Hi everyone!

The US citizen (petitioner) should contact USCIS and ask instructions for filing the I-130 form. By filing a petition at USCIS for bringing your spouse (beneficiary) to the US you will receive an application receipt number that will make you able to check the status online for the approval on I-130. After filing for the I-130 you'll will receive by mail the NOA1 (Notice of Action) and NOA2 which is the approval of your I-130 petition.

As soon as you get approval on your I-130 you may start contacting NVC which will assign a case# to your process and will mail the beneficiary the DS 3032 which is the choice of agent. That means that you're applying for a CR1 visa since NVC only mail the DS 3032 if you don't file for the I-129. The benefeciary may email NVC with the choice of the agent stating either yourself, your spouse or a lawyer as the agent.

If you go for a CR1 visa the beneficiary won't have to file for any adjustment of status after US POE (port of entry) which means that you won't have any other fees to pay.

If by the time of beneficiary's US POE you have not completed 2 years of marriage the beneficiary will receive a temporary I-551 Stamp and then later a Green Card by mail good for only 2 years. Ninety days before the green card expires beneficiary will have to file an I-751 form to remove it's conditional status.

CR1> if you're less than 2 years married
IR1> if you're 2 or more than 2 years married

With NVC new online payment system you will be able to pay the AOF (Affidavit of Support) and IV fee bills online and using this benefit you'll be saving a lot of time in the whole process. The average time frame for a conclusion used to be 10 months and with this new benefit I believe you'll be saving 2-3 months or so.

Below you may find some helpful links that will clear some of your doubts and make your life easier during the whole process at USCIS and NVC.

USCIS links
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130instr.pdf
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130.pdf
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/caseStatusSearchDisplay.do
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp

NVC links
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/ty...types_1309.html
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3177.html
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3176.html
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrant.../info_3830.html
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3734.html

Below you'll find the new NVC web page for online payments:
https://ceac.state.gov/CTRAC/Invoice/signon.aspx

VJ links
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=guides
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...page=i130guide1
http://www.visajourney.com/examples/NVC_Pr...wchart_v1-2.pdf
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=91567

Hope it helps some of you who are begining a process at USCIS or NVC. Good Luck!

Virginia

why bother to post this when there are plenty of post already

It might won't help you since your case is complete, but it might help others who are completly lost just as I was in the begining and maybe you. Oh well, anyway..easy my friend!! I could ask you back why would you bother answering to tell me something as useless as that but in fact I'm too busy to hear the answer...

I think a newbie would find this information very helpful instead of having to read and reread and search everywhere you made it very simple

first of all, there is a guide on the website. every newbie come to this website read faq ask question. second when you post something and there is no answer your post get lost. only the recent post or the post that is pin get on top. if your post get pin then it will help all the newbie out there.
to answer your question: i didn't say your post is useless I just said there are plenty of posts already none of them last. if you don't believe me use the search function and find out.
like i said if people are really need something there are alway FAQ and pin post. newbie won't use the search function.

FUSmome, that was my intention. It might have helped some newbies today, at least I've tried.

Well I thank you for your post. It helped me and I'm neither a newbie or completed my process. Reading all the guides can get overwhelming especially when a wrench gets thrown into your process and you're unsure what to do next. So thanks! I'm tracking this post for future reference to come back too.

Hi Edgarvirginia... Question for you? Why did it take 8 months for you between your Ds-3032 to generating IV Bill? Just Curious to see if this was NVC?

Nita

I first received my IV fee bill (U$380) back in August/2007 but then it didn't move for reasons other than any related to NVC. Then when we decided to move on in the process last Jan/2008 we had to expect a new IV fee bill reflecting the new fee of U$400 and that took 3 months and we just received it in March/2008.

Good Luck!

Thats what i wanted to ask, why it took you that long

This is very helpful; could become a sticky