Embassy's will no longer accept I-130

[devblt 0]

OH my GOSH! I am panicking right now. I had everything planned out and ready to go. I am supposed to get married in March and with the embassy I would have worked through, my husband would have had his visa within about a month. What am I going to do? Can we call our Senators/Representatives? I am so upset right now.

If this is true, you can still get married, and then apply when you get to the states.. you'll have to wait longer but I guess a lot of people are going to be in that situation. Don't stress out too much just yet and wait for something offical to be announced by USCIS. I just checked thier website and there was no press releases on their site. I also check the New Delhi embassy (India) and there was no announcement there either.. so hang in there.. don't stress it too much.. your palns shout remain the same.. get married.. have a great wedding day etc.. and don't let the fact that you may have to wait 8 months get you down.. many people have waited much longer to be with thier loved ones.

[knowledge 0]

This was just posted today on the US Embassy website in Kiev.

I-130 Petitions No Longer Accepted by U.S. Embassies

January 23, 2007

Per Department of State instructions, effective immediately, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine and U.S. embassies worldwide are no longer authorized to accept or adjudicate I-130 petitions. American Citizens must file petitions for their relatives with the appropriate United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) office in the U.S. Petitioners can check http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130.pdf to find the appropriate office. Please visit www.uscis.gov for more general information about filing the petition.

Petitions that have already been approved at U.S. Embassy Kyiv but have not yet undergone visa adjudication must be forwarded to the USCIS office in Moscow, Russia. Embassy staff will forward all of these in the coming week.

We will post more information on this matter as soon as it becomes available to us.

wow!...is it part of the Centralization proceedure they were mentionning not long ago?...

[marcycat 0]

OH my GOSH! I am panicking right now. I had everything planned out and ready to go. I am supposed to get married in March and with the embassy I would have worked through, my husband would have had his visa within about a month. What am I going to do? Can we call our Senators/Representatives? I am so upset right now.

I am extremely frustrated myself! I was planning to go to Sydney to see my wife and file for the DCF in April. Now I don't know if I should just file for the IR-1 / CR-1 immediately to try and make up for the time that will undoubtedly increase.

I'm beside myself. How could they have taken our application (and our money) with a straight face, just a couple of weeks ago? I forewent a "real wedding" in order to get married in Paris to do the DCF. I was expecting to be reunited with my husband by early April -- now who knows?

I already have a call in to my Rep. They can't change the law, but they should be able to make sure those of us in the process don't get totally screwed over

[NYC__girl 0]

If this is true, you can still get married, and then apply when you get to the states.. you'll have to wait longer but I guess a lot of people are going to be in that situation. Don't stress out too much just yet and wait for something offical to be announced by USCIS. I just checked thier website and there was no press releases on their site. I also check the New Delhi embassy (India) and there was no announcement there either.. so hang in there.. don't stress it too much.. your palns shout remain the same.. get married.. have a great wedding day etc.. and don't let the fact that you may have to wait 8 months get you down.. many people have waited much longer to be with thier loved ones.

devblt, great words!

I represent, what now will be in USCIS. They are overloaded.

Good luck and little patiences.

Edited January 23, 2007 by NYC__girl

[vylex 0]

I'm beside myself. How could they have taken our application (and our money) with a straight face, just a couple of weeks ago? I forewent a "real wedding" in order to get married in Paris to do the DCF. I was expecting to be reunited with my husband by early April -- now who knows?

I already have a call in to my Rep. They can't change the law, but they should be able to make sure those of us in the process don't get totally screwed over

I think the Embassy was not aware of this change. I see it like some sort of memo sent to remote offices. They were doing business as usual until the news broke. I do hope the people already in the process are allowed to complete. I have not started the actual filing. It looks like I'll have to file immediately now. Time to research the other forums again...

I thought I had it all figured out too. Time to roll with the punches. The USCIS will not keep my wife from me!!!!!!

[briccasart 0]

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR VYLEX AND MARCYCAT:

From what I can gather, you are already married to your respective spouses and are waiting to be reunited at the moment.

If you are both in the States and your spouses abroad, why don't you just get your spouses to join you in the States and file the I-130 plus I-485 as soon as they arrive in the States?

So long as they have the green I-94 attached to their passports (very important not to lose that), you can begin the process immediately. I think that when filing for a spouse, the wait is a lot quicker as spouses don't fall under a visa quota. I can almost guarantee you that you will hear something before the usual 90-days tourist visa is up.

This may be a bit harder for you, Marcycat, as your application is already in the system and they might question a duplicate application.

Good luck to all of us.

[avoci 0]

This was just posted today on the US Embassy website in Kiev.

I-130 Petitions No Longer Accepted by U.S. Embassies

January 23, 2007

Per Department of State instructions, effective immediately, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine and U.S. embassies worldwide are no longer authorized to accept or adjudicate I-130 petitions. American Citizens must file petitions for their relatives with the appropriate United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) office in the U.S. Petitioners can check http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130.pdf to find the appropriate office. Please visit www.uscis.gov for more general information about filing the petition.

Petitions that have already been approved at U.S. Embassy Kyiv but have not yet undergone visa adjudication must be forwarded to the USCIS office in Moscow, Russia. Embassy staff will forward all of these in the coming week.

We will post more information on this matter as soon as it becomes available to us.

Okay, so my husband and I filed DCF (in Albania) for an I130 (they told us it would actually be a CR1). We filed and were approved (for the I130 on July 5, 2006. We sent in packet 3 on Nov.6th. How (or will) this affect us? How can I know? Is there something I should do?

Thanks,

A. Voci

[Boiler 43,446]

According to the text, they can accept new applications AND they can not adjudicate and ones from this date onwards.

Seems pretty black and white, if frustrating for those caught in the middle.

[avoci 0]

This was just posted today on the US Embassy website in Kiev.

I-130 Petitions No Longer Accepted by U.S. Embassies

January 23, 2007

Per Department of State instructions, effective immediately, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine and U.S. embassies worldwide are no longer authorized to accept or adjudicate I-130 petitions. American Citizens must file petitions for their relatives with the appropriate United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) office in the U.S. Petitioners can check http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130.pdf to find the appropriate office. Please visit www.uscis.gov for more general information about filing the petition.

Petitions that have already been approved at U.S. Embassy Kyiv but have not yet undergone visa adjudication must be forwarded to the USCIS office in Moscow, Russia. Embassy staff will forward all of these in the coming week.

We will post more information on this matter as soon as it becomes available to us.

Where did you hear or find this information??? I have been searching the net and can't find anything about it!

[payxibka 10,044]

This was just posted today on the US Embassy website in Kiev.

I-130 Petitions No Longer Accepted by U.S. Embassies

January 23, 2007

Per Department of State instructions, effective immediately, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine and U.S. embassies worldwide are no longer authorized to accept or adjudicate I-130 petitions. American Citizens must file petitions for their relatives with the appropriate United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) office in the U.S. Petitioners can check http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130.pdf to find the appropriate office. Please visit www.uscis.gov for more general information about filing the petition.

Petitions that have already been approved at U.S. Embassy Kyiv but have not yet undergone visa adjudication must be forwarded to the USCIS office in Moscow, Russia. Embassy staff will forward all of these in the coming week.

We will post more information on this matter as soon as it becomes available to us.

Where did you hear or find this information??? I have been searching the net and can't find anything about it!

Please re-read the first line of my post.

http://kiev.usembassy.gov/visa_iv_petition_eng.html

[avoci 0]

This was just posted today on the US Embassy website in Kiev.

I-130 Petitions No Longer Accepted by U.S. Embassies

January 23, 2007

Per Department of State instructions, effective immediately, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine and U.S. embassies worldwide are no longer authorized to accept or adjudicate I-130 petitions. American Citizens must file petitions for their relatives with the appropriate United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) office in the U.S. Petitioners can check http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130.pdf to find the appropriate office. Please visit www.uscis.gov for more general information about filing the petition.

Petitions that have already been approved at U.S. Embassy Kyiv but have not yet undergone visa adjudication must be forwarded to the USCIS office in Moscow, Russia. Embassy staff will forward all of these in the coming week.

We will post more information on this matter as soon as it becomes available to us.

The Paris Embassy has a similar announcement. On another discussion, someone just reported her husband's interview, scheduled for next week, being cancelled. She says they told her all pending petitions are being sent to Rome.....

What a nightmare!!!

Where did you find this info about I130s on the Paris embassy website? I can't find anything?

[avoci 0]

I think I'm gonna have a fricking heart attack. I have wanted to move back home for so long and now that it's within reach, a bombshell like this happens.

It's to do with The Adam Walsh Child Protection And Safety Act Of 2006 that Bush signed today.

I truly truly hope that they reconsider DCF filings for couples who have no children included in the petition. I can't take the stress anymore. I have everything lined up for our interview next month...applications, mortgage papers, a bank draft and pictures.

I just want to go home.

Today, President Bush Signed The Adam Walsh Child Protection And Safety Act Of 2006. This law marks an important step forward in our Nation's efforts to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It will strengthen Federal laws to protect our children from sexual and other violent crimes, prevent child pornography, and make the Internet safer for our sons and daughters.

President Bush Believes Our Society Has A Duty To Protect Children From Exploitation And Danger. By enacting this law, we are sending a clear message across the country that those who prey on our children will be caught, prosecuted, and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

The Administration Has Worked To Give Law Enforcement New Tools To Go After Criminals Who Kidnap And Exploit Children.

The PROTECT Act. In 2003, President Bush signed the PROTECT Act that expanded the use of Amber Alerts, making grants available to all 50 States so law enforcement can quickly alert the public about missing children and their abductors.

Operation Predator. The Administration launched Operation Predator to help law enforcement track down and arrest foreign pedophiles, human traffickers, sex tourists, and Internet pornographers who prey on our children.

Project Safe Childhood. Earlier this year, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood to help Federal, State, and local law enforcement investigate and prosecute crimes against children that are facilitated by the Internet and other electronic communications.

The Adam Walsh Child Protection And Safety Act Of 2006 Builds On The Administration's Progress In Four Important Ways:

Expanding The National Sex Offender Registry. The bill will integrate the information in State sex offender registry systems and ensure that law enforcement has access to the same information across the United States, helping prevent sex offenders from evading detection by moving from State to State. Data drawn from this comprehensive registry will be made available to the public so parents have the information they need to help protect their children from sex offenders.

Strengthening Federal Penalties For Crimes Against Children. The bill imposes tough mandatory minimum penalties for the most serious crimes against children and increases penalties for crimes such as sex trafficking of children and child prostitution. It also provides grants to States to help them institutionalize sex offenders who have shown they cannot change their behavior and are about to be released from prison.

Making It Harder For Sex Predators To Reach Our Children On The Internet. The bill authorizes new regional Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforces that will provide funding and training to help State and local law enforcement combat crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors on the Internet.

Creating A New National Child Abuse Registry And Requiring Investigators To Do Background Checks Of Adoptive And Foster Parents Before They Are Approved To Take Custody Of A Child. By giving child protective service professionals in all 50 States access to this critical information, we will improve their ability to investigate child abuse cases and help ensure that vulnerable children are not put into situations of abuse or neglect.

I am so confused! This is what I found on the Adam Walsh thing (I found nothing else). If somebody has a link to something SPECIFIC, I'd REALLY like to see it. By the way.. this Adam Walsh thing was in 2006.

[marcycat 0]

The Paris Embassy has a similar announcement. On another discussion, someone just reported her husband's interview, scheduled for next week, being cancelled. She says they told her all pending petitions are being sent to Rome.....

What a nightmare!!!

Where did you find this info about I130s on the Paris embassy website? I can't find anything?

For PARIS - The announcement is on the American Embassy/Consulate in Paris website, under Citizen Services - Visas -- Immigrant Visas (something like that.)

The info about the cancelled interview and things being sent to Rome is in the next discussion on the DCF forum here on Visa Journey (the discussion topic is sommething like DCF in Paris.)

[payxibka 10,044]

Where did you find this info about I130s on the Paris embassy website? I can't find anything?

http://www.amb-usa.fr/consul/iv/default.htm

I am so confused! This is what I found on the Adam Walsh thing (I found nothing else). If somebody has a link to something SPECIFIC, I'd REALLY like to see it. By the way.. this Adam Walsh thing was in 2006.

Signed by President Bush in July but just became effective....

[jpaula 20]

Were the interviews that were canceled in Paris visa interviews or I-130 interviews?