rclcaw

Looks like my sheet? (click thumbnail)

Yep...same sheet. Is this the information necessary for the interview?

Interview next week - just making sure we have our bases covered. Finally navigated through the confusing CSC visa information site and registered my wife (Canadian citizen) for a Loomis account.

The detail sheet has the following info:

for married filing jointly:

--paper return only

--add w-7 with proper id

--you two sign 1040

--you sign w-7

--write letter, telling IRS that the TWO of you elect for YOU to be treated as a resident alien for tax purposes, both of you sign that.

--all is mailed into special W-7 intake address in Austin Tx.

Good Luck !

Darnell is right on. I spoke to the IRS yesterday and they told me almost exactly the same thing quoted above. The only caveat is you can't file electronically this year so it will take up to 10 weeks to process instead of 3 for electronic. Small price to pay for love!

We received notice of approval today via e-mail!!!

Now I don't believe in concidences but I called and spoke to an ISO on the 13th using the rotary phone method. He wasnt able to tell me much other than to wait til February. But low and behold two days later, BOOM from initial to decision.

Congratulations on your approval! We have similar timelines, but the only response we have had is 'transferred to Missouri' Hoping for approval soon!

Please enlighten me on the 'rotary phone method' for calling - I assume there are prompts that allow one to bypass some of the gatekeepers?

Thanks

Since you are way ahead of us we will use you as a test! Keep us posted if you have any issues .

Thanks

I used only month and year as close to what I could remember and made sure there were no gaps. Had no issues.

Did you use DS-230 or the online version - DS-260 - DS-260 requires a day

After reviewing a screen shot of the online DS-260 forms required to be completed by the applicant after NOA2, we noticed the online form has more specific requirements for dates of residence - they actually ask for the month, day, and year.

Any experience out there with this? We have no way of knowing the exact date for all residences - some were many years ago - month and year, no problem, but the actual day of the month is not possible.

Any comments?

Thanks

I just wanted to let you know that my last “touch” was 26 Sep when the USCIS site said my files were transferred to a local office. It was not updated when Charleston sent out my NOID which leads me to believe that the Local Offices don’t have the ability to update the website.

Thank you.

The last notice of action in our account is 9/28 - nothing since then.

You sign in to your account on the uscis website and in your portfolio (which you can make) it has a column that says "last updated" with the date under it for each case. These dates are sometimes more current that the last actual update that you get like "Initial Review" or whatever it may be. Someone just made up the term "touched". You won't actually see that written anywhere.

The theory is that someone has "touched" your file or scanned a barcode or something. Who knows.

All I have learned is that you just need to wait, and try to be patient. Attempting to read into all this stuff doesn't help much. Eventually you will wake up someday and the news will just happen. Its a very zen thing. Haha.

One tip: On the portfolio page sign up for the text message/email alerts, they were very accurate for my cases and it was pretty exciting to get them.

Thanks for the insight.

You have to make an account and there was a picture somewhere that showed where the "touch" was. My last "touch" was Dec 13 when it showed up on the website. Otherwise the USC can call the USCIS, talk to a tier 2 and figure out where the case is.

BTW, are you with national benefits center or still in California? Also your consulate is Montreal not Ottawa.

I have an account on USCIS and check the status daily; still have no idea what people mean by 'touched' - please let me know how one finds this information. There has been no change in our status from 'In process' on the USCIS site, and no evidence, 'picture' (?) or anything to show it was touched. Help!?

If I knew it, I would share it. Nothing other than good fortune on my part.

My package was very simple, straight-forward. I dotted every 'i' and crossed every 't' and provided a simple package of 3 years' worth of pictures of my husband with my children and family both here and there. I included some boarding passes from when we took the kids to Disney World. I have some tickets from shows we've gone to and a scanned copy of a check from our joint account. I included an email with directions from the first time I visited him at his home. I included a membership for a club we belong to. I also included a copy of an email that we send out for the company he owns which included me in the comments. That was our evidence. Other than that, nothing exciting or creative.

I took a LOT of time reading Saylin's information, especially as it pertains to a Canadian application.

I may not be so fortunate in the next phase but hoping it will continue to be as smooth.

As we were just married in August, a month prior to filing, could be that is taking more time to review. Our history is not as strong as yours, but we do own a home together in the /us - hoping that will be enough.

Thanks for all your help

Just to add to the confusion... not ALL cases go to local offices. Some stay at NBC. Mine never left.

Yes..and you were approved in 40 days! Wish I knew your secret!!

Thanks for the info. We have similar cases, though we have yet to receive any communication from the local (Charlotte) office. Guess we could look at that as a good thing at this point. Waiting...

We are at the Charleston Field Office. Which Field Office it got sent to is based on where the petitioner is from.

Received a NOID for my (beneficiary) birth certificate and have been in limbo since.

Hubby made an info pass appointment and was told that they were just waiting for the officer to make a decision and we should hear something in early January.

It all depends on the workers in the offices.

Good luck in your journey.

He had an appointment at the Charleston office? Did you receive any type notification that your case had been transferred to Charleston or did you discover this through a call to USCIS?

I called USCIS last week and was told that had I not received notice that the case was still in MO - I only talked to a CRS - will call back early next week to try and get an ISO.

Thanks all for the comments!

Thanks for your response.

How do we know that the case has actually been transferred to Charlotte? Is that assumed because it says a local office? The last notice we had said transferred to NBC - MO - nothing about Charlotte.

If you know of anyone else transferred to the Charlotte office in that time frame I would love to know who they are so I can track their posts!

Thanks again. Trying to be patient!

Not sure what EAC means either, but that is what our receipt number begins with.

Yes - I know it's a waiting game. 5 to 7 months for Vermont, which was our original service center. Anything better would be great. Just trying to get an idea of what others are experiencing.

Thanks for your comment

Trying to make some sense out of the estimated wait times for NOA2.

We received NOA1 9/18 (priority date 9/17), then notice of transfer to Lees Summit, MO 9/21. Since then, nothing. Noticed some have received notice of transfer to a local office while others have not. Also, there are statements that a petition was "touched". Could some please explain what this means - did you see an update on the USCIS page?

Changed our Service Center from VSC to NBC after the transfer, which took our estimated approval time from early March to early December - really got our hopes up. Understand the Timeline is really a guesstimate based on VisaJourney participation, but still frustrating to see the time continue to go by with nothing.

A few questions for those that filed after 8/15, and are going through NBC:

1. Our Receipt Number begins with EAC. What determines this prefix and are there others with the same that are now

in NBC or MO?

2. We have not received notice of transfer to a local office since the transfer to MO; is that true for most of you

as well?

3. Any other NBC filers with Charlotte as their local office? Trying to get a feel for the schedule there.

Any comments to those with similar circumstances are welcome. I guess it all comes down to waiting it out, but misery loves company!

Thanks

Most of the NBC cases are all transferred off to field offices.

So now TONS of field offices are adjudicating the cases.

How do you know this?

Don't want to get our hopes up, but our case was transferred to Lee's Summit, MO two days after receiving initial NOA. I am in Charlotte so if your info is correct they would process there.

The NOA says if the service center is outside the processing time one can call customer service to inquire. How does one know which service center to check? I'm going to call end of this week to try to get information.

this refers only to changing the designation for the service center in the timeline on visa journey!

You are right about that! What a great Christmas present that would be!

No RFEs so far - and it has been almost 75 days. Local office is Charlotte, but how do we know if it will be approved there or at the MO office?

OMG! Changing Service Center from Vermont (VSC) to NBC (MSC) changes timeline from early March to THIS WEEK! Could that possibly be right??

Our case number begins EAC - others please confirm!

I am the USC, and my wife is in Toronto. I am in Charlotte, North Carolina, which has a USCIS Field Office

We filed I-130 Sept 17, received NOA1 Sept 19 via email with a priority date of Sept 17.

Sept 22 received NOA Transfer Notice to Lee's Summit, MO.

No action since. Case Status shows Initial Review.

A couple questions:

Should I change our service center from VSC to MSC? Our case number begins with EAC.

Any idea why the case would be sent to MO when there is a Field Office in Charlotte?

Any experience that shows this may help improve our timeline?

Thanks.

US citizen filing for Canadian spouse.

I have done lots of research and reading on this site and the USCIS in preparation to file the I-130. I have a couple of questions that I hope someone here may be able to help with.

1. Since K-3 visa appears obsolete, do I still need to file I-29F along with I-130?

2. I-130 instructions require filing G-325A for both parties. The instructions for this form are very sparse. I read on a link from this site that it helps to include (3) notarized copies of G-325A with the I-130. Any comments?

3. Which documents must be filed with the G-325A? I have read that birth certificates for both parties are required, but that is not mentioned in the instructions.

I had a really difficult time finding G-325A on the USCIS site. Only when I searched for I-325A was I able to find the form.

Thanks for any help.