cbarrin said:
I'm an american just recently married to a dominican....we sent the application in for the 130....I know it can take months for the process to go through...when I went to check the status of our case, it said "this type of application can take up to 999days....this isn't true...isn't it???....when I was checking time lengths before we got married...I figured to several months to one year...somebody please give me encouragement....
cb
I am currently going through the same petitioning processes for my husband. My advice is that you visit the forum that TwinCactus suggested, because everyone there is applying for a sweetie and can give you more specific information relating to what is CURRENTLY going on with the immigration processes.
I have found that people who petitioned years ago and even months ago will give you information (though well-intended) that is out of date. Petitions are currently taking over a year from submission to interview. The wait for a consular appointment alone is over a year long right now.
Now your question was about the 999 days. They send you that message becuase they dont want to promise you any specific time due to the volume of petitions that they are processing. You can check current wait times at the USCIS website according the the service center that applies to you. If you are a US Citizen, then I doubt very highly that you will be made to wait 999 days for your approval. More like 2-5 months. But don't quote me because volume varies all the time.
While you are waiting, you can also apply for a K3 (129-F petition) visa for your wife. It is akin to the fiance visa, but is for married couples. In the event that your I-130 petition really does take 999 days, your K3 petition will certainly process within 4 months. You can make both applications at the same time and choose to go with whichever yields you an appointment first. Think of the K3 as insurance against high applicant volume.
Remember that this is a multi-step process: USCIS--->NVC--->Consulate
Good Luck to you.