I received a notice online that both my wife's I-129F and I-130 have been approved, and a receipt has been mailed out. Do I need to contact the NVC or the embassy my wife will go to for her interview to cancel the K-3 visa and the the IR-1 visa instead?

Also, what do I need to do with the I-864 Affidavit of Support? Does my wife just take that with her to her interview or do I send it to the NVC?

I'm excited, but I am unsure of what to do and afraid of making a mistake.

There is no canceling of a K-3 in favor of IR-1, You file I-824 to request USCIS to move the I-130 on to NVC.

You will provide your wife with an I-134 for the K-3 interview, not I-864

I think if you'll read this and understand the I-864 may take several months to get your I-130 moving again, you'll just resign yourself that you're on the K3 path.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/PN_i-129f.pdf

Sad but true!
One guy on here claimed he called USCIS numerous times and got them to send his I-130 on to NVC without filing the I-824.
Worth a try as the K3 sucks the way things are now!

Alright so I need to file an I-824. I submit my I-864 to the NVC and my wife take the I-134 to her interview.

If I have the I-130 moved to the NVC when my wife goes to her interview she can opt for the IR-1 visa? Is that right?

Is there a difference between the IR-1 and CR-1 visa?

Unless you want to add several months to the process, do not file the I-824 and just resign yourself to getting the K3 visa. Reports of the I-824 have said that it takes about six months just to get the I-130 moved from USCIS to NVC and then you have the several months of normal NVC/embassy processing after that. If you don't file it, and just get the K3 visa, you wife will actually be in the US within the next few months. If I were in your position, I would choose that even though my spouse would then have to adjust status. I would think it was just way too much longer to wait.

Well thank you everyone for your help.

Right now I am deployed to Iraq and I am trying to get my wife to the states before I go on R&R at the beginning of the year.

We will go with the K-3.

So do I need to complete a I-864 and I-134?

For K3 you just do the I-134.

No difference other than the type of green-card issued upon entry. CR= Conditional Resident, and is issued to a couple married less than 2 years, and is still less than 2 years upon entry, the green-card will be the 2 year conditional card requiring filing of I-751 within 90 days of green-card expiration to remove the conditions.

If married more than 2 years before entry to the USA, the visa will be IR and will be issued a 10 year unconditional green-card.

If I do not send the I-864 to the NVC what all happens there with for a K-3 visa? Is it there for only a short time?
I'm confused about what is different between the K-3 and IR-1 visa while it is at the NVC.

At the NVC the K3 visa goes through in a week or so (barring any additional delays) and requires no input from you. The CR1 is far more indepth and remains there for several (3-6) months while the NVC ask for various peices of information.

You should check out the guides or James shortcuts to get a better idea of what the CR1 requires

He should really go for the K3 option so I think he's better off not looking into what the CR1 requires.

Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions. I have opted to go with the K3. I was successful using a military expedite at USCIS, now I will try at the Embassy. I am hopeful I will be able to see my wife and my family when I get to go home for a couple of weeks from Iraq. This is as hopeful as I have been in awhile now. It is nice when things start to move.

They approved our petitions (129F and 130) on Oct. 30. On November 5, I received hard copy (official letters). However, our online account has not yet been updated. It is still says that the petitions are pending. Should I be worried about that? Thanks.

There are a few people that have had either no online update or a partial online update. Do not worry, your NOA2s are your proof of approval You might want to phone their customer service line to see if you can get them to update, they'll more than likely tell you they have a backlog

I wish you a safe return from Iraq, so that you can see your wife soon!

Hi Puravida4ver, I noticed you have already received your NOA1 for Both your I-130 and I-129 on Oct. 20, 2007. Did you get them through the mail? Was your check cashed? I sent my I-130 to Vermont on Sept. 6, only 2 days after you and it's over 60 days and I still have not received my NOA1 for it, check not cashed either. Now I am really worried. I am afraid they might have lost it, cause they did lose some people's petitions. Your reply is appreciated.