dd215

This Form does not have to be notarized . I had to go back and print the Instructions and this is what the intructions says . Good Luck .......Terry

Thank you Terry. I thought so, just wanted to make sure. Good luck to you too!

Does anyone know if this form should be Notarized? Also, under question 11., "specific contributions." How detailed should one be with this? Any input would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Our interview is scheduled for June 10th!

These dates were still available as of 6AM Hawaii time on May 3: May 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23; June 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27!

Congrats! Good luck!!

Your post caught me offguard, wow NOA2 in October? But your timeline says April 24, so I'll assume that's accurate. Your MNL case number should be available any day from the NVC. Could be today, tomorrow or sometime next week, but definitely it should be soon. As soon as that happens, start following Hank_'s post about the next steps. Step 1 would be paying the visa fee at BPI, then scheduling the interview. Other steps will follow, but that is definitely the first.

Concurrently, you should prepare all the items you will send (or take) for the Affidavit of Support and proof of relationship, along with the other items your fiancée will need at St. Luke's and the interview. For me that meant: Affidavit of Support and supporting docs (tax returns, bank statements, letter from employer, check stubs), proofs of relationship (photos, chat logs, receipts, etc), as well as my Birth Certificate (original and copy), Divorce Decree (original and copy), another letter of intent. I think a few more things, but that's the bulk of it. I sent those things between the NOA2 receipt and the MNL case number confirmation. You can send those any time, or prepare them to take with you if you plan to travel there.

You can fill out your fiancée's forms. I did it with my fiancée online, then I emailed them to her and she printed them out (she was actually filling them out there, but had a problem with the printer that was solved by me sending her completed forms to print). It won't matter where they are printed, but she does need them in hand for the interview.

I understand that you can pay the BPI fee online if you have a BPI account. My fiancée has an account with BPI but found it easy just to go to her local branch and pay the fee in person. Note that you will have to print the transaction form BEFORE going to the bank. Again, all that info is in Hank_'s post. Read his post a couple times and it will really get you up to speed fast.

Good luck with everything!

Excellent post. We're doing everything you just described for our May 16th interview. Once you get that MNL number from the NVC, you really are back in the driver's seat. Good luck!

I flew to the Philippines in March from Seattle for $890...now I can't find anything this summer under $1500

Does anyone have any tips for flying to Cebu or Manila from the west coast? I'm in Seattle so I flew Korean air the last time.

I heard that the Philippines had their FAA rating increased and that will allow for direct flights from US carriers...but I'm not sure when that will take effect.

I'd like to fly back this summer, but if I can save a few dollars then that's even better.

I'd rather fly into Cebu, but I'll fly into Manila if the price is right.

Any tips you might have would be great.

Philippine Airlines has a direct flight to Manila out of Vancouver, BC. Daily.

I just got the text, we received our NOA2 just now at 10:30!!!! I'm so relieved I can finally breathe a little. The best part was that we were on Skype together when I got the text!!! I wish everyone a speedy approval as well and I am very thankful this site!

Congrats!!!

It doesn't really end until like 3 years or more when the person becomes a US citizen.

After the K-1 is the AOS then the ROC then Citizenship. The whole thing is stressful. Just have to find ways to relax around it.

To me it ends when we are finally together. The AOS and all that stuff we can handle, as long as we're together. The long distance thing really sucks! :-(

I filed my i-129f on april 16, 2013, and recieved the NOA1 through email. Now when i check online, my status is in initial review.. then on " April 23, 2013, your Alien Registration Number has changed relating to your I-129f PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Every day since then, ive been calling and spoken to a tier 2 officer...They said " THERE IS A GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM"

Today (5-1-13) i called and the tier 2 officer said " I CAN SEE AN ALLIEN NUMBER GIVEN TO YOU IN THE SYSTEM" Does this mean that i will be getting my NOA2 soon because i know that they are looking into my case and my papers are at the california service center. Im a born citizen so does that mean it will speed things up other than the naturalized applicants ? I know the wait time is 5-7 months but i pray to god it will happen in less than 3 months...Any body got their Alien registration in hand, got the same message, and got approved soon?

I will try to call tomorrow again and try to confirm with another tier 2 officer if they can see my Alien number on there just to make sure. Please let me know if same happened to you and what happens next once i got an alien number.

It's gonna be a minute. You just got your NOA1 what? Two weeks ago? CSC has sped things up a bit, but it would be a little bit of a stretch to think you're going to see an approval after 90 days dude. Your looking at 5 months at least...and that would be really good. The process is a lengthy one. Good luck!

It's going to be a long wait. Perhaps breathing exercises and yoga would help you to relax.

Too funny!

When you call and your case hasn't yet been received by the NVC they will invariably tell you to wait 15 business days. That's a standard answer. DON'T listen to them. Feel free to call every day. I've had many variations of the wait statement: wait a couple of weeks, wait 10-15 days, wait 15 business days, even wait 15-20 business days. Again, DO NOT listen to that. Beginning a week after your NOA2, call every day until they have your number.

When I got my number it was on the 8th calendar day, 6th business day. They told me the case had been received but not yet processed and to call back in a few days. I asked if they'd assigned the country specific case number, in my case MNL, and they said "sure, we have that" and they could give it to me. Once they've received your case they immediately assign a case number.

The process is yours, not theirs. The people on the phone know less about the process than folks here on VJ. Sad, but true. Drive the process as hard and as fast as you can, once you have the NOA2 in hand.

Good luck to everyone.

Couldn't agree more! Good luck!

Here's how you do it:

1. Get your MNL case number.

2. As soon as you get your MNL case number, pay the visa application fee at BPI.

3. 4-24 hours after you pay the visa application fee, schedule an interview appointment either online or by phone. Lately, people have been scheduling interviews a couple of weeks out.

Totally agree. Actually they are telling you that after BPI you need to wait 4 to 6 hours before scheduling. We had to wait 5 hours. The couple of weeks out part is spot on.

im not at this part yet, and im sure i have a little ways to go. but once i do get there any tips on getting an interview date as soon as you did? and congrats on your journey so far!!

My experience is with the USEM (US Embassy Manlia) only. I'm not sure what the Embassy procedures are for Mexico, but I would imagine that it would not be much different. I would advise you to find the US Embassy Mexico City website and then find the link to scheduling visa interviews. Best wishes and good luck!

Call them EVERYDAY until you get your NVC case number. Don't sit on your hands. Once you get your "MNL" number you are now in the "driver's seat" for a change. You have real control over how long this process can take from this point on. Time was a factor for us, so we're not playing around. We waited 7.5 months for the freaking NOA2 and now it's time to rock and roll! lol Once you get your NVC case number, that says two things: One-NVC received your packet from USCIS. The processing takes like 2 to 3 days and then off to the US Embassy. Second-you can NOW begin timing things regarding your visa interview, when to take the medical and so forth. YOU now have control. We received NOA2 on April 19th. Got our NVC case number on the 29th and are scheduled to interview in Manila on the 16th of May. NBI clearance, NSO, CENOMAR and medical will all be done of course by then. We'll attend CFO seminar after the interview (when she gets her passport back), get the stamp, then head home, hopefully by the end of May. That's OUR plan! Good luck guys!

YES! Keep calling. I called EVERYDAY until our packet arrived. We too received our NOA2 on April 19! We got a case number yesterday (April 29). I had called Friday, nothing. If you don't call, they absolutely don't care. They won't notify you until your packet is sent to USEM and your fiancé receives a letter. That could take weeks, if not months. Once your packet gets to the NVC, it's quick turn. They'll have it shipped out to the USEM (US Embassy Manila) in no time...usually 2 to 3 days. You can really get the ball rolling when you get your NVC case number, so stay on it! Good luck guys! :-)

Okay so I made what I consider a major mistake. I made a typo on my wifes DS-230. Typed 2019 to present instead of 2009 to present under question 30. NVC wants a new signed form from wife sent from Manila. Now waiting for newly signed document to arrive here in Hawaii from Philippines. Then I will send it on the NVC. Because of this error I found the US Embassy Manila website. As I now understand it I can schedule my wifes embassy interview appointment. Even for CR-1. So heres my thinking. I will have the newly signed document (DS-230) at NVC by Friday 05/03/2013. NOTE: Due to my job....if I cannot go to Manila to pick up my wife before the end of June 2013 I might have to wait another 3 or 4 months before I can take vacation. So here is my question: Is there any reason why I cannot go ahead and schedule an interview appointment for say 06/03? I am hoping that the NVC will receive and accept the corrected form within 2 weeks of receiving same. (By May 15) If they do can I simply tell them that I have already scheduled the Embassy interview in Manila and ask that they just send the CASE COMPLETE to Manila? I understand that if you are unable to make your scheduled embassy you simply cancel the appointment on-line and schdeule a new one. I have also read from other Visa Journey folks that the NVC take sometimes 2-3 weeks to contact the embassy just to set your appointment and then the appointment is anywhere from 1-3 months off from that date. IS THERE ANY REASON WHY MY THINKING IS FLAWED HERE? I mean the US Embassy Manila needs passport number, NVC case numbers, etc..for me to create a profile for my wife in order to set up the appointment. We already have all the required information. It just seems like this is a logocal approach to saving more time. Does anyone know if this will work and does anyone know how I would request NVC to send the Complete Package on to the embassy seeing as I have already set up an interview appointment. P.S. NVC says everything was okay will all documents submitted and the case would be complete if it were not for the typo. What a bummer. Can anyone help me with this?

You CAN schedule your own embassy appointment online at USEM. We are K-1 filers. Armed with the NVC case number and your visa payment receipt number, along with her passport info, you can create a profile online and then schedule an appointment without waiting for "official notification," which as you said can take months. We received our NOA2 on April 19. Received our case number from NVC on the 29th. I got that from calling NVC EVERYDAY until our packet arrived. The operator was able to give me the MNL case number. Our USEM interview is May 16th. Like you, I have a limited window to travel and it's imperative that we get this done in the month of May. You can expedite things, but you have to be proactive. Detailed instructions for online appointments are located within the USEM home page. Good luck. It CAN be done!!

This O P isn't a U S citizen so she can not ask these politicians for assistance as you indicate.

What exactly did the staff or politician do that had a direct affect on your case? They must have done what most can not and done it in a very short time.

My husbands Senator worked? on our case for over two months without affect. The staff person has over 20 years of experience with immigration matters. It took a month just to get any response at all.

Many of these politicians are the same ones that have done nothing for many years to reform the immigration laws. We see this on T V even now. They just realized the U S has no exit check for people holding short term visas for example.

Isnt it interesting that they all have staff trained to placate the citizens while knowing they have no real power over USCIS.

Your attitude might be a factor. My Senator is a member of the "gang of 8." A group of 8 US Senators leading a bi-partisan effort on immigration reform. I'm thinking maybe he's pretty influential. Shortly after I made contact with my Senator, his immigration specialist contacted me by phone. I then emailed her my privacy act release form. She contacted me on three occasions. Once by phone, and twice via email. She related to me a conversation she had with a high level USCIS official regarding staffing levels and the slow adjudication of cases from July thru September. She told me that they were aware and were in the process of hiring and training new officers to adjudicate K-1's. I indicated that on this website at the time. Maybe a few days later she emailed me to tell me to expect movement on my particular case. That very night we received our NOA2. Results. You can say what you want, but it works. And as I said, it doesn't hurt to try. You have to stay positive. Maybe it's me, but I can guarantee you this US Senator's staff did an outstanding job! That's MY experience.

As for "O P"..you've mentioned the fact a couple of times that she cannot ask for assistance because she is not a US Citizen. Duh. She can ask her fiancé. That's why she's on this board: To gain and exchange information with like minded folks. Keep things positive and I feel good things happen. She can pass on info gleaned to her fiancé and then HE can contact his Senator or Congressman…that's why she's asking! Anyway, good luck to you. Everyone's experience is different, but I stand by my earlier comments.

Contact your Congressman and BOTH of your US Senators. They all have websites. Google them. Within their websites they have a link for "help with federal agencies," or something like that. Once you get to that part, you can contact via email your representative. Usually you can provide a narrative of your situation. Do so. Definitely include the fact that your fiance is active duty US Military. That's huge. Once you send out the email, ALWAY follow up with a phone call. Also be sure to send in the 'Privacy Act Release Form.' That allows staffers to check on your specific case at the USCIS.

I did all of this and after a couple of weeks we had our NOA2. It might have been coincidence, but I am almost positive it helped. I did hear back from the staffers and talked several times to them. I stayed in constant contact. They wanted to help. At least here in Colorado they did. Listen, it takes a little time, but it's free and it definitely doesn't hurt to try. Good luck!

Not trying to be debbie downer here, but since you did answer in the affirmative to question 2, your responses to question 3 DO become relevant. You simply cannot leave them blank if none apply. You must indicate N/A. A non response can be interpreted either way. You have to indicate Not Applicable. It sucks that you would need an immigration attorney to fill out the form, but this is one of those cases, especially since apparently you had a previous legal issue involving a former gf. You definitely need to make sure you dot ALL the I's and cross ALL the T's. You might run your form by a lawyer before you send it back in. Good luck to you!

My fiancée Ms Glenmar woke me up this morning with our regular Viber text message. As I looked at my mobile I noticed I had received a text from USCIS. It worked out wonderfully as I was able to call her and check my case status at the same time. We both got the news together. I want to thank all the vj people who Didn't sit around and just take the CSC slow down injustice. Guys we did something about it didn't we!!! CSC is approving at a very fast rate now. July filers and early August filers my heart is with you. I really believe you will get yours next week.

Congrats and it's about time for all of us filers who were in the 'black hole!' Huge relief!!!

We received our NOA2 at 2:15am today! I waited until we received the confirmation to share with all of you how we did it. I didn't want to offer up anything until I knew for sure. We filed on August 20, 2012 and waited patiently for 5 months and then began to get involved. Here is what we did and my opinion about each, now that I can look back on each step I took.

1. Calls to USCIS: At 5 months, like many others, I called USCIS customer support and was amazed at the low quality of their call center personnel. I learned later that the people at the call center are required to read from a script. The script they read from is what you will find at the USCIS website when you enter your WAC number. Verbatim, they read from the screen, the last correspondence they sent to you. Interrupt them at your own peril. Having any discussion with Tier 1 (frontline) people is a waste of time.

2. Call to USCIS (Tier 2): I read on VJ that it is best to insist on speaking with a Tier 2 support person and so I did that. The first time I did this, they told me that they agreed that the Tier 1 people can't do much for me as they are required to read from a script. Then they proceeded to tell me that they were within their stated timelines and couldn't do much for me and it was too early to ask for an expedite, so all I could do is wait for our case to go past the stated timeline. When I told them they had left their timeline at July 18th since December, they told me that they had no control over that at the Tier 2 level and that they could not deal with my specific case as it was within the stated timeline. In other words, more articulate, yet just as useless.

3. I went to USCIS website and filled out an INFOPASS for an appointment with the local USCIS office. I highly recommend this step as it was the first time I received any real help from them. The case officer I met, found out that my fiance's application had been somehow connected to another application from another country for someone else seeking employment and that case had been closed and put in storage. She was able to get it out of storage by making a phone call and filling out some online form. If I hadn't gone in to see her through INFOPASS, we would be waiting still, because our case was dead in the water and never to be seen again. She told me to come back to her in 2 weeks to see what progress had been made and the result of her inquiry was a letter from USCIS telling me that they are working on our case and not to contact them again for 4 more months.

4. I contacted a Senator from my home state by email and received a letter telling me who to call at his office to get help with a government agency. I called and spoke with a nice lady and she told me that I needed to fill out a form which she provided to me via email, giving them written permission to act on my behalf with USCIS to make an official inquiry.

5. After filling out the form, I made it a point to be pleasant, friendly, accommodating yet persistent until I got an answer I liked. I became the nicest person in the world but would call every other day if I hadn't gotten in touch with my contact at the Senator's office.

(The Senator assigns someone in his/her office to handle USCIS inquiries. This person is not a highly paid specialist, in my case, she makes $18,000 a year working for the Senator. I realized that she works for him because she believes in him, she is very sharp and ambitious, yet I needed to remember that she is working for very little money and that I needed to treat her with more respect and kindness, because I needed desperately for her to help me. What I found from USCIS is that the only way to get an application looked at is to have the request come from a Senator or a Congressman. USCIS assigns a Liaison from their office to the Senator/Congressman's office and the two become quite familiar with each other.)

In spite of the fact that I now had a "new friend" helping, I learned here at VJ that it is better to provide the Senator's office with ammunition to overcome the excuses that are so readily made by USCIS when inquiries are made.

The ACE up my sleeve came from the research done by another VJ member who put some amazing charts and graphs together. I copied them, put them together as a PDF file and sent them to my contact.

She had been working on our case for about 3 weeks up to that point and was probably sick of hearing from me, but I was so darn nice, she couldn't get mad at me.

When I sent the pdf file to her, she forwarded it to her contact and amazingly, she was told that our case was now being reviewed by a case officer and we would have our decision within 30 days.

My advice is to wait patiently for 5 months from the date of your application, then make an INFOPASS appointment to make sure your files are where they are supposed to be and then contact either your Senator or your Congressman to get their help.

Thanks to everyone at VJ for all the input you have provided which helps the rest of us on this journey.

Thank you God for helping us to get through the past 8 months of agony and anticipation.

Nice! Congrats and thanks for sharing! I must say the Senator thing really helped us!!

Received email from USCIS after midnight!! We are approved after 7.5 months!! Many thanks to the staff of US Sen. Michael Bennett (D) Colorado. I feel they were instrumental!!! Apparently CSC has trained more officers and are working on the back log of cases. So many approvals from July August and September the last few days!! So cool! Please hang in there, stay positive and good things will happen. God is great!!!!

Well, it looks like I was one of the December filers who suddenly got NOA-2 from CSC. Got a text Friday evening. I feel kinda bad for getting it while so many from July through November are still waiting, but can't help but feel relieved.

Congrats!

This is NOT True. K-1's being eliminated or 2 to 3 years for approvals. The Goverment is going to take your money and let you Petition and you have the right to.

Bear in mind: With No RFE (s) which is the OP's case it looks good. If there was a RFE the time period is out of even Congressional hands. It's not a picture perfect World and I feel your frustration. Waiting... and waiting and waiting.

The process has'nt changed from 2 years ago as someone said: It is the same. The reality is USCIS Guarantees NOTHING. (Estimates only and they mean little in words and you should know that. You have the right to Petition but after that you are going to be just another person among many doing the same)

I know it's hard to be patient but please try, you can't do more than that but stay in constant contact with your love(s) and keep eachother strong.

I never meant to offend the OP but just tell them the truth. It's not a battle or challenge. It's a waiting game. I have seen in the past where as VJ members write not getting approved and then I see after a week getting their NOA2.. I hope OP this happens to you as well. Tim

Totally agree. Good response.

Friday, I posted a list of Congressional Committees and Subcommittees and their chairpersons in this link...www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/424527-congressional-contacts/page__p__6147803__fromsearch__1#entry6147803....

I have noticed Friday and throughout the weekend that some people have come away from making those contacts less than optimistic. Please do not take it personally and understand that there are politics in play on the DACA-K1 issue. I realize some have warned against turning this into a political debate and I would reaffirm those warnings.

However, I would suggest..and I do understand this is a deeply personal issue to all of us; keep in mind the facts of what has taken place and when possible try to step away from the emotional effect and look at it logically.

The facts are this. DACA's criticisms in the political arena is that it is an attempt by Democrats to draw more voters because those folks filing those petitions are likely to vote Democrat when they are legally eligible. So if you you live in a state like Texas, Florida or California please do not be surprised if you walk away from your local Democrat Congressional Representative and they did not seem to help. This issue to them is a very small part of the overall puzzle for them as try to move their own agenda forward.

Instead, I would suggest refocusing your efforts on the contacts I provided in the link; specifically at 'HOUSE REPUBLICANS'. Anyone who pays close attention to the news would know that on this specific issue; if there is anyone who is likely to help our cause, it's House Republicans. I would reach to all, but at the end of the day do not be surprised to find out this is where a majority of our help is going to come from. It's not a state secret that the President's current relationship with House Republicans is extremely COLD.

None this has anything to do with anyone being Democrat or Republican or pro or anti Obama. This is our issue and this is simply the political lay of the land right now. I just wanted to point that out.

I really think where the real pressure is going to come from to turn this tide in our favor and get some better movement is from House Republican Chaired Committees. Just my opinion. So if you live in an area and are represented by a House Republican and either a House or Senate Democrat, I would definitely urge you to reach out to the House Republican first.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for sharing your political opinion. I don't agree with it because you are factually incorrect. I contacted my "house republican" congressman a month ago and his staff has been the least helpful. My two democratic US Senators staff members have been very open and pro active. So, that's number one. Secondly, as you probably know, the USCIS is part of the Executive branch. House Republicans can make all the noise they want, but ultimately the Administration will do what it wants based on its own party support, which is substantial in the Senate and the House on Immigration reform. You have a somewhat naive view of how DC politics work. It's not as "black and white" as you seem to think it is. "Our issue" is really a systemic one that needs to be addressed from a bi partisan standpoint, because we're talking US citizens of ALL political stripes here that are being unfairly treated by the USCIS. So again, thanks for sharing, but I respectfully couldn't disagree more with your analysis.