Can we slow the process down? >.<

[garnet80 1]

As I posted in a previous thread today, search is not working for me today. All day. I search, and it takes me to the list of forums. So please forgive me asking.

Okay so we had our NOA2 approved in 52 days, instead of the five months we expected. Money is tight. We are both working, and selling personal belongings as quickly as possible.

The NVC has already sent our case to the embassy in Vancouver, Canada.

So is there a way to grab a little more time?

I know there is a 4 month expiration date, and I mean, our goal wedding date is July 22nd.

Could anyone tell me, at this stage, what is the normal wait time to the medical and interview?

Is there anything we can do... can we be a little slow in returning the items in packet 3? I don't want to tamper with our chances O_O but like a May interview would be nice... late may...

I think this may well be the last thing I have to freak out over this week. I hope. Everything is going very well for us, we just need a little more time to have travel money and all the other fees.

As I understand it we need:

Travel to vancouver fees

$330 medical exam

$131 interview fee (unless it goes up... and man we are so close, I hope we make it under the wire)

He has already purchased the mailer, has the photos, is ordering the birth certificate, getting the police check, etc. All the little things are being taken care of. I just wonder if there are any other fees at the medical or interview. I read on some attorney site I found on google that you need $100US at the time of the interview?? I hadn't seen that before...

Thank you...

[Zakaria 0]

Hi There

Is it Immigrant VISA ?

[garnet80 1]

It's the K1, which I believe is a non immigrant visa.

[Ladylethal 12]

I believe you can reschedule the interview but it's not recommended to do so. And I never heard of needing US$100 on the day of the interview, it's just the medical and the visa fee. In Brasil if you want the visa mailed instead of FEDExed you won't pay anything, but you do pay if you want the visa delivered.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Ladylethal

[knnth 0]

I think they're more worried about the fees before receiving the visa, travel costs etc, but if you need to gain some income after those pre-interview costs, the 6 month waiting period could be used for that.

My advice though, is to do whatever you need to get your interview as early as possible. Especially with a planned wedding date of July 22nd, I wouldn't sit on anything and rather have everything done so you can stick to your plan.

If you don't want that early NOA2, I'll trade you?

[garnet80 1]

Lol I would trade you the NOA2! It was such a bittersweet surprise. >.<

Yes, we are worried about the fees before the visa, not after, those we can figure out then. We don't want our interview as soon as possible... so thats what I'm asking, can we delay sending in packet 3 things a little? Do THEY pick your interview date, or do you get input?

Our wedding date is just a date. We have spent no money (wouldn't do so before approval), its just going to be the two of us anyway, not a traditional fancy wedding. It's our goal, but if we miss it, thats okay.

[kizza 1]

I think they're more worried about the fees before receiving the visa, travel costs etc, but if you need to gain some income after those pre-interview costs, the 6 month waiting period could be used for that.

My advice though, is to do whatever you need to get your interview as early as possible. Especially with a planned wedding date of July 22nd, I wouldn't sit on anything and rather have everything done so you can stick to your plan.

If you don't want that early NOA2, I'll trade you?

You can wait a little to return your packet 3. You'll see people here who have taken a month to return it. Im sure there is a deadline, but I dont know what it is... Personally, Im more in a hurry to get my interview than anything! lol

But really, if you want an interview in May, I dont think you'd have to sit on packet 3 that long. Take a few weeks to return it and the timing might end up being perfect you guys. Good luck!

[Zakaria 0]

Sorry just know my immigrant Visa process good luck anyway...

[Carlawarla 1]

When you return Package 3, you'll specifically be asked when you want your interview. There is a space right on the forms that asks when you want your interview date. If you want it in May or June, just specify that. I'd make a note if it's past the 4 month expiry of the NOA2, that you'd like it extended to accommodate that interview date. Vancouver is very good about giving you an interview date that you want. Not a problem.

You also don't need to get the medical done before returning Package 3. Once you get a date from Vancouver, it'll be easier to book your medical, especially since you're asking for it well in advance.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Carlawarla

[Bernie C 24]

You can wait a bit before sending in the packet 3 documents (we waited a few weeks - but you could wait longer). There is a expiration date on the NOA2 but typically when a visa application is in process at the consulate they "automatically" extend out the date. It makes sense that if they receive the DS-230 and are in the process of scheduling an interview that this can occur. (That is - they have received the packet 3 docs and things are scheduled - some times the interview would be after the expiration date of the NOA2). It would be best in that case to request an extension from the consulate to be on the formal and safe side.

You may get a lot of debate on the topic of "automatic extension", and I'm not sure it works the same everywhere so it would be best to send in a request to extend it.

For us (Vietnam), there was about 1 month between the NOA2 and receipt of packet 3, we waited a few weeks to send the DS-230 and DS-2001. Then about 3 weeks to packet 4 and another month before the interview (so total was a little under 3 months from NOA2 till interview).

Options:

1) If possible, borrow some funds and keep moving forward

2) Hold on to packet 3 (maybe a month or so)then keep an eye on the NOA2 date - if getting close to expiration and you have not received packet 4 with interview appointment then send a request for extension of I129F

3) Send in Packet 3 and get interview appt, then request reshedule

I hope that is not all jumbled and full of confusion - sometimes I'm not so good at writing what I'm trying to say! (especially after reading and training on ASME Section III code books for two weeks straight)

My best wishes go out to the both of you!

[Ladylethal 12]

Since finances are an issue at this step of your process, I'd also point out that once you are approved, and have those 6 months to enter the US and 90 days to get married, you must take into consideration the AOS fees that come right after marriage, which are a little over US$ 1.000 so prepare for that as well.

[HeatDeath 430]

We were in a very similar situation. I was teaching at a high school, so we had no intention of me moving down to the US until early-to-mid July, with the wedding scheduled for September 12. Our NOA2 showed up on January 7, and the Packet 3 on January 28th. When the NOA2 showed up, I got an excited, slightly panicked email from my now-wife asking if this was too early I couldn't even have sent the Packet 3 stuff back promptly even if I had wanted to, because my now-wife had not yet done the I-134, as our intent had been for me to pick that stuff up hen I went to visit her at the end of March, to save on what was already a mounting postal bill

I worked our schedule backwards, knowing that I had to marry within 90 days of entry. Well, September 12 was well within 90 days of early-to-mid July, so that part was still good. Six months before early-to-mid July was early-to-mid January, so we knew that as long as the visa wasn't approved in January, we were still good. Our plan had been to fax back Packet 3 in the first week of April, after I returned from visiting her during Spring break. Four months (the length of the NOA2 validity) from January 7th would be May 7th, so that part still seemed good.

So I sat on Packet 3 for 69 days, from January 28th until the second week of April, and then faxed it in. As it happens they initially issued me an interview date for 6 weeks later: May 29th. Which would have been after the end of the NOA2 validity period. I emailed them to ask if this was a problem, and they replied with the terse but comforting "Petition validity – Can be extended on the date of your visa interview.", indicating that it was not a problem. When I later emailed them to ask if it were maybe possible to move it up to earlier in May (as my work was already quite curious as to whether or not I would be returning in September, and I obviously couldn't answer them without a visa in hand) they were able to reschedule me for April 29th, still within the NOA2's four-month validity period. I was approved at the interview, collected my visa the next day, and entered the US on July 12. So everything worked out fine.

There are two direct methods of lengthening out the visa application process. The first is sitting on your Packet 3. The downside of this is it can result in not getting an interview until after your I-129F NOA2 has expired, although in my experience with Vancouver, as long as you send in your PAcket 3 during that period, they will extend the NOA2 at the interview. [i think the primary purpose of the NOA2 validity period is to give them an official justification to close long-outstanding visa applications, in the cases where they send out a Packet 3 and never hear from the beneficiary again. If you are in semi-regular communication with them, and they know that your application is sill pending, I don't [i]think[/i] they're too sticky about it. That's Vancouver anyways. Other consulates (especially the ones where they're just looking for an excuse to deny!) may be another issue altogether!]

The other method would be, of course, requesting a late interview when you fax in your Packet 3 checklist. Note that surprisingly, Vancouver seem reasonably amenable to negotiating interview dates by email after the PAcket 4 is received by you.

So between those two methods, you should be able to end up with an interview in the timeframe you want. Hope this helps!

[HeatDeath 430]

Regarding getting you medical prior to faxing in your Packet 3 checklist, I had emailed both the Vancouver consulate and the Vancouver medical clinic about this. Their approved method is to confirm your interview date first, then contact the medical clinic, so on my checklist, I wrote that "Per our email, medical appointment will be arranged once interview date is assigned." The issue is that the Woking medical clinic in downtown Vancouver is the only medical clinic doing immigration medicals in Western Canada (!), so the vast vast majority of people getting visas at Vancouver also have to get their medicals done on the same trip. (The consulate is reasonably understanding about this - they do not seriously expect people to fly to Vancouver twice just to get a visa. Once is bad enough. )

The medical clinic only does immigration medicals once a week - on Wednesdays at 6:30 am. So what you need to do is this: request a Thursday interview if you can get it, or Wednesday afternoon if necessary, and then the medical clinic will slot you into the nearest Wednesday morning before your interview. Now unfortunately, Vancouver couldn't give me a Thursday interview. (At least, not with only 2 weeks notice! ) They were all booked up. So I got a Wednesday afternoon interview, and a Wednesday morning medical. This makes for a very busy Wednesday, but is quite doable.

I went to my medical on Wednesday morning, followed by my interview that afternoon at 1:30, then hiking back to the clinic to pick up the results, then delivering them back to the consulate (which closes at 4). Busy Wednesday! I was approved, and told I could pick up my passport+visa after 2:15 the next day. So you can do the whole thing in two days. I would rather have had a Thursday interview, and done the whole thing over three days, but the consulate was booked up on the Thursday and anyways I didn't want to miss more work than necessary.

Useful piece of advice, BTW: There is a hotel called the Burrard Inn literally next door to the medical clinic. Budget rooms: very very basic, but INCREDIBLY convenient for the early morning medical exam appointment lineup. (You really want to be there at about ten to six. That way you can get through quickly and be out of there by 9:30ish.)

[HeatDeath 430]

Regarding fees, in Canada, they make you pay for the interview well in advance. They give you a form (or a url to download it from anyways) in your Packet 3, and tell you to take 3 copies of the form to any branch of a particular bank (Scotiabank, as it happens). You give the bank the forms and $131. The bank keeps one copy of the form, stamps the two others, and gives them back to you. You have to bring the forms to your interview as proof that you paid, and the consulate will refuse to interview you, let alone approve you, if you don't have them.

[You don't actually have to pay this prior to faxing in the Packet 3 checklist. I emailed them about this and they said that as long as it is paid prior to the interview, and you have those stamped deposit slips with you for the interview, they don't care about the timing. So, per some advice I read here, I did not pay until after I had arranged my interview date, and wrote "Per our email, fee will be paid after interview date is arranged" on my Packet 3 checklist when I faxed it in.]

Because the interview fee and the process for paying it is embedded in the Packet 3, I don't think the fee increase, when it occurs, will be a surprise sprung on anyone whose application is in progress. You won't show up at the interview and suddenly they want another $220, or any such nonsense.

What will happen is that the threshold date will pass, the fee increase will take effect, and any petitions received from NVC after that will get a revised Packet 3 with the higher price listed. As I said, I don't think it will be sprung on anyone with an in-process visa application at the consulate.

I did not need $100 cash for the consulate at the interview. I think that web page's information is intended primarily for other countries, and is outdated at that. The interview fee used to be, I think, $US100, before it was raised to $US131. Also,some consulate may want the payment to be made in US cash at the interview proper, but Canada does not. They have their own very specific process, detailed above.

I personally wouldn't have purchased the mailer yet. I did not purchase one, figuring that I could just run to the post office across the street if the CO told me they needed it. I ended up not needing one - They told me I could pick it up after 2:15 the next day. So I did.

Regarding additional fees, if you fiance has not had the TDap vaccine (and it must specifically be TDap, TD or TDa will not do.) the Vancouver clinic will be able to arrange an appointment for him at a travel clinic a few blocks away on the day of his medical. That will be another $55CAN. He should email the Woking clinic now (wokingmedical@telus.net), if he hasn't already, to get their appointment info package (a 5-6 page Word document) that contains the list, broken down by age categories, or all of the vaccines he should make sure he has, prior to the medical. They will require him to bring documentation of theses vaccines (or blood tests probing he has had them) to the medical. TDap seems to be the only one they're more flexible on, mainly because it is not universally available through the public health services in all parts of Canada.

[Krikit 1,163]

In order to slow down my own process I delayed sending in Packet 3 for three months. At the interview the Consular Officer told me he could delay issuance of the visa if that was my desire. All I had to do was send them my passport when I was ready to move. So, in other words, go to your interview and request a delay. Assuming you are approved, you can send them your passport for the visa to be issued when you are ready to move. The Canadian Consulates extend the validity period automatically when a case is active, so no need to worry in that regard.