Here is afternoon and we still don't have NOA2.

Nope, me neither - it's time to ring these guys. Now then, I dialled the following number: 800-375-5283. I was met with the usual automated bollox, and it just never seemed to end - what options do I need to press to get through to a human being at USCIS!!???

I called the NVC and they verified my petition was there, but not yet sent to Kiev. The woman said to call back on Friday. She said they have only had it "a few days". It must have gotten there quickly since it was just approved on the 22nd! :-)


Damian..this is from someone else's post, but it should be what you need.

"Here is what I did to shake things loose. The keys are to [1] reach a correct person, and [2] speak USCIS's language.

Call 800-375-5283 , then hit 1,2,2,4,2,1; enter your receipt number; hit 1,1. (There is no need to wait for all of the recorded options to be read before you hit these buttons.) The recording will almost certainly say that "additional evidence is required," but don't necessarily believe it.

When the phone rings, you should be speaking with an actual Immigration Officer (not a clueless front-line screener who can tell you only what you already know). If the recording said that "additional evidence is required," ask the ImmOff exactly this: "Why does the recording say that I have a Request For Evidence?" He/she will almost certainly tell you that there's no record of an RFE; thank him/her profusely.

Then (or first), ask exactly this: "Will you please tell me exactly where in the Division my file is?" He/she will tell you. Then say exactly this: "I'm aware that several files received after mine have already been approved, and the USCIS website clearly says 'we process applications in the order we receive them.' Will you please send an e-mail to the floor, and ask the person at the ____ station [whatever the ImmOff told you] to please hand-carry the file to the next station?"

The ImmOff will appreciate your "speaking the language," because it is so different from the usual plaintive "do something!" that they hear all day, every day. The e-mail should at least cause one of the processors on the floor to handle your file, and your record on the USCIS Case Status website may soon reflect a "touch."

The procedures that I have recommended are worth it, and you should feel better afterwards. Depending on how long ago you have submitted your application (the longer, the "better"), you can repeat this process every 10 to 14 days.

Do NOT mention that you are part of an on-line community; this is not necessary, and mentioning it could hinder your success. However, feel free to post your stories on VJ! "

I'm pleased for ya, cwaf, but can you answer my question!!?? How do I get a human being on the line at the USCIS service centre!!?? All I'm getting is the automated service no matter what buttons I push! AND IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!!!!!!!

Cheers cwaf!! You're a good lad. I'll try that now!

[quote name='cwaf' post='2064801' date='Jul 30 2008, 07:39 AM']I called the NVC and they verified my petition was there, but not yet sent to Kiev. The woman said to call back on Friday. She said they have only had it "a few days". It must have gotten there quickly since it was just approved on the 22nd! :-)
quote]

Just called NVC and they still don't have my petition. Poo. She was nice, but said it is not unusual for them to take 2-4 weeks, so not to bother calling CIS yet.

Well I ignored her and called CIS...And she said she can't tell me whether they sent it yet...But that they often send them direct to the Consulate abroad (!?)

Is she crazy/ bluffing to get rid of me, or is this true? I shall call London and find out.

Sometimes I think it would be better not to call anyone and just to wait... But I just can't seem to stop myself!

I've heard of people at CIS saying that before...it's a case of people not knowing what they're talking about. They ALWAYS go to the NVC first, CIS never sends them directly to the consulate. I know it's hard...try to be patient *hugs* Call NVC again tomorrow, it might not be "unusual" for that to happen...but I certainly think it's rare, they're just covering their bums.

Pardon the intrusion... but CIS and NVC aren't always likely to give you an answer because the petition moves through so fast. If you call DOS, they can tell you if/when your petition has been sent to the Consulate and even if you have an interview date set already... (202) 663-1225 Press 1, then Press 0.

OK, it is not in London, so CIS made a 'mistake' telling me that. I guess I just have to wait.

Thanks for the moral support



Oh, cheers, no intrusion

Are they able to tell when it has left CIS do you think? I might as well call them too - I'm on a roll now...

Eeeek. DOS say that they have no record of my CIS receipt number and transferred me to the National Visa centre (again). So I hung up. This is a wild goose chase I think, and I am going to stop now before I start to panic.

I hope they had no record because they need my new 'case' number and not my CIS receipt number?

I'm sure it's ok...maybe you just got someone new who didn't really know what they were doing or you could be right that you have to have the new number. I think you have the right idea about stopping now...call NVC tomorrow and if they still don't have anything, call DOS again.

It takes a bit longer for CSC petitions to get way over here to NH. It could very well be in the building and just not into the system yet. You'll have your new case # once it's in there. Don't start to panic just yet.

I thought that I'd share my most recent experiences with the DOS and NVC phone numbers. I called the DOS this morning. When I gave them my DOS case number, they couldn't pull up anything at all. So, they transferred me to the NVC. I asked them for the status of my case. The guy just told me that it had been received yesterday and had not been sent out yet. The woman I spoke with at DOS said this sometimes happens and they don't understand why. The guy at NVC said that I'm welcome to call back and check again and that "typically" they will send out notices when the case is forwarded to the embassy. This just confirms (again) that there is no consistency in any of this process.

Thanks Don - I know you've been on the sticky end of this issue for a while. So I thought I'd join you

My conslusion is that most people on the telephones don't know what they are talking about!

Cheers. I'm remaining calm. I can't be too much of a brat while others are still waiting for their approvals...

this may sound like a silly question this late in the game, but what is DOS? I know what the computer part called DOS is, but not what we are referring to here! I know--I should know all the acronyms by now!

Department of State - but I confess I don't know how it relates to NVC and CIS

D'OH! I guess I should have known that one. I do not know how it relates to this situation, either.

NVC and CIS are both subdivisions of the DOS. CIS used to be INS and they were their own agency. Then they made the INS a part of the DOS and changed it's name to CIS...that's one of the major overhauls that happened in the last couple of years that was supposed to "speed up" the process.

thanks for explaining!

Actually the National Visa Center is a Department of State facility that supports the worldwide operations of the Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office. And as we all know the NVC processes immigrant visa petitions from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for people who will apply for their immigrant visas at embassies and consulates abroad.

Thanks! and Thanks to all who help out here. I think there would be SO MANY people completely lost in this process if it were not for the goodwill and goodwishes of the great members here at VJ. I salute you all and wish happiness forever!

Actually, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Department of State (DOS) is at the same level as DHS. Both the National Visa Center (NVC) and the U.S. Embassies in foreign countries are under the DOS.

That's why I've been saying that I'm happy I'm no longer dealing with the USCIS and am now dealing with the DOS.....at least until it's time for AOS (adjustment of status).

Isn't it all perfectly clear?

my head hurts now!

Mine, too! I thought I finally understood it all. Blegh...

Ah, so that explains (maybe) why DOS won't help track down CIS numbers, only NVC numbers. I wonder if anyone has ever tried ringing DHS? I'm not going to, I'm too tired.

At this point, it seems about all that you can do is to continue to call the NVC to find out if they've got it. When you talk to someone, you will give them your CIS receipt number to see if they have your file. If they do, then they can give you the new case number they've assigned to it. I hope that your file gets there more quickly than mine did! It seems that most get there from the CSC in just a few days (after approval).

Mine finally got there yesterday. This afternoon, I received word that the NVC sent it on to Moscow today! As I had hoped, once my petition left the "clutches" of the USCIS-CSC, things are beginning to move much more quickly! Now, we'll see if we can get the interview date we're wanting.

My fiance called up NVC this morning and he talked with a very rude lady and he was told that they don't have our case # yet and that it normally takes 90 days before they receive papers from USCIS. It sucks because we waited 164 days for NOA2 and now we have to wait another 90 days again for case #....I told my fiance not to believe her and I asked him to keep calling every other day until he gets the case #. Do you guys think this will work? This is another battle again but I'm still thankful that we already have our NOA2 and I keep praying for those who have not been approved.

The standard answer for the NVC operators is that "it normally takes 2-4 weeks for the petition to get here", and they might tell you that it could take up to 90 days. That's what they're instructed to say, but it's bull. For the most part, it currently seems that approved petitions from the CSC are getting to the NVC in less than a week. There are exceptions. Mine took 20 days, and, for some reason beyond my comprehension, some take 1-2 months or more. Your fiance is free to call as often as he wants to. I would suggest at least once a day. Some of the operators are rude. Some are very nice, and some are somewhere in between. Hang in there! If it doesn't get there in couple of weeks, I would suggest that your fiance get his Congressman or Senator to look into what's going on. Good luck!

Thank you so much Don. I'm glad that NVC has already sent your papers to Moscow. I will tell my fiance what you just told me. I'm hoping the next time he called up he will talk with a nice person. I'm planning to send them email also maybe next week if we still don't have the case number. Thanks again.

You're welcome! If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time emailing the NVC. I've sent two emails and still haven't received a reply to either. As for the NVC operators, after they tell you that they have no record of your petition, they will usually ask when the petition was approved. That's when they can be rude in how they tell you that you have to be patient, etc. etc........ So, I just got to where once they told me they had no record of my file, I would say thanks and just hang up. I didn't want to hear the same old drivel again and give them an opportunity to be rude. There was no need for me to hear anything else at that point. I would suggest that your fiance take a similar tact. Again, good luck to you, and I hope your petition gets there soon!

I am very much depress now. i really dont have enought patience anymore, maybe because i waitied long for this already, 3 yrs and 7 mos, yet up to now im still waiting and waiting our son is growing , and he is looking for his daddy. this hurt me more. and i want to get over with it soon. im sorry im so emotional, cant just hold it anymore.

Hi Bevs, don't worry you will get it soon. Mine took 164 days before we got NOA2. Just keep praying ok. I know it's really stressful but at this point in time you have no choice but to wait. I complained a lot before and until now I'm still anxious because we don't have our case number yet but I keep telling myself that our papers is in God's hands and that He knows what's best for us. You just have to trust Him. You are in my prayers. God bless

Well it helps to read that i am not the only one in the black hole between CSC and the NVC. My plan is to call the NVC every day or so to see if there is any change. My NOA2 was approved June 19th, where the heck did my petition go!!!!

Wow, that's over a month now. I hope you will have your case number soon. We got approved last July 22 only so it's too early to worry but seing people get their case number in a week makes me think that maybe something has gone wrong. I can't wait to get through this whole K1 process.

look at my timeline )))
Can you imagine how much i'm depress
I hope in August we will receive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello! Have you guys tried to call NVC at all? I'm surprised that you have received NOA2 and it hasn't arrived to NVC yet. Our petition was approved the 22nd, arrived to NVC the 28th and shipped to Mexico the 30th (today). I called 4 days in a row (Friday-nothing, Monday-petition arrived, Tuesday- still pending at NVC, Wednesday-shipped out). I would call NVC. They seem to be nicer at NVC compared to CSC. And they know more about the case . I called 1-603-334-0700 and dialed 1, 5 to speak to someone. It would put me on "hold" with the man repeatedly saying the lines were still busy bla bla bla but eventually someone picks up . I'm hoping you get your approval soon Rimma&Vadim.

Wow! Someone that's been waiting longer than me (by 10 days). Right, that means I can't piss and moan too much about my own case too much (I probably will though!!)

Well i guess we got lucky there too!!The moment our papers was approved and was out of CSC's clutches everything moved so fast.Our petition was approved July 9,received by NVC on the 12th and forwarded to Manila on the 14th.And it arrived at the US Embassy in Manila on the 16th.After waiting for more than 5 months for our NOA2 to come it was a welcome relief.

Goodluck to everybody!!!!

I wish we all got NOA2 at the beginig of August
Cuz i'm really going crazy day by day

Tbf, there are people even worse off than us. Some poor sod on the OCTOBER thread is still waiting! Still doesn't make it any less irritating for us, mind. I was gonna call them yesterday using the "cheat sheet" that cwaf gave me, but I'm gonna give it until 21st August, which will make it exactly 6 months. I'm gonna wait until then, because after that I know they can't give me any flannel about "timescales" etc.

we called them 2 weeks ago and they said to call back after 190 days sind petition were send
It even more than 6 month rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
So we are waiting for 19 August.

Well I'll tell you what, you can be my VJ online buddy if you like. My other 2 February filling online buddies (Miss Yoko and cwaf) both got approved, so I clearly have the magic touch

HEHEHE
ok why not?!
maybe i will get it too
TOUCH ME PLEASE!!!!!!! ))))))))))))

Certainly - whereabouts exactly?

hehehe )))) very funny:))))
Just my petition

Morning all!

Damian, Rimma, Bevs I'm still crossing my fingers for you all as I know really how you feel.
I know that I can tell you that it will happens... It doesn't help.

But believe me it will come.

Lot of hugs and kisses to you

Ohh God i believe, the question is WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN:))))

I thought the time that it took for my approved petition to get from the CSC to the NVC was ridiculous, and it was. But, your situation is even more ridiculous. If I were you, I would be getting my Congressman's office and/or Senator's office looking into this for you. That's what I did. I don't know if it was just coincidence (kind of doubt that), but my petition showed up at the NVC right after they began inquiring to the CSC.