lovenlife

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/public...A_061306PN.pdf

Posted on today on their website

Washington, DC – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that in order to comply with provisions of the International Marriage Brokers Regulation Act of 2005 (IMBRA), it will need to issue “Requests for Evidence” for more than 10,000 Alien Fiancé(e) Petitions (Form I-129F) currently being held at USCIS Service Centers. USCIS will begin issuing RFEs to affected petitioners as soon as the RFE template has been approved and cleared by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Although USCIS began work on necessary revisions to the Form I-129F shortly after passage of IMBRA, the form has not yet received OMB clearance. All petitions filed on or after March 6 must be supplemented with additional information to satisfy the new evidentiary requirements established by IMBRA. To adjudicate the petitions that are being held as quickly and efficiently as possible, USCIS, upon clearance from OMB, will issue “Requests for Evidence” (RFEs) asking petitioners to provide the additional information including data pertaining to a petitioner’s criminal history (if any). Details on the waiver process for those affected by the new limitation for filings of I-129Fs are also provided in the RFE. A new Form I-129F that incorporates these changes should become available later in June. In certain circumstances, USCIS may need to issue a second RFE to some petitioners later in the process if it is determined that other required information was not provided in the initial filing.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, of which IMBRA is a part, are designed to continue Congress’s efforts to prevent domestic violence and spousal abuse. Immigrants who have been victims of domestic violence have long benefited from VAWA immigration provisions, which allow abused spouses and children to self-petition for lawful immigration status. Under IMBRA, Congress has further extended those protections by regulating more closely the international marriage broker market and by requiring disclosure of violent criminal history, such as domestic abuse, rape, or murder, of which a fiancé(e) may be unaware.

Sorry to be the poster of bad news.

Edit: And sorry if anyone brought this up earlier, I didn't see it mentioned with a quick scan on here.

Nauman Sheikh

Hi All,

Does anyone know if this ruling applies only to the Fiance visas or
will it also apply to spouse visas (K3)?

Any clarification in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

lovenlife wrote:
    > http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/public...A_061306PN.pdf
    > Posted on today on their website
    > Washington, DC - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
    > announced today that in order to comply with provisions of the
    > International Marriage Brokers Regulation Act of 2005 (IMBRA), it will
    > need to issue "Requests for Evidence" for more than 10,000 Alien
    > Fianc�(e) Petitions (Form I-129F) currently being held at USCIS Service
    > Centers. USCIS will begin issuing RFEs to affected petitioners as soon
    > as the RFE template has been approved and cleared by the Office of
    > Management and Budget (OMB).
    > Although USCIS began work on necessary revisions to the Form I-129F
    > shortly after passage of IMBRA, the form has not yet received OMB
    > clearance. All petitions filed on or after March 6 must be supplemented
    > with additional information to satisfy the new evidentiary requirements
    > established by IMBRA. To adjudicate the petitions that are being held as
    > quickly and efficiently as possible, USCIS, upon clearance from OMB,
    > will issue "Requests for Evidence" (RFEs) asking petitioners to
    > provide the additional information including data pertaining to a
    > petitioner's criminal history (if any). Details on the waiver process
    > for those affected by the new limitation for filings of I-129Fs are also
    > provided in the RFE. A new Form I-129F that incorporates these changes
    > should become available later in June. In certain circumstances, USCIS
    > may need to issue a second RFE to some petitioners later in the process
    > if it is determined that other required information was not provided in
    > the initial filing.
    > The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Department of Justice
    > Reauthorization Act of 2005, of which IMBRA is a part, are designed to
    > continue Congress's efforts to prevent domestic violence and spousal
    > abuse. Immigrants who have been victims of domestic violence have long
    > benefited from VAWA immigration provisions, which allow abused spouses
    > and children to self-petition for lawful immigration status. Under
    > IMBRA, Congress has further extended those protections by regulating
    > more closely the international marriage broker market and by requiring
    > disclosure of violent criminal history, such as domestic abuse, rape, or
    > murder, of which a fianc�(e) may be unaware.
    > Sorry to be the poster of bad news.
    > Edit: And sorry if anyone brought this up earlier, I didn't see it
    > mentioned with a quick scan on here.
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

meauxna

Very much "unknown" at this time; the agency hasn't said anything yet about how this will affect K-3s.
Hang in there and be prepared to follow the immigrant visa process (from the I-130) as I-130s are getting approved while I-129fs for spouses have not been doing anything lately. (timelines at visajourney.com)