NVC sent Approved K-1 petition to the wrong embassy

[Ray_Yessi 10]

I have to begin with saying: "I'm exhausted and disgusted."

My fiancee and I received our I-129F approval notice on 18 Oct 2013. The USCIS sent the petition to the NVC, which was subsequently approved. I was delighted to receive the notice from the NVC on 26 Nov 2013, but that delight was short lived. As I read the letter I was shocked and horrified that the NVC sent the approved petition to the wrong embassy. They sent it to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic instead of San Salvador, El Salvador. Since then it has been a hassle, headaches, emails and lots of phone calls. I used the local US number to call the embassy in Santo Domingo, however to speak to someone I needed to pay $7 dollars. Needless to say, the wait time for the NVC averaging 30 min. and the conversation with representatives in both Santo Domingo and El Salvador have yielded few fruits. Frustrating, to say the least.

Now I am worried. After countless calls and emails, our petition cannot be found. The NVC says there is no way for them to track the documents. Santo Domingo confirms that the documents have been sent, however they cannot provide "where" they have sent the documents. San Salvador says they have not received anything, but their system says that the documents are in the possession of the NVC. The NVC says they do not request files to be returned to them. So where does that leave us...in disarray.

We finally had enough of this; I contacted my local congressional representative. The immigration liaison -- yes, they do, in fact, have one -- is looking into this issue.

My fiancee and I were hoping to be together for Christmas, but that hope is fading quickly. So now we are hoping to celebrate her birthday in early January, yet seeing how this situation has turned into a nightmare, we are not sure.

Has this happened to anyone?

[Girl from Celebes 588]

I have to begin with saying: "I'm exhausted and disgusted."

My fiancee and I received our I-129F approval notice on 18 Oct 2013. The USCIS sent the petition to the NVC, which was subsequently approved. I was delighted to receive the notice from the NVC on 26 Nov 2013, but that delight was short lived. As I read the letter I was shocked and horrified that the NVC sent the approved petition to the wrong embassy. They sent it to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic instead of San Salvador, El Salvador. Since then it has been a hassle, headaches, emails and lots of phone calls. I used the local US number to call the embassy in Santo Domingo, however to speak to someone I needed to pay $7 dollars. Needless to say, the wait time for the NVC averaging 30 min. and the conversation with representatives in both Santo Domingo and El Salvador have yielded few fruits. Frustrating, to say the least.

Now I am worried. After countless calls and emails, our petition cannot be found. The NVC says there is no way for them to track the documents. Santo Domingo confirms that the documents have been sent, however they cannot provide "where" they have sent the documents. San Salvador says they have not received anything, but their system says that the documents are in the possession of the NVC. The NVC says they do not request files to be returned to them. So where does that leave us...in disarray.

We finally had enough of this; I contacted my local congressional representative. The immigration liaison -- yes, they do, in fact, have one -- is looking into this issue.

My fiancee and I were hoping to be together for Christmas, but that hope is fading quickly. So now we are hoping to celebrate her birthday in early January, yet seeing how this situation has turned into a nightmare, we are not sure.

Has this happened to anyone?

There are countless cases like you here on VJ. You're not alone. But most of them finally solved their problems. Most cases were I-129F approvals.

[Anu Arun 0]

hopefully petition will reach at the right place soon. wait for few more days..

trust in God.. He will definitely pay for ur sacrifice...

[Ray_Yessi 10]

As I stated before, I contacted my local congress person because, at this point, it seems really ridiculous that an approved petition is "lost" in transit. I have asked for a inquiry to be made on my behalf. I hope a resolution is found.

Meanwhile, approval period is starting to loom. There are only 30 more days left before the I-129F expires -- according to the documentation from the USCIS.

I cannot begin to express our frustration. And even if I could, it would be an understatement.

[clairegie 265]

Don't worry about the petition validity period. They are automatically renewed up to a year (in 4 month intervals)

Edited December 27, 2013 by iammrsregi

[J & L 10]

^ Exactly: it will be automatically extended, so no worries!

I hope they'll soon find it or at least find a way so that you can book your medical and interview and put this behind you.

[Ray_Yessi 10]

Fellow VJers,

Just to Update:

I have been calling constantly the Embassy in El Salvador. I think I may have gotten to know most of the representatives! I am happy to say that on 2 January we received some help from one of the representatives (someone I had spoken to at least 5 times) at the consulate. They helped us out by directing us to create a Portal User Profile, and compile all needed documents beforehand. He read out loud a list, which I wrote down. Also, I had read what other VJers were saying, and so my fiancee had all those documents in hand. The interview date was set for the 8th of Jan. She was approved, however the medical exam was not done since the embassy had not sent the documentation.

My fiancee received a green paper for her medical appt. Once she was out of the embassy, she took a taxi and showed up in person at one the clinics and was able to get an medical appt for that same day. (One of the reasons I love her so much: she is decisive!) The doctors submitted all necessary documents.

Now, to wait for the visa....