-Cm

Hi Everyone,

I am getting ready to submit an I-129F with attachments. My
question concern when the goverment will begin to look at the details
of this petition. It is my understanding that I will receive an
acknowledgement that they have the petition but than the paperwork will
be put in a queue. When I look at the processing times for the VERMONT
SERVICE CENTER it appears that they will not even look at the petition
for at least 6 months.

Am I correct about this timetable? I submit the petition and than
wait at least 6 months before they consider any of the details? What
happens if they need additional information or I make some
unintentional mistake?

CM

-Cm

Thanks for the reply Wendell,

I guess I do not understand the processing time information
posted by the regional service centers. They seem to imply that,
because of the workload, the details of a specific type of petition
(say I-129F) are not considered until others ahead in the queue have
been processed. Are you saying that the petitions are reviewed soon
after they are submitted? And that processing times are really
dependant on the fiance's country of origin?

CM


SXMWendell wrote:
> Depends from which country you significant other is from. I sent in a I129F
> on July 28 the internal part was finished and forwarded to the embassy in
> Bogota on Oct. 4. Then the packet 3 and 4 from the embassy. Her interview
> is scheduled next Tuesday (Jan 16). HTH
>
> Wendell
>
>
> "CM" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] ps.com...
> > Hi Everyone,
> >
> > I am getting ready to submit an I-129F with attachments. My
> > question concern when the goverment will begin to look at the details
> > of this petition. It is my understanding that I will receive an
> > acknowledgement that they have the petition but than the paperwork will
> > be put in a queue. When I look at the processing times for the VERMONT
> > SERVICE CENTER it appears that they will not even look at the petition
> > for at least 6 months.
> >
> > Am I correct about this timetable? I submit the petition and than
> > wait at least 6 months before they consider any of the details? What
> > happens if they need additional information or I make some
> > unintentional mistake?
> >
> > CM
> >

SXMWendell

Depends from which country you significant other is from. I sent in a I129F
on July 28 the internal part was finished and forwarded to the embassy in
Bogota on Oct. 4. Then the packet 3 and 4 from the embassy. Her interview
is scheduled next Tuesday (Jan 16). HTH

Wendell


"CM" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ps.com...
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I am getting ready to submit an I-129F with attachments. My
> question concern when the goverment will begin to look at the details
> of this petition. It is my understanding that I will receive an
> acknowledgement that they have the petition but than the paperwork will
> be put in a queue. When I look at the processing times for the VERMONT
> SERVICE CENTER it appears that they will not even look at the petition
> for at least 6 months.
>
> Am I correct about this timetable? I submit the petition and than
> wait at least 6 months before they consider any of the details? What
> happens if they need additional information or I make some
> unintentional mistake?
>
> CM
>

SXMWendell

The processing time varies because of the embassy backload. The processing
time in the US seems to be "relatively" constant for the K1 visas from what
I've seen.



"CM" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> Thanks for the reply Wendell,
>
> I guess I do not understand the processing time information
> posted by the regional service centers. They seem to imply that,
> because of the workload, the details of a specific type of petition
> (say I-129F) are not considered until others ahead in the queue have
> been processed. Are you saying that the petitions are reviewed soon
> after they are submitted? And that processing times are really
> dependant on the fiance's country of origin?
>
> CM
>
>
> SXMWendell wrote:
> > Depends from which country you significant other is from. I sent in a
I129F
> > on July 28 the internal part was finished and forwarded to the embassy
in
> > Bogota on Oct. 4. Then the packet 3 and 4 from the embassy. Her
interview
> > is scheduled next Tuesday (Jan 16). HTH
> >
> > Wendell
> >
> >
> > "CM" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected] ps.com...
> > > Hi Everyone,
> > >
> > > I am getting ready to submit an I-129F with attachments. My
> > > question concern when the goverment will begin to look at the details
> > > of this petition. It is my understanding that I will receive an
> > > acknowledgement that they have the petition but than the paperwork
will
> > > be put in a queue. When I look at the processing times for the VERMONT
> > > SERVICE CENTER it appears that they will not even look at the petition
> > > for at least 6 months.
> > >
> > > Am I correct about this timetable? I submit the petition and than
> > > wait at least 6 months before they consider any of the details? What
> > > happens if they need additional information or I make some
> > > unintentional mistake?
> > >
> > > CM
> > >
>

[email protected]

Like everyone here keeps saying, don't really pay attention to the
processing times. I was prepared to wait the normal 6 months like it
says but I submitted my I-129F in October (receipt was dated 10th,
notice date was 19th) and in December our petition was approved, dated
Dec 19th. I was totally surprised by this, so just be patient and you
might be rewarded sooner than you think!

CM wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I am getting ready to submit an I-129F with attachments. My
> question concern when the goverment will begin to look at the details
> of this petition. It is my understanding that I will receive an
> acknowledgement that they have the petition but than the paperwork will
> be put in a queue. When I look at the processing times for the VERMONT
> SERVICE CENTER it appears that they will not even look at the petition
> for at least 6 months.
>
> Am I correct about this timetable? I submit the petition and than
> wait at least 6 months before they consider any of the details? What
> happens if they need additional information or I make some
> unintentional mistake?
>
> CM

ian-mstm

Ignore all processing times... they are misleading at best, and unrealistic at worst. Paying attention to them is the first step on the road to maddness. Your case will *not* be the same as anyone else's case... and even the most accurate and correct application sometimes hits a snag. Submit the application and it'll get processed when it gets processed.

Ian

PSexton

Is it just me.. or do they make it extremely difficult to come to the US? If I wanted to marry a Colombian, I could wait an extremely long time to bring her to the US with me? What if she has held a US 10 year visa for most of her life, would that help any? Or is this a long drawn out process.
Quick question, if I wanted to marry a Colombian, how long would it take (approx) for her to be legally residing in the US for indefinite amount of time?

ian-mstm

Yes, it is difficult to come to the US.


Yes, you could.


Unfortunately, it won't help one little bit... unless, of course, it's a "dual intent" visa... which most aren't.


Yes.


At best... roughly 8 - 12 months... the time it takes to process a K-1 visa. There are other visa options that take longer up front but require no more paperwork once she's in the US... but you're looking at about 14 - 16 months or more... and that's assuming she has no prior overstay issues or a criminal history. Largely, the difference is in whether you want to marry in the US or in Colombia.

Ian

PSexton

you say marry in the US or in COlombia.. Please, what are the defining differences between the two. Would it be better / faster to marry in the US, or Colombia, or rather, what are the benefits of the two?
Thank you for your reply

ian-mstm

Well, besides the obvious "one is in the US, the other is in Colombia", it makes a difference in the type of visa she would need.

To marry in the US, she would need a fiancee (K-1) visa. You file form I-129F. After the I-129F is approved, it gets sent to Colombia where she needs to have an interview, submit documentation and, if successful, she gets the visa. Once she has the visa, she has 6 months in which to enter the US and then you both have 90 days in which to marry. Then you need to file forms to adjust her status to permanent resident.

I don't know what you would need to marry in Colombia, but once you marry there, you file form I-130. Once that is approved, she has an interview and submits documentation and, if successful, she gets the visa. Once she has the visa, she has 6 months in which to enter the US but as soon as she does, she becomes a permanent resident and there is no more paperwork to file (well, more or less).


What's "better" is what works for you. As for faster, from the date of filing until she becomes a permanent resident... it takes about the same amount of time. The difference is that with the K-1 visa, she's in the US sooner but there's a lot more (expensive) paperwork and until she gets her green card, she needs employment authorization if she wants to work, and advance parole if she wants to travel outside the US. With the I-130, she's a permanent resident the day she enters the US with immediate authorization to travel and work.

The forms are available at www.uscis.gov as is a lot more information. Realize also that there is a financial committment needed from you... and if the marriage doesn't work out and she remains in the US, you could be on the hook financially for the rest of your life.

Ian

meauxna

Hmmm. I would've thought that a K-1 takes longer to get to PR status than via an Immigrant Visa.

ian-mstm

I dunno... if someone arrived in the US the day after the K-1 was granted, married the next day and filed the paperwork the day after that... my guess is that the process would take about the same amount of time. Trouble is, the people involved (read: applicant, beneficiary) usually take their own sweet time to do stuff... like, y'know, plan a wedding. With the IV, the time it takes to get around to filing stuff isn't as much of an issue.

Ian