Steffen

Just passed my interview an hour ago! A bit of an anti-climax, cause it was done after answering 5 basic questions, followed by 'ok, you're approved. next in line...'

But hey, the process is all done now!!

Thank you very much. This is really helpfull.

Thanks for your answer. Is there a chance my parents can take items, and declare them as a gift to my inlaws? I know it is stretching it, but perhaps this could be a solution.

Hi guys,

I have no clue where to post my question, so I decided to post it here.

Let me explain my situation. Next week, october 9th I'm having my interview for my Cr-1 visa. By coincidence it happens that my parents fly to the USA 2 days before my interview. Since I don't want to keep much of my belongings I decided to take the items I want to keep with my in a few extra suitcases. Since my parents will go to the USA anyway I also want to send some items ahead.

My question is, can this cause any problems? Can my parents get in trouble at the border?

I want to send scubagear items (nothing really expensive), painting (canvas pictures of personel events), wintercloths and LEGO. The LEGO has a value of around $3000,-

As you can read it is not the most average items you take with you on a holiday trip. Since I don't have my GC when they enter the US I'm afraid they will get in trouble. They will visit my inlaws in the US and leave the suitcases there.

Maybe I'm getting worried over nothing, but I was hoping for some advice. So anybody?

We got our case complete september 7th. Yesterday we received an e-mail that we have an interview date. October 9th! WooHooT!

Everytime I want to add my info to the list I'm getting an error, so I just share my case with you guys this way.

Case complete; 09/07/2012

Interview date; 10/09/2012

Visa; CR-1

Date of confirmation for interview; 09/14/2012

It took only 5 businessdays from case complete to receiving interviewdate!

We planned to be in the US by X-mas, seems that will work out just fine!

Me and my wife live together. But even she has lost several pounds due to stress

Good luck everyone!!

Me and my wife live together. But even she has lost several pounds due to stress

Good luck everyone!!

Woohoot!!

Case complete last friday. Let's hope the Amsterdam Consulate is quick in scheduling an interview!

I wanted to come back to this. to tell you guys what happened. Perhaps somebody else will benefit from it in the (near) future.

Since I wanted to be sure that all my paperwork is in order, I resended my DS-230 part 1 again, this time signing the paperwork. I also attached a letter to it, explaining why i sendend my DS-230 part 1 again.

3 days later ( just before the got my new DS230) I got an RFE. But not because i didn't sign my paperwork. It appears that it wasn't a big issue I hadn't signed it. I got an RFE because I have had a J-1 visa in the past and the needed a copy of it. That was it.

Well, a RFE is not what your waiting for, but it is good to know that it isn't a huge deal if you forget to sign your paperwork.

Now lets hope my case will be complete early september.... Fingers crossed

What would be applicable is a certified copy of your birth certificate. Did you send that? I would send a complete new DS230, signed. Better safe than sorry and delayed.

Yes, I did send a certified copy of my birthcertificate, certified copy of my mariage license, copy of my passport (data page)and 2 identical photo's who meet the requirements.

And I have the same thoughts. I am probably sending a new DS-230 this saturday. I really don't want to have a RFE.

The safe thing to do is send just a complete new DS230 with Part I signed and dated. No need to send the other documents again. However, you say you sent a letter explaining why you could NOT send some documents. That may well be a problem. Which documents did you not send?

In the instructions it says for instance that you need to provide Divorse documents, adoption papers court records. All of those things do not apply to me. First time married and still with that person (otherwise I could get into the country anyway), I'm not adopted and I have never been to court.

What is an issue is that I couldn't obtain my police records. In the Netherlands it is impossible for a person to obtain his own police records. I speficaly wrote this down and printed a page from their own website stating that only the consulate/ embassy can request it. So I think I'm on the safe side when it comes to that.

Anybody made the same mistake? What happened to them?

Thank you all for your responses.

I think like the operator said, if everything else is in order, they would probably just have you sign both lines at the interiew then....if they even noticed it! or you might have to point it out to them then...

Good luck and I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with the family!!

Thank you for the nice words. I really appreciate it!

So, yesterday started as a good day. I had collected all the necessary paperwork and made a last extra sheet to sum up all the extra documents and thing I couldn't add plus the reason why. I was pretty proud of it. I worked 3 days on the package (off course not full days) because I have visited the US regularly since 1994, so it took me a while before I had the absolute correct information. So, verything felt good and I went to FedEx to overnight the last piece of paperwork.

A few hours after that a bombshell dropped. I just realised I forgot to sign and date part 1 of the DS-230 form!! I seriously have no clue up to now how many reactions went through my mind in a split second. Unbelievable how this is possible, I can't understand how I could forget something like this!

So I immidiatly called the NVC and asked for my best options. Mail entire new package, e-mail sheet 2 with signed part? whatever it takes to be ahead of a RFE!

First of all the lady started with "owwwww, that happens all the time" "You don't have to do anything, they will probably make you sign at the consulate"

WHAT?! But is there a change I will get an RFE? "Well there is a chance they do, so you could just submit a new DS-230 part 1, if you want to be absolutely sure". "Ok, have a good day". biep...biep...biep...

This should be comforting information, but I don't know what do to now. Off course I started cruizing the internet for hours, to find similar cases, but most people got the advise to do nothing and take the risk of getting a RFE, since that chance is really small. This because sending just 2 extra sheet could be more confusing than helpfull...

So.... WHAT should I do?! Should I send out part 1 again? And do that right away or wait a few days? I'm afraid if I send this out right away, they get my paperwork almost simultaneously with my first package and get an RFE since both of them are not 100% complete/ correct.

Should I add an extra letter explaining why I only send part 1 and if they could please match that to my other documents send? Or just do nothing? Maybe some of you guys have had the same issue and could sign at the consulate?

Well, as you can read I have loads of questions... Our hope is to be in the US late november to celebrate Thanksgiving... but I don't know if that is realistic (anymore).

I didn't think about that, you're right. Thanks for your answer!

Ok, so I want to mail out my ds-230 papers soon. I have everything in order, but I'm a little bit confused about question 43a and 43b.

A few years ago I've worked at a summercamp, which meant I obtained a SSN. So I wrote down in question 43a YES, plus I added my SSN.

The next question is if I would like to receive a replacement card. Since I don't see why that would be usefull I marked NO.

Now my question is, IF and/or WHAT to mark in question 43b? Or do I leave this blank?

Hope you guys can help me out.

Thanks Darnell! That is good news.

Ok, me and my wife currently live in europe. So we figured out we need a sponsor to get into the US. We sent the I-864 form to my father in law, so he can add his part to the stack and send it on. We were caught a bit by surprise that a day later we received an e-mail that we could alredy send our Ds-230. To speed up the process a little bit we are thinking to overnight the DS-230 form. But we think that the I-864 will arrive a few days later than the DS-230 if we do so. Do you guys think that can cause a problem??

Otherwise we might need to send by regular mail.

So NVC received our case on June 25th. Yesterday, July 18th at 22:12 (Amsterdam time zone) my wife's phone buzzed. We received an E-mail from NVC that a casenumber as generated! Yay!!! We weren't expecting this till next week! Maybe NVC is catching up some speed...?!

Wow, thank you everyone for your quick replies! As I said, I'm fairly new in all of this visa process. I was not aware of the 2 different meanings of AOS, so thanks for that.

I just checked and we did actually paid $420,-

Our I-130 was actually approved on june 4th, just 8 days after CSC received it!

I thought the entire process would cost me $420, + medical fees, but I guess that was to optimistic

Lets see if I can find an old savingsjar which can deliver me some $318,-

ow and just to give you guys an idea. My wife is actually a US citizen and I'm Dutch

Edit; thank you for letting me know I will receive and conditional Greencard. I was aware of it, but appreciate that all of you are helping me in the right direction!

Sorry guys, but I'm starting to get really confused. I'm currently in the middle of getting my CR1 visa. We send the required documents to the chicago lockbox with a moneyorder, which was $440,-

In an other topic on VJ I read that when I'm going to send the I-864 and DS-230 I have to pay an other bill? And later for the AOS another one?!

Can somebody tell me why that is? or if I misinformed myself? I'm getting close to getting my casenumber assigned and getting more confused and stressed out by the minute.

Sorry I'm a newbie...

BTW, me and my wife currently live together (for the past 4 years in Europe) and just got married back in April.

NVC received our case june 25th, so we should be hearing from them soon!

This waiting is seriously stressfull. I have sooo much respect for you guys who had to wait for months for their NOA2

First of all I want to say that this website is truely great. I'm enlisted on a few other websites regarding our emigration, but none have even half the information that can be found over here. I have speciffically made an account here, because this is the first info I have found regarding the IR1/CR1 filing from abroad. The procedure is relatively uncommon and new that nobody on the other forums could give me a single answer on timelines and how the process would go. So thanks again for this great topic

So here comes my timeline;

1. Country USC resides in: Netherlands

2. USCIS field office or DCF?: NO

3. When did you file I130: Send it via mail on May 9th, May 23th NOA1

4. How long has the USC been living abroad: 4 years

5. Do you reside in the country legally: YES

6. What is the reason for your residence: via a so called partner reunification visa

7.did you list your overseas address on I130? YES

8. did you send the package from abroad? NO, we sent it to my father in law who added a moneyorder and forwarded it on for us (which took 5 extra mailing days).

9. did you include evidence of your residence abroad in your I130 package? YES, since we recently got married we added proof of our relationship. We added 4 bankstatement from our shared account from each year we lived together (highlighted both our names and address on all four sheets)

10. did you mention that you reside abroad in your cover letter? NO, we forgot a cover letter

11. Has your case been auto expedited? How long between NOA1 and NOA2? YES, 8 business days! With 2 weekends in between them…

12. Where did we sent it to: We sent it to the Chicago Lockbox, and they have forwarded it to the CSC

What strikes me most is that mailing time takes a huge amount of time. We send it via regular mail to the us which took 10 days! We could do express mailing but the costs for that are 80,- euros! But back tracking the mailing time, I might pay the 80,- to express mail. Furthermore, mailing from CSC to NVC took also a huge amount of time. The NOA2 came on June 4th but NVC didn't receive it till June 25th!!

OMG is all I can say.

Currently we are waiting for the package from the NVC. We have called them on June 29th, which is when we found out they just received the package a few days earlier, and told us it took 10-20 days to process our case. We have called again on July 13th, and we were told that they were processing and should be getting an update/ information about our process soon.

So we keep waiting for now...