I-130 case approved- NVC questions

[bigredbird 0]

This is my first post here, and I don't want to start a new thread on topics that have surely been covered many many times. Our March 2024 I-130 got approved in the past few days, and NVC received yesterday, and while this was our expected approval time, it still has been a lot to take in. This is because our feelings about settling together in the US have changed since when we applied, and we're now looking into/considering myself getting a spouse visa to the UK instead to live there together. Their actual visa processing timeframe is much faster than the US but it would take us some time before we're even eligible to apply because of the financial requirements, at least 6 months in the best case scenario. So it's not set in stone yet, but we're very interested in residing there instead. In the meantime though, it would be a shame to lose our progress on the US visa and have to start over, and ideal to keep the avenue open just in case we want/need to go through with my spouse coming here as originally planned. Of course if we did commit to applying for and obtained a visa for me in the UK I'd imagine we'd cancel the US visa application, but before then it's probably best to keep the options open.

 

So I wanted to ask if anyone is able to explain or provide links to explanations of how much wiggle room there is at this stage. I've seen the basic info that if the NVC doesn't hear from you for a year, they will cancel your case. But what are the specifics of that, what kind of communication/action do they expect within that year mark, and how quickly, etc. Basically if we hold off on it a little bit, what are the risks, what will happen next, what's expected and how soon. I've also seen some mentions of people holding their cases at the NVC stage for quite some time, but not sure how that works. Make no mistake there is no intent of doubling up on visas at the same time and not using one or the other or playing out both sides, we just need time to assess. It's very hard being separated for over a year now (despite visits every few months and texting/calling every single day) and we of course want to be together over everything but the legal process on both sides is complicated, long, and expensive, we're both under 30 and don't have kids so the choice we make requires us to consider a whole lot about our futures, careers, starting a family down the line, connection to existing family, how we feel about the political/social/economic future of each country, etc, so there is a lot to take into consideration with where we want to end up. Currently we feel strongly about choosing the UK but it will be a bit before we're able to fully financially commit and we need to do more research, so are we at risk of losing progress on the US side if we keep things open while we work that out, and what kind of steps should we take at this point?

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who sees this and answers!

[Crazy Cat 44,527]

***Topic unique to OP split from existing report thread***This separate thread will ensure OP answers are organized***

[Crazy Cat 44,527]

26 minutes ago, bigredbird said:

Thanks in advance to anyone who sees this and answers!

There are no real risks.  Now that your case has been sent to NVC, you can hold it there indefinitely by just emailing them once a year (some people do it more frequently).  The least expensive option would be to just don't pay the fees or submit documents to NVC until you know what you want to do.  Some people have held their cases there for as long as several years.  Good luck in your decision.

Edited 15 hours ago by Crazy Cat

[bigredbird 0]

5 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Now that your case has been sent to NVC, you can hold it there indefinitely by just emailing them once a year (some people do it more frequently).  The least expensive option would be to just don't pay the fees or submit documents until you know what you want to do.  Some people have held their cases there for as long as several years.  Good luck in your decision.

Thank you for moving the post, I was just nervous to start a new thread as my first post and potentially post it in the wrong place or needlessly create new threads!

 

Thank you as well for the info, from what I've been reading I did get the impression that it's probably best to not submit any of the next step documents/forms yet and therefore not trigger the billing of fees, scheduling of appointments, etc. So it is good to have confirmation of that. Would creating/logging into my CEAC account set anything in motion? Should I go ahead and do that just so I can see everything, or is it better to fully just leave everything where it is as is? It feels wrong to just not respond or do anything for potentially a few months, but logically I know they don't care and won't notice whether we take action tomorrow or in a few months. As for sending an email, is there any specific thing they need to hear or see, or can I just write something up saying we are still working on the documents and need more time, if for some reason it ends up being close to that year mark and I want to "refresh" it as it were?

 

Hopefully it wouldn't take nearly that long to make a decision and have a more solid plan, admittedly we had put the US visa process on the mental backburner while discussing and researching a UK visa for the last couple months, so we were a little surprised and overwhelmed when it got approved and we started getting the flurry of emails about the next steps, and want to go about it carefully, so again thanks for the response and any further help from anyone reading.

[Crazy Cat 44,527]

4 minutes ago, bigredbird said:

Would creating/logging into my CEAC account set anything in motion? Should I go ahead and do that just so I can see everything, or is it better to fully just leave everything where it is as is?

NVC will not schedule an interview until ALL documents are submitted and approved AND until all fees are paid.  Until that is the case, you are fine to log in, etc.  Just don't pay the fees.  Just remember to email NVC or submit a query asking them to hold your case a year from now.  

 

4 minutes ago, bigredbird said:

or can I just write something up saying we are still working on the documents and need more time, if for some reason it ends up being close to that year mark and I want to "refresh" it as it were?

You can do that.  For now, you can relax, know that NVC is not going to throw your case out for quite some time.

Edited 14 hours ago by Crazy Cat