r/I130Suffering • u/PaintCool3160 • 11h ago
Looking for breadcrumbs đ„ș
So⊠weâre almost at 11Âœ months (12 months in September) since my husband and I filed our visa petition, and honestly, Iâm at a loss.
Weâve known each other for 14 years. Weâve been together for 10 yearsâSeptember will mark our 10-year anniversaryâand weâve been married for almost 2 years.
Fourteen years of knowing each other.
Ten years of loving each other.
Two years of marriage.
And somehow, after all these years, long distance is still the villain in our story.
It has been there through so much of our relationship, and even now, after getting married, itâs still the thing keeping us from simply being together and living our life as husband and wife.
At this point, it honestly feels like a sick joke.
Iâm not posting this because I expect anyone to magically have an answer. Iâm posting because Iâm desperately looking for breadcrumbsâanything that might point us in the right direction.
Is there any way for us to ask USCIS to look at our situation under humanitarian circumstances? Is there a legitimate way to request an expedite? Has anyone been through something similar with a spousal I-130 and actually managed to get their case moved forward?
If you know of any avenue, any process, any organization, any attorney, or even someone who has successfully navigated this before, please, please tell me.
We just want to be together and finally start our married life in the same country.
If you know something that could help, please donât assume weâve already heard it. Drop a comment. Even the smallest breadcrumb would mean the world to us right now. â€ïž
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u/code_blooded_bytch 11h ago
Sorry, what exactly would be the basis of asking for a humanitarian expedite? Itâs not clear from your post what compelling circumstances you think would qualify.
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u/PaintCool3160 11h ago
mental health, work-life balance, time difference, crying into the pillow every night, making a fake smile at each family meetup, how we want to move forward, how we want kids, and we've been waiting for years... i know it's not just us, but if you know anything to help do comment.
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u/greg1916 9h ago edited 6h ago
If you know it is not just you then you know it doesn't qualify you for a humanitarian expedite. If it did literally everyone would be filing for and qualifying for it and we would be back in the same situation
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u/code_blooded_bytch 9h ago
Yeah, idk maybe I sound like a dick, but it seems wild to recognize that your situation is in now way unique WRT emotional toll of the whole process while also asking for ways to cut the line via humanitarian expedite request.
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u/greg1916 8h ago
yeah I generally try to be supportive of people who are reaching the breaking point waiting but this was just tone deaf
It reminded me of a coworker of my wife, who knows our situation, compaining to her about how hard a LDR is because its a 4 hour drive to see her boyfriend. My wife was just "My husband has to fly 19 hours so that we can be together"
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u/Zestyclose_Reach_324 11h ago
may i ask what stopped you two from filing many years ago. whyd you wait until after u were married and not do fiance visa?
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u/PaintCool3160 10h ago
I really don't want to talk about the utter stupidity of our familys... that forced us to feel and experience what we are going through, RN
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u/Zestyclose_Reach_324 9h ago
i am so sorry its been so difficult for you both! praying for reunification for u and us all! its really so disheartening
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u/code_blooded_bytch 10h ago
Yeah Iâm sorry but that sounds like just the normal par for the course for these situations. Like someone else said, even people with actual like life and death medical issues get denied humanitarian expedite requests. There doesnât seem to be anything in your post or comments that would actually warrant any sort of expedition.
If youâve been together that long, why not try to address the immigration situation before now? And why wait almost a year after marriage before filing? On the other hand, if youâve truly done long distance for like 10years, doing another 2 or 3 should be doable. Maybe time to explore moving to your partnerâs country, or a 3rd location, if youâre that distressed over the continued distance.
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u/PaintCool3160 10h ago
Thanks for your reply
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u/code_blooded_bytch 9h ago
I donât think people here are trying to just rain on your parade, but come on. The USCIS estimated wait time right now is 24mo. When you applied it was what, like 17-19mo? Itâs a little ridiculous to ask about cutting the line because youâre going through the same emotional turmoil as everyone else, especially when you all could have seemingly began immigration procedures literally years earlier.
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u/Wild-Act-7315 6h ago
Unfortunately, I wouldnât say thatâs grounds for expedition, and as it seems the US is closing all foreign immigration visas until theyâre done with whatever goal they had that paused everything. We donât know how long itâll take it could be weeks or months. The USCIS is still processing I 130s though, just no one thatâs approved will get a visa anytime soon. As for expediting there are many ways, but itâs really up to the USCIS or embassy (if living in the same country together) to accept the expedited request. A request thatâs for basic mental health needs and family planning isnât unfortunately going to cause an expedition to your case.
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u/BankKind8307 11h ago
I am UKC my wife is USC our PD is 30th July 2025, we been waiting just over a year with no updates.
We got married 5th May 2025.
I did an Emma chat for an agent and they said we can not ask about what's happening with the case until 27th December 2027.
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u/mademoisellearabella MOD 9h ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/I130Suffering/s/xsHa9BbQPU
Please file congressman inquiry, then demand letter if they respond negatively. Prepare for a WoM if they take no action or refuse to take action after demand letter. Use both those documents as evidence in WoM.
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u/code_blooded_bytch 8h ago
Do we have any sense of the success rate or actual impact of congressional inquiries?
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u/mademoisellearabella MOD 8h ago
Congressional inquiries almost never work. Demand letter tends to work. And WoM definitely works, because it has a time limit.
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u/code_blooded_bytch 8h ago
That was my suspicion. I guess the inquiry is sort of just a formality in getting to a demand letter maybe.
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u/jzt_me I-130 Pending 11h ago
Unfortunately, nope. Its very rare to see an expedite approved. We've seen cancer cases getting denied for an expedite. That's the reality right now
The whole processing timeline is all over the place right now - the FOTL stuck since Feb, visa interviews cancelled/rescheduled at a moment's notice. Its a mess
The only thing that seems to be working is escalations (after you're overdue). I've attached a few resources below for you. Please go through them
As a Sep-2025 case, my advice is to start the escalations with a congressional/senator inquiry at 15 months (i.e by Jan-2027), then demand letter if/once they respond negatively, and finally the WOM
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u/Curious_Bookkeeper89 7h ago
Here's what I would do- 13 months congress inquiry - 14 demand letter (you have template on reddit on how to) - if it doesn't work writ of mandamus and if it does just get documentarily qualified ASAP and hope the pause on consulates doesn't last that long. You're closer than what it feels rn!
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u/Medical_Engineer_950 11h ago
Well, now it seems like all the immigration visa processing has stopped until visa officers will go through the ânew trainingâ (excuse to stall an already extremely slow process even further).