It begins

[Ryan H]

I sent my I-130 and accompanying documents to Chicago today. I have heard this piece of

during sporting events while officials confer on something so I'm going to apply it to my situation here as my file will soon make its way to the queue where it will wait its turn for adjudication.

 

I can now fully appreciate what filers before me have gone through as they took the time to assemble their file. In the end, my file looked like this:

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/9910/fileandruler.jpg

 

I took it with the phone in my camera so apologies for the blurriness.

Edited April 22, 2011 by Ryan H (see edit history)

[dnoblett]

That's insane, 3cm thick!

 

I believe the I-129F petition I sent to USCIS back in 2006 was no more than 1/2 cm thick, same with the I-485 and I-751 later.

[chilton747]

Be prepared for a long wait for the P2. They have to read all of this and scan it into their system.

 

Good Luck!!

[david_dawei]

With that thick a file, it won't be so "soon"

 

The file represents the 'past'; now, build up the current and future.

[SheLikesME?]

Welcome to the club. Now see her OFTEN and don't take no for an answer. Hope you got a good one.

[tsap seui]

Ryan, congrats on the file and your diligent preparation. The advice here is to "front load" your application as it is the only real time you have to turn in evidence.

 

While I respect the heck out of Dan, Chawls, and David, and they may have only been kidding with you, I respectfully disagree (if they were serious) about your large application.

 

Don't worry about that large file. Heck, most of it is for GUZ. USCIS will pull out the I-130, G-325, and other parts asked for along with the I-130 and that is what they will work on. Your whole file wouldn't take more than a couple of hours to read by even, any flunky from the USCIS that only halfway understands this process. Yes, a new person, or outsider who doesn't understand the paperwork involved in these cases would be forever reading a case file that thick, but that is not who is looking at these cases. For the greater part our files are read by folks who read this crap everday for a living. They quickly pull out what pertains to them and their (USCIS) part of the process and set aside the rest for GUZ's reading pleasure.

 

By the way, I sent in 600 pages for my step son and wife's cases. It took my son's case 6 months to be given a P-2, and his mother's case 8 1/2 months....both from the same paperwork. My contention is my wife's case took longer simply because her case got dropped in a crack and not worked on like her son's case. They both had the same common paperwork. Most of which was really only for GUZ.

 

When else was I,you, or any of us, supposed to send the GUZ portion? There is no other time to send in your GUZ portion other than with your initial application, hence.... you front load.

 

USICS is running slower than their advertised 5 months. If your case runs longer don't worry about it, so are the folks with 20 page applications. Folks who may well be given blue slips for more evidence with their strealined applications.

 

At the end of the day, getting a visa is only a crap shoot, with no rhyme or reason. It's all arbitrary and a chance of luck when it comes down to interview time.

 

I prepare for the interview with one thought in mind. I will send in everything I have found from my studies of others ahead of me, whatever I can dream up that may help, and I do my preparation so that in case my wife fails, I can sleep at night without waking up and thinking..."Damn, if only I had sent in (ABC)."

 

Good luck cowboy.

 

tsap seui

Edited April 24, 2011 by tsap seui (see edit history)

[SheLikesME?]

Just to add to it I front loaded pretty healthy as well, I thought. That way maybe a decision was made before the interview.

 

Wifey fought me a little on how much I sent in, but in our case it worked.

[david_dawei]

By the way, I sent in 600 pages for my step son and wife's cases. It took my son's case 6 months to be given a P-2, and his mother's case 8 1/2 months....both from the same paperwork. My contention is my wife's case took longer simply because her case got dropped in a crack and not worked on like her son's case.

My only point was a large file takes longer to review; not shorter (or sooner).

 

Your example may be exactly my point too: Your wife may of been delayed because they had to review 1,200 pages; first review his and approve it; since they are probably reviewed by the same person, that person now has to review all 600 pages again, without assumptions of what is actually in there. To approve it, then need to review it.

Edited April 24, 2011 by david_dawei (see edit history)

[bullmastiff]

USCIS reviews and reads everything.

If you have A- file , it'll be pulled out . If your spouse has any US immigration record , it also will be reviewed.

Any petition filed before for this or any other aliens , will be pulled also.

 

I don't believe it 's just a rubber stamp at USCIS stage and pain in the ass at GZ stage.

 

GZ's job is not supposed to negate what USCIS has decided upon except when they find evidence presented on the contrary or something that USCIS didn't see before, ONLY then they are going to write to USCIS for NOIR. < see Mark Ellis forum >.

[Randy W]

By law, anything Approved by USCIS cannot be used against you at GUZ - so yes, they would pretty much have to read everything they are approving.

 

It's doubtful that the actual reading time would really add a whole lot of processing time, however.

[tsap seui]

By law, anything Approved by USCIS cannot be used against you at GUZ - so yes, they would pretty much have to read everything they are approving.

 

It's doubtful that the actual reading time would really add a whole lot of processing time, however.

 

Well, I certainly gave them plenty to read. How long could it possibly take someone who does this for a living to read? One part of my 600 pages is 125 pages of detailed telephone logs for 4 years...not like it would take more than 2 or 3 minutes to figure that out. And every single piece of evidence I handed in is listed on a detailed index contents sheet which clearly shows you the content of every paper I sent in. There is nothing I sent in that is a random sheet of paper, it is all clearly listed right in the index of contents.

 

GUZ is a wild west show and they do as they please. Who there cares if you were approved by the USCIS and they flunk you for something you were already approved for? It means noithing to them that you may have to wait a full year or more before they even sent your failed application back to the states.

 

It's all a side show, pick the correct lucky ducky out of the pond and we'll give you a visa.

 

Hopefully we'll get the visa this time and if we do you'll never see me taking any credit for having everything together, hell, I had everything together last time. I know GUZ is all about luck and anyone that got or gets a visa were nothing more than lucky.

 

Well, at any rate, good luck to all who are sending in forms to the USCIS. I hope no one sends in less in the hopes there case gets it's P-2 quicker. On the reverse side, sending in a lot of stuff doesn't guarantee anything either, either that you'll get a visa or that USCIS will take a longer time to approve your case. They will just work your case and it will take what it takes.

 

Shucks, why wouldn't my application be a big one, I had over 4 years of evidence to hand in showing a bona fide relationship.

 

tsap seui

Gonna be free of the State Department, one way or the other in about 3 months from now.

 

If in their wisdom they decide to flunk my wife again, I'm gonna take those two tax free US Treasury checks I get each month, send over my savings from selling everything I owned back in 2008 out of protest to the American government and buy, outright, lil'rabbit one of those million and a half or more rmb single family homes in Fushun and we'll live much better over there than I possibly could here.

 

Either way we are gonna come out of this hideous and disgusting government sponsored mess as winners. You betcha Bawb!!

[bullmastiff]

The fact that u n u r wife is willing to live in chinertucky with u and u have been together for so long despite of adversity prove that u have a bonafide relationship

 

If I were the officer I only ask u r wife a question : what would u n u r red neck hubby do if we deny ur application ?

If she answers like yours , I 'd say pass and pls pick up u r visa in 2 days

 

That simple no bull !!!

[david_dawei]

By law, anything Approved by USCIS cannot be used against you at GUZ - so yes, they would pretty much have to read everything they are approving.

 

That's only part of the picture. The flip side is that it gives GUZ many more reasons to ask questions and/or find inconsistency. Give the them info without giving them an excuse.

 

But this is always hard to judge cuz the minute someone says "I did this and sailed through", others want to copy it. If he gets through without a hitch, I would say it really has nothing to do with the file since the trend is that these very long second files almost always sail through.

Edited April 24, 2011 by david_dawei (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

By law, anything Approved by USCIS cannot be used against you at GUZ - so yes, they would pretty much have to read everything they are approving.

 

That's only part of the picture. The flip side is that it gives GUZ many more reasons to ask questions and/or find inconsistency. Give the them info without giving them an excuse.

 

But this is always hard to judge cuz the minute someone says "I did this and sailed through", others want to copy it. If he gets through without a hitch, I would say it really has nothing to do with the file since the trend is that these very long second files almost always sail through.

 

 

 

I sure hope this one does.

 

tsap seui

[Randy W]

By law, anything Approved by USCIS cannot be used against you at GUZ - so yes, they would pretty much have to read everything they are approving.

 

That's only part of the picture. The flip side is that it gives GUZ many more reasons to ask questions and/or find inconsistency. Give the them info without giving them an excuse.

 

But this is always hard to judge cuz the minute someone says "I did this and sailed through", others want to copy it. If he gets through without a hitch, I would say it really has nothing to do with the file since the trend is that these very long second files almost always sail through.

 

 

 

Yes - the topic here is about the USCIS end and the processing done there - the flip side IS that GUZ is required by law to DENY a visa to anyone who's relationship they feel (get the wild hare up their a$) is NOT bonafide. They will ALWAYS have additional evidence NOT approved by the USCIS with which to claim their denial is based on - they have the visa application and the interview. So be careful what you front load.

 

I figure that three to six people who have the same or a similar experience at GUZ is enough to start a rumor. Any more and we can spot a "trend". This is still just a VERY small fraction of the people that GUZ sees EVERY DAY.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Randy W (see edit history)