NikiY

My husband and I are completely gutted. I don't know what to do. His interview was scheduled for February 15 (in less than two weeks), and the Dublin embassy JUST called him (this morning) to tell him that they are 'rejecting' our paperwork, and they cannot proceed with his interview. Their reason? He does not live within their jurisdiction.

We are so frustrated and angry right now. I don't even know where to start.

My sincere thanks,

Fitzy

How AWFUL! I believe someone here suggested you call the NVC. That's a great place to start. I'm not sure they can be of any help, but THEY are the agency who sent your file to the embassy, so perhaps they can provide SOMETHING.

As for London......rules have now changed and they will not schedule the interview until the medical has been processed and received. So, unfortunately, you'll have to wait for the case to be moved to London, then schedule the medical, and THEN when they receive the medical, they will schedule your interview. My husband and I found this out the hard way and it too, took two trips to London, but we were much closer than you and after hearing your story I think we had it fairly easy.

I'm hoping that they make exceptions for you based on the situation. Remember....it WILL be over soon so stay strong.

You dont need to get a 'physical' package from the NVC. Once you have paid the AOS bill, a cover sheet should be available online for you to download and print and include with the package to be sent.

AOS: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3197.html

Correct. All of our correspondence came from the NVC via email. All of the forms were available on the sign in page once each prior bill was paid and had cleared. I received their first invoice via email, paid it, waited for payment to clear, and then downloaded the 864 form. I then received the bill (via email) for the DS-230 form. We never received anything from the NVC via regular mail, it was all done online. Good luck!

First of all, I am looking at this website: http://london.usembassy.gov/photo.html and it says that the photos brought to the interview must meet Department of State standards. I compared this to the UK and US standards and it appears that they want the pictures to follow the US requirements, and we're assuming this means he can't just get them done at the photo booths. We looked into snappy snaps or whatever it is called... and it is extremely expensive! Something like 15 pounds for 2 pictures... and.... we need 3. ARGH!! So, I am wondering, am I correct in assuming this pics can't just be done at the normal photo booth? And if not, does anyone have a suggestion about where to get them done cheaper? Oh, and now that I'm thinking about it, does the pic for the medical need to be US standards too?

Also, I have read on some of the forums that the visa fee must be paid before they will even schedule the interview... but it says on the embassy's site that information about paying the fee will come with the letter that tells us the interview date. So, what's the truth? Do you have to pay the fee before the interview is even scheduled? (PS if they require advance payment, that must mean that it is rare to not get approved wishful thinking.. or eek! do they not refund the fee if you are denied?)

Thanks!

This drove me crazy too! I had my husband take normal passport photos from the typical UK photo booths, and we included those. I also resized the photos and printed them on photo paper and we included those. To be honest, I don't know which version they used --but it was sufficient as they never mentioned it or asked for alternates.

As for payment, I believe that if you are filing through the embassy you pay the embassy. If you are filing through the NVC you pay the NVC directly prior to your interview. I can't tell from your profile which route you are going.

One word of advice....my husband had his interview yesterday and I had paid the NVC directly in October. The embassy didn't have record of payment. Luckily, I gave my husband a copy of the receipts I had showing all payments to the NVC from my sign in. They cross-referenced, and confirmed the payment. Good thing he had the receipt!

On January 31, 2011, we mailed a notice requesting additional evidence or information in this case I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow the instructions on the notice to submit the requested information. This case will be in suspense until we receive the evidence or the opportunity to submit it expires. Once we receive the requested evidence or information and make a decision on the case, you will be notified by mail. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

PLEASE HOW DO I KNOW WHAT EVIDENCE THEY NEED,HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET TO ME,PLEASE HELP ME.

Don't panic yet! The RFE can be anything from a discrepancy in your petition to a missing signature or document to further evidence of the relationship. Wait for the paperwork to come in the mail and we'll help you from there.

Niki

Thanks for the responses.

My fiance is the USC, and I am Australian, living in Sydney. It is me doing the travelling, 3rd time in April and staying for 4 weeks. There is an age gap of 14 year - Im older, and significantly wealthier and more educated, so much that it appears I will have to use my assets for the Affidavit of Support otherwise a co-sponsor will certainly be required. She is not in a position to manage this process so I have taken an upper hand. The K-1 route is not favaourable as I have a job here and mortgage commitments, and I am already the bread winner in a family of 3, soon to be 4. I need to be able to work soon after arrival. Also, it buys us a few months here to sell 2 properties. We already have some joint financial arrangements even before the marriage. Hope thats not a negative.

Any comments will be appreciated.

Can you clarify..... Are you planning to move to the US? As I understand it, your fiance is the US citizen, and you are planning to marry in the US, then file the I130 so that you can move to the US? If so, SHE is the one who has to show that she can support you. If she can't, she'll need a co-sponsor. I'm not certain they will acknowledge your assets unless they are held jointly by you and your fiance here in the US.

As for the courtship, I'm sure many of us had short courtships. I think what is important is that you can establish a bona fide relationship with photos, travel receipts, joint finances, affidavits, chat logs, phone records, etc. I wouldn't worry too much about the time frame unless you don't have these items.

Hope this helps, and good luck to you!

Niki

Dear all

I would like to know how long to get I 130 spouse visa, I did apply in the month of Oct 15th. Anyone know how long it takes to get approval. Please help me. thanks.

My husband got his approval from the embassy yesterday. Our process took 9 months from start to finish. You can speed up your end of the process by gathering your documents early and reading through the timelines on this forum which will prepare you for each step in advance. The next step is that your case will be forwarded to the NVC. There are a couple more forms to file, police certificates to gather, and fees to pay. Once the NVC has everything they need from you, the case will be forwarded to the embassy. Our NVC approval came very quickly (5 weeks) but due to the November and December holidays, we didn't get scheduled for the interview for another six weeks. I think best case scenario is 6 months....but plan on up to 10.

Good luck to you! I know how hard it is to wait but you'll get there!

Niki

That would be much easier, and would make the entire package more streamlined...

When we sent our packet in, we sent paper copies too. In fact, I printed them 6 up per page. We also sent our facebook thumbnail photo pages from each facebook photo album showing all our times together and the dates they were updated. I included dates on the other paper copies. I sent only 8 original photographs --just the ones I had extras of.

But! I also sent tons of correspondence, our skype logs, our phone records, receipts, plane ticket stubs, letters, affidavits, and anything else I had to provide documentation of our relationship. I think the format is not so important, it's the quantity of information that proves a relationship --not the paper it's printed on.

Good luck to you!

Niki

Edit to add:

Oh and do be careful when reporting depression or she will get into independent psych exams and a big mess. If she was just a little sad one week 'cause her doggie died, do not report that as depression. Don't even bring it up. Not worth the dicussion and documentation that will ensue. They are looking for full blown clinical depression and not super sadness over a one-time incident.

Hi! My husband had his medical in December at Knightsbridge and was approved for his VISA today. Unless things have changed in the past few weeks, she needs to bring her vaccination records to the Knightsbridge Doctor Appointment. The doctor's appointment consists of blood test, general exam, and chest x-rays. If she cannot prove she's had all the vaccinations, or if she is missing vaccinations, the Knightsbridge doctors will administer those as well. There is a complete list of the vaccinations required on the embassy website.

Good luck!