Karla.n.Bjorn

Just got back from the embassy in Oslo! Sitting at home with my passport in one hand and the brown envelope in the other. this is surreal!!!

I got to the embassy in Oslo. And the CO said "we've been waiting for you!" She actually said "this is going to sound really strange, but my colleague is going to prepare an envelope for you, and you cannot open it! If you do, you have to go back to Stockholm!" In the back of my mind I'm thinking "Thank you, I know." But all I could blurt out was "I'll make sure, I don't wanna go back to Stockholm!"

I got some insight as to what the hold up was. The CO I spoke to in Oslo was the same CO who had prepared my file in Stockholm 3 and a half weeks ago. She said Stockholm was short staffed and a bunch of COs had flown in from Oslo to aid in visa processing. In addition, for the case to be sent from Stockholm to Oslo, it has to go through DC first. She apologized for the delay, and told me with a smile "Stockholm told me you've been bugging them."

It was so surreal I actually asked her if she could tape up the envelope one more time, just so it didn't open

So glad that this finally got straightened out. After your 2012, 2013 is going to be awesome, I am sure of it! Have a great trip!

We got case complete on Monday and our interview date was emailed to us yesterday. Wow! Did not expect that so quick. The interview is scheduled for January 14th. There is another VJer from Norway who got their case complete a week and a half before ours and has the same interview date. Seems like they were waiting to schedule interviews until they had enough people. Is that something they would do?

When did you return the IV package to NVC? Trying to figure out where they are in processing THANKS!

We sent the IV package on October 23rd. We had to resubmit my husband's original certified birth certificate, so it took a little longer than some. Good luck! I would suggest calling them frequently. And, compliment them when they are nice on the phone. I spoke to Sage today and she is really nice! (We need to reinforce the nice behavior because some are a little snippy with us. )

When did you submit your DS230 and AOS?

We submitted the AOS on October 4th and the DS230 on October 23rd. Good luck!

Today we got case complete at the NVC!

I am guessing that the interview will be in January.

Forgive my venting guys. Just need to.. Vent. Lol. I called the DOS again, and the lady told me "Don't worry, everything is ok with the visa." To which I replied "Are you sure? It has been 15 days, and the embassy said it hasn't been sent yet, and to wait for them to contact me in a week." The lady replied "Don't worry, they will send it. Everything is ok, when it's ready, they will mail it." I asked if she's able to tell whether or not it's been printed and everything, to which she said "No, just that everything is ok."

No worries. I can't believe that you have gone through so much ####### with the NVC, and now this! You'd think that they would put some note on your case file not to screw up anymore. If you lived near Ålesund, I'd invite you over for Thanksgiving. My husband bought a whole turkey and it is just the two of us here.

Called the NVC today and our case is still in supervisory review. We sent in more original birth certificates (one in Swedish and one in English) and I hope by next week we get a case closed. How long does this review take? They were questioning the validity of the "original" birth certificate. The Swedes stamp it in purple and sign it in blue, I don't see how that can be confused as a copy.

We have requested new birth certificates from Sweden. This time in both Swedish and English and my husband told them to stamp it extra hard so that you can tell which is the original and which is the copy. They claim we sent a copy and not the original, totally not true. Hopefully, we will receive them any day now and send them via DHL. There is no reason why we shouldn't have a case complete at NVC already.

I hope to hear of some more cases completed around here. It gives me hope.

Unfortunately, I've seen this happen a lot with Sweden/Norway. Definitely explain this to the operator and ask for a supervisor review. That should fix it.

We did call and my husband spoke to the supervisor whom said that she could not tell him what was wrong with the birth certificate that she did not have access to those records. However, my husband just received an email that his certified original birth certificate was not the original. We sent both the original and a copy, like instructions. How do you argue the case for this? Are we going to have to get another certified copy?

I think we are going to try to email a supervisor. Do we just write "attention supervisor" in the subject field?

I'd suggest calling them back and asking for a supervisor to re-review your package.

Thanks Saylin. I will do that. I am thinking the real issue that they have is that my husband, the beneficiary is a Norwegian citizen, but he was born in Sweden and has a Swedish birth certificate. I think it is too much for them to figure out.

Guess what... Just got off the phone with NVC and case complete today

Give them a call and let us know

Congrats!

I just called also. No case complete. They have a problem with the original birth certificate.

I do not want to wait 10-15 days because they did not read the stuff we sent. We even sent the certified birth certicate in English for visa purposes per the embassy website. How can I get them to see their dumb mistake???

Was chatting to another member whos pack was received at NVC 10/24 and he received case complete 11/07 so ours should either be today or Monday I think Karla.n.Bjorn

That would be such great news!

Are NVC taking a little longer than usual to review packs? I was sure I'd get case complete by yesterday which would be 2 weeks since they received the DS230 Pack but nothing yet. The AOS Package didnt take this long

I am still waiting, also. I have been calling the NVC about every other day.

Oh my goodness I wish I could just get "case closed" already ! 2 more days and it'll be 2 weeks since they received the IV pack. I know I know, have patience, it's only been 8 working days but man would an early December interview be AWESOME ! Anyhoo.... how are the rest of you doing?

Same day as ours. I called yesterday, but was too busy to today. I will call again tomorrow. At least yesterday, I got a nice person on the phone. When I asked for my case status, she said that they were waiting on the DS-230. I told her that they have had it since the 25th, and then I got the canned response of it takes up to 20 days, blah, blah, blah... We were hoping for a December interview, but it is looking slimmer. Our kids are already living in the U.S. and my husband was hoping to join us for Christmas.

CASE COMPLETE!!!

Now I know what crying with joy feels like.

Congrats!

I am hoping that there will be more joining you soon.

Quick question, how come when I called about the AOS package they were able to tell me if they have it, it was complete, etc, but when I call about the IV package they won't say a word? Is it just the person you get on the phone? I know they have it because I had it send via DHL, I even know who signed for it, I just figured I would prod them a little. I am hoping my husband can get his interview before the end of the year and I know it will be close at this point.

So, we sent our DS-230 off via DHL on Tuesday. It has been around the world already, but hasn't made it to NH. It went to three places in Norway, then to Germany, then to the UK, then to the U.S. It just left Cincinnati, OH this morning.

I am going to call the NVC and bug them tomorrow. The prodding so far has worked for me!

I just got off the phone with the NVC (I have had pretty good luck calling when they first open). I inquired about my I-864. They said that it is complete and they are just waiting for our DS-230. Woohoo! Another thing checked off. We sent our DS-230 today via DHL. I will keep on them until the NVC part is done.

My kids are already living in the U.S. with their grandparents, so you can see why we are anxious. I will join them as soon as our house here is packed up. My husband, the beneficiary, will be waiting for his visa before he moves, of course.

We are sending in our IV package tomorrow.

I haven't heard anything about the I-864 I sent off a few weeks ago. Is no news good news regarding that? I think I will call and at least see if they have it.

My husband, the beneficiary, previously had a green card and served in the U.S. Marines. He called and requested his military records so we have it to send in with the IV package to the NVC. When we received it today it came with a letter stating the following: "We regret the photocopy is of poor quality, however, it is the best that we can obtain." Luckily, it is just the separation documents, because you really cannot read ANYTHING on it! They included the United States Certification of Military Record, which is an original with a seal. Will it be a problem that the separation document is of such poor quality? Maybe the NVC can call them direct and complain. It looks like they have a really ancient photocopy machine that decided to spit ink all over the copy. I have a hard time believing that this is the best they can do!

It will be two weeks tomorrow since my husband emailed the D3-3032. Does that seem long to you? I also sent the original in the mail with a note that it was emailed on September 27th. I already sent in my I-864 package and I am waiting to hear about that also. I check the payment portal nearly every day to see if I can pay the IV bill yet.

I am the USC and living in Norway has been a real challenge for me. My kids' principal has this vendetta against us and has sent us to barnevern (the Norwegian version of Child Protective Services) three times! All bogus stuff like the kids are dirty, their clothes don't fit, they don't concentrate and blah, blah, blah. Anyone who actually know us, know that this is a bunch of baloney! We are still trying to get through case number three. I may have to take my kids and go if it gets any worse. The stress is really getting to me.

I was trying to figure this out. Our case is not complete at the NVC, but I like to plan ahead a bit. I have looked the most recent timelines for Sweden, Norway and Denmark since they all interview at Stockholm and it seems to be between a month and a half and 3 months on average. But the number of VJers represented from those countries are quite few, so it is hard to say if that is an accurate estimate.

For all of you USC's who are abroad (specially those in Europe), how did you pay the fees without having a U.S. bank account?

Some mail it to a US citizen to then mail on to the Chicago Lockbox. I was lucky to have keep my U.S. bank account open. I just sent a check.

What does the official Swedish birth certificate look like? The one that my husband has been using says "UTDRAG UR" and is checked "födelse-och dopbok". I am guessing that this is not the correct one to use.

Thanks for the info, Rosajo! I will have my husband do that.

My husband (beneficiary) and I (USC) got into a discussion about when he will be able to start looking for work in the US. Does he have to wait until he has his green card in hand? He was thinking that he would try to apply for work after he is issued the green card and before POE. However, it is my understanding, from reading previous VJers questions that he cannot enter the US before me even if it is to interview and return to Europe. He does not want to move without gainful employment. I am thinking I will have to do the job hunting until POE. Any suggestions on how to do this part? I am trying to plan ahead.