Becoming Hopeless

[bahaynamin 13]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

[SuperDuper! 230]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

Just hire immigration Atty. Marc Ellis, and leave all your troubles behind!

Edited August 13, 2011 by Boing!

[Navyk 78]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

We are really sorry that NVC messed up - it could easily be we in your position and you in our position. We are just fortunate and lucky to be where we are. I pray that you all get your due justice and that your rest of the process is smooth and fast, including your interviews.

May the Lord be with you and others like you.

Edited August 13, 2011 by NavyK

[krungkrung 0]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

I understand how you feel. It can be frustrating to perceive that NVC is biased towards others. Hope you'll feel better soon. If it helps, the way I look at it VJ is not NVC. More than anything, VJ has helped me become resourceful, inspired me to be proactive and humbled me to know I am not alone in my current situation. It would have been great to have an NVC online info on clear-cut rules and guidelines on their approval process. The truth is that might never happen. In any business, priorities vary depending on what's beneficial for them.

Praying you'll soon feel better and get the answers to your prayer.

[krungkrung 0]

We are really sorry that NVC messed up - it could easily be we in your position and you in our position. We are just fortunate and lucky to be where we are. I pray that you all get your due justice and that your rest of the process is smooth and fast, including your interviews.

May the Lord be with you and others like you.

Like!

[M in CA 9]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

When you say you haven't "received" any invoices... do you mean you are waiting for an email?

You called NVC and gave them BOTH of your email addresses?

You talked to NVC phone rep and got your Invoice ID Number?

You have been logging on to the invoice system? link to invoice payment portal

IF the answers are yes, yes, yes... then... hmmmmmm. More than one VJ'er reported "terse" phone reps today.

The wait seems endless. And senseless. I am so sorry you have to go through a seemingly unnecessary delay.

-M

[bahaynamin 13]

Thanks everyone for the support! It is much appreciated! @A&M yes, the answers are yes yes and yes

[Virginian61 1]

Thanks everyone for the support! It is much appreciated! @A&M yes, the answers are yes yes and yes

This process is random. Just keep after them until you're done.

[mpsmith78 0]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

we had a problem where they sent the invoice but the invoice wasn't recorded in their system at the time. so i called the NVC and spoke with someone who stated they would have the supervisor look into the issue and that the system probably had an error of some sort and that they would fix it. i called back a week later to check and 2 days later we received our invoice in which i was able to pay. sometimes their system has issues and it isn't perfect, you just need to be persistent and keep calling them to find out what is going on. also, make sure you have registered the e-mails accounts properly so that they will notify you via e-mail. really in this situaition the best thing you can do is e-mail an inquiry to NVCInquiry@state.gov with the following information.

e-mail subject: Receipt number

e-mail body:

CaseNumber: MNLxxxxxxxxxx

Petitioner'sName: LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial

Principal Applicant's Name: LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial

PreferenceCategory: CR1

Your PriorityDate: 04Mar2011

Foreign State Chargeability: PHILIPPINES

EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES, VISA UNIT

1201 ROXAS BLVD

MANILA

PHILIPPINES

List your questions here -> SEND E-MAIL.

I found that they were much quicker in responding via e-mail than dealing with the customer service reps.

Hope this helps.

[Dan & Juan 12]

It has been awhile since my constant interaction with NVC, but I imagine the system is still designed for quantity information on the phone, a info mill. Because of the need for consistent and lots of answers, the operators are made to answer any questions with stock responses that to them answer the question, but to the caller seem almost ridiculous. I was sick and tired of hearing "wait 6 weeks for an answer and then if you don't hear anything call back anytime"

6 weeks or 30 days wait seemed to be the only answer they would give. They would often read answers that matched the online FAQ which sure was something I combed through. Do they think I really wanted to go through a bunch of phone menus and wait sometimes an hour to get the same information I read myself a hundred times?

So I found that when I REALLY needed to have specific up to date information it was necessary to escalate the call to the next level. These supervisors have access to more information and more time to deal with specific questions and give advice on how to proceed through the crushing frustration that is our lives and futures. BUT... these are real people with education and training and experience and a real desire to disseminate good and timely information to the Citizen on the phone they are sworn to serve. So this goes beyond being angry at Macy's because they double charged you for some bermuda shorts and calling and ranting. Citizen callers need to understand that their frustration with the system is not the responsibility of the supervisor to solve one way and one way only. I found that maybe 20 times that I called and escalated calls (out of HUNDREDS of calls to NVC in general), I found that the way to gain ground and make an efficient interaction with this supervisor was to

1) be prepared with every piece of information to offer

2) be patient with the process of questions and answers, this person has access to all your information, but they don't know you from ronald mcdonald

3) write out your questions and possible answers in a way that makes a smooth flow. When you are caught umming and ahhing and expressing frustration in the first 5 seconds it gives the impression you are just calling to complain at anyone you can get on the phone and complain from emotions not wanting to solve anything just to complain.

4) give the supervisor time to answer fully, this poster said the supervisor kept interrupting with the same answer over and over.. well who was interrupting who? sometimes people will not let an answer come out if its not what they want to hear.

5) accept the answers that the supervisor gives and TAKE notes and build that conversation into a series of conversations that you know can help eliminate frustration because you can steer the conversation the way you want by showing that you know the system more than just a complainer.

6) phrase your questions with a statement that you know is true providing a base for the supervisor to confirm your facts and work with you on making the questions clear and concise and not loaded or leading

7) Keep this conversation short. If you ask the same question over and over do you expect a different answer? It is not going to solve anything to badger the same question. take the information you have gained and move on

8) DO get the name of the person you are speaking and use the name when talking. They know your name and will call you by it, if you also do the same it develops a tone that really does help.

9) they are not having a power trip to make people miserable, they are well trained and have wide discretion to assist when they can. If they are not giving you a the answer you think on one question, move on at least get what you can.

10) use alternate communications as mentioned already, write a detailed complete email with everything you have learned not only about your case, but the process and system.

11) all else fails if you make an infopass you might have at least some satisfaction about being heard

12 READ the forums here and elsewhere, there is always someone who has gone through this before you. We are going through removal of conditions now, and tell you what, we sailed through our interview because of this forum but leading up to that I also benefited greatly from here along every step, even when it was uber slow and frustrating.

I know it is hard to be patient but you sometimes have no choice during some steps.

GOOD LUCK hope you can move along your journey smoothly. This is your life and your future it is worth the time and fight! Assertive communication is vital

[magdasal 19]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

There has definitely been some kind of strange bottleneck at NVC in the last 3 months or so that is affecting a lot of people entering the NVC phase...though some others, somehow (prolly luck), avoided it. I suspect some kind of internal re-organization is going on there, but have no way of proving that theory since NVC hasn't commented on anything like that.

All I can say is hang in there...and keep calling. I'm sure you'll break thru soon.

[bigdog 376]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

Join the club on the AOS side, after info pass appointment still no answers but that local office time line does not start until they get the case?

[Gordito and Me 2]

on the same boat here..

Doing an AOs and the priority dat is a month and half behind my file date and I just recieved a letter from the MSC stating that my case is still pending and im waiting on an appointment date so to contact them back only if I have not recieved any notice in the next 90 days. I mean like really 3 months. Especially after they know they have given appointment dates to people who files months behind me. This system is absolute garbage. I thought this govermnet was by the people for the people. Seems more like the only attend to themselves.

[Shenzhen 34]

its really disheartening to see people with priority dates and approval dates that are 3 weeks later than yours already have case complete and interview dates! I still have not received any invoices from the nvc and cannot pay any fees yet even though its been 25 days and 20 business days since my case number was first assigned at the nvc. I've called nvc everyday and all they tell me is that there is no reason for alarm and my case is running a normal timeline. Today when i called nvc i asked to talk to a supervisor so i was able to talk to a supervisor named Anna, she was less than helpful and every time i tried to speak she cut me off and kept saying "its on schedule sir", "its on schedule sir" it really pissed me off how rude she was. Has anyone ever had to wait this long to be able to pay their fees and start their case????????//

Yes learn some patience your case is flying through I waited 18 months for an interview! Be thankful you don't have to wait like my wife and I did.

[bahaynamin 13]

@Shenzhen thats your fault though! you had RFE's maybe if you had more attention to detail you wouldn't of had to wait 18 months!