What to do waiting for your NOA2

[Moca_Madness 12]

We are just curious what have people done while waiting for their NOA2. We are 31 days in and it’s driving me crazy.

Edited June 17, 2019 by Moca_Madness

[Tegs&Lols 41]

11 minutes ago, Moca_Madness said:

We are just curious what have people done while waiting for their NOA2. We are 31 days in and it’s driving me crazy.

Haha, the wait does have that effect on most of us. We just got our case number from the nvc and have to wait another couple of weeks for it to get to the Embassy. It doesn't get any better especially when you're near the end of this phase. I'd suggest you take your mind off it and go about your daily lives. If possible plan a Trip together or something or stay on VJ and comb through the wealth of information they have on here. 

[Moca_Madness 12]

Yea my son and I are going in August and I go back in October. Still driving me bananas! 

[Lyubov 133]

1. Volunteer for additional work. Your boss will be delighted, and you will be busy.

2. Get all documents collected/translated. It can also take a while.

3. Visit the dentist. Distraction guaranteed

4. Read forum threads for the next steps on your visa journey. There's lots to read, and it's always comforting to be well informed.

5. When none of the above helps, go ride a bike. It helps me  

[Moca_Madness 12]

So our conversations have been in Spanish. Since we are limited in each others language we have over 3000 pages of communication! Do I need to translate the whole 3000 pages? 

[Lyubov 133]

45 minutes ago, Moca_Madness said:

So our conversations have been in Spanish. Since we are limited in each others language we have over 3000 pages of communication! Do I need to translate the whole 3000 pages? 

No, just a few pages. We submitted one page or half a page for every month

[SMACEM2019 19]

1 hour ago, Moca_Madness said:

So our conversations have been in Spanish. Since we are limited in each others language we have over 3000 pages of communication! Do I need to translate the whole 3000 pages? 

You don't have to translate anything in Spanish for the Embassy. All Embassies take English and the native language of that country. So for us Spanish or English is fine.  

[Moca_Madness 12]

Well I guess I over did it. 

[The_Empyrean 733]

Translate all the documents ahead of time, even if people say you don't need it. You'll avoid the headache down the road, and still you're not doing much at this time, otherwise you wouldn't ask this question lol

Work on your relationship.

Get some savings down before she comes, you'll definitely go through some money once she moves here.

Learn something new. Whether it's playing an instrument, painting, exercising, collecting etc.

Exercise, that burns a lot of minutes as well as calories, plus your body releases endorphins, you'll be happier, and time will go faster and you'll feel better.

Work on your skills.

around 3-4month mark, you can start gathering all the paperwork needed for interview.

keep yourselves busy and STOP CHECKING CASE STATUS every 10mins. It'll drive you insane. 

[Greenbaum 12,262]

On ‎6‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 9:42 PM, Moca_Madness said:

We are just curious what have people done while waiting for their NOA2. We are 31 days in and it’s driving me crazy.

Here is what to expect for the interview. There are certain items that take a little longer then others to receive from your government so getting started now would be a good idea. Also, there are many references where documents MUST BE in English. So when some one tells you that Spanish OK, it may not be acceptable according to your Embassy requirements. I trust links to verifiable information more then I trust verbal reply's, but that's me.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17b9Xxvd_YAgCenc65GwkdDDO5-3NytY3/view

 

I also recommend that you reach out to your sub-forum for others who can help. I like getting my answers from those from my country as they are the "boots on the ground". 

 

Also, this document is filled with tips for DR from others who have gone before you. I hope some of it is beneficial.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13njvXEkaSwRbhZUM3QrOZzU5OV3UCaiZ/view

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by Greenbaum

[Limey 551]

Few tips (I was the immigrant)
1) Get ready for the long haul. We knew back in 2014 that it was going to take 6-7 months until NOA2. Accept the timelines, and don't hope that through some miracle its going to be quicker. Its much worse when you a checking everyday.

2) I made a couple of trips to US/Canada to see my fiancee during the time but it still dragged. Also spent time visiting my brother who lives in Portugal - I knew I'd see less of him once I was in the USA.

3) Get vaccinations and other documents in order. I started on these immediately as vaccinations might need multiple doses over few weeks, and gathering documents gave me something to do where I felt i was moving it forward.

4) Start seriously planning all the things you need to do when you leave. Its amazing how things start to move really fast once you have interview etc, and it suddenly seems like you don't have enough time for anything. Eg terminating cell phone contract (in UK I was able to switch to pay as you go, so I could charge up my phone with money and it would only run down when I used it). It was useful to keep my UK phone number just in case i'd forgotten anything in UK and people would still call it. Think about how you will sell car quickly when you get the visa, whether you need to get out of lease, etc, how much notice do you need to give at work.

5) Find out about costs and process for shipping to the USA. I had some things I was never going to leave behind (mostly guitars!) - I found a company that could ship them, handle the import docs etc. Generally if you can show you are immigrating (with k1 visa) the import is duty/tax free but obviously shipping costs can run to a few hundred dollars or more.

6) Research banking and other things you will need in the USA. What does the bank require to open an account (SSN?) I initially went with Bank of America when I moved to USA, but they were not very helpful when I needed some documents verified to transfer cash and other savings to the USA. I found another small local bank, met the manager, and they helped with everything I needed done.

7) Think about jobs in the USA. I was lucky in that I'm a web developer so I could carry on working for my existing clients once I was legal in the USA but most people are going to have to find a job. Do you need degree certificates translated or verified in some way?

8 ) We planned a relatively simple wedding (about 30 people, from both sides of Atlantic), and agreed a date etc with the hotel resort just prior to NOA2. We paid deposits but had agreement that we could reschedule if visa was delayed (we booked a sunday, which isn't a busy day for most wedding services, so they would be unlikely lose business if we booked a day, and then moved it back). Find out about what is required to get married in your state - getting marriage certificate etc.

9) Make the most of the time you still have in your home country. If things go well you won't be seeing as much of it in the future, so savor it while you can.

 

Good research of what is required in the future will help you avoid those roadblocks where you suddenly find out you need something that you should have got months ago at home.

Though it seemed an age at the time, the 6 or 7 months were actually quite a valuable time to get things sorted out, make plans, and make the most of spending time with my family! You can't change it, so may as well roll with it and make the most of it.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Limey