# Wait time for US visa - moving to the states



## Mike Capcom (Sep 18, 2013)

Question please ... in another thread, I received a response regarding wait times between registering the I-130 and the receipt of a visa. Effectively the poster (an American who lives in France with her husband and wishes to move to the U.S.) suggested the wait might stretch our beyond anything I expected ... well over a year !!!

Background is I'm retired and moving to the States with my American born wife who lives with me here in Victoria. I've read on some sites that the average (for our particular circumstances given I won't be working anymore and we can ably demonstrate sufficient funds) is around 2 months but have no idea when that information was posted on the site.

Does anyone have any clues as to what those timelines might be?

Thanks Mike


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Can you do Direct consular filing in Australia? I ask because from London Direct consular filing takes about 3 to 4 months I believe.

We usually say that a spouse visa - not done through DCF - takes between 6 and 9 months to process. ie. from first filing to getting the visa and entering the US.

Some take longer, some shorter. At one time the process did go out to over 12 months.

Have not heard of it taking only 2 months.


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## Mike Capcom (Sep 18, 2013)

Crawford said:


> Can you do Direct consular filing in Australia? I ask because from London Direct consular filing takes about 3 to 4 months I believe.
> 
> We usually say that a spouse visa - not done through DCF - takes between 6 and 9 months to process. ie. from first filing to getting the visa and entering the US.
> 
> ...


No Crawford, I don't believe so ..... the paperwork has to go to a locked bag in Chicago and I've arranged for that (and the accompanying payment) to take place tomorrow.

It's frustrating as this site suggests it's around 5 months. Puts all sorts of pressure on the house sale here and keeping with deadlines.

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do

Luck of the draw I guess ??


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

I'm no expert on the intimate details of the process, but I believe the info you are looking at is the time it takes for the USCIS to process your petition for a spouse visa.

Once that is approved the application then moves to the National Visa Centre where it then gets an actual visa number allocated to it. Hence the additional time for the whole process given by this forum.

I've got this information from the following link:

Consular Processing | USCIS

Hopefully someone else can provide further details ........


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## Mike Capcom (Sep 18, 2013)

Crawford said:


> I'm no expert on the intimate details of the process, but I believe the info you are looking at is the time it takes for the USCIS to process your petition for a spouse visa.
> 
> Once that is approved the application then moves to the National Visa Centre where it then gets an actual visa number allocated to it. Hence the additional time for the whole process given by this forum.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much. I do now know the process so it'll be great if one is able to track the progress thru the system 

I could write a book about this stuff  Just drowning in forms like you wouldn't believe.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Mike Capcom said:


> Thanks so much. I do now know the process so it'll be great if one is able to track the progress thru the system
> 
> I could write a book about this stuff  Just drowning in forms like you wouldn't believe.


Oh, I would believe the drowning in forms. 

I have a box full of forms when I transferred to the US on an L1 visa.......

This one in duplicate, this one in triplicate and "haven't I already provided all this info on another form" 

All worth it in the end ......


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Mike, I thought your wife already filed USCIS Form I-130 (and related attachments) and that you were at the NVC stage. Sorry to hear that's not the case. Yes, the I-130 process alone is currently taking several months. Purely as an anecdote, I know of a couple that just got theirs approved after a 6 month wait.


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## Mike Capcom (Sep 18, 2013)

BBCWatcher said:


> Mike, I thought your wife already filed USCIS Form I-130 (and related attachments) and that you were at the NVC stage. Sorry to hear that's not the case. Yes, the I-130 process alone is currently taking several months. Purely as an anecdote, I know of a couple that just got theirs approved after a 6 month wait.


Nope BBC .... we started that process last month and it's only since I gave up work that I've had the time to pull this all together. So many other things to do in preparing to move that time has simply got away from us.

The grind has been relentless and without you guys, it would have done me in 

But filing happens tomorrow and we're well ahead of the game insofar as the other forms are concerned.

Given we might now face an unanticipated wait (I'd assumed it would be maybe 3 months max), I now have to take my house off the market for the time being until we're well into the filing process so I can co-ordinate every event correctly. For example, suspend the medical, delay this delay that ....

At least the current owner of the new house in Washington state is happy to wait to accommodate our revised schedule.

When you mention the six month wait, was that just to get to NVC or the issue of visa?

My best

Mike


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

That was 6 months just for the I-130 step, i.e. to get to NVC. Purely one anecdote, but it was recent (2014).


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## Mike Capcom (Sep 18, 2013)

BBCWatcher said:


> That was 6 months just for the I-130 step, i.e. to get to NVC. Purely one anecdote, but it was recent (2014).


Thanks again. Wonder how long the queue is once it gets to the NVC?

Mike


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Around 3+ months I've heard.

Yes, this is ridiculous, stipulated. At least for spouses that the U.S. will readily and easily admit with ESTA visa waiver privileges. In my view if the spouse is good enough to admit for tourism without a visa independently, without his/her spouse, then the U.S. ought to allow a fast path Adjustment of Status for such spouses _within_ the U.S. These spouses ought to be able to just get on a plane (after ESTA approval) and go to join their U.S. spouses.

But unfortunately that's not the law, and (after this week's election results) we'll have to wait until at least 2017 when a new Congress might fix this problem.


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## Mike Capcom (Sep 18, 2013)

BBCWatcher said:


> Around 3+ months I've heard.
> 
> Yes, this is ridiculous, stipulated. At least for spouses that the U.S. will readily and easily admit with ESTA visa waiver privileges. In my view if the spouse is good enough to admit for tourism without a visa independently, without his/her spouse, then the U.S. ought to allow a fast path Adjustment of Status for such spouses _within_ the U.S. These spouses ought to be able to just get on a plane (after ESTA approval) and go to join their U.S. spouses.
> 
> But unfortunately that's not the law, and (after this week's election results) we'll have to wait until at least 2017 when a new Congress might fix this problem.


Sheesh that's annoying ... but thanks anyway


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## S cherry (Nov 7, 2014)

same boat here ! Husband is us citizen and I'm french, we both live in France and just filed I 130.. It got transferred to California service center. I really hope it's not too long...


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