Satheesh

Hello Friends,

Am Satheesh, 30 years of age and single, from India. My dad had filed an I-130 immigration application in my favor, sometime back ( April 2004 ) at the "Nebraska Service Center". Few months back I had received a notification stating that all I-130 applications have been moved to California from Nebraska. Soon following this I recvd yet another notification from California service center, stating that that have recvd my I-130 application, but the receipt date on which was mentioned as 2006 March. Now my doubt is - do I need to wait till that time when they start processing the 2006 applicants or will my application get processed alongwith the 2004 applicants ??

Any info provided on this will be most appreciated.

Regards
Satheesh

Folinskyinla

Hi:

You are in a backlogged category and nowhere near current. If the I-130 was approved now, it would then sit in the National Visa Center of the State Department for some years. As a result, the CIS is no hurry to adjudicate since it doesn't matter.

Satheesh

Hello Folinskyinla,

Thanks for the reply.

Does that mean my original application date viz April 2004 ( date of filing I-130 application at Nebraska ) is no longer valid and instead March 2006 ( date when I-130 application was transferred to California ) will be considered as the application date hereon for further processing ??? If yes, does that mean it is likely to take another 5 or 6 more years for me before finally reaching USA ??

Thanks in advance
Satheesh

Folinskyinla

Hi:

That is not what I said. Your filing date will be your "priority date" and that does not change. As of May 2006, the FB-1 cut-off was in 2001 and the FB-2B was in 1996 [I'm disregarding current September cutoffs becuase they usually go backwards due to the fact that September is the last month of the Government's fiscal year].

Do note that if your dad filed for you as an FB-2B and naturalizes, your application will be converted to an FB-1 with no change in priority date -- but he should notify CSC of the fact.

My point is that since you are some years away from a visa even if your petition was approved today, CIS can put it on "the back burner" -- there is no need to prompt processing.

When I was in the US Army, there was a joke about "hurry up, then wait." CIS simply is avoiding that in cases like yours -- they are actually pretty good in "wait, then hurry up" in backlogged categories so that no time is lost.

Satheesh

Thank you so much for the info provided MR Folin.

Warm Regards
Satheesh