How long your I-129F Petition takes to process
If you’ve just submitted your I-129F petition, then here’s the first question in your mind: “how long does it take to approve the I-129F?”
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Let’s see which is the most reliable way to predict processing times.
There are a couple of ways to figure out how long your I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiance) takes to process for approval. The most reliable source is the USCIS “time processing information” chart to estimate your adjudication timeline.
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- ✪ USCIS “time processing information” (most reliable)
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- ✪ USCIS Historic Processing time (3-6 months average)
- ✪ Other sources: lawyers, websites, etc. (some are accurate)
The USCIS updates their official charts routinely. So, you can safely assume it’s accurate to compare your case to the overall processing stage.
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Which service center has your I-129F Petition?
The first step is to find out which USCIS “Service Center” is processing your I-129F form. You have to wait for your I-797C Notice of Action (NOA1) to find out. (What happens after you submit your I-129F to the USCIS)
On that document, it’ll list which USCIS Service Center has jurisdiction over your I-129F. That’s your Service Center.
Different petitions are adjudicated by different Service Centers. The I-129F Fiance(e) visa petitions are handled by Vermont, Texas, Potomac, and California.
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Check your I-797C to see which one of these Service Center has your case.
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The USCIS “time processing information” for I-129F
Once you know your Service Center, head on over to Process Times Display and select it.
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The Service Center may occasionally change. Keep yourself up to date on which Service Center is currently adjudicating your I-129F Petition.
Note: it’s not necessary for you to be destined to the Service Center closest to your home address. In some cases, when a Service Center is overloaded with petitions, you may be sent to another one.
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How to read the USCIS “time processing information” chart
The USCIS website opens up the “time processing information” chart for official guidance on how long the processing takes.
Scroll down to the I-129F under the column. Look across the row that has the “K-1/K-2 Not yet married…”
Once you read across the appropriate line, you’ll see a date range.
Estimated time range (number of Months) – the chart has a number of months (example below “5.5 to 7.5 months”).
This means the USCIS is taking those many months to process I-129F petitions. Use this to estimate the length your case is likely to take. However, if you’re lucky, it might be much quicker than that. Typically this estimate is on the higher end — in other words, it’ll probably take up to 5 months.
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The speed at which the USCIS adjudicates I-129F petitions is based on a whole variety of factors. Hopefully you realize how you stack among other I-129F petitioners.
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Historic I-129F Petition Processing
The USCIS has recently started publishing Historic I-129F Petition Processing times. For all the Service Centers, you can read the chart of average time it takes to adjudicate an Alien Fiance(e) petition. In other words, how long do K-1 fiance visa petitions normally take?
Unfortunately, it looks like the average trend of processing times have gone up in recent years (see example below).
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Realize this is the average for ALL Service Centers. Some Centers may be quicker or slower than this number.
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How fast is your Service Center Processing?
Get a general sense of how long the I-129F petitions are taking throughout the USCIS Service Centers. Why? Because you should track if you’re unusually slow or quick compared to the others.
- ✔ Compare Service Centers. Compare the I-129F petition at different Service Centers. How do they stack? Is one faster than another? To do this, simply select the other Service Centers from the USCIS website and read the “I-129F” line.
✔ You may be shifted to another Service Center. Fortunately, the USCIS rebalances I-129F petitions and sends them to other Service Centers that are working quicker. So, the Service Center you start off with may not be the same you end up in. Generally, this shortens processing time.
You should also get an understanding of how the Service Center are performing in general. To go a bit further, use the charts to compare I-129F to the I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative – Spouse). Why do this?
- ✔ Compare I-129F to I-130. Both the I-129F (Fiance petition) and I-130 (Immediate Relative petition – spouse) are priorities for the USCIS. They typically enjoy quicker processing than other categories of immigrant petitions. You want to compare how well this Service Center is handling these priorities. If both of these petitions are backlogged, then the entire Service Center is swamped.
So, how long is your case taking? Did you I-129F fit into the “processing times”?
Let’s talk about it in the comments below…
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Hi, I’m Prem…
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I just returned from meeting my future bride for the first time in the Philippines. We have chatted and Emailed since last December. I’am wanting to use the Form I-129F for my Fiancee visa. The first page of instructions say< we must meet in person within two years before filing. So, must we wait two years before filing? I take it to mean as long as we have met this soon, filing is acceptable. If we must wait two years, I was told to apply for a Tourist Visa now to avoid the two year wait! And then marry in America within 90 days, and then apply for her green card residence.
Hi!
Im new to this page!!
Its nice to find so many people going through this same K1 visa process.
I would like to know if you coud solve some doubts I have.
My case has been going on quick so far.
I live in Mexico and my fiance sent de 1-129 F petition on january 3,2019, 2 weeks later we received NOA1, 3 months later we received NOA2 and yesterday I called to NVC and they gave me my case number and Invoice number.
My questions are:
1.- can I start filling out form D-160? for me and my children?
2.- can I pay the fee at my embassy and get an appointment or do I have to wait till receiving the letter from NVC or my consulate that will be Ciudad Juarez?
3.- Will I need to take to my interview specific docs for my 3 kids? besides what is listed in the K1 interview check list?
4.- I have been hearing that its taking like 3 months to get an appointment at my consulate. Is it possible to get an expedite appointment because of school day starting date ???
thanks so much for your answer!!!
and hope my timeline helps others to realize the process is not taking so long!
Lu
Prem, have you been told by people that the CSC (as I understand it, the only center these days handling I-129f petitions) have not been very good following procedures so online accounts are properly updated? I have heard stories of people getting approval but their accounts on the old and/or new USCIS websites still suggest the petition is being processed.
I signed up on both websites, set them up for electronic notifications but I’m thinking this might have been a wasted effort.
What is your opinion on calling the USCIS 800 number for updates? Front-line CSRs don’t seem to offer much and transferring to Tier 2 immigration officers doesn’t seem to add much benefit.
My petition was received back on December 11 (notification date is 12/14) so coming up on 4.5 months. Hoping to hear something soon.
Hola Prem,
It’s been a while since I contacted you. Hope all is OK with your new baby.
I sent my I-129F Petition on June 6, 2018. I received a letter posted on June 13, 2018 stating that they recived my I-129F on June 7, 2018 withe a notice date of June 12, 2018. I received the Form I-797C Notice Of Action (NOA1) with Receipt Number [OMITTED BY VISATUTOR]
We have not heard anything from the USCIS since then.
I checked the time line and it states that as of now they are reviewing May 2018 and that it can take 5 to 7 months!
1. What does this implies?
2. Should I sign up for updates by creating an account with the USCIS?
Please let me know any information.
We are very hopefull that our Petition will be reviewed soon.
Gracias and God bless you and your family.
Eduardo K. Valverde-Salas
This entire process has been a pain. I sent the I-129F end of Nov last year, the petition was approved in June and finally as of yesterday, it’s being sent to NVC. Does anyone know of a way to get it rushed or make them prioritize it due to them dropping the ball?
Hey Prem,
I went about it by writing a pretty detailed letter/email to both my senators and my house representative for the state/city I live in. I detailed out the timeline and delays we had been experiencing, briefly described both my and my fiancee’s backgrounds, and directly asked what their plans for legal immigration reform were. Explaining that it was especially important for me to know the thoughts of those representing me as a voter, so that come next election I could be sure I voted for someone who was actively trying to help those who are doing things the correct and legal way. Having to spend almost a year apart just for doing things the right way seems like we are punishing folks, and I can honestly understand better why so many folks make the choice to do things illegally or manipulate the system.
If you are not sure who is your senator or congressman/woman than don’t worry google is a great source 🙂 If I had to do it again I would probably do something similar. I’d still explain the timeline and my and my fiancee’s backgrounds a bit. Though rather than going down the road of basically saying “help me or lose my vote” I might instead ask directly “due to our wait far exceeding the normal processing times, would you as my representative be willing to place an inquiry for me after I sign a Privacy Act Release Form?”
Of the 3 letters I sent out my two senators replied back with general responses where as Congressman Wittman sent the below, I feel like if I had asked directly then likely all 3 would have sent the form.
“Privacy Act Release Form as I must have your written permission in order to submit an inquiry. On the form, please include a brief summary of your concern and also any relevant file number (if applicable) that is associated with your case.”
Hi, my fiance submitted K1 application on Apr 19,2018 and NOA1 received on Apr 25,2018 from Califonia Service Centre. Now it is around 5.5 month. Their time line is 5.5-7.5 month. No reponse yet. From the post, I found it is normal to get NOA2 after 7 month’s waiting. Usually it takes 2-3 months from NOA2 to final Visa, so the whole timeframe from submit to final is 7.5-10.5 months. Am i right? I should be patient..
Hey folks, long long time no responding but we definitely had one of those month of not fun waiting. My fiancee and I definitely have used this website a lot and it helped hearing other folks with good news and made us think we were going to be one of those lucky couples done in 5-7 months. Sadly we were not, but I wanted to give folks an update as I am sure there are others waiting long and going just as crazy as we were. We started our process for my fiancee in England way back last December. In June the USCIS sent a RFE, which I immediately got back to them. I waited the required time and with still no update made the decision to contact both my senators and my house representative. Big shout-out to Congressman Wittman in Virginia by the way, he has my votes for a while! Both senators sent back cookie-cutter responses but Congressman Wittman actually sent the required forms I needed to fill out to allow his staff to make a request on my part. I sent the forms to him August 20th, August 28th the officially made an inquiry to USCIS, and magically August 28th USCIS approved the paperwork and sent it to the NVC. September 18th it was approved by the NVC, the embassy in London sent physical mail to my fiancee August 27, and she finally received her first mail today October 3rd.
Now to just do the fun DS-160 for her (still debating when we actually do that), the I-134 from me (they havent asked for it yet but its free so sending it soon as my banks get their statements to me), her local medical, her local police, official VISA medical exam in London, eventually official VISA interview at the embassy in London, and then finally approval.
We are still hoping for her to be here standing in the USA by Thanksgiving, almost a full 12 months after we started this ball rolling way way back in December.
my husband received approval from USCIS for I-129F on Sep 10th. I am in Viet Nam, when will i get feedback from NVC? and what do i have to prepare in this meantime?
Thanks Prem and Shantal for your response. Now that I have some comfort, I will give it some thought whether to go visit him. This site is very helpful. I will be sure to update everyone on the progress for future anxious users (like myself).. Have a great day everyone.
I tried to respond to Shar’s comment by clicking “Reply” on the comment, but it wouldn’t let me. Sorry it’s a completely new comment, but…Shar, I wanted to echo what Prem is saying about 7 months. We submitted 1/18/2018, USCIS approved it one day after 7 months, 07/19/2018. It then took the full 30 days at NVC and is now at the foreign consulate, with an interview scheduled next week. If I were in your shoes, I’d book a flight to see your fiance now if you don’t want to go without seeing each other for a few more months. I last went to see my fiance in April as well, and for us, we wish we would have planned a trip for late summer, but we had hopes it would go faster than it has. If it goes smoothly, my fiance should have his visa by mid-late September, and we hope for him to fly here in October…which will be 6 months since seeing each other in April. Prem can correct me if need be, but I’d expect to wait the full 7 months for the initial petition, the full 30 days for NVC, and then 1-3 months for the consulate process. So, if you are okay with not seeing your fiance for another few months, go without, but if that bothers you, book the flight and see him/her.
Hello I have submitted my I-129f form in February, receipt day was February 16th. In one week it will be hitting the 7 month mark. I am a bit nervous that I have not heard anything yet. Should I grab an Immigration lawyer, or should I sit tight. I have read some of the reviews which prompted that I should receive it anytime. Anything to calm my nerves. Plus I would like to know how much longer, since I want to plan a trip to go see my fiance. Even though I visited him in April. So not sure if to plan my trip or just wait.
So USCIS California Service Center received our petition on March 8th 2018 and on the 8th of September (4 days) we will hit the 6 month mark. On the processing times it says they are processing cases from February 8th. Does this mean we could be getting a response this month or at the 7 month mark on October 8th?
Thanks
currently just passed 6 months of waiting. grrrrrrrrr……
Thanks and was thinking same. Grabbed all my courthouse and police records, USCIS will have it this TUE 26JUNE. *fingers crossed!*
I am back with good news! we got approved on 6/16 and received the letter on the 19th. the approval was four days before it hit 7 months.
we will see how it goes now!
Thank you
Well good news/bad news. Got our Request for Evidence form so at least ours wasn’t lost. Now for the confusion bit. What they are requesting is my “Criminal Conviction Documents….” etc and lists 3 pretty nasty groups of crimes. I must have clicked the wrong box as I received 1 DUI in the past, however not the “3 or more convictions of crimes related to alcohol.” So its easy, I go to the police station and courthouse and get certified documents of my history and mail back ASAP. I just don’t understand if under this block where it says “From the record submitted you have been convicted of one or more of the below offense” and at the bottom it just says YES_____ or NO_____. Now I haven’t been convicted of those three and if I submit documents I click NO? Just dont want to click NO and have everything rejected back to square 1. Honestly tempted to get a lawyer as USCIS INFO Pass has no available appointments, and calling on phone they only said no worries thats standard but couldnt explain which box I click…..
I have been following this website for a while and you are very helpful!
I applied for my fiancee I129f in November 2017 and still have not yet heard back!
I am really worried since he is from Syria and lives in Denmark on Asylum residency.
All the research I have done shows that he will not get a visa!
but will us getting married in Denmark change the situation?
I feel that my life is getting messed up by this especially that we have been together since January 2016 and was not able to apply for him until I got my citizenship…
Do you have any experience with this situation?
I know few people that applied and they are getting to the interview, no denial, but the counselor said to them that their papers are good but they cannot issue a visa at the time!
Thank you so much in advance!
Prem,
IT GOT APPROVED TODAY! We’re so excited! And no RFE’s! Thanks for your help. We’ll be contacting you soon for guidance on the next steps of the process 🙂
Hi Prem!
My fiance’s petition was received by the USCIS on November 13th and we’re still waiting to hear back from them. It’s been nearly 7 months now…I’m hoping that we’ll hear back any day now! Once we begin the next steps of the process, we plan on getting in contact with you again for your help and expertise 🙂
Hi,
My petition for the 129-F visa was accepted January 3 and routed to the California Service Center. I am wondering what the current wait times are for processing and NOA2 where I will receive the acceptance letter. After this month it will be the 6th month of waiting. Also, once accepted can you share some information of what happens after such as interviews, medicals, ect. I would appreciate any and all advice!
Thanks Prem. Just heard from a lawyer, who said there’s nothing I can do but wait. He also said this is not uncommon since Trump took office. Sigh. I’ll keep you posted!
Hi Prem,
Thanks for getting back to me. Nothing unusual in our backgrounds that I’m aware of, so I have no idea what’s going on. At the NVC call center, they tell me only that our case is “under administrative review”, but they don’t tell me what this means, I ask them if there is a problem, or do they need more information from me, and they just repeat that it’s under administrative review, and there is nothing else they can say. It’s incredibly frustrating. No response from my congressman, so I’m trying with an attorney now. Not sure if a lawyer can do anything, but at this point I’m not sure what other options I have. These guys could, in theory, never respond. At least that’s how if feels right now.
Prem – I need your valuable insight again. As you know, we finally received USCIS approval on April 4 (after 7.5 months’ wait). The NVC didn’t record it and give us a case number until three weeks later, on April 25. To date, they have refused to send her case to the embassy for an interview, and they won’t tell me why. Using her case number, and adding and subtracting numbers from it, I was able to find six other cases. All six were given case numbers on April 25, and all six had their case sent to the embassy on May 4. Only my fiancees case is still under review, now three weeks after everyone else moved forward. I’ve written my congressmen and contacted newspapers to let them know how terrible this process is, and what an embarrassment it is to our government. Now I’m looking for a lawyer to assist us. What are your thoughts on this? I looked at the spreadsheet of cases and didn’t see one where it took more than two weeks to forward a case. Are they discriminating for some reason? Thanks.
Hi. We filed our k1 visa last October 2017 got out noa1 october 26 same year but until now we haven’t got our noa2 yet i’m a bit worried coz its been 6 months already but there’s no noa2 yet . Is it normal ? Or we need to call the uscis regarding our noa2 ?
My name is Ana and I have applied for K1 visa in Jan. USCIS got my case on Feb 9th. My fiance is from travel ban countries but he is a resident of Turkey and currently living and working over there. pretty complicated case. we have been together for 10 years and I have submitted any document you would have thought about it. Just wanted to you guys to send your positive energy to us. 🙂
Hi Brett. Hang in there. My fiance petition was just approved 4 days ago. The approval notification took almost 6 months to the day ( 3 days short of 6 months).. USCIS sent me notification that they received my fiance petition packet (also by US mail back home in Washington state) on Oct 16th of last year. ( I remember this date because it is my birthday!..).. Your turn should come up (I assume after waiting 6 months) This seems to be the “magic number” of months for the other guys here on the site as well). I would suggest to everybody here to “budget” 6 months of your time as a minimum to get approved. . I am currently in Kenya with my fiance and 1 month old son ( born here while waiting for my fiance’s visa) The next step for me is another 1 month wait I assume to get notified by the US embassy here in Nairobi Kenya for an interveiw. As far as my new born son is concerned, thankfully I am a US born citizen so he wont need a visa . I will keep everybody updated as to how long he will have to wait to get a US passport for travelling back home to Washington state where I reside. One more thing. My approval letter for the fiance visa was sent to my home address in Washington state. There has been no update as to that fact on the “case status” window on the USCIS web site. All the best Bret and once again hang in there! .
So it seems that nice processing spreadsheet that my fiancee and I were previously looking at is no longer available? We were excited thinking on the 15th this month the date would jump a month or two forward and be closer to ours, but it looks like now the only thing is a general month range (5-7m) and a date you are able to inquire if your application was received before. AKA now it says September 19, sunday was September 18, I’m sure tomorrow will be september 20, whatever is the longest month of the range. So right now they are processing applications received anywhere in that 5-7m time frame? SEP-NOV? Since the date seems to automatically tick forward is there anyplace where it is updated on the 15th..or basically they update their general range now every month?
Sounds good Prem. Next time I’m in the city, I’ll look you up!
Thanks Mike – that’s very helpful and I appreciate your insights. Hopefully we’ll get our number soon! Prem – right after I sent my last message I found all the additional info you put together on the next steps. Incredibly useful and very much appreciated! Apologies for being lazy – it must drive you crazy having put all this together, then having guys like me ask about what to do next. I think we all appreciate all the fantastic work you’ve done, and responding to all our questions so quickly. I feel like I’ll need to invite you and Mike for a beer or two when this is finally over!
Hey Jimmy,
Sorry for the delay in responding.
What I did was call the NVC. I waited a week to do so. You can get the case number early and give that to your fiancé. She needs that on her end to get started on her paperwork. She officially can’t turn in anything until she receives word from the US embassy, but others have said that you can maybe speed things up by being proactive.
They didn’t have my case number after a week of waiting, but luckily, I got an email with it soon after. It can vary though I’m sure. If you want to call, here’s what I did.
603-334-0700
Option 1 for English
Option 5
You can talk to someone and ask if they have your case in the system and if so, can you get your NVC number. Now my fiancé has everything ready to go on her end, but we have to wait for the embassy letter.
Anyway, hope that helps!
Yes, the journey is long, but it’s moving now! Whoo! Congrats my man!
Mike
We just got approval!! Woohoo!!! Seven months to wait for an RFE, but approval came 8 calendar days after they received my response to the RFE, which is good. Mike and Prem – what kind of information will they ask for in the approval letter? I know some forms need to be filled out and sent to the State Department, but what do they ask for? Any strange documents (e.g. criminal history records, proof of employment) that I should be preparing now, or is it just a matter of filing out forms? Never thought this day would come. Thanks guys.
Hi,
It is two weeks they got it but I still have no case number.
Thanks Yaya. Two more months? Ugghhh. This is unbearable…
Replying to Jimmy’s question here: I called in multiple times and I was notified by two different people that they have 60 days to respond to the RFE once it’s received. Each case is different, so they might either send another RFE is something is missing or the actual denial/approval letter. We received the approval letter two months after the information was received on January 19th. I hope this helps.
Those are good insights – thanks Yaya. In my case, I received neither letter nor update on the site after they allegedly sent an RFE on 22 February. Only after I complained about delays on 23 March did they claim the letter was sent in February. At this time, they also updated the site. Just curious – how long did it take to get approval after they said they received your response to the RFE? I sent my info overnight after getting the letter, and the site acknowledges that they received it last Wednesday. Thanks.
Hello,
I previously wrote on her about my experience with the K-1 visa process. I have just been approved after submitting my RFE. I wanted to inform everyone that in my case, the website never updated when letters were sent. They only updated when they received the additional information that was sent. I think everyone should be more attentive to the mail if possible, rather than looking for updates on the site. Both times that the letters were sent, the website did not update on the letters that were sent. It only updated when I sent documents to them and that notified me that they were received by the office. As of now I received my approval letter a week and a half ago, and the website does not notify me of that update. I have responded within a week every time they have sent something. I hope this helps everyone with just being more attentive to where it matters. In my case it was only by mail that I received my RFE and the approval. As far as wait time goes, it took 10 months from the day I filed to get approved.
Hi All, I’m still waiting.
Wedding booked for sept in USA, flights booked by family etc.
I have a B2 visa already. What if I go over to the USA in September to marry if I haven’t heard anything. Prem will I have to start process again for a K1? We could marry but not actually officially and then when visa comes through do the official stuff then just the two of us.
thanks in advance. 🙂 Good luck all.
Hello,
My case was approved in November 2017, it took 4 months after the approval for my case to be received by the NVC, as they have lost it. Now it is 10 days The NVC got it, but we still have no case number.
And regarding the case expiration date, ours is already expired , but they told us that it is automatically prolonged, and we don’t have to worry, since it is not our fault.
Thanks Mike. I sent all the requested materials today for overnight delivery, so hopefully there’ll be a miracle and they’ll approve this soon. Insanity. Thanks for you good wishes – I’ll keep you posted!
Jimmy,
I’m so sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope it helps to vent on this forum, since we are all going through this process. So much love and sympathy for what you’re going through. It was so difficult for me and my fiancé to wait, and you’ve been waiting longer.
Hang in there! The process will end at some point. Fingers crossed on things going smoothly for you from here on out.
Mike
Mike,
Congratulations on your approval. Unfortunately, ours has turned into a nightmare. Long story short – the USCIS would not allow me to submit a formal inquiry into why our approval has not been made until March 14, which I did immediately. This was the day that the processing date was past the date we submitted for the first time. Last Friday, March 23, our status changed for the first time in nearly seven months, to a Request for Evidence. God forbid they email me with the Request – they said the mailed letter. To my surprise, I received the letter today, only one business day after the update. Good news and bad news. Good news was the RFE was only for a translation of a document we sent in Russia (I guess there are no Russian speakers in the USCIS?), which I’m having done professionally overnight in Moscow. Bad news is they claim they made this request on February 23, not March 23, and I must not have received the letter. Thing is – I don’t believe it. I never received a letter, and their website never made mention of it. The status didn’t change on the website until March 23. There is no mention of it in my case history. I never received a letter. Someone dropped the ball and is trying to cover for it. Sad. Bottom line – bug these guys early and often. Don’t be afraid to make inquiries. If I hadn’t, they would have terminated my application on May 18, and I would be starting over again, paying another $535 and waiting another 7 months. I’m so pissed off about this, and the fact I can’t complain to anyone makes it that much worse.
Jimmy,
Hang in there. Since I just heard of my own approval, I’m sure you’re in process, if not right now, then around the corner. I share your frustration, and I’m sending you positive vibes my man.
Make sure to check the status update on the website because that, as I just discovered, will let you know before you get the letter.
Fingers crossed for you and everyone else. It’s a long journey, but it is worth it in the end.
Mike
P.S. Thank you Prem for this website! It’s been so, so helpful in the process.
Gavin,
Thank you for your message. I too have been waiting anxiously for my approval. I completely forgot that you can check the website for a status update until I read what you said. My application was received on 9/20/17. I just checked the status update on the USCIS website, and I saw that it was approved on 3/20/18!!!! So hang in there Gavin. The process is frustratingly slow, but you do get there.
Whoo!
Mike
I filed my fiance petition from Washington state last year. My fiance is from Kenya. USCIS has sent me notification in the US mail that they received my fiance petition application and accompanied paperwork on Oct. 16th of last year.. So I am now in Kenya with my fiance and new born son waiting to hear from them. (Nothing so far on the case status when I go to their web site). I thought it would take about 3 to 4 months to hear back from them and get an embassy interview scheduled but so far no word from them. I’ve now been waiting 5 and a half months! Gavin.
Sadly, the story remains the same. Received on 29 August – nothing more. I called last week and was able to file a complaint (now that the processing date has moved to 1 September), but I suspect the complaint will do no good. The guy at CIS said if I don’t get a response in 30 days, feel free to call again to make a second complaint. Feels like this will go on ad infinitum. Sad. We’re both so incredibly frustrated by the separation and how long it’s taking. Hope others are having better luck.
Looks like they are up to September 1 for the CA center. Hoping Jimmy has heard good news as you replied before saying yours was received end of August!
Hey everyone,
My fiancé and I submitted the I-129F packet on September and we received our NOA1 back then. This week, it will be 6 months and we still haven’t gotten any updates. My fiancé moved to another location in the US but we changed the address on the USCIS website. Do you think it there will be any problems concerning the visa and the other documents we need to receive because we changed the address through the process? Also, is it normal that we still haven’t gotten any updates at all ? This waiting game is making me anxious hahaha.
Thanks in advance and good luck to all of you guys!
Wow – this is AWESOME!! Thank Mike and Prem. We’re still waiting, but based on this spreadsheet, it shouldn’t be too much longer. Also good to see that the turnaround from the CIS to State Department to Embassy is fairly quick. Based on this, I’m really hoping she could have an interview date by the end of March, and have her finance visa in May. Seems like an impossible dream right now after so much waiting!! I’ll keep you posted on my progress – hopefully good news this week!
Hey Jimmy and Everyone,
My fiancé found this one google doc spreadsheet where people put in when they submitted their k-1 visas and when they got their letter that it was approved.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k57PdywNRpUqytomJxMzz6_7DsMqpi52DgnaYt9FyC8/edit#gid=606080062
It’s really, really widely varied how long it takes. I’m not sure why and how long the process takes, but some people who submitted their forms after us are already approved. Frustrating but at least there is more information. We also just have to trust people are being honest, but why be dishonest?
Anyway, thought I’d share.
Hello! This website is great! I’ve been reading previous comments and responses.
I have a fiance whom I submitted the I-129F petition and it was received by USCIS in November. I see how varied the processing time are so while I was hoping my fiance could come to the US with me in late/ July, early August, I see that might not be happening.
Anyhow, my biggest question now is the paperwork required at the embassy interview, after the petition is approved, goes to the Visa processing center, then is sent to the embassy. I know for the interview my fiance will need an Affidavit of Support. I just don’t understand if I need the I-134 or I-864. I don’t make the minimum income (I’m a student) but between my mom and dad they do. They were going to be the sponsors but I don’t know what forms everybody needs to fill out! Currently I was thinking my dad would fill out the I-864, my mom the I-1864A, and myself the I-134. Do you have any other information on the correct Affidavit of Support form to fill out?
Thank you so so much!
So I they received my I129F form at end of January, I may have to wait until June or so to receive any updates?
So thanks for making some realistic estimates here and looking forward to seeing everyone’s updates (fingers crossed it goes quick for us all). If I am reading this right someone else who was waiting on K1 out of California center checked and the applications being looked at then were June 26. Today (updated website says Feb 15) it now says August 1, 2017. My fiancee’s packet was received Dec 7th so I am “hoping” that means mid-April they will be at December applications, and if we are lucky the NVC->interview->medical->etc process will be done for her to have a K1 Visa for travel by end of June? She is in England so I am hoping the process once it gets done with USCIS portion is quick, but would love to hear how long it took others. Would there be any problem for her visiting for a 2 or 3 week holiday mid-April traveling under her ESTA Visa? She last was in the USA December 2017, so will have been back in England for 4 months at that point. Was being hopeful that she would have the K1 Visa at latest end of May but seeing feedback we are worried how long things will take. I am sure everyone can agree this is torture waiting for these things!
Brett,
My petition was received on 29 August, and we’re still waiting for approval. Based on the website, I’m guessing they starting processing the petition on/about 1 February. I really hope we’ll get the approval before the end of this month – if so, I’m hoping she’ll have her fiancé visa by the end of May. I’ll be sure to let everyone know. As for seeing your fiancé in the meantime, mine has visited me three times since we submitted the petition using her existing visa (3-year multiple entry tourist visa) with no problems. We will continue to do this until we have approval and she needs to be in country for the interview with the embassy. Can’t see why this would be a problem, so long as all laws are obeyed.
Prem/Jimmy,
Thanks on the replies and Jimmy I hope the website is right and you guys get a new status in next 2 weeks or so (since they are now up to Aug 1)! If you are able to share a bit of info about her 3 visits, about how long were they for? Does she have her on place and big job back in her home country? I know it helps if you have heavy ties to your home country and my fiancee is staying with her family for example as she had hoped to move already to the USA. We really pushed the edge of the ESTA in 2017, with her visiting for 3 months, going back to England for a month, and then visiting again for 3 months. This time would do nothing that long, thinking like 2 week visit beginning April and then another 2 week visit end of June into July if K1 still not approved. She has been back in England for almost 3 months now so trying to balance ideas. We had the thought of booking a bunch of wedding venues to visit during her trips so she could show those off..but thinking that might backfire and make things worse even though we are just trying to plan on a location to get married as soon as her K1 is approved.
Meant to add that she comes for 2-3 weeks at a time. I think there is a six-month limit, but I’m not sure if this is for each visit, or cumulative for the entire calendar year.
hi,
So I put in the form in early November 2017, If i understand this correctly my fiancé should SHOULD be able to come up to get married in May ?
Thanks
Well, maybe I don’t get it fully yet. If I look at the California SC, I see that the top of the chart says “Field Office processing dates for California Service Center as of : November 30, 2017.” The “processing cases as of date” is June 27, 2017. And the “last updated” date in the bottom right hand corner under the chart is as of February 1, 2018.
Does this mean that as of February 1, 2018 the SC is processing cases received on June 27, 2017 (8 months) OR does this mean that as of November 30, 2017 the SC is processing cases received on June 27, 2017 (5 months)?
Thanks for explaining how to read the time processing charts. I thought they were just out of date because of the processing dates from a prior year, but now I understand that submissions as of the date listed are the petitions that are now just being processed. Our petition was received three weeks ago and the status has not changed from “it’s been received” to anything else yet. Based off of that chart, I can expect to wait for about 8 months before it changes… which… to me seems a little unreal. But hey, at least I understand how to keep track of the processing times now! So, thanks so much! Very helpful!
I petitioned for an I-129f visa in late August 2017, and received a letter from USCIS acknowledging this the following week. I’ve looked at the processing times for CA (where my fiancé’s application is), and it say it was processing applications received by June 27 on November 30. Since the time gap is roughly the same each month this site is updated, I’m assuming they are processing today (February 9) applications received in early September. I’m therefore concerned about why my fiancé’s application has not yet been approved. Is there is time difference between when they say they are processing and when they approve the application? If so, how much longer should we expect to wait? Thanks.
Would people be willing to keep us updated on their processing times? I submitted my I-129F in September. It was received September 20, and the notice date is September 22, 2017. I still haven’t heard yet. I see that Jimmy is late August, and he still hasn’t received word yet. I can assume that Jimmy will hear before me, yes? If that’s the case, at least I’d have a better idea once he gets his next notice.
Anyway, just a thought. This waiting is difficult, but obviously, we all have no choice.
Mike
Good idea Mike – I’ll do it. How frustrating is it that we pay $535 to have to wait for 6-8 months? I heard the wait time 1-2 years ago was only 1-2 months. I wonder what happened (it can’t be all Trump – I think it started under Obama)? Definitely does not help the relationship. They need to do a better job.
Thanks Jimmy. Fingers crossed you get word this upcoming week!
Hi Jimmy,
The USCIS website was just updated. Both California and Texas as of December 31, 2017 were processing August 1, 2017 K-1 Visas. So the month time period still seems to be holding. You should be hearing something soon I hope. Just let us know!
Mike
Thanks Mike! Still the same message that my application was received on 29 August, so it must take them at least another 2-3 weeks, probably longer, between the time they start processing the application, and when it’s approved. Sigh. Hopefully not too much longer…
My fiance filed our petition sometime in April 2017 and in November of 2017 we got a RFE. We responded well within the time frame given but to date we have not received any updates on our case. The USCIS website is still saying “request for additional evidence was mailed” . Should we be worried?
I filed my 129f mid-Nov 2017, as far as I understand t it seems like its going to take about 6 months for the whole process. Is there a way that my fiance could apply for a Tourist visa and come stay with me for a few months then go back to the home country and finish with i-129f processing when her turn comes up?
I filed my i129-F in mid September. My I797C arrived soon after. I keep checking the processing dates, but at the top of the USCIS Processing tables, it says this, “Field Office Processing Dates for California Service Center as of: September 30, 2017”. And next to the K1 Visa line, it says they’re processing cases as of May 1. However, this has been like this for almost 2 months if not more. Does this mean that they are just behind and still processing May and haven’t updated their tables since September?
Just curious what you think. Thank you.
Mike
I filed my I-129f on Nov 1, 2017. According to the stats from 2016, petitions who filed in Q4 of 2016 got their NOA2 within 3 months. Is this accurate for 2017 as well? my application is at the CSC. Thanks
So if the entire CSC service center is swamped all the petitions like I 129-f goes somewhere else? what is the average processing time for CSC to complete a particular month?
Respectfully,
AD