Woohooo, the I-130 petition is approved
The I-130 petition was filed in March, after three months of staying in the dark hole. The big boy filed an expedite request for the I-130 processing on 5 June, hope to speed things up a bit.
Five weeks after filing an expedite request, the petition for an immigrant visa is finally approved today! Does that mean I can buy an air ticket and get on a plane now? No way! The I-130 petition basically is an initial filing to determine eligibility of the petitioner to file an immigrant visa for an immediate relative, which is spouse in our case.
The approved I-130 is now being forwarded to National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing. We are filing another expedite request so that NVC will forward the file to KL immediately.
Meanwhile, the big boy has to pay more fees, submit more documents and sign a contract with Uncle Sam that he is going to be financially responsible for me. The contract is called an affidavit of support (AOS). It means if I ever become a public charge i.e. claim unemployment or any mean tested benefits, Uncle Sam can recover the payments from the big boy!
When the file is forwarded to KL, I have to submit an application form and some civil documents i.e birth certificate, marriage certificate and police clearance. This step is going to be fast as I already have all the documents, ready to go out. Then, I would need to go for a medical check up and take some vaccinations. The last one will be the interview.
My conservative estimation- all this will take at least another one and half months! It may take longer if the big boy does not submit the AOS documents in time!!
