US Immigration from Belgium

Hi! I was selected for further processing in DV2023 and immediately submitted my DS-260 back in May 2022, for consular processing. However, my case number is very high EU34XXX and it is still not current even for the month of July and there is only August and September left.

Anyways, I have been accepted to a Master's program at the University of Virginia and I require an F-1 student visa as the program starts in early August and I probably wont even get my DV interview. I have already applied for the F-1 visa. As I am a citizen of Belgium, which is part of the Visa Waiver Program, they made me send the documents (such as my passport, I-20, etc.) by courier because I was found eligible for the "Student Interview Waiver". However, they "reserve the right to request an interview" after reviewing my documents.

I am really stressed out that I will be denied the F-1 visa because of my submission of a DS-260 over a year ago. The only family I have in the US is my brother who is also on an F-1 visa doing a Master's, otherwise my entire family is in Belgium and UK, so I have strong ties here. I have also shown more than enough financial support on my I-20 and I have a valid ESTA with which I have traveled to the US numerous times without any issues. I currently live in the UK as a resident (EU Settlement Scheme before Brexit), if that makes any difference, and I just finished a Law undergrad.

I know that I have shown immigrant intent with the DS-260, but does anyone know of any instances where people have been granted the F-1 Visa despite having a DS-260 application from the DV on file? If I get called to an interview what can I say and what evidence can I show to convince them that I genuinely just want to do the Master's program and return to Europe right after? I submitted the DS-260 because I got selected for the DV, yes, but I genuinely don't feel any need to move to the US for economic/financial/etc reasons. So I would never even think about overstaying my F-1 visa or using it in any way that isn't intended to, such as illegally working, as I am not going to be financially stressed. And even if I got a DV interview (unlikely) in September, it is through consular processing so I would leave the US and come back to Belgium for the interview, meaning that at no point will I have entered the US with my F-1 with the possibility of converting it to a green card.

This situation is stressing me out so much I am finding it difficult to sleep. I have no clue what I am going to do next year if I can't get this visa. I have already paid my deposit to the school as well as the off-campus student housing I am going to live in.

My daughter and I (applicants) arrived at the NVC stage of our CR1 visa applicaiton. We filed the DS 260 and the civil documents at the end of February.

Today, we received an email stating that:

1) the petitioner needed to print and hand sign the petition, even though the instructions allowed for a digital signature, which he used. (We'll now be doing as they specified, of course).

2) my daughter's birth certificate is illegible -- I do not understand how it is possible as it is a certified digital copy, not a scanned document, and my own birth certificate is of the same make and was approved. I've requested a new birth certificate and uploaded it accordingly. Hopefully, this is enough, unless they have different requirements for children?

3) we need to submit a marriage certificate in my daughter's case. As my daughter is five years old, are they referring to the marriage certificate between me (her mother) and her stepfather (the petitioner) or do they want the marriage certificate between me and her biological father, or is this a typo on their part and were they referring to uploading the birth certificate again? Note: This came in a separate message on CEAC.

From what I understood from the initial instructions, the documents in regard to my marriage and such did not have to be uploaded again in my daughter's case, but perhaps I misinterpreted that?

I'd love your advice before I ask the NVC directly and risk being stuck waiting for x amount of time for a reply that could hopefully be resolved quickly on this forum.

Thank you in advance.

Love,

Lily

Hi All- I got naturalized today and I was wondering on the fastest way to get a US passport. I work in aviation and I want to be sure I am ready. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

We filed for a CR1 spousal visa on Dec 31 2021. On June 14 2022, we received a case update. USCIS was actively reviewing it. We have been in limbo ever since, until now. When I checked for case updates, it now states they are actively reviewing our case since...February 23 2023...instead of June 14 2022. The message is exactly the same, but they changed the date. Does anyone have experience with this? Did our case slip through the cracks and did they suddenly find it again?

Hey guys.

I am currently in Belgium for family emergency. Initially, I was planning to stay here 3 weeks but now I'd like to stay one week extra because of the circumstances. Will that be a problem? Do I need to fill out any forms or so for re-entering the US?

I know there are forms for when you stay abroad 6 months and longer but I want to make sure I didn't miss any info and can stay one extra week without risking anything.