k1 visa/ packets 1,2,3

[Joaquinsgirl26 0]

Good evening everyone.

I received my NOA on March 11th, so I know there is still a long time until my fiance's visa interview if the petition is approved. I hve been looking over a lot of timelines and I see that everyone has a NOA1, packet 1, 2 or 3 sent, packet 1 or 2 or 3 received. Could someone please explain to me what these steps mean,, as in what packet 1,2,or 3 is being sent and received?

I do know that the the Vermont Service center will send the petition package to the NVC and to my fiance and to me, right? I have also been doing a lot of research on the interview. This is all new to me and Im just opening my brain and absorbing as much info as I can

**Also, as everyone who is embarking on this long, tedious journey knows...Its not easy is it?? But I can proudly say as a full time mother of two whom us going to school and working full time..that Im doing this all 100% on my own. It will be worth it one day when I can finally be with my true love again....

Thanks guys for any responces that you may have; I appreciate it!!!

[moleary 2]

Hi and Welcome! First, let me wish you well on your journey. By the time you get to the end of my reply, your head may be spinning so I thought I'd get that out of the way first!

Second... disclaimer...everything I say here is my experience with Mexico and the Ciudad Juarez(CDJ) consulate. I am certain that other consulates do things differently.

Next..a couple of housekeeping things. 1)You can check my timeline for 'wait times'. I'm just a couple of months ahead of you. We're traveling Monday to CDJ and I'll update next week. 2) You can search for my posts. There are just a handful where I have asked 2 or 3 very pointed questions, and have gotten great responses, even if they were just validation of my thinking. So when you are through here, take a look at those if you like. The wisdom I gained from those posts will be imparted here anyway.

OK - I'll answer like this... it is a maze, and if you are not careful you can run into false starts trying to follow the process. The END GAME for you, at this point, is here: http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html'>http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html

Here is what happened for me. Feel free to play along...

Provided you did your diligence in completing the I-129F, you should receive your NOA2 soon. No guarantees, but I would say ... soon. Ours was about 65 days from Receipt Date to Notice Date. It will tell you that they have approved your petition and that you should receive something from the NVC. The NVC notice took about another week to get.

The NVC notice is important, as it has the case number assigned for the consulate. This is different than the INS Receipt Number, and begins with CDJ.

That letter will tell you to go here: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_4323.html , and you'll click the drop-down and find CDJ-Ciudad Juarez.

Click the button and a PDF will open. Click the first link http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/

If you click the second link for Immigrant Visa Forms you'll just become more confused and your brain will turn to cottage cheese. That's what happened to me. Don't do it.

So now you are at the main CDJ website. Mouse over Visas and click K-1(Fiance) and K-3 (Spouse) Visas. You can then click on Steps to Obtaining a K Visa and walk yourself through those at you leisure, but like I said, where you and your fiance ultimately need to be is the K Visa Application Forms page (see next paragraph). Methodically go through each link on that page and do what they say.

Let me jump back to the timeline now. The NVC notice will tell you that the petition will be forwarded to the post (CDJ) for processing. It will also say that your fiance will soon receive a packet with instructions. This is the infamous Packet 3. The problem is that it's not really a packet. It's a single page letter telling you that you have an open appointment at the consulate. It will point you to the fiance forms webpage that I have said is the END GAME...http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html'>http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html (see preceding paragraph), AND THAT'S IT! Scoop up everything it asks for, and follow the instructions.

Now, I will tell you that I received a copy of the appointment letter before my fiancee did, dated April 27, and postmarked from El Paso May 17. I got it on May 19. My fiancee received her copy on May 28, also postmarked from El Paso May 17. So, maybe they send the letters out in batches via diplomatic mail pouch to the U.S. and then they get mailed, or who knows. Just know that you both should receive a copy, and it will come regular mail to both of you.

As soon as you get the CDJ number from the NVC, you should start gathering up all the forms, and as soon as you get the appointment letter, plan your trip and go! You just show up, with the letter and all the other documentation.

There is a recent (May 28 I think) review if CDJ posted under the Review Embassy/USCIS POE.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Michael

[Joaquinsgirl26 0]

Hi and Welcome! First, let me wish you well on your journey. By the time you get to the end of my reply, your head may be spinning so I thought I'd get that out of the way first!

Second... disclaimer...everything I say here is my experience with Mexico and the Ciudad Juarez(CDJ) consulate. I am certain that other consulates do things differently.

Next..a couple of housekeeping things. 1)You can check my timeline for 'wait times'. I'm just a couple of months ahead of you. We're traveling Monday to CDJ and I'll update next week. 2) You can search for my posts. There are just a handful where I have asked 2 or 3 very pointed questions, and have gotten great responses, even if they were just validation of my thinking. So when you are through here, take a look at those if you like. The wisdom I gained from those posts will be imparted here anyway.

OK - I'll answer like this... it is a maze, and if you are not careful you can run into false starts trying to follow the process. The END GAME for you, at this point, is here: http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html'>http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html

Here is what happened for me. Feel free to play along...

Provided you did your diligence in completing the I-129F, you should receive your NOA2 soon. No guarantees, but I would say ... soon. Ours was about 65 days from Receipt Date to Notice Date. It will tell you that they have approved your petition and that you should receive something from the NVC. The NVC notice took about another week to get.

The NVC notice is important, as it has the case number assigned for the consulate. This is different than the INS Receipt Number, and begins with CDJ.

That letter will tell you to go here: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_4323.html , and you'll click the drop-down and find CDJ-Ciudad Juarez.

Click the button and a PDF will open. Click the first link http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/

If you click the second link for Immigrant Visa Forms you'll just become more confused and your brain will turn to cottage cheese. That's what happened to me. Don't do it.

So now you are at the main CDJ website. Mouse over Visas and click K-1(Fiance) and K-3 (Spouse) Visas. You can then click on Steps to Obtaining a K Visa and walk yourself through those at you leisure, but like I said, where you and your fiance ultimately need to be is the K Visa Application Forms page (see next paragraph). Methodically go through each link on that page and do what they say.

Let me jump back to the timeline now. The NVC notice will tell you that the petition will be forwarded to the post (CDJ) for processing. It will also say that your fiance will soon receive a packet with instructions. This is the infamous Packet 3. The problem is that it's not really a packet. It's a single page letter telling you that you have an open appointment at the consulate. It will point you to the fiance forms webpage that I have said is the END GAME...http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html'>http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/fianceforms.html (see preceding paragraph), AND THAT'S IT! Scoop up everything it asks for, and follow the instructions.

Now, I will tell you that I received a copy of the appointment letter before my fiancee did, dated April 27, and postmarked from El Paso May 17. I got it on May 19. My fiancee received her copy on May 28, also postmarked from El Paso May 17. So, maybe they send the letters out in batches via diplomatic mail pouch to the U.S. and then they get mailed, or who knows. Just know that you both should receive a copy, and it will come regular mail to both of you.

As soon as you get the CDJ number from the NVC, you should start gathering up all the forms, and as soon as you get the appointment letter, plan your trip and go! You just show up, with the letter and all the other documentation.

There is a recent (May 28 I think) review if CDJ posted under the Review Embassy/USCIS POE.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Michael

THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I ACTUALLY GOT A TEXT ALERT TODAY THAT MY CASE HAS BEEN UPDATED AND LOGGED INTO THE USCIS WEBSITE...MY PETITION HAS BEEN APPROVED. BUT IM THINKING MY FIANCE WILL HAVE TO GO THE MEXICO CITY EMBASSY, IM NOT SURE THOUGH, BECASUE JUAREZ IS SO FAR AWAY FROM VERA CRUZ...

PLEASE KEEP ME POSTED ON UR CASE, AND I WILL U ON MINE. I WISH U THE BEST OF LUCK!!!!!

[moleary 2]

Congratulations on the petition approval! Like I said...soon! I would be surprised though if your fiance had to go to Mexico City. I could be mistaken but I think CDJ is the only place in Mexico that processes the K-1. It would have been closer for us too (Guadalajara). You will know for sure when you get the NVC letter. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Edited June 11, 2010 by moleary

[Joaquinsgirl26 0]

Congratulations on the petition approval! Like I said...soon! I would be surprised though if your fiance had to go to Mexico City. I could be mistaken but I think CDJ is the only place in Mexico that processes the K-1. It would have been closer for us too (Guadalajara). You will know for sure when you get the NVC letter. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Once again thanks for the info...but im still a bit unclear about how the open interview letter works. I see that it does take a few months after the noa2 till the interview. so do they set u an interview date, do you go anytime anyday or do u call and schedule it?? im just not clear on how that works.

Thanks so much for ur wonderful insight!

[moleary 2]

Here's a scan of the body of the entire 'packet 3' letter. Let me know if you can't open it.

Edited June 11, 2010 by moleary

[Joaquinsgirl26 0]

Once again thanks for the info...but im still a bit unclear about how the open interview letter works. I see that it does take a few months after the noa2 till the interview. so do they set u an interview date, do you go anytime anyday or do u call and schedule it?? im just not clear on how that works.

Thanks so much for ur wonderful insight!

Oh yes Thank you i read it. Now I understand. so why did you guys wait two months? i guess it takes a long time to get all that info together right? im already getting as much together as i can,

also i noticed on the juarez k1 section it notes you must have plain (passport style photos). but arent those the same as the ones I sent in theI-129f petition package...and what happens to all the info and pics in the package? are they sent to the consulate or to me or to my fiance?

[moleary 2]

I'll add a couple more things...Regarding Mexico city, the travel.state.gov link above has a dropdown list for you to choose the first three letters of the applicant’s NVC case number. I don't know what Mexico City might be, but it's not MEX and there are no other Mexican cities in the list besides CDJ. Hence my comment about Mexico City.

Secondly, the Steps to Obtaining a K Visa page that I mentioned you could look at at your leisure has some VERY WRONG information in Step 5. You should ignore that completely. I asked about it earlier today in the K1 forum. 'Advanced Parole' is in the title. Several people responded with great comments right away.

Que tengas suerte!

[moleary 2]

Oh yes Thank you i read it. Now I understand. so why did you guys wait two months? i guess it takes a long time to get all that info together right? im already getting as much together as i can,

also i noticed on the juarez k1 section it notes you must have plain (passport style photos). but arent those the same as the ones I sent in theI-129f petition package...and what happens to all the info and pics in the package? are they sent to the consulate or to me or to my fiance?

We didn't wait two months. You cannot show up without the appointment letter and I didn't get my copy until May 21, she got hers a week later. So, it's taken us about 3 weeks to agree on a date to go there because I was at conferences and my daughter's graduation. We could have tried to go right away, but we would have paid an arm and leg for airfare. And, yes it has given us time to pull together everything, including additional proof of relationship and support stuff.

The photos you have to get done again, either there or a couple of days before. We're going to avoid the streets as much as possible so she's getting new photos and paying the Banamex fee tomorrow in Guadalajara.

All the info that you sent with the petition gets sent to the consulate. You (he) should have an identical copy with him when he goes for the interview because that's one of the places they can get specific questions to ask him. We are going to have an exact duplicate of the I129F petition package, as well as everything they ask for. In the end, we'll have identical personal copies of the I129 petition submission and the interview documentation submitted.

Does all that make sense?

Edited June 11, 2010 by moleary

[aguileralupita30 7]

Congratulations on the petition approval! Like I said...soon! I would be surprised though if your fiance had to go to Mexico City. I could be mistaken but I think CDJ is the only place in Mexico that processes the K-1. It would have been closer for us too (Guadalajara). You will know for sure when you get the NVC letter. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Does it matter if I wrote down on my I129F the consulate Guadalajara? will they forward it to Juarez even thought I typed Guadalajara?

[Damnskipy 80]

Wrote in wrong place. Didn't mean to bump this. haha

Edited June 14, 2016 by wwthing