I have my I-797. I have some "Now What" Questions

[snowjoe 0]

Is this where I should be posting this?

Hello. I have received my I-797C Notice of Action in the mail. Now I am preparing for the next steps. I have read James’s Shortcuts and LingChe NVC Shortcut on the VjWiki. I have some questions. I am in California and my spouse and her three year old son are in Havana, Cuba. I have filed two I-130 petitions, one for each of them. Throughout this whole process I will have to do everything twice right? Once for her and once for him.

1. Can I file the DS-2032 via email now using only the receipt number from the USCIS or do I have to wait until the NVC asks for it?

2. Do I get a separate case number at some point from the NVC and if so when?

3. In Cuba sometimes the translations from the approved government office can take months. Is it too early to get the police records now? I shouldn’t need police records for the three year old boy right?

4. I was under the impression that no originals of any documents would be required until the interview so all of the originals are in Cuba with my spouse. Now I think I might be wrong about that? Do I need to get the originals and the translations here in California so they will be available if I am asked to send them in? Will I be asked to send them in?

5. I need to go to Cuba to visit. Am I correct in assuming that with a June 26, 2013 priority date it will be several months before I receive anything from the NVC? I don’t want to risk delaying the Visa process because I wasn’t here to take care of something in a timely fashion.

6. When I checked on the USCIS website for an estimate of processing time they said 6.3 months at the Vermont Service Center. There was no option of selecting any other office but I thought I would be processed in California. What happened? Why is it the Vermont Service Center?

I have six million more questions but this is enough for now. This website has so much information I am sure there are answers for all of my questions somewhere close by. I have been doing a lot of reading and if there is some reading you think I should do please give me a link or directions how to get there! Thanks thanks thanks! Thanks.

[Ryan H 3,925]

Answers:

1. You need an NVC case number in order to submit the DS-3032 via email.
2. You receive a case number from the NVC when they receive the file from USCIS and enter it into their system (the file may be in the building for some time before it is entered into their system).
3. Country specific answer needed.
4. Orginal documents need to go to the NVC. Find out what document translation requirements are for the US Interests Section in Havana are before you go to all the trouble of obtaining translations that may not needed (document translation requirements vary from country to country).
5. All the priority date means to a US Citizen who files an I-130 is that is the date the file officially enters the queue at USCIS. Since you recently filed, you will not be dealing with the NVC for some time (plan on a minimum of 5 months from now)
6. Since last August, I-130 petitions filed by a US Citizen on behalf of a spouse have been sent to the National Benefits Center in MO from the lockbox and from there, they have been sent to local USCIS field offices based on the address of the petitioner for adjudication. Therefore, your petition will likely be adjudicated in CA but it will be done at the field office closest to you, not at the Service Center in Laguna Niguel.

Edited July 7, 2013 by Ryan H

[snowjoe 0]

Wow thanks. Great answers!

Something I don't understand. I keep hearing five months or six months until I even hear from NVC. But then I look at timeslines and quite of they tell a different story. For example Ryan who answered my question has at the bottom of his post his timeline. Three months between his NOA 1 and NOA 2. What is a NOA 2. Is it something that I do not have to respond to in anyway? Anyway from his NOA 2 (what is that?) to the NVC case number being assigned is less than a month. Is that something that doesn't need to be responded to in anyway? I guess I am easily confused. My question is not when but what is the next step where I will have to do something?

[dwheels76 5,487]

Wow thanks. Great answers!

Something I don't understand. I keep hearing five months or six months until I even hear from NVC. But then I look at timeslines and quite of they tell a different story. For example Ryan who answered my question has at the bottom of his post his timeline. Three months between his NOA 1 and NOA 2. What is a NOA 2. Is it something that I do not have to respond to in anyway? Anyway from his NOA 2 (what is that?) to the NVC case number being assigned is less than a month. Is that something that doesn't need to be responded to in anyway? I guess I am easily confused. My question is not when but what is the next step where I will have to do something?

Its 5 or 6 months to be approved at USCIS which is where you are at now. Than you go to NVC which can be another 3 to 4 months to interview.

You really can't look at someones timeline from a few years ago. One I-130 petitions no longer go to California Service center or Vermont Service center. Since August they go to National Benefits center (NBC) in Summit, Missouri then to your local USCIS office.

NOA2 is your approval notice (Notice of approval 2) You got the Notice of Approval 1.

And unless you get an RFE (Request further Evidence) you will not hear from USCIS until you get approval.

Make sure you go to uscis.gov website and register your case# so you get emails and text going forward.

Next step is 5 to 7 months from now your NOA2. Than off to NVC Here is the link to the NVC filers thread (Read the post #1 and #2) you can read up on what you need to do much you can prepare now for like tax returns, documents and such. But you are looking at end of this year could be sooner could be later.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/439000-nvc-filers-july-2013/

[Ryan H 3,925]

Anyway from his NOA 2 (what is that?) to the NVC case number being assigned is less than a month.

Look closer, you will see that 37 days went by from the time that I received notice that the petition was approved to the time that I finally received a case number from the NVC and was able to continue the process. That's why I emphasized the 'entering the file into the system' in my earlier post because speaking from personal experience, my file made it to the NVC relatively quickly but it sat there for a while before it was entered into the system.

[snowjoe 0]

Wow this is tricky stuff! How do you guys know all this stuff? How can I know all this stuff?

[dwheels76 5,487]

Wow this is tricky stuff! How do you guys know all this stuff? How can I know all this stuff?

Read follow the topics. Than go do your research so you can add to discussion.

[NikLR 13,234]

We've been here a while and spent intensive time learning, and thus helping others. You'll pick it up to if you stick around.

[Darnell 8,480]

Wow this is tricky stuff! How do you guys know all this stuff? How can I know all this stuff?

Become a Reader !

On a PC - the 'forum' page here looks like a TOC in the front of a book. Click around, read some chapters

You just got the first notice, notice of receipt - so you have some time to wait on the approvals.

although you found LingChe and James' Shortcuts -

I highly recommend this one, as well

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/How_to_bring_your_foreign_spouse_to_live_in_the_US

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/How_to_bring_your_foreign_spouse_to_live_in_the_US

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/How_to_bring_your_foreign_spouse_to_live_in_the_US

Edited July 8, 2013 by Darnell