K1 Visa Approval Timeframe

[kinito]

Hi all,

I am posting this message because I find too many discrepancies and inconsistencies on the web regarding this.

I am a French national that will be marrying an American citizen, she is from NE.

I would like to know if someone recently went through the whole process of getting the visa. If yes, can you try to put a approximate timeline with the main steps

- I 129F approved => How long did it take?
- NVC => how long did it take for them to review the case and send it to your local embassy?
- Local embassy => How long did it take for you to get the an appointment?
- After interview => How long for you to reveive the visa?

Thank you very much for your help!! the whole process is a big pain in the a**e, hopefully they'll improve it in the future!!

Cheers

Sebastien

[Amir]

- I 129F approved => How long did it take? approx. 2 months if no complications
- NVC => how long did it take for them to review the case and send it to your local embassy? approx. 2 months if no complications
- Local embassy => How long did it take for you to get the an appointment? Beneficiary calls consulate for an appointment when s/he has all supporting documents ready
- After interview => Up to 10 days if no complications, which you won't have if you are native Swede.

[nichole]

- I 129F approved => How long did it take? 53 days
- NVC => how long did it take for them to review the case and send it to your local embassy? 2 days They don't review often, just give it a number and send it on. Passes through NVC quickly. Sometimes held up for a name check, but not the norm.
- Local embassy => How long did it take for you to get the an appointment? 3 wks to get packet, 3 more weeks for interview interview letter to arrive after returning forms.
- After interview => How long for you to reveive the visa? 5 days

Current times for K1 averages France/Nebraska
I 129F approved => 142 days (California Service Center)
CSC to NVC => 1 week
NVC to France => 1 week
Interview wait => 1 month to get appt notice + 2-3 weeks more to appt date
After interview => How long for you to reveive the visa? 5 days

So you're looking at average 6-7 months. Some go faster, some don't.

[Amir]

So, in immigration according to Nichole, a petition would go from the petitioner to consulate in 53 + 2 = 55 days. Anyone experienced this?

Interestingly, 53 days + 2 days + 3 weeks + 3 weeks don't add to 6 to 7 months.

[nichole]

No, the question was
NVC => how long did it take for them to review the case and send it to your local embassy?

The case arrived NVC on 5/6 and left there on 5/8. So NVC spent 2 days "processing it" as I interpreted the question. It didn't arrive in London until 5/12. He was asking our experience.

Here's the whole thing:
Mailing to VSC approval: Day 53
Arrive NVC: Day 57
Left NVC: Day 59
Arrive London: Day 63
Received instructions from Embassy: Day 73
Mailed back forms and checklist: Day 74
Embassy received: Day 79
Appointment letter from Embassy: Day 90
We requested a delayed interview because of travel plans, so interview was 6 wks after that.
Approved at Interview. Visa arrived about 5 days later.

Current waits for petition approvals are taking longer. The month before I filed, there were people approved in 20-25 days. That was in mid-February at Vermont. Every Embassy has their own procedures and work loads so it will vary by country for time frames once it leaves the US. In Juarez, you can basically walk-in for your interview, so no waiting for an appointment letter or date. Some places let you call in to make an appointment.

[kinito]

Thank you Nichole, it is very helpful

Fingers crossed now...

Cheers

Sebastien

[panterchen]

Hey,

I cannot confirm these details. First of all there is no way anyone could tell you how long it will take. Right now approval times from NOA 1 to NOA2 range between 120 and 150 days. However, there are some people that wait much longer than that. I personnally know of a couple that got stuck in CSC and is waiting for more than 1 year and 2 months. Yes, most get approved after 4-5 months but there is no guarantee. I am myself right now waiting for more than 5 months hoping that NOA2 will arrive any day.

Times also vary for after you have NOA 2 depending on your country. In Germany you can count on appr. 4-8 weeks until you hav the visa in hand after your NOA2.