Irene Ireny

Hi, My boyfriend just sent I-129f package on 23 Nov, 2005. For how long
will that take me to leave? I checked the Texas Service Center and
found out they are now processing July 15. Thats really slow. So it
will take me at least 6 months?

andrea874

I'd count on a good six months...

Folinskyinla

Hi:

Ah, future "timeline" questions! This is a question ALL of my clients ask and its the one I tell them I can't really answer other than saying what happened in the LAST case I handled and a warning "your mileage might vary." [Thank you Joanathon McNiel Wong for that line! ] Quite simply, they can't be predicted with any degree of accuracy. They can be longer or they can be MUCH shorter.

The date they give you is just a "snapshot" of what they are working on that day. Do NOT assume that the processing goes in a linear fashion. Do note on the website processing times that the Service Centers handle all types of applications. While its true that YOU are concerned about only 1-129F's, that is but ONE [and a small one at that] of the Service Center's workload.

Sometimes, it happens that a particular type of application will be "task-forced" and the backlog disappears overnight. Or something may happen which causes an increase in filing in other types of applications -- for example, there was a recent "retrogression" in certain immigrant classifications so there was a rush to get in I-140/485 combined processing applications before it took effect. A lot of these applications were incomplete due to haste so now there are a lot of RFE's being generated before the 204(j) 180-day witching hour sets in.

So, DO check the processing times about every other week to see what they are working on now. However, do NOT try to PROJECT future events.

Elvira

Could this post - or a variation thereof - be added to the FAQs?

Not just here but in all three US immigration forums.

Since this kind of question seems to get asked a zillion times...

Rete

Again, we do not have control of the FAQ. It is owned and housed at www.visajourney.com

They are the people you need to ask. At one time there was a question/answer regarding this type of posting on the FAQ. If it is still there, I don't know.

Rete

Folinskyinla

They better damn well give me credit. A friend of mine who used to do intellectual property law noted that copyright protection and liability for plagarism are two different animals. There was a publication of which I was the author of the original edition and formulated the idea. I do NOT own the copyright. I was not given credit on subsequent editions and figured life was too short until friend enlightened me. I am now credited and got an apology. Actually, the person responsible was no longer with the organization in question and there was a lack of "insitutional memory."

meauxna

The FAQ from this group predates your participation; is there a specific FAQ that you think should be credited to you? If so, you can write to [email protected] for additions/corrections/credits.

Ned Brickley

On 25 Nov 2005 07:18:28 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

    >Hi, My boyfriend just sent I-129f package on 23 Nov, 2005. For how long
    >will that take me to leave? I checked the Texas Service Center and
    >found out they are now processing July 15. Thats really slow. So it
    >will take me at least 6 months?

Hi, Allow me to welcome you to my nightmare.

February 14, 2003. Arrive China and meet my future wife. Have a
rollicking great time! Return home. Contact Lawyer and begin the
paperwork. Forms submitted to Vermont August 2003. Sit in limbo for 6
weeks, then request for more information. My lawyer explodes over what
they want, but good planning on our part, she has it and send it in.
another 6 weeks (and one call to my senator), and then I find that the
National Visa Center in Portsmouth NH has the stuff.

NVC is the best, most helpful of all the agencies to date with the
exception of City Hall in my home town. (More on that later)
They provide information, answer the phone and are extremely helpful.
They let me know everything has been sent to the black hole known as
Cygnus X-1...err I mean the consulate in Guangzhou China February
2004.

And there it sits...And sits...And sits. I contact the consulate for
the first time mid Feb. 2004. They reply that they have sent my then
fiancee more forms for her to fill out. Two weeks goes by and no
forms.

I contact the consulate again. The packet was returned as unknown
address. Huh?? I have used the same address as had my lawyer. I comply
with the request to send my fiancee's mailing address in Chinese. I
can't read/write Chinese so my wife sends it to me.

Another 2 weeks goes past. Nada. I contact them again. Their web based
email form trashed the Chinese writing and they couldn't read it.
Could I fax them the address? After being counseled by my HR
department for excessive yelling, (I was at work when I read this.
They were understanding), I contact my fiancee and ask her to fax it
to the number provided.

Lo and Behold!! A miracle happened. One week later she has the forms.
She takes a few weeks to fill them out with the help for a friend and
mailed them back. Two weeks later I wander into the consulate web site
to check on things and what do I see? A notice that the call center,
which also handled all appointment scheduling had been shut down by
the local police.

I find out from a friend that what happened was, the consulate had
contracted with a local company and they had been closed down for
overcharging callers. It is now June of 2004. I am most unhappy. my
fiancee isn't overly thrilled either.

The call center reopens. YAY! I give them a couple of weeks to get up
to speed and contact them again. When, roughly, can my fiancee expect
her appointment. "We'll get to it eventually." I explode again.
Another call to my senator results in a notice in September that my
fiancee has been scheduled for an appointment October 29th. Yippee!! I
start arranging for plane tickets, hotels and all that good stuff.

October and the appointment comes. Thanks to careful preparation all
goes well. Yippee!! I fly to China November 29, (The day after
Thanksgiving) and arrive the next day. Happiness and fun ensues.

December 9th we arrive in the U.S. and I bring my wife to her new
house. She is tired but happy. December 15, we go to City Hall and get
a marriage licnese. It takes all of 15 minutes. February 19, 2005 we
are legally married in the U.S.

I have to be honest our experience was somewhat atypical. my wife's
sister is also coming on a K-1 visa and her papers went through. Her
appontment is in December. I think the whole thing only took them 6
months.

Hopefully this will help you, but remember, your milage may vary.

www.angry.net/xinqing

--
Ned

Katikati

Why dont USCs just go abroad and marry there and do the K-3/K4?

IS that not faster? Instead of waiting forever for the K-1?

Bob

Not always, depends on the country...and some other countries require fiance visa's themselves...
Plus K3 isn't that much quicker either unless your lucky.

Ned Brickley

On Sat, 26 Nov 2005 17:10:45 +0000, Katikati
<member30165@british_expats.com> wrote:

    >Why dont USCs just go abroad and marry there and do the K-3/K4?

    >IS that not faster? Instead of waiting forever for the K-1?

When we were woking on things I asked my wife about that. She told me
it was a real hassle to get permission for us to get married in China.
We went through a big ceremony there but it had no legal basis. It was
just for her family and friends.

I still have nightmares from the video. I forgot the camera was there
and concentrated on the still photographer. Now my wife looks great of
course, but I just looked silly. :)

No I will NOT arrange for that to be posted on the net somewhere.
<Tongue firmly planted in cheek)

--
Ned

Mh

In article <[email protected]> ,
Katikati <member30165@british_expats.com> wrote:

[cut]

    >Why dont USCs just go abroad and marry there and do the K-3/K4?
    >IS that not faster? Instead of waiting forever for the K-1?

Depends on your choices: do you want to be separated BEFORE being married,
or AFTER being married.

My wife and I chose BEFORE, and thus did K-1 (which still showed up late so
we had a church blessing, etc..).

MH

jeffreyhy

K,

Sometimes it is, sometimes it is not.

Don't forget to include the time (and effort) it may take for a USC to go abroad and get married there rather than in the USA.

Regards, JEff

marasmus

generally speaking, which is faster to get one's spouse here?

Noorah101

If it's for a spouse, the only choices are K-3 or IV visa. The K-3 used to be faster, but nowadays it seems the IV has sped up enough to not need the K-3. You never know, though, every case is different.

Rene