Chynna/gapamix

Hello Julie and Paul and welcome to our stressful world You are lucky to be with the California center as they tend to move faster than Vermont one does. Ours took 4 months to get our NOA2 and as you can see its been a while since then. The process is LONG I'm not gonna sugar coat it but the reward is immeasurable so well worth it in the end, or so that's my opinion
You can look at what packet 3 contains here cause really you don't need to receive you just need A. have a case number which you get with your NOA2 and B. You must be sure that the case has been received and logged by the US Embassy in London. Here are the documents for packet 3: http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html
What you can do now... If you are anxious to get things moving have the British Beneficiary send off for their Police Certificate. It is good for 12 months and you MUST have it in order to schedule the medical appointment. Here is where you do that: http://www.acpo.police.uk/NationalPolicing/ACROCriminalRecordsOffice/PoliceCertificates.aspx
Feel free to ask questions we're here to help and good luck!!

This is where this thread is going to confuse many. Getting an RFE for lack of evidence to prove you have met in the past two years almost always is due to a lack of primary evidence. Supplying more, or many photos (secondary evidence) will usually not overcome the burden of proof.
This has been borne out time and again by USCIS decisions whereby they have found mostly in favor of primary evidence and rejected secondary evidence such as photos when submitted as sole proof.
Primary evidence is documentary in nature: airline boarding passes, passport exit/entry stamps, hotel receipts, atm withdrawals in city of question, utility bills, apartment leases, etc.
Secondary evidence The USCIS defines secondary evidence as any documentation that can be used to supplement primary evidence but in itself cannot stand alone to prove ones assertions.
Photos are secondary; so are letters from relatives, neighbors or acquaintances, bus/train tickets and essentially anything that cannot be used to prove your point with a very high degree of certainty.
To sum up; very good Primary evidence with some secondary evidence = NO RFE
very weak Primary evidence with some, or lots of secondary= Possible RFE
No Primary evidence..........................................................= RFE
No Primary, lots of secondary.............................................= RFE

My fiance and I have just started the process, but if it's any help to anyone in Michigan - save yourself some time and worry over copying the birth certificate and go to your County Clerk's Office. For $20 and a 5 minute wait I got THREE certified (as in 'real' certs) copies of my birth certificate. I sent one with the 129F, have one to mail my fiance to take to the interview in case he needs it and I still have one on file. Best $20 I've ever spent. Don't know if that's helpful, but I thought I should at least try to help after how helpful all of you have been for us!

I received my NOA 2 in the mail today (thank you to all the VJ'ers that helped, way too many to list) and seen that there was an expiration date on it. What needs to be completed before the expiration? I believe the interviewer needs to approve the beneficiary by this date, but I am not sure if I am right. The beneficiary does not need to be in the US by this date right? If the beneficiary gets approved the Visa will have a new expiration date that will supercede the date of the NOA 2 correct?
Thanks,