USCIS Timeline March 14th 2024 and Life Drama

I must express my frustration regarding the documentation situation in the USA, as I feel overwhelmed and need someone to discuss this with. Here’s some background information about myself:

I am originally from Venezuela and left my country at the age of 22. I am a bilingual engineer in the gas and oil sector, supporting my family, including my grandmother, mother, and nephew/son. I moved to Panama because it offered the most affordable and shortest flights, and since I already spoke English, I decided to pursue opportunities in customer service. At that time, Panama had a high number of foreign residents, and not many people in customer service spoke English well.

Over the past eight years, I began working in the hotel industry, which allowed me to start earning money. I ended up with an American company focusing on travel-related customer service, marketing, and sales. In my first month, I made significant strides in marketing, and by the end of the year, I had established myself in that area. In my second year, I was promoted to manage VIP customer service. I combined skills from three departments to create a new position that merged customer service, marketing, and sales, becoming the top seller, responsible for over 70% of total sales compared to another 27 sales representatives.

By my third year, I started building a team of individuals like myself, which led to a remarkable increase in yearly sales from $500,000 to $6 million over seven years. I was content, filled with goals, and proud to help many people improve their lives—more than I could have ever imagined. However, I realized that I had spent most of my twenties working for others rather than focusing on myself.

Towards the end of my twenties, I entered a long-distance relationship with someone, something I had avoided for a long time. We were attracted to each other, and the convenience of our situation made it easier to connect through video calls. As someone in the travel industry, I often received awards, including two free trips each year, which I used to invite him to join me.

I felt beautiful, smart, and independent, experiencing the excitement of a new relationship for the first time in my life. After three years of back-and-forth traveling nearly once every three months, I asked him about our future together. He was 36, and I was 29; we were not getting any younger. I was deeply in love and didn’t want to continue seeing each other only once every three months. When he visited me in Panama for a month, I brought up the uncomfortable topic of our relationship. He suggested I come to the United States and stay for six months illegally, like many others do. I firmly replied that I am not like everyone else; I earn over $150,000 after taxes, and my expenses are around $75,000, allowing me to save almost half my income each year, despite my frequent travel. I had a beautiful life, friends, mentors, amazing Job. I was not going to risk it and leaving my job to just stay 6 months illegal in USA

I proposed that he come and live with me, as I was able to support both of us and our lifestyle, while he was struggling with debts from his landscaping business.

I was offered a position at my company to move to the Canary Islands for a new project, which would require my commitment for two years in Europe. I explained to my partner that if he didn’t see a future for us together, it would be better for us to part ways and move on. I had been holding back on my trips and lifestyle because he couldn’t afford them, and while I was okay with that to a certain point, it became challenging for me covering all our expenses most of the time. Plus, I was a wifey and treated him like a King with food, gifts, and massages every time he visited me.

To summarize a long story, we had several discussions about our situation. He eventually told me that if I was confident in myself, I would have no problem rebuilding my success here in the U.S. He suggested I figure out my documentation issues, and we visited a lawyer. I was considering an H-1 visa, which had been offered to me by various business partners throughout my sales career. However, the lawyer advised that if we wanted to build a life together, it would be unreasonable to pursue any other adjustment of status than marriage.

After a couple of weeks of contemplation, right before I was set to leave in our 1 month together, he said, “Okay, let’s get married in October 2023.” We didn’t get engaged or plan a wedding; we simply lived together. I hesitated to bring up the topic because I felt he was only agreeing to marriage just because of family and friends' pressure that he should not let me go. After much turmoil, since I held a B1-B2 visa that required me to leave the country by January (which I had never overstayed), I was at a point where I wanted to move on from the relationship. Then he suggested, “Let’s just get it done.” Because I was foolishly in love, I went along with it, feeling somewhat humiliated.

I asked him if we could at least dress up and take pictures if we were just going to the courthouse. At that moment, I began to see his true colors; he laughed and called me stupid when I showed him ideas on Pinterest for how I envisioned our day, especially when I suggested we order rings from Amazon and take vows. I had no idea how a courthouse wedding was typically conducted, and he dismissed my ideas, saying, “Don’t be stupid; we just go and sign the paper.”

So, we did just that—we went and signed the paperwork. I did, however, take some photos for documentation purposes, which I managed on my own by researching and watching YouTube videos. We shared a beautiful history together right before my move to America.

Since arriving here, though, he has become incredibly selfish and narcissistic. I have been handling all the documentation myself and paying for everything; he has merely signed the forms. He has not a single clue, what anything means, or even is interested in how my documentation process works. He just says it is your documentation. I did a lot by marrying you, do the rest yourself. You are smart enough.

Here’s a timeline of my application process:

- Submitted I-130 on March 14, 2024
- Mailed I-485, I-131, I-765; received on March 18, 2024
- Case actively reviewed by USCIS since March 25, 2024
- Biometrics completed on March 26, 2024
- Received RFE on March 29, 2024, due to the affidavit of financial support
- I prepared everything meticulously; RFE received on April 12, 2024
- Case actively reviewed for I-485 since April 12, 2024
- I-765 approved by May 18, 2024
- I-131 approved by August 21, 2024

My process began on NBC and was moved to the Spokane field office in June. I am currently waiting for a decision on the case.

I am feeling overwhelmed. As a Venezuelan, having a tourist visa opens doors for us, as most countries require visas for entry. Holding a U.S. visa allowed me to secure my previous job and travel freely. However, by staying here to pursue a green card to build a life with him, I lost my American visa. Now, even returning to Panama, the country where I hoped to rebuild my life, requires a visa, which is a complicated process, especially since I relinquished my residency there.

I feel like I have no options. Since moving here, I have felt alone, sad, and depressed. My husband and his family have made my life extremely difficult. Despite my love for him and my efforts to make things work, I am struggling financially and haven’t been able to earn anything close to what I used to. I am solely responsible for taking care of myself and my family, who live outside the U.S.

If you made it through here, I appreciate you took the time to read it!