dubaiguy

Once you get your Case# and INN you will find that out by log on to the online portal payment if you see the bill PAY IT, if you don't than you're exempt.

Thanks for the reply but that doesn't make sense to me. They do not know we are filing for an i864waiver until we send that form in. We can't send that form in until we have a Case # and an INN. So it will definitely produce an online portal payment bill even though we are exempt. I don't mind paying it, I just want to make sure I don't confuse (i.e. DELAY) anything by paying for AOS form and then sending in a AOS waiver after that.

(yes, my wife has over 40 credits and lived in USA almost 30 years since she was a baby)

Love all the shortcuts, faqs, and flowcharts on VJ... but none seem to address those of us filing i864w instead of i864.

Curious if any of you know:

-Do we still pay AOS fee to NVC if we are exempt from 864? How do we handle this and not cause confusion (i.e. delays)?

-Does i-864w tend to take any longer or less than the normal 864 process?

-The 864 is for the petitioner to file. But the 864w is for the beneficiary to file. Do how does this effect the NVC process?

Any feedback much appreciated.

NOA2=19APR2013

NOA2 today for me too!

Some insightful info from my experience that I thought you would all appreciate.

I FedEx'd a letter from overseas to the Local Office where my i130 was stuck at. That local office emailed me promptly and interacted with me over email and accepted attached documents by email. They also gave me a local number to the SF field office- which they answer! They were very helpful.

Once Local Office is done, they did not issue NOA2. They instead ship it off (snail mail not email) to MSC with their recommendation essentially (in my case at least) who then formally issue the NOA2.

The entire process at the local office was never known to the USCIS call center. As far as they were concerned (tier 1 and 2), my application never left MSC/NSC.

Hope this info proves helpful!

NOA1 8NOV2012

NOA2 19APR2013

Hello everyone! I am new to visa journey but i am a November filer and have been following this topic shortly after sending in my i-130 petition for my husband. I have now been waiting 5 months and 2 days since my NOA1. My petition is currently at the National Benefits Center (at least i think it still is). I knew right when i first called them speaking with a tier 2, i was told the reason why my case was at the NBC is because the other field offices were backed up and that she'd call me back. It took her a few days to call me back which idk why she had to, but when she did she said it's possible it will later on be sent to my local field office and they will "notify" me when and if it does. Then later that day i received a phone call back from another person who was talking to me as if my questions haven't already been answered yet, and then told me that my case will NOT be sent to a local office. His tone sounded like he was lecturing me just because i wanted to know if what the first lady told me was correct. Keep in mind these aren't the first people robots who just read everything from their website that they have pulled up in front of them and pretend to know everything that's going on with your case as if it's in their hands, but the second person who we refer to as our only bit of logical information and hope of good news.

Now i knew this wasn't going to be a very smooth process right when i already got two different stories from the beginning. So here we are now, sleepless nights and stressful days later, hoping i would have heard at least something by now, but nothing so i finally decided to call after reading about how everyone's petition seems to be at their local office if they haven't heard anything by now. So much for notifying us. First guy i spoke to would not transfer me even when i asked questions i know for a fact he didn't know. He wanted all my information including where i was calling from. He didn't answer if my case was currently at my local office or not, even though i know he doesn't know. Then he went on asking me what my local office is and decided to tell me i cannot open a service request because NBC's current processing time is 9 months and to call back after it has been 9 months. 9 months? Really? I would hate to see all the other field offices' processing times for i-130s if NBC, the place that was supposedly helping these places out, is now backed up. With every ounce of hope i had left in me i decided to brush this 9 months out of my head...i would gladly take 7 over 9...So i called back determined to speak to a tier 2. This time i got a lady who immediately didn't like me. I was being nice and asked if i could please speak to someone higher, who could tell me where my petition is currently at. She insisted that she knows everything and when i asked her if she knows the processing times for NBC she told me that they don't know that information. Okay.. so the first guy was spoon feeding me BS to get me off of the phone. The only good use this lady had for me was to schedule an appointment with my local office. So i decided to quit trying to speak to a tier 2 and just schedule an info-pass. So i go on the 23rd of this month and i will be sure to post an update as to what was said. Hopefully i get some kinda clarity, because this whole situation i am in is doing a number on me. It would be nice if maybe the people we talk to actually cared. I am currently living apart from my husband and not knowing when i am going to see him again isn't healthy.

Sorry for ranting i have been very patient during this process up until now, anyone else schedule an info-pass? Was it any help at all? Any suggestions as to what i should do or ask that may help?

And for all of you in the same boat as me, hang in there. God is in control, not them.

Rest assured you are note alone... I am in the process of booking a $1700 airplane ticket and taking two 16 hour flights just to go to a single appointment because I am so frustrated with the different answers and just want to be done with it already. I am also NOA1 still from November filing, although my case is a bit odd.

If you live in the United States, I would just do an infopass appointment. Even ISOs have given me clearly contradicting info by phone. Like I have been told by many people, dont event call- it will just leave you upset and with more questions than answers.

Dubai guy, I had a somewhat similar issue. Contact the ombudsman at OLUInquiries@uscis.dhs.gov

They routed me to the field office directorate who told me I could fax them an AR-11 and declare my address as foreign and they would not require an interview.

Hi Nola,

Can I ask how long did this Ombudsman exchange took for you, from first contact to appropriate processing of your app? Just curious if it was a week or a month or 2 months or 6 months, etc. Wife and I are weighing all the options and that piece of info would really help us out.

Thanks.

SUMMARY: Live in Dubai but have a USCIS appointment in USA. To fly or not to fly?

Hi All,

Just looking for some advice.

Quick summary: My wife and I live in Dubai but have a home in USA. We put our USA address on Page 1 of the i130 and our Dubai address on Page 2. (yes, i know i am idiot for doing that no need to keep pointing that out every time I post).

This caused our paperwork to route to the San Francisco field office, which serves our permanent address in the USA. We were told to wait, maybe they will just approve...

Two weeks ago they told us they have an appointment for me (I am the USC) in 2 weeks in San Francisco to prove bonafide marriage.

Tier 2 is giving me two different solution to this:

a) send a letter to San Francisco field office explaining you don't live there (we did this 2 weeks ago by overnight DHL, no response yet)

b)the other tier 2 said there NO other option but to fly to this interview. You can not change address to an international one until after NOA2. If we miss interview they will simply keep rescheduling forever until we withdraw our application and reapply

At this point, I may just fly to get it over with (it is a lot of $$ and 16 hours nonstop from Dubai, but I just want things to be done now). But am also worried we will show up and they say, "we got your letter last month so we transferred your papers, etc.

Just looking for any input you all may have about similar situations.

Thanks,

Dubaiguy

NOA1 8NOV2012

Touch 17DEC2012

SF Field Office Appt Letter Received 15MAR2013

Hi All,

Will try to keep it short:

We put our American address on the i130 page 1, not our overseas address where we live. Yes, we know this caused us many months of delay, we are dumb, yes. But never-the-less, here we are.

This week at our address in USA (where we are not currently living at) we got a notice to appear at the local office in San Francisco. It said we MUST appear and to call the normal USCIS 800 number if an emergency prevented us from appearing.

So I called and spoke with tier 2. They advised me to write the USCIS San Francisco Office a letter explaining the address situation and mail it to the address on the letter we received from them (which is the field office street address that shows up in every google search).

I am a bit pessimistic that they will even open the mail there, let alone action something as it seems these field offices are essentially unreachable other than infopass. I asked if there was an official address change form I should be using- they said no, just mail a letter to the local field office explaining the situation and they wil lapprove and forward to NVC. Essentially they want to ask me the same questions that the embassy will.

So I mailed them, tracking shows the letter was signed for and received yesterday.

Curious if any of you have ever heard of mailing letters directly to the field office or if I just blew $90USD on DHL overnight express? Also curious how quick of a response (if any) you have seen from field office mailings.

Thanks!

Dubai Guy

NOA1 8NOV2012

Touched 17DEC2012

Received notice to appear at local office 23MAR2013

Local office received my response as per DHL records on 27MAR2013

NOA2 ---

Who do I trust?

So of course, like many of you, check my i130 spouse case status daily. And I have also called in twice to talk to Tier 2. Both times, Tier 2 has stated my case was transferred to a local office. When I ask what office, they put me on hold, come back and say San Francisco (which is the office near my address on page 1 of the i130).

Today, I called again. Don't ask why, just am obsessed with this and was hoping for some new info. I spoke to Customer Service Person (first person to answer phone). I asked where my papers were and expected to be transferred to Tier 2. She put me on hold and told me "i can access that for you". She came back and said Vermont. I explained I had been told San Francisco. She was insistent it was in Vermont, because Vermont does the I130 spouse petitions. I grilled her and she said she was positive it was in Vermont.

So the question is: who is right? Does Tier 2 just enter my zip code and tell me San Francisco because that is where it they assume it should be? Or was the Tier 1 person just trying to show off and give me what is essentially generic info but represent it as specific to my case?

Uggh! Not that it matters of course, either way we are just sitting here waiting but the different answers is killing me.

NOA1 8NOV2012

Touched 17DEC2012

NOA2 waiting

I would expect things to slow down with an Obama re election.

Not sure why we are bringing Obama into this... but are you talking to a Level 2 Supervisor on the phone? The first person to answer will not be able to give you any info of pertinence. Demand a level 2 supervisor (tell them "i want to now exactly what office my papers are in right now") and they will transfer you. Have you done that already?

NikiR- do you mind me asking if your case was ever transferred to a local office, or was it handled at the service center the entire time? Or do you not know?

Nola... I have a strange feeling I will be in same boat as you one day soon. I too am living overseas but have my case being worked on in a local office. Hoping they catch it before it goes out the door.

8NOV - i130 NOA1 via NBC

17DEC - transferred to local office

no action since then

Best of luck Nola and congrats to those approved.

I am a 8NOV standalone filer too. Transferred to a local office 17DEC.

Not a word since. Just need someone to grab our petition out of that massive pile and process it! Was hoping to tell my wife for Valentines Day it was approved.... but no such luck.

So frustrating, but I know there is no need to explain that to you guys.

He put that her address was abroad.

And then there's an entire section where you say if your spouse is currently in the US.

The real question, would be if they answered that properly since at the time the spouse WAS in the US, but should have been selected as NO since they were not doing an AoS.

Correct. We did not state she was in the US currently and we filled out her address abroad on page 2. If they set us up for an AOS they will be making a stretch of an assumption... although it seems that using her american address on page 1 may have slowed us down. I had thought all i130s (regardless of oversea or america) were being to transferred to local offices due to workload, but it sounds like you are saying that is not the case for overseas filers...

the wait continues...

That's why you were transferred to a field office, you should have put your overseas address on both sides of the i130 People who file from abroad shouldn't get transferred to local offices. They probably think you're in the states, and they might even think your spouse is too!

Overseas or american- after NOA2 they all go to NVC correct? In which case I am not too worried. Or are you saying that American-addresses skip NVC and stay at local office for the rest of processing?

I travel frequently to USA and it genuinely is my permanent address. My wife was in US with me when she filed but she now overseas during this i130 process.

Hmmm, interesting! You and I have the same NOA1 date and both lives overseas and both had a touch on December 17th. However, the ISOs keep telling me that I'm at NBC.

Some more info in case it helps:

I put my american address (mom's house) for both of us as we receive mail there for everything on the i130. However on the portion that says 'relative's address abroad' I put our overseas address. San Francisco office (where my paperwork is at now) serves the area of my american address.

Did they give you an indication of the transfer date to SF?

I asked them. No indication, but the assumption on their part (and mine too) is that it was transferred around Dec 17 when the file was touched.

I asked them. No indication, but the assumption on their part (and mine too) is that it was transferred around Dec 17 when the file was touched.

Although it is interesting I see that you and I have exact same NOA1 and touch dates...

Hi All,

November 2012 filer here. Thought I'd share my info...

i-130 spouse of USC, both live overseas currently.

Sent I-130 to Phoenix address early Nov 2012.

Nov 8 2012- NOA1 from MSC/NBC

Dec 17 2012- touched

Jan 30 2013- called ISO tier 2, they state case is now with local office (San Francisco)

Hi All,

First time posting here (and also was routed through NBC) so thought you'd appreciate my timeline.

USCIS - I-130 for spouse of USC (both spouse and USC living outside of USA currently)

11/8/2012 NOA1 (Sent to Phoenix but NOA1 letter said it was forwarded to NBC/MSC.

12/17/2012 touched

1/30/2013 called, spoke to ISO Tier 2, they said my papers are now in San Francisco (this is local office of where our USA mailing address is)

All the NVC paperwork is on standby ready to go... just waiting for that NOA2!

Thanks in advance. So frustrated with the run around we are getting. Your advice is sincerely appreciated.

I am an American citizen by birth.

My wife is a Japanese citizen but has had a USA green card since she was a baby (lived in USA her entire life except birth).

We got married 2 years ago and moved to Dubai for my job (not govt related). We also had a kid (american) in Dubai.

Wife's green card is now "out of status", but we still have it physically.

The questions we have:

1) We want to go home (USA) for Christmas this year. How should she enter USA for our 2 week trip? Try to use green card? Or get the typical visit visa exemption thing like she is any other Japanese citizen?

2) We want to move home in 1-2years. How should she enter when we move to USA permanently? Try for a Returning Resident Visa (or is 4-5 years out of country due to husband's job not a good enough reason)? Should she get her green card before attempting to re-enter permanently? Should she enter as a tourist and apply for green card within the USA?

3) If you all tell us to get the green card while outside the USA. Then once the green card is approved, how soon after that approval must she reenter the USA? I imagine the approval will go "out of status" just like a green card does is she does not enter for a year or so?

Thanks all for any help.

Dubai Guy