NVC has no record yet

[daboyz 36]

I've seen several timelines here where folks have had gotten their case number from NVC in a week or less. Or, am I imagining this? I called after one week, and today, and both reps told me it takes at LEAST two weeks for them to receive the case. Today's rep said it could be UP TO 90 DAYS!

What is the 'routine' amount of time, barring any administrative processing delays?

God blessed us with a rapid NOA2, and I'm hoping that continues on through NVC and on to the USEM.

I'm a CSC filer for Philippines, if that matters.

Let me give friendly advice. Calling the USCIS or NVC is pretty much a waste of time. the answers are not designed to give you information, they are designed to prevent you from calling again. When the NOA2 is sent to you, by the time you receive it the NVC already has your case, any story otherwise is not accurate. But I see a trend developing lately, maybe I am only now seeing it, but it seems that many petitioners expect to track their petition every day for every step of the process and the "system" is not set up that way. Trying to do so will only cause you frustration and running to VJ for a verification of every BS story you are told by NVC won't help. Your blood pressure goes up and blood will spurt from your ears, and your case will not be done any sooner. The "system" is remarkably impervious to any attempt to extract accurate information or speed things along. Won't happen. Telling you it will take "2 weeks" pretty much guarantees you won't call back for 2 weeks and by then the odds are you will have the letter and never call back at all. Like buying a "lifetime muffler" for a 12 year old car. What are the odds you will cash in on that? They didn't answer you, they deflected you.

When your petition is approved, it is sent to NVC, a letter is sent to you. When you have the letter, NVC has your petition. Whether they admit it or not. In about 1-2 weeks you will get a letter from NVC with your case number and telling you whether it was forwarded or held for AP (check my timeline for an idea of this). Any attempt to get information in any other way is a waste of time. I know of several cases where they were told it was forwarded to the consulate but was actually in AP.

This sytem is really set up to be handled by mail. They have no intent of encouraging phone calls. They do all they can to DIScourage phone calls. The only luck I had was in writing the consulate AFTER the NVC said my case was forwarded. 2 weeks after the NVC says your case was forwarded, send an email to the consulate. If they have your case they will say so. If they do not, wait one more week and send another email.

Not all are the same. The NVC letter may come faster or slower than mine did, the consulate may get it faster or slower than ours did. Settle down, in our case it took nearly TWO times as long to go from NOA2 until interview than from NOA1 to NOA2, so you are maybe 1/2 way there. Also your case is moving along even of they aren't communicating. It could be 3 weeks before NVC sends the letter and it would say something like "On March 12 we received your approved petition....." And by the time you get that letter the case can be at the consulate, or you could be 4 weeks into AP.

I'd have to disagree with this slightly. K visas are pretty much just forwarded on the the consulate once they get to NVC. IR-1/CR-1 are at NVC for quite awhile. When I did get through to NVC, I found them pretty helpful. Their automated voice system seems to be up to date. Also, most of the time I could get through to a live person that was helpful and answered my questions. I agree with you 100% that USCIS is useless.

I am not failair with the process for IR-1/CR-1 so I will defer to you on that Daboyz. I just gave up on USCIS and when my I-129f approval showed up in my mailbox and the online status never changed. Also when I have been there for my wifes biometrics and AOS interview the employees I interacted with just couldn't possibly care less. When I got there for the biometrics with my wife and son (the brainiacs had scheduled them a day apart) I asked if they could possibly do my son at the same time? Mind you there was NO ONE there. NO ONE. It was like I asked something that needed a freaking act of congress! "but his letter says tomorrow" uh huh. "yeah, well even though I can SEE your office here from my front porch, the problem is, my front porch is on that island in the lake right there. It means it is more than an hour drive each way, maybe you could squeeze him in today?" So after going up two or three layers they finally decided they could.

Now I will say, even despite my sarcasm, when we got to the AOS interview stage they have been very helpful and told me to bring our older son's AOS directly to the St. Albans office to be processed when he arrives for his summer vacation from college and they promise him his green card before he leaves and probably without an interview (the interview WOULD be rather silly for a K-2, given that they had virtually no questions for my wife and never looked at any evidence for her) So there is hope.

BUT as for calling and asking "Are we there yet, are we there yet" Nope. They will only drive you nuts.

My last contact with USCIS:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=2721766

I truly think they give them an IQ test before they hire them. If they score over 75, they wont hire them.

[scandal 951]

I've seen several timelines here where folks have had gotten their case number from NVC in a week or less. Or, am I imagining this? I called after one week, and today, and both reps told me it takes at LEAST two weeks for them to receive the case. Today's rep said it could be UP TO 90 DAYS!

What is the 'routine' amount of time, barring any administrative processing delays?

God blessed us with a rapid NOA2, and I'm hoping that continues on through NVC and on to the USEM.

I'm a CSC filer for Philippines, if that matters.

Let me give friendly advice. Calling the USCIS or NVC is pretty much a waste of time. the answers are not designed to give you information, they are designed to prevent you from calling again. When the NOA2 is sent to you, by the time you receive it the NVC already has your case, any story otherwise is not accurate. But I see a trend developing lately, maybe I am only now seeing it, but it seems that many petitioners expect to track their petition every day for every step of the process and the "system" is not set up that way. Trying to do so will only cause you frustration and running to VJ for a verification of every BS story you are told by NVC won't help. Your blood pressure goes up and blood will spurt from your ears, and your case will not be done any sooner. The "system" is remarkably impervious to any attempt to extract accurate information or speed things along. Won't happen. Telling you it will take "2 weeks" pretty much guarantees you won't call back for 2 weeks and by then the odds are you will have the letter and never call back at all. Like buying a "lifetime muffler" for a 12 year old car. What are the odds you will cash in on that? They didn't answer you, they deflected you.

When your petition is approved, it is sent to NVC, a letter is sent to you. When you have the letter, NVC has your petition. Whether they admit it or not. In about 1-2 weeks you will get a letter from NVC with your case number and telling you whether it was forwarded or held for AP (check my timeline for an idea of this). Any attempt to get information in any other way is a waste of time. I know of several cases where they were told it was forwarded to the consulate but was actually in AP.

This sytem is really set up to be handled by mail. They have no intent of encouraging phone calls. They do all they can to DIScourage phone calls. The only luck I had was in writing the consulate AFTER the NVC said my case was forwarded. 2 weeks after the NVC says your case was forwarded, send an email to the consulate. If they have your case they will say so. If they do not, wait one more week and send another email.

Not all are the same. The NVC letter may come faster or slower than mine did, the consulate may get it faster or slower than ours did. Settle down, in our case it took nearly TWO times as long to go from NOA2 until interview than from NOA1 to NOA2, so you are maybe 1/2 way there. Also your case is moving along even of they aren't communicating. It could be 3 weeks before NVC sends the letter and it would say something like "On March 12 we received your approved petition....." And by the time you get that letter the case can be at the consulate, or you could be 4 weeks into AP.

I'd have to disagree with this slightly. K visas are pretty much just forwarded on the the consulate once they get to NVC. IR-1/CR-1 are at NVC for quite awhile. When I did get through to NVC, I found them pretty helpful. Their automated voice system seems to be up to date. Also, most of the time I could get through to a live person that was helpful and answered my questions. I agree with you 100% that USCIS is useless.

Just a clarification regarding K visas.

In the majority of cases K visas are forwarded through NVC quickly, as you wrote.

However there is a significant minority, and apparently it has grown over the past few months, of cases that are getting stuck in AP at NVC.

I know, because it happened to us. We were there for 50 days. And we are not alone - check the link below in my .sig for many other VJ members who got stuck, and still are stuck. Both K1 and K3 cases.

For those of us who do get stuck, calling and getting a live operator at NVC is pretty much pointless up until the point you finally get released. They are friendly and sympathetic but they simply read the same script. I heard it each and every night for weeks.

I have no doubt that the IR1/CR1 experience is different. But for K visas, NVC is no fun at all.

[CuriousGuy 0]

When the NOA2 is sent to you, by the time you receive it the NVC already has your case, any story otherwise is not accurate.

When your petition is approved, it is sent to NVC, a letter is sent to you. When you have the letter, NVC has your petition. Whether they admit it or not. In about 1-2 weeks you will get a letter from NVC with your case number and telling you whether it was forwarded or held for AP

You may well be right. I'd be fine with skipping the calls to the NVC, and just call the USEM direct to schedule. The stickler is that I don't have the Manila case number, Got to get THAT from the NVC!

[CuriousGuy 0]

Well, TODAY is two weeks to the DAY since my NOA2...and they "received it yesterday", and gave me our Manila case number.

Now, i will call again next week to see if it's been forwarded..., or the dreaded AP. I asked, and the rep said it would be updated when they DO forward it.