Hi all October and November filers...
Lets keep in touch and post our progress here...

No progress to report yet for me, but here is a link to the portion of NVC's website that tells you how to track your case:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3177.html

Someone posted the link in Igor's August and September thread. You need to have your receipt number from USCIS and your or your fiance's name and birthdate. Once it gets there, I think they assign it a different number, and you can use that to track it, but obviously you won't have it the first time you call.

I have not yet tried calling them, since it's probably not there yet and I am trying very hard not to be obsessive about it. The phone number for the NVC is on that link. It is also on the hard copy of your NOA2.

SonoranSongbird,why do you think that your case is not in NVC yet?
I think it has to be there by now...

CSC -> NVC is taking an average of around 3 weeks, and I've seen it go to 6 weeks. However, mine got there recently in 8 days. So SS, you might try giving NVC a call. It's quite possible that it's there already.

You are correct, the first time you call you'll need your USCIS receipt number. They will also ask the beneficiary's name and birth date, and then verify your correct phone number. They are SUPER nice, so try not to pass out. They also will not harass you about calling too many times, so if you call tonight and it's not there, call tomorrow and the next day...

Mine is not there yet, but I would echo what Mox said. They are very nice about it. The woman I spoke to said to try a little later for this February date?

I had to call late in the day to get through.... 2000 hrs, Central Standard Time

When I called the CSC they wouldnt talk to me since I'm only the beneficiary,does NVC talk to me or would the Petitioner have to make the call??
Thanks
Nat

Applewow, it is taking on average about two weeks to get to NVC from CSC. It may be faster for petitions from VSC since they are faster about everything else and Vermont is right next to New Hampshire (where the NVC is located). Our NOA2 was issued just over a week ago.

Natasha, that was incredibly rude of them! I don't know why they would do that. Honestly, I assumed the reason you could not call the USCIS number from outside of the US was just that they are too cheap to pay for the calls on the toll free line! If it's any consulation, I don't think USCIS call center people tend to be very helpful or polite when people do manage to talk to them.

I don't know the answer to your question (although NVC has just a regular New Hampshire phone number, so you should at least be able to place the call), but I've heard that they are generally much more polite and helpful than the USCIS people. You might want to ask on the August/September thread or one of the other older threads where there are people who have been through this stage already.

Maybe wait a little longer, but I am not sure why you couldn't call? They say in the automated voice message that you need the USCIS number and the beneficiaries date of birth. Perhaps, it is worth a try if he can not call?

You are correct, USCIS will not talk to the beneficiary. However, NVC will. Give them a call, they're really friendly.

I called the automatic service at NVC and it says they didnt received my case yet.... (option 1)
here it is for another (long ?) wait.....grmf

Hey Melusine,

We are getting married in Las Vegas also on 08.08.08 (well hopefully). Las Vegas is where my SO lives

You need to speak to someone. K1s are not entered into the automated system. Use options 1 and then 5.

Good luck

ZEENUSAH !!!!!!!! THANK YOU !!!!!!! i just call them to talk to the agent and my case got there and left from Montreal yesterday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG i'm totally extatic !!!!!!!!

They were quite nice, they gave me the case number and everything !
And somehow the automatic thing was right.. my case wasn't there........ anymore !!!!!!!!!!! what an unexpected thing !!!!! so cool !

Wow, that was fast! Congratulations, Melusine. Your NOA2 was only two days ahead of mine, so maybe I will try calling tonight.

Zee, good luck with your interview!

Also, thank you to Melusine and ZeeNusah because I also thought it was the automated system you call to find out. That would have been very frustrating.

When you call the NVC, it gets very frustrating because of their phone system. I found it best to call just before they close. However, I did get through around 10pm EST. Good luck to you, very exciting after your case hits the NVC because you've got more movement after a long wait and begin to find new stuff to look forward to. I suggest to begin to get all your paperwork together wiht I-134 because making sure it is correct can take a bit leg work on the USC's part.

Congratulations!!!!! We are October fillers too.We got our NVC hardcopy last March 3. Now waiting what's gonna be next. Hope it will be fast like your papers. Crossing our fingers.

Okay, I called last night and NVC has it. I think my brain malfunctioned while I was on the phone with them, so I did not think to ask when they got it or if it had been sent to the consulate yet (I also almost gave my fiance's birthdate as February 2007).

For those who have not tried calling yet, what is a bit frustrating about their phone system is that it won't just leave you on hold if no operator is available; instead, it routes you back to the automated system immediately, which would be well and good if you could enter your USCIS receipt number and get the information you want, but you can't. It also has a message telling you to try back after 6 pm EST, but when I tried calling it WAS after 6 pm EST. I called back at about 11:30 their time and got through immediately.

I think my brain malfunctioned ...

HAHAHA ! it did the same thing for me !

Hey dudes!!!
December filer jumping on in here!!!
Gonna call tonight to see if our package has left NVC to Montreal!!! I hope so!!!

Alvin called NVC yesterday and they said that they received our petition on 6 of March and they gave us a number THT200856***... Does it mean that we pass all chekings or they assing a number once they received the petition from uscis? Just wondering and of course exciting......

Can somebody answer my question,please!!!!!!!

Hi, Applewow. Yeah, I think you just use the number NVC gave you to track it now. If you need to email NVC for any reason, they want you to put the number they gave you in the subject line of the email. I have no idea whether you can use that number to check on your petition using their automated phone system.

The thing is your petition will go through NVC so quickly that it is kind of silly that they assign you a new number. I could be wrong, but I think the consulate will then assign you yet another number. Plus to track it to the consulate, you use a tracking number from DHL.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Maybe someone else can give you a better answer.

The number NVC gives you is the case number. That is the number from here on out. You can reference that number with the NVC, the Embassy, and the Dept of State.

I dont think it means you have passed any checks, its just the case number assigned. Once they tell you it has been sent, or you receive the letter from them, then its pretty safe to say you have passed the checks.

Thank you, Lucy. That's good to know.

Hi everyone!! We got our NOA2 on 3/10/08 and I'm joining the "NOA2 to NVC Club"!!!

My fiance is moving this week and I need to call and find out if our case is at the NVC so that I can change my SO's mailing address for packets 3 and 4.

How long did you all have to wait to call until NVC received your case?

I don't know exactly when my petition got to NVC. We got our NOA2 on February 27 and I called them on March 6, which is 8 days later. The processing times section of VJ gave the average time for petitions to get from USCIS to NVC as 10 days the last time I looked.

Thanks, SS! I'll try them this Friday and also next week...I need to catch them to make the address change before they send out our package to Barbados.

I called NVC last night, and they said they received our application from CSC on March 5th, and sent it to Vancouver on March 7th! Finally, things are happening!

They had no problem with talking to me, even though I'm the beneficiary.

Now I can start checking my mailbox everyday for Packet 3...

i call but not yet i will try tomrrow.

Wow, that's fast. I wonder if mine went that fast too. I haven't been able to call since the 6th because you can only get through pretty late at night, and I'm usually on the phone with my fiance until I'm ready to drop. They send the USC a letter telling you they've sent it to the consulate, but I live in the middle of the cornfields, so I bet anything my petition will reach Vancouver before that letter reaches me! Oh well--that petition getting to Vancouver is what counts anyway!

Congratulations on being in the home stretch, Meridien!

Okay, I am pretty sure ours is at the consulate now. I got the letter from NVC today. It was dated Monday and said they would send it to Vancouver "sometime in the next week." I just did the DHL tracking thing, and there was one that went the 11th and got there the 13th and another that went the 12th and got there today. I'm pretty sure one of them was ours. Looking at the volume of packages shipped (over 50 each day!) I don't think they sit there waiting to be shipped for very long, plus the postmark on my letter was March 11, so it probably was that one.

I called NVC to see if by chance they had my packet already, but since I didn't have a letter with instructions on it, the dude was kind of hostile to me.

-Ryan

There aren't really any instructions on the hard copy of the NOA2. All it tells you that isn't in the email version is that you will get a notice from NVC when they've finished. Well, it does tell you to call NVC if you don't get that letter within a month and give the number. They are also usually not rude, so I think you will have better luck the next time you call. The only information you need to give them is the beneficiary's name and birthdate and the receipt number you got from CSC (which IS on the email NOA2). You might need to give both names and birth dates, I can't remember.

I would try again in a few days (it isn't going to be there this soon from California--it will take closer to a week) and just say you wanted to see if they'd received your petition. You can ask them for their case number and when they got it too. Most of them are pretty polite. I think only one other person said they seemed a little tiffed that he called before it was there.

Good luck and congrats on the NOA2!

Thanks Songbird.

Yeah, I told the guy I was just trying to see if they had gotten it, and he was all gruff. He said "Well I can't help you unless I know what your instructions are on the letter."

I guess since our CIS receipt number was not in the system, I can assume that it had not arrived.

I know that CSC to NVC is bound to take about a week, but I was hoping it would be faster LOL

We passed NVC on 13 of March....Yeyyyyyy....
It feels so good to be with your loved one together
and get that awesome news.....

that good news

Congratulations, Applewow! Now you are in the home stretch.

I also got mine on the 13th

Congratulations!!!
We called US embassy in Tashkent and they said that
it can take as much as a month for them to receive a petition
from NVC ...Thats bullshit!!! I know that NVC using DHL and it
takes just 3-5 days for them to receive the paperwork...
Damn ...My SO got order and he is going to be deployed...
We gonna call them back Friday again and move from there...

Applewow, go to DHL's website, click on "track by reference" (if you put the cursor over "track", you will get a menu with "track by reference" as a choice). Then try putting in EXP 13 MAR 2008A. If you don't see a package that went from Portsmouth, NH, to Tashkent, try it again with dates before or after. This only tells you if they sent ANY petition to Tashkent around the time they should have sent yours, though; it does not tell you which package is yours. If there aren't that many that have been sent, you can kind of estimate though. Looking at the volume of packages shipped each day, I don't think they sit around very long at NVC waiting to be shipped.

Apple,
Your petition arrives at the embassy anywhere from 1-4 business days after it is sent.

But you have to read between the lines of what they tell you. When they say "receive", they don't mean when it was delivered to them. In their language, received means "the day somebody gets off their lazy a*s to actually process it and puts together packet III for you".

Luckily, our embassy "received" our petition only 24 hours after it was delivered to them.

Applewow, I tried DHL, and there is one that arrived at the DHL facility in Tashkent today.

http://track.dhl-usa.com/TrackRslts.asp?nav=TrackRslt

It is on page 2, if that link doesn't take you there directly.

Ohh...Thank you...
I found our petition on DHL website...
It says Arrived at DHL facility on 3/19/2008..
But nobody signed for it yet...

Thank you guys....We will call embassy tomorrow again...

Ugh, the second link I posted won't work. It will take you to the "track by number" screen instead for some bizarre reason. But go ahead and try the "track by reference" option. It should work.

Apple,
You must not have a lot of experience with US civil service employees. It's very likely that even after they have signed for the package, they may say we haven't received it yet for days or even weeks. The day they physically receive it and the day they open it and start to process it can be far apart. This is why some embassies take 1-3 months after NVC sends it out to get a packet 3 out to the beneficiary. It just sits there in some bin or on somebody's desk.

I hope yours is processed faster.

I called NVC again today, ours is still not in their system. I was told I have to give them 2-4 weeks to receive it. and that I should call back next week. Which is better than the person yesterday who said that I had to expect it would take up to 90 days.

-Ryan

Hey Ryan,

We got approved about the same time. I've been calling NVC since last Friday but they still don't have our docs yet.
I was also told about the 90 days crap last Monday night and it just went in my one ear, out the other. I will call them every night until I know it gets there. I have to change my SO's address before it leaves NVC so I'm gonna call everyday.

I do hope CSC sends NVC our docs soon and we don't have to wait much longer!!!

You know,I heared that when you let NVC know about changing of address it will take more longer to process your petition...A few months longer...
Just dont want your being delay...