when we expect noa 2.. thank you:)

[d3adc0d3 186]

How about if the message is like this

Initial Review

On May 28, 2013, your Alien Registration Number was changed relating to your I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please check our website at www.uscis.gov for further updates on your case. Please wait until the end of normal processing time before calling customer

This is means papers in process already? And kindly when we expect noa 2.. thank you:)

That is the "new" standard for pre-processing I-129F petitions. It means your file is in the electronic system and you're in for the wait game.

I got that notification a few days after I got my NoA1. I have yet to get my NoA2. Hang in there, you got a long wait.

I'd suggest reading up and pouring over the threads to learn as much as possible. I only know the journey for as far as I've made it and from what I've read in here.

[Juliet and Steve 93]

So I can expect to get approved in a month or two?

....A lot of cases which were transferred in the June 21st batch (2013) from the VSC to the TSC were adjudicated within 4-6 weeks. ....

Am I missing something here? It seems to me that four weeks from June 21st is July 21st...which is nine days from now... and six weeks would be August 5th. So how could cases have been adjudicated in a period that has yet to transpire?