Only EB1/EB2 update on NVC (DQ, IL)

[appleblossom 4,386]

2 minutes ago, ACat said:

 

It's been almost 2 months now, I also heard other people in the same situation, I was wondering if there is an unusual delay currently.

 

Oh, that is odd, definitely not the norm. Are you sure you submitted everything required? And haven't been DQ'ed already, have you checked your spam/junk folder? 

 

Can you fill your timeline in as well pls? Thanks.

Edited June 20 by appleblossom

[ACat 0]

2 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Oh, that is odd, definitely not the norm. Are you sure you submitted everything required? And haven't been DQ'ed already, have you checked your spam/junk folder? 

 

Can you fill your timeline in as well pls? Thanks.

Yes I submitted everything required, NVC received them on April 30.
 

February 13 2025: I-140 sent

February 14 2025: Received by USCIS

February 27 2025: Approved

March 12 2025 - NVC welcome letter

March 18 2025 - Paid NVC fee

March 20 2025 - Fee received

April 9 2025 - DS-260 submitted to NVC

April 25 2025 - Civil documents mailed to NVC
April 30 2025 - Documents received by NVC
(Waiting DQ)

 

[appleblossom 4,386]

23 hours ago, ACat said:

Yes I submitted everything required, NVC received them on April 30.
 

February 13 2025: I-140 sent

February 14 2025: Received by USCIS

February 27 2025: Approved

March 12 2025 - NVC welcome letter

March 18 2025 - Paid NVC fee

March 20 2025 - Fee received

April 9 2025 - DS-260 submitted to NVC

April 25 2025 - Civil documents mailed to NVC
April 30 2025 - Documents received by NVC
(Waiting DQ)

 

I meant your timeline on your profile - if you can fill that in that would be fab. 
 

Something doesn’t sound right if you’ve been waiting so long to be DQ’ed. What does it say on CEAC? 

[Canadian24 30]

On 6/20/2025 at 4:17 PM, ACat said:

 

It's been almost 2 months now, I also heard other people in the same situation, I was wondering if there is an unusual delay currently.

@ACat  When I did mine (back in July 2024) it took only 6 business days to be DQ once they received it. Mine was sent by mail as I'm EB-1 (which by mail is supposed to take longer to get DQ). 
So you know: you will receive your DQ by email. Your lawyer gets the email too.
If I were you I would try to contact NVC as this seems very long. Hopefully you've been DQ this whole time and just didn't receveive the email!

[Canadian24 30]

Hello everyone, 
Do we have anyone, particularly from Canada (so PD current) or ROW, who was DQ’d in April, May, or June?
There isn't anyone on the Google spreadsheet anymore. This info would help everyone to know where we are at.

Thank you for letting us know!
I created a new copy of the spreadsheet to keep everything organized, as the previous owner is no longer maintaining it and things were out of order.
You can request access if you need to make any changes.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NnYTWRgdQB9gj2SyQjBL3fzz5-OS9FJZQXFXCbSe0Ig/edit?gid=0#gid=0

[IntegerOverlord 13]

Hey everyone. I am glad to report that last week, I received our passports with EB1A (E11 for me and E14 for my wife) visas inside. Below is my full timeline and a short write-up about the experience regarding my medical and the interview at the US Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic

 

I-140 Sent: October 11, 2024

I-140 Receipt notice: October 15, 2024

I-140 Approved: October 18, 2024

NVC Welcome letter: November 1, 2024

DQ: November 29, 2024

IL: April 24, 2025

Medical Exam: May 26, 2025

Exam results sent to embassy: June 2, 2025

Updated some data in DS-260: June 18, 2025

Interview: June 23, 2025

Status changed to "Issued": June 24, 2025

Passports ready for pickup: June 26, 2025

 

For medical, you have MyClinic as the only choice. The process was fast, and communication was also great; my wife and I were done in under 1.5 hours. The staff is extremely nice, and the clinic itself is also very cool and modern. Since it's the only clinic in the Czech Republic authorized to perform these exams, the price is very high, 750 USD per person. The price listed on the website doesn't include age-specific tests, like blood and urine. It's around a 20 USD upcharge, but it still feels kinda wrong that they charge extra for it

 

Before the interview, you need to register the appointment with USTravelDocs to select the preferred passport delivery method. I started the process but couldn't finish it since I was getting stuck on a calendar screen that was empty. And the calendar screen didn't make sense anyway, since my appointment was already scheduled by NVC. I called the support, they said it's a bug in the system, and assured me I can leave the thing unfinished since I already went through the steps with passport data and delivery preferences

 

I had to update some answers in the DS-260 form due to some circumstance changes (not errors). My mother died between the DQ and interview date, and my wife's parents got new passports with new name transliterations. I initially planned to just correct these minor things at the interview, but then I called the support number on the embassy website on June 16. They said they prefer to reopen the form and told me it would take 2 business days. Indeed, the form was reopened on June 18th, and I submitted the corrections right away

 

Now, for the big day, the interview itself. You pass through the standard airport-style security checkpoint to get in, and then it's mostly a lot of waiting. Judging by the ticket numbers, there were 3 immigrant visa applicants that day, the rest 20 people at the embassy were for non-immigrant visas and some US citizens. We got called at almost exactly our appointment time, went to the window, and this first officer just took our documents and asked some questions to verify we had everything we're supposed to, and told us to sit down and wait. So we did, it took a bit over an hour of waiting, and pretty much everyone else has gone home already; we were last. Finally, our number appeared again, we went to another window, and this was the actual interview. The officer took an oath that we were telling the truth, took my fingerprints, and started asking the actual interview. The questions he asked were:

 

1. Why are you extraordinary? Tell me what you submitted to USCIS

I gave him the elevator pitch of what I do, and then went over all the criteria I submitted to USCIS, summarizing them very briefly

2. Are you guys married for a long time? No kids yet?

Yes, almost 5 years, no kids yet

3. Are you planning to work in the area of expertise?

Yes, and also I told the officer I am currently interviewing for positions in my area of expertise at several big companies

 

The interview took like 10-15 minutes total. That was it, he then proceeded to take my wife's fingerprints, and went to grab a piece of paper, told us the visa is approved, and handed us this sheet which said when we can expect our passports (5-6 business days), and some next steps. The officer was very nice and professional, and it felt like he warmed up to us towards the end of the conversation

 

I got the "Administrative processing" status in CEAC right after the interview. People dread AP, but every visa goes through this process; it's only bad when you are refused under 221 (g). For normal cases where the officer tells you are approved, it shouldn't take long, as it's just an automated background check from what I've read online. The next morning after the interview, I checked CEAC and saw that the visa was issued

 

In the morning, both my wife and I got the SMS and email that our documents are ready. I drove to the central branch of DHL, which is the default free pickup location, and got a huge envelope for each of us. I expected everything to be electronic, since I spoke to the CR1/IR1 visa applicant at the same embassy, and he got just his passport and no visa packet. I suppose, just like with NVC steps, some stuff that's electronic for immediate family members is still on paper for employment applicants

 

I want to thank the staff of the US Embassy in Prague for being very professional and on point

 

Let me know if I missed anything or if you'd like to know more. I genuinely hope this helps future applicants for EB1A and people applying from Prague specifically

Edited July 1 by IntegerOverlord

[IntegerOverlord 13]

A quick update regarding the first entry: it was very anticlimactic. We landed at JFK airport and went to the visitor line as instructed by the staff. The line moved very fast, mostly in front of us were tourists from Switzerland, Austria and other EU countries, so in 10-15 minutes it was our turn. I handed over our passports and envelopes, the officer asked if the address for the GC delivery was correct, what my job was, and whether we had food to declare. That's it, then he proceeded to open the envelopes, quickly look over the documents, stamp our passports, and send us on our way. No secondary, no waiting, easy

 

The only stress point was boarding the flight itself. We flew with Swiss Airlines through Zurich airport. Before boarding the flight to the US, you have to go through what they call "passport control", which is the airline worker checking that you have documentation in order to enter the US. It's not actual passport control because it's a makeshift booth in the middle of the gate that they roll out before boarding. Anyway, the worker had questions about my wife's visa. As a dependent, her visa says "Only valid for FTJ if Acc by Spouse/Parent/etc.". She started asking if my wife had parents in the US, likely because of our different last names and her assumption that we couldn't be spouses or something, despite us having approached a booth together and me handing over both passports. When I said it's my wife and we are perfectly aware her visa is valid only if we enter together, she demanded to see our marriage certificate with an attitude, she said something like "Didn't the embassy tell you that you have to present it?". No, dummy, because it's not a requirement, the CBP in the US can see she's my wife without a certificate because they have access to the Department of State records. Anyway, I avoided a scandal because I brought a copy of our marriage certificate just in case, but I was pretty pissed. She then proceeded to ask some more unrelated questions like "So you're gonna live there now?" and "Will anyone pick you up from the airport?". I know they do it to avoid getting fined, but funnily enough, fine print when booking the flights says that I am responsible for any fines the airline incurs because of bad documentation on my part, so it's not like they would have to pay anyway

 

I will try to avoid Swiss going forward. This attitude from the employee towards us, plus them downgrading a young lady on my flight from Business she paid for to Economy because she showed up in sweatpants and crop-top is ridiculous

Edited Monday at 10:32 AM by IntegerOverlord

[movershaker 0]

Hi everyone, can someone please tell me the documents needed for the interview at the consulate for an EB1A petition.

[appleblossom 4,386]

4 minutes ago, movershaker said:

Hi everyone, can someone please tell me the documents needed for the interview at the consulate for an EB1A petition.

 

It will depend on the consulate. You will be sent a full checklist when the interview is scheduled, and can also find the interview instructions on the usual NVC website, just to go the country specific section for your consulate - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-10-prepare-for-the-interview.html

 

If you could fill your timeline in that would be helpful. 

[movershaker 0]

On 7/14/2025 at 7:55 PM, appleblossom said:

 

It will depend on the consulate. You will be sent a full checklist when the interview is scheduled, and can also find the interview instructions on the usual NVC website, just to go the country specific section for your consulate - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-10-prepare-for-the-interview.html

 

If you could fill your timeline in that would be helpful. 

Thanks, I will compile my timeline and post here. On a side note, is it normal for case status to go from ISSUED to READY? How long does it stay In this state.

[appleblossom 4,386]

13 minutes ago, movershaker said:

Thanks, I will compile my timeline and post here. On a side note, is it normal for case status to go from ISSUED to READY? How long does it stay In this state.

 

Not usually, but it depends on what stage of the process you're at. Once you've filled your timeline in we'll be able to help more. 

[movershaker 0]

37 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Not usually, but it depends on what stage of the process you're at. Once you've filled your timeline in we'll be able to help more. 

Category - EB1A

 

June 2024: I-140 sent

June 2024: I-140 sent back due to immigration fee not properly filled

June 2024: I-140 resubmitted

September 2024 - Premium filing paid

September 2024 - I-140 approved
September 2024 - Welcome letter from NVC

September 2024 - Paid NVC fee

September 2024 - Fee received

October 2024 - DS-260 submitted to NVC

October 2024 - Submitted documents to NVC

November 2024 - DQ

November 2024 - Requested Expedite Request

November 2024 - Expedite Request Denied

May 2025 - Requested Expedite Request

May 2025 - Expedite Request Approved

July 2025 - Interview at Consulate
July 2025 - Approved at interview

[appleblossom 4,386]

4 hours ago, movershaker said:

 

Category - EB1A

 

June 2024: I-140 sent

June 2024: I-140 sent back due to immigration fee not properly filled

June 2024: I-140 resubmitted

September 2024 - Premium filing paid

September 2024 - I-140 approved
September 2024 - Welcome letter from NVC

September 2024 - Paid NVC fee

September 2024 - Fee received

October 2024 - DS-260 submitted to NVC

October 2024 - Submitted documents to NVC

November 2024 - DQ

November 2024 - Requested Expedite Request

November 2024 - Expedite Request Denied

May 2025 - Requested Expedite Request

May 2025 - Expedite Request Approved

July 2025 - Interview at Consulate
July 2025 - Approved at interview

Ok, so if you’ve already had your interview and it’s changed to issued then it sounds like the visa will be on the way shortly then. 
 

Please fill in the timeline on your profile. Thx. 

[movershaker 0]

43 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

Ok, so if you’ve already had your interview and it’s changed to issued then it sounds like the visa will be on the way shortly then. 
 

Please fill in the timeline on your profile. Thx. 

It changed to ISSUED shortly after interview and then back to READY and has been that way. That's what is confusing me. Is that a normal behaviour