A petition was filed for me by my U.S Citizen Brother on January 5th 2001 in Oklahoma.I would like to know how long it will take the INS to send me a notice saying that I have been approved or denied. Thanks.

Dear Harry:

If you will go to our Immigration News page and scroll down to Service Center Information, you will see the different processing times for the various service centers. Since Oklahoma is within the jurisdiction of the Texas Service Center, you would click on that link and look for I-130 petitions. Good luck.

The date says 01/01/98 does this mean that they are now working on the 1998 petitions?

Dear Harry:

Yes. However, it really doesn't matter how long they take to adjudicate brother-sister petitions since the priority dates are backed up over 11 years anyway. It would only matter if your petition was denied for some reason or other. Then you would have to start all over again. Good luck.

Thank you for the infomation, today I received the receipt notice in the mail from the INS.Here is my case:I was invited by my United States Citizen Brother to Immigrate to the U.S and to stay at his residence in Oklahoma. My home country is the Island of Trinidad in the Caribbean,I was granted a ten year Visitor Visa it expires in 2007 I entered the U.S in October 1998 and has been here 2 years and a few months now and has never worked he took care of me since then, what I was told is that the Country I came from might have a waiting time of just 7 years this was told to me by someone who went through the same process and is from the same home Country that I came from. I would like to know your opinion on this and also my case. Thank you for your help.

Dear Harry:

In our opinion, the waiting time for persons in the family 4th preference (brother-sister) category will be approximately 12-15 years. Obviously, things can change, but a waiting time of 7 years is highly optimistic. Good luck.

My Japanese fiance resides with me in Los Angeles, and is in status on an F 1 visa and is a bona fide foreign student, waiting for me to satisfy requirements for my future U.S. naturalization. She has chosen to postpone getting married until after I become naturalized in order to avoid possible complications arising from re-entry into the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa while being married to a U.S. permanent resident. I plan to petition for her greencard in Los Angeles as an ‘immediate relative’ soon after my naturalization. I have been romantically involved with her for many years, and can provide numerous photos of us together as a couple and with her family over the years.

We have been advised by a reliable source that once we marry and file her petition, the processing time in Los Angeles for her greencard could be as long as 36 months. During that period of time I understand that she would not be permitted to re-enter the U.S. after departing for any reason, even for a bona fide family emergency.

An American friend of mine living in Japan petitioned for his wife’s greencard in Tokyo in early January, and already has a date later this month for her interview; he says that her immigrant visa will likely be given to her then, merely 51 days after he submitted his petition. He has been married for eight years.

I would like to ask whether I would enjoy the same speedy processing of a petition for greencard by following a similar course of action as my American friend, namely,

* Soon after my naturalization and our marriage, petition in person at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo for my then wife while she remains in status in the U.S., then

* Have her return to Japan for the medical exam and completion of other formalities, AFTER an interview has been scheduled, to minimize disruption of her studies and our family life in Los Angeles.

Would the fact that technically we would be newlyweds, notwithstanding our preexisting longterm romantic relationship, negatively influence the outcome of the interview?

By the way, I also hold a Japanese permanent resident visa, so I can demonstrate that I have a right to be in Japan to petition for her in Tokyo.

Thank you.

Dear Anonymous:

To file the visa petition in Tokyo, both of you would have to go there. Assuming the consul agrees to accept jurisdiction, once the petition is approved, your spouse is an intending immigrant and her student visa could then be cancelled and she would have to wait in Japan until her permanent visa is issued.

If you are a US citizen, this may not be too long, but complications could arise and she would not be able to come back to the United States until they are resolved.

A better solution is for her to ask for an advance parole once she has filed for adjustment of status. Assuming she is in valid status, the application is routinely granted. This will permit her to leave the country and re-enter while her application for permanent residence is being processed. Good luck.

Thank you for your helpful answer!

I understand that INS requires that applicants furnish a letter stating a reason for requesting the advance parole. In her case the primary reason she would want advance parole immediately upon filing for adjustment of status is to be able to re-enter the U.S. after departing for a sudden family emergency at some undetermined time in the future. Would that be a reasonable reason to INS? If not, what reason would be acceptable to INS to approve the application?

May I also ask, is there term of validity of the parole that would allow multiple re-entries, or a specific, single date of travel for which it can be used for re-entry and for no other? With the possibility a wait for an immigrant visa of several years the last thing she would want is an advance parole that expires just when she needed it.

Dear Anonymous:

INS requires a reason for the parole, although just about anything will qualify; but not some hypothetical event that may never occur. However, an advance parole can usually be obtained within 24-48 hours for a genuine emergency.

She can request a multiple-entry parole, which is usually issued for up to 6 months, and she can renew it as often as necessary. Good luck.

Thank you again for your reply.

How different the situation is in Japan! Under Japanese immigration law foreigners can apply for a multiple re-rentry permit that is valid for three years, granted with no questions asked, and can re-enter Japan after absences of unlimited duration (within the three year validity of their re-entry permit) without worry about loss of their permanent status.

The Japanese model is something INS could learn from.

Dear Anonymous:

You are absolutely right. US Immigration should issue advance parole documents to anyone who has filed a non-frivolous application for adjustment of status; and it should be valid for multiple entries until such time as the application is finally adjudicated.

Many organizations have been promoting this idea for years, but INS obviously has no interest in adopting it. The current system only means more work for INS, which is already severely understaffed. Thanks for your comments.

Hi. I am married to a US citizen. I just received my work permit. Do you know how long it will take for the interview? WE are based in LA? What about San Francisco too?
Thanks

Dear Anonymous:

The time it is taking from filing to final adjudication is about 730-820 days in Los Angeles, and 425-456 days in San Francisco. Good luck.

What about vermont?

Dear Anonymous:

In order to answer your question, we would need to know the type of application you filed. Also, are you speaking of the Vermont Service Center, or are you speaking of the local INS office in Vermont? Best wishes.

I am a permanent resident who filed I-130 for his wife on April 2001. Can you please make an approximate calculation how long will it take till my wife has the right to enter U.S. Thank you

Dear Jimi:

You will have to look at the processing times for the service center where your case was filed. Go to our Home page and click on "Service Center Processing Times". Then add about 3-6 months more to process the case through the consulate.

Of course, all of this could be speeded up if INS ever issues its K-3 regulations. Good luck.

Thank You for your answer. I checked and the proccesing time for my case in Nebraska was 4/13/2001. So just to be sure I should add like 6 months to this and you mean that by the end of this year she might be able to come to USA ?

Hi Jimi. If you're a permanent resident, the process of bringing your wife to the US might take up to 5 years now. Unless you become a citizen before that. ImmigrationHelp gave you the wrong answer, K-3 regulations can help spouses of US citizens, not Perm.Residents.
I have the same situation. We've been waiting since December 1997. Good luck.

Dear Jimi:

Alisa is correct. Our previous answer to you was based on your being a US citizen. As a permanent resident, the total processing time will be more than 5 years unless you become a US citizen. Best wishes.

Dear Sir
I mohammad reza,an unmarried son of a perm res of
USA,falling under the (f2b)category,with the priority date as mentioned is 11Jan1999.I have recevied my case number,from the national visa
center 32rochester avenue portsmouth.Now my
question to you is,could you let me know the current priority date,and the approximate ammount
of time will be taken for proceeding with my
immigrant visa application.
thanking you.

Dear Sir
I Mohammad reza,an unmarried son of the Perm Res of the USA,falling under the (f2b) category,and my
priority date is 11jan1999,and have also received
my case number,from the national visa center,32
rochester avenue,portmouth.Now my question to you
is could you please let me know the current priority dates,and the approximate ammount of time for proceeding with my immigration application.
thanking you.

Dear Mr. Reza:

To ascertain the current processing time for your case, you should go to our Home page and click on the link entitled Visa Bulletin Priority Dates. This is updated monthly. Good luck.

Hello, I am married to a U.S. citizen. We applied for a I129F as a requirement for the application of the K3 visa. My husband got a notice of approval for our case indicating that our papers will be sent to the National Visa Center. How long does this process take until the time i get the visa? I am from the Philippines. I would appreciate an answer as it will make the waiting a bit less painful. Thank you.

I applaed ( I-130 petition) for my spouse in November 2001. In June 2003 I became a US citizen and I sent copy of citizenship certificate to INS. I did not received notes from INS after that and I would like to know how long it will take to upgrade his case ?

Thank you.

Lyudmila Talisov.

i became a citizen of the united states in august 22, 2001, and in october 28, 2002, i filed a I130 for my children I got an answer saying that it will take from 130 to 165 days before the approval, well is has been almost 2 years after I filed their petition and I haven{t get any answer yet, do you have any idea hos long it will take to get the approval so I can bring them to the US and they can live with me? I will appreciate your soon answer.