HELP!!! Moving but I dont know what to do!

[ant_juan 0]

Hello everyone! I just recently returned from seeing my lady in the Philippines (August 2-24)! It was the BEST 3 weeks of my life. Now that I'm back in the US its time to get down to business. I've been preparing the paperwork for the past 3 weeks. I live in the Los Angeles are right now but my fiance and I have been talking about settling down back home in Maryland when she gets approved to come here. This has led me to a problem . I'm planning to move back before she comes but I'm not sure if I can do that. If I start her petition here in LA at the California Service Center, Do I have to stay here throughout the whole process or can I move? AND if I move, do I have to file alot more paperwork just to change my address? Also, will it delay the process if I decide to move and change my address? I guess what I'm trying to ask is should I file the petition BEFORE I move or AFTER? Or should I just file the petition here in LA and just wait until its over? I hope everybody understands what I'm trying to ask. Thanks in advance!

And can somebody tell me what IMBRA is please?

[mozplay 29]

How long until you are planning on moving? If you do intend to move only after your fiancee gets approved (which is what I think you said) then you should simply file now, of course, and then submit an address change after. From the time you submit until your petition leaves NVC (which is where it is sent for approx. 2 weeks after USCIS is finished with it) all correspondence goes to you, the petitioner. Once it leaves NVC and is send to the embassy in your fiancee's area, all correspondence will go to her. (forgive me if i have missed something here, this is just my understanding.) I personally think that it is important to stay where you are at least until your petition leaves NVC. Regardless, it is possible to change your address midway through and I don't believe that it is a huge process, but having never done it myself, you may want to wait for a wiser voice for this one.

Now, I don't know if you have had some time to look at the timelines here, but up until a very little time ago, CSC (which is where you would be filing) was about 100% (no not scientific) slower than VSC (which is where you would be filing if you were in MD. However, recently, people have been getting approved out of CSC within 2 - 3 months - VSC takes approx 1 month.

So with this being said, you will really have to look at the processing times and judge for yourself what the best course of action will be.

As for what the IMBRA is ... in very simple terms ... it was a law that was passed and came into effect this year to try to identify and assist women (it's not gender specific though) who may be walking in to dangerous situations. Specificially, it asks about whether or you used a Marriage Broker to arrange your meeting and about your criminal history. The new I-129F form includes these questions. Make sure you are using the right form and answer it as honestly as you can. There are people who have been approved even though they answered yes to the IMBRA questions.

For a better understanding of the process, your best bet though is to check out the IMBRA forum on this site and just read a few of the posts. It has been explained very clearly there.

Good luck!

Mo

[ant_juan 0]

Thanks for the reply and comprehensive answer. I actually had the expired version of the I-129F. But now i'm confused again. U said something about the petition leaving the NVC. What is the NVC? I never heard of that before. Thanks.

[mozplay 29]

NVC is the National Visa Center. You should take a look at this link:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=k1flow

It really takes you through the process step by step. Have you taken a moment to really search through this forum? It really is a wealth of information.

Oh..and please don't forget to fill in your timeline once you file - it really helps us all Thanks so much!

Mo

Edited September 18, 2006 by mozplay

[1HappyGuy 45]

Just wanted to add my comments to the already good advice. If you are serious about moving to Maryland, then do it. The processing time for the Vermont office is much faster and you won't regret that decision. Even with the delay in filing because of your move, you will still likely get processed faster. Also, make sure you have the latest forms available from the USCIS. A new law called IMBRA went into effect on March 6, 2006. It requires all petitioners of fiancee visas to answer questions about their background. The intent is to be able to warn fiancees (mostly women) of any possible problems with their U.S. based fiancee. The questions involve past spousal/significant other abuse, drug convictions, assault convictions and stuff like that. The backlog everyone is suffering with right now was a result of this law going into effect and the USCIS did not have the forms prepared for three months later.

Do your homework first. Get all documents and forms properly in line and be thorough. The USCIS likes to send things back because you are missing this thing or that thing. Ask lots of questions on this site and you will find lots of good advice and help.

Good Luck.

[ant_juan 0]

I got the correct forms now Happyguy and I do think that I will move first now. And yes Mo I have searched the site alot about what I should do. Mainly just here in the K-1 area. But now I have another question. What is the difference between the National Visa Center and the California Service Center? I hope I'm right to assume that I should mail everything to the CSC. Please be patient with me guys. As you can see, I'm A Newbie! THANKS!

Edited September 18, 2006 by ant_juan

[William33 110]

The California Service Center (CSC) is part of United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

National Visa Center (NVC) is part of the State Department.

You will not have to do anything for your petition to transit these two, as it happens automatically.

When your petition is approved at CSC, it will be forwarded to NVC. NVC will then forward it to the US Embassy in the PI. Of course their is processing all along the way, but this is the path.

I got the correct forms now Happyguy and I do think that I will move first now. And yes Mo I have searched the site alot about what I should do. Mainly just here in the K-1 area. But now I have another question. What is the difference between the National Visa Center and the California Service Center? I hope I'm right to assume that I should mail everything to the CSC. Please be patient with me guys. As you can see, I'm A Newbie! THANKS!

[1HappyGuy 45]

If you plan to move permanently to Maryland, then you should seriously consider filing at the Vermont Service Center (VSC). Currently the Nebraska and Texas centers are forwarding the I-129F's to the CSC. The numbers at CSC are incredible. If you have an address in Maryland, such as a parent or very close relative that will allow you to use their address while you are in transition and going through this process, then by all means file in Vermont. Just check out the processing times posted on the USCIS website. You need to make this decision and stick with it. You can of course write to the service center when you have a new address, but once it has been received in a certain center it does not change. The Nebraska and Texas centers are receiving them and forwarding them without any processing at all.

Once you have completed the I-129F processing out of a service center your file is forwarded to the state departments National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire. They do their preliminary background check, assign an embassy number and forward the case to the embassy in your fiancee's country. The embassy then contacts your fiancee and arranges for sending "Packet 3 & 4" to her. It will be up to her to complete these forms, arrange for an authorized medical examination, police report and finally embassy appointment. You will need to send her additional documents showing the ability to financially support her. Some of that stuff will need to be notarized. You will want to check about the processing times for the U.S. embassy in her country so that you will have an approximate time line. Usually the processing time for the NVC is under two weeks but lately it has been going slow. Your real time line begins when the embassy receives your case. So know that time period and how long it takes to send her secure mail.

By the way, Packets 3 & 4 can be downloaded from the embassy web site. She needs to follow everything on that as specified.

[ant_juan 0]

Thanks for all the help you guys are giving me but maybe I'm not as smart as I thought I was. I cant seem to find anything on the USCIS site about Packet 3 & 4 so I can be ready for it. Can u guys give me a link to that info or forms that I need please? Thanks.

[ant_juan 0]

And to Happyguy, What do you mean when you say "once the petition has been received in a certain center the address does not change"?

[Married_my_love 0]

From personal experience, moving while your case is in process is a BIG NIGHTMARE

I have mailed, called and mailed again my change of address and they are STILL sending things to my old address, even though I did the change of address officially (even have a ref# from USCIS from one of the attempts). IMO, moving during case processing can almost guarantee something will get F*d up.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Depending on how quickly you plan to move, you may want to file there if it puts your application into the Vermont service center. They seem to be much more efficient than California, and if you are moving fairly soon, could actually save you some wait time.

Make sure you are filing the most up to date I-129F form, with questions on criminal background and if an international marriage broker was used and you will have no problem with IMBRA.

Good luck on your journey!

[wanthimhere 0]

I guess my advice would be a bit different.

Since moving itself can take quite some time ...... searching for a place to live, looking for a job, arranging for the sale of your current home (if you own), arranging for the sale or shipping of your furniture, possessions, etc, I would suggest that any CSC timelags might be equivalent to the additional time setbacks that you would endure by waiting until after the move.

And further, if you do decide to file from your current residence, it seems you would only need to be there long enough to receive your postal correspondence from your CSC approval (2-3 months at the current rate), and then the one more month that it takes your file to clear NVC. After these two steps, your file will automatically be forwarded to your fiance's Consulate, and all remaining correspondence will go to your fiance's address (including Packets 3 & 4 that you inquired about). So, you will be free to move at this point, since you will not be expecting any more correspondence.

Now, as far as changing you address once the file arrives at the consulate ..... I'm not sure how that works.

If anyone else knows, I would be interested to find out, as I will too will be relocating by the time my fiance and I have our interview.

[Ken_Maria 0]

I moved between my NOA1 and NOA2 (54 days), did the change of address per the instructions on the USCIS page and didnot have any issues. If the petitioner does not want delays, I suggest waiting until he get to Maryland or going ahead and filing now using an address in Maryland where the NOAs can be sent until he actually moves. Either way he needs to file witht he service center of where he is going to live. Good luck payato