Bill and Tanya

Worked like a charm!  Set it up for a 30 second refresh and got an appointment within about 5 minutes.  Was probably just lucky timing, but what a great tip!  OP was right though, you gotta be quick about turning off the refresh on Super Auto Refresh or you could lose the appointment.

To reiterate, the addons suggested by the OP are for Google Chrome and are called Super Auto Refresh and Visualping and neither appeared to contain spyware or adds of any kind.  Thanks again for this awesome idea!

Ridiculous we have to go to such lengths making an appointment simply to avoid the bad attitude we get by showing up without an appointment.

Our interview was Oct 4, we were told we were approved, but they needed to verify some information. Today still says "Administrative Processing", and ustraveldocs.com passport status says: "Your passport is still with post"

Of course I am aware that there is nothing to do but wait, and we were not asked for additional documents, and they were very impressed with the organization of documents we presented. However, I too would like a little insight on our current situation, if this is typical, I mean.

I got approved on July 9th, but because of glitch found out about it on July 25th. I got NOA2 hardcopy on September 3rd even though I already had an appointment at consulate by then. Luckily Moscow doesn't require copy of NOA2 for interview so I didn't care about hardcopy very much, but its nice to have.

Good luck, guys! I expect to have my NVC case number here this week. NVC was moving to new offices, but I was told before they started packing up that my case had been received and pending processing after the move. I too have not received NOA2 hardcopy, and after talking to a tier 2 rep, after 4 hours of holding,

I was told that the tier 2 can issue only one request: he can either send my case to the consulate, or send me the hard copy, and I quote "so I can feel better". Not sure why they have such restrictions, or why USCIS would tell me this, but I chose door number 1. Anyway, within a week I received a notification from USCIS that my case was shipped to the visa center.

For those of you who have called USCIS before and when given an incident number and told a tier 2 rep would call you, I was told they do not do callbacks anymore. I suggest holding for a rep, no matter how long it takes, then ask where your case is, and if your approved petition can be sent to the consulate. Likely, this will change in another 6 months, but for now, it seems this is how they are doing things now.

Great news indeed! however it seems the latest speed bump is currently NVC.

what is worse is that i-129f approvals are only valid for 4 months, and police reports are only good for 3 months! everything here has a shelf life, and seems to be pending a process that has so little regulation and oversight.

(this site is in dire need of a facepalm smiley)

Transferred to Texas July 14 (notified by SMS, email, and hard copy) I received approval by electronic confirmation on July 28 by SMS and email. Still have not received NOA2 hard copy, and do not have NVC case number... calling NVC daily since Aug 9.

ok, roll call! call out only those people who received electronic notification in July/August and were transferred to Texas, and more than a 3 week timespan before receiving NOA2 hardcopy and subsequently an NVC case number, or have still not received one or both.

I think I am seeing a pattern here. Seems that many who were transferred to Texas have not received an NOA2 hardcopy and also have not been assigned an NVC case number. I am just speculating, but it seems logical that since Texas normally does not process i-129f petitions, and only handling overflow, perhaps our cases must be first transferred back to Vermont for actual processing and sending of NOA2 hardcopy before forwarded to NVC. Can anyone confirm or refute my theory?

Same situation. Electronic notification of approval on July 28, still have not received hard copy, and been calling NVC every day, still nothing and every day told the same 8 week story. I requested a tier 2 callback from USCIS last Friday, but have not been called yet.

wow! that sounds like a place where cases go to die

How did you know your case was transferred to NRC instead of NVC? Also, what is NRC? Top google hits are National Resource Council, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Nigerian Railway Corporation - none of which have anything to do with immigration at any phase.

Skype seems to have the best sound to obscure locations and mobile phones, however is not as cheap as you may think if used quite regularly. I have been using Rebtel for voice calls and SMS for about 9 months, and their service is about half of what Skype costs. I still keep a little credit on my skype account in case the Rebtel call is not clear. The one thing you do not get with Rebtel that many have complained about is SMS history. However, when used from the iPhone app, the rebtel SMS is sent, and appears to the recipient as came directly from your mobile number, so replied SMS will come directly to your phone. They give you an option to send a toll free SMS, but is basically a web address that will open in their mobile web browser.

I started this topic in RUB because I have Moscow specific questions. However, I want to start by sharing some valuable information I found from another site. It appeared to me as a clear concise layout of what happens after your i-129f is approved.

Original post by Nicole on another site:

US man sends petition to California Service Center (USCIS) [/size]

He can check status online with that WAC number from USCIS[/size]

He waits months with no information.[/size]

USCIS approves his I-129F petition to bring a fiance to the US.[/size]

(He can see online his approval)[/size]

USCIS mails him a letter saying his petition is approved. He must save that approval letter because it is very important for later.[/size]

USCIS sends his whole file to NVC (Department of State) and it should arrive there in a week. [/size]

The USCIS part of this process is now over. The online status doesn't show anything from here on.[/size]

NVC (Department of State) gets the file. They assign a case number. This is a Department of State case number since they are a totally different US government agency. USCIS is no longer involved so the WAC number is over. [/size]

NVC gives numbers starting with initials that stand for the embassy where the foreign fiance will interview. If fiance will interview in Manilla then the case will be MNLxxxxxxxx.[/size]

NVC mails the US citizen a letter saying they have sent his case to Manila.[/size]

It should only take 2-3 days at NVC and 4 days to get to embassy in Manila.[/size]

Manila receives the MNLXXXX file. It may take them weeks to look at your file because they have so many. The Embassy will send the Filipino fiancée information on how to apply for the K-1 visa, including the medical examination and the visa interview. If your US fiance has a question at this point, he should call Dept of State in the US and not the USCIS.[/size]

K-1 visas who have been notified by the Embassy to prepare for their interview can call 1-909-101-7878 (within the Philippines) to schedule an interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy. The cost of the 909 service is P53 per minute; this amount will be charged to your telephone bill. [/size]

NOTE: When your case gets approved in California and while you are waiting to hear from the embassy you could look at their website and find out all the things you will need to fill out to apply for your K1 visa and the documents you will have to take to your interview. And you can find out the cost and where to pay for it and how to get your police certificate. And if you've lived in another country, it will be harder to get a police certificate from there also. This forum isn't going to teach you the things about Manila. Find their website. Your US fiance will be getting his I-134 Affidavit of Support filled out and proofs of his income to mail to you in the Phils once the petition goes to NVC. You will have to take that to your interview also. If you and he plan ahead, then you will save time and get to schedule your interview faster because you got all the things you need already before they even send you the letter. When the embassy contacts you, you are prepared with everything.[/size]

I found this all extremely helpful, so I will share it here with all of you. I also found an interesting thread on the VJ forum here. The most useful of this thread I believe is:

Original post by Tahoma:

Your petition is probably in Manila right now, or at least it's on the way to Manila.

Don't wait for the U.S. Embassy Manila to send your fiancée their letter telling her she is eligible to schedule an interview and giving her instructions on how to prepare for the interview. That letter can take forever to arrive. Some people never receive it.

Instead, call the NVC today and get your MNL case number. Once you have your MNL case number, you can pay the visa application fee at BPI. The next day you can schedule the interview appointment. Then, you can complete the medical. You can even complete the CFO seminar.

If you want to read the Embassy's letter, you can do so here: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Revised%20K1%20Instruction_rtf2_rtf2_001.pdf

I would like to know if anyone has a similar link to the Moscow letter. I tried searching, to no avail. I would also like if anyone else that has gone through this in Moscow can confirm this information, and correct or perhaps share contact numbers you saved while going through this yourself. Surely someone has saved that obscure and near impossible to find contact that could have saved you weeks of waiting if you knew it sooner. After I have collected enough information, I would like to rewrite the above post to be suited to a Moscow interview for the benefit of others in the RUB forum all wondering the same thing as me: "what now? I feel like I will start to decompose before this will come to conclusion!"

The VJ Flowchart was a great start... I just want to fill in some Moscow specific gaps.

But $240 each, right? for fiance and for each accompanying child, and due when? at time of interview, or when making appointment? I received approval for my I-129F, and still waiting for my hardcopy in the mail. Been almost 2 weeks now, and still nothing. I heard a couple others are also waiting that received approval notifications on the same day as me. So I am trying to use the time wisely by preparing for the interview. I have her interview packet ready, and just need to know if she needs cash, or just needs to have it available on a credit card.

The link you gave was for non-immigrant visas. here is the site that tells about immigrant visas: http://cdn.ustraveldocs.com/ru/ru-iv-visaapplyinfo.asp

And quoted under the fees subsection:

"Effective February 1, 2013, all individuals issued immigrant visas overseas must pay a $165.00 USCIS Immigrant Fee before traveling to the United States. Only prospective adoptive parents whose child(ren) is/are entering the United States under either the Orphan or Hague Process, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants who were employed by the U.S. government, returning residents, and those issued K visas are exempt from the new fee. The below USCIS website has more details on the new fee, including contact information for USCIS, if there are further questions www.USCIS.gov/immigrantfee"

Do you guys interpret this the same as me? That K-Visa applicants are exempt from this fee?

There is an embassy fee too? is this on top of all the other fees or included with the initial application fee? Does this fee need to be paid in rubles?

wow! DEEEERAILED! but what a great thread this turned into! I haven't been very active on this forum, but I value all your advice. In June we decided to meet again, not for purpose of a second meeting, we both just missed each other, and I had the means to do it again. We had such a wonderful time together, and after the trip was over, I realized I had spent too much time listening to rumors and worrying about facets of this process I had no control over. Long since, I had decided to sit back and just let everything happen, while making sure we were both prepared for each step of the process - and there are a lot of steps. After only a record 100 days, we received NOA2, and now a lot closer to the pot-o-gold!

I agree with several of your posts that skype has been invaluable for this process. since earlier this year we basically live together on skype, and spend 24 hours a day with each other. I connect her to my computer at work, then again when I get home, and we do everything together. Eat, sleep, cook (she taught me how to make Щи), and even watch TV - her latest obsession is a Russian show called House 2 (Дом 2). And here I thought USA had monopoly on the uselessness that is reality TV!

Can anyone provide some feedback about this bribe thing? In USA, offering an official a bribe is a quick ticket to jail! Is there an amount that is non-offending? is any amount acceptable to offer? is the amount haggled? can you bluntly ask "what would it take to have my request moved to the top of the pile?" Do you have to offer the bribe very sneaky, such as folded in a note and handed off during a handshake?

I have a joint account with my Fiance, not yet married, and still waiting on interview. My bank is USAA, and they had me fill out form W8-BEN (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf), and now she is able to use her check card in most shops in Russia.

I too received two of these notifications today, and was contacted by another VJ member with the same question I had.

Here are copies of my notices within an hour of each other, and I placed a call to USCIS who promised a return call. I asked where case was transferred. Here is copy of both notices:

Notice at 10:16am MST on 7/10/13:

On July 10, 2013, we transferred this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) to another office for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

Notice at 11:31am MST on 7/10/13:

On July 10, 2013, we transferred your I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E), to your local USCIS Office for further processing. The new office has jurisdiction over your case and will send you a decision as soon as processing is complete or you will be notified if further information or action is needed. If you move, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address.

Here is advice I gave the other person who contacted me:

Tanya and I both wondered the same thing. From my brief research, best I can tell is this is a good thing, not bad, but more than likely means nothing. My best guess is that cases are being moved to another processing center, probably Texas or another to allow for faster processing. I understand that the only two centers that process I-129f is Vermont and California, however all centers have the capability to process these types of applications. If you ask my advice, I would say sit back, relax, and wait for more notifications. In the beginning, Tanya and I were neurotic about tracking the case, filling out the paperwork, and now, we just live day to day on skype. We spend 24 hours a day connected to skype, and I have to say, we both feel as if the time is going by quickly, and it really makes the waiting more bearable.

At the beginning of July we just wrapped up another visit to Juarez. Was amazing, and I highly recommend Juarez to anyone waiting on this K1 process. Entire trip can can cost under $3000 if you are frugal, shop around for airline tickets, and I even went all out and rented the presidential suite!

Contact me directly if you want more details about visiting Juarez. The experience was far better than I could ever imagined!

When posters are talking about needing a passport to cross the Mexican border, we are talking about needing it to enter Mexico. How did you get over to Mexico?

I simply walked. I believe you are confusing passport requirements to enter Mexico with getting past the 30km checkpoint. If you plan to travel 30km from the USA border, you will need a passport, or they will turn you back. And this is not 3rd handed information, I was there in January. This is why I was asked to "chime in"...

However, please continue to berate the OP about child support arrears, as this is the child support advocate forum, he should have known better than to come here asking for advice about where to meet his fiance from the Philippines

.

No, you didn't read the story I posted either. That happened in 2013. A guy who could not get a passport due to child support arrears was able to meet his fiance in Mexico. He went by land, and did not leave the border town, but he did it.

I refuse the respond to anyone who doesn't actually read that story.

That's what you can do if you want OP - you can figure out the specifics. But it seems everyone just wants to complain and come up with half answers.

I hope the OP in the story I linked chimes in.

I could chime in, but you should read my story. You will have to read an endless list of required reading and forms if you really plan to bring a foreign national to the USA. My visit to Mexico was such a small part of this entire process I had no idea at the time. I have since learned that all these rules and regulations are in place to weed out those who are not serious about the process.

If you are serious, meeting is simply a first step in a long long long process. I do not have a passport, but was asked for it each time I crossed (more than a dozen times over 2 weeks), and each time asked why I did not have one. I have learned that if you can prove you are an American citizen, they cannot deny you access to your home country. The key is being able to prove you are who you say you are. I carried a valid AZ driver's license and a certified copy of my birth certificate. I was allowed through each time, but not without an extensive check and additional hassle that took sometimes over 2 hours at the checkpoint.

I learned a lot, and I would probably do it all again for the woman I love. In fact, my fiance and I are talking about seeing each other again in Juarez over the summer while we are waiting on NOA2.

To everyone who insists on making suggestion to pay back owed child support, until you find yourself in this situation, try to refrain from giving discouraging advice. All it does is make people lose more hope in an already bleak situation. If you are here, then obviously you found someone you want to share a life with, and I'm pretty sure that you would not like to hear that your case is now hopeless because of some detail. One person here already said it best: if you are truly a deadbeat, then you are probably in jail, not trying to bring someone to the USA. The rest of us with unrealistic amounts of child support arrears have just fallen prey to a broken system.

Best of luck to you. Do your research and read-read-read! Just try to ignore naysaying negative nonsense from nanny goats.

I wouldn't say that Russia is a high visa fraud country so much as a high fraud country. That is, the more common scenario is someone taking a man for his money rather than for the greencard. As such, I don't think the visa process is particularly high scrutiny for K-1. That said, a meeting in a third country on vacation, while technically sufficient to meet the requirements of the K-1, is the weakest kind of meeting. If you don't make the decision to do another meeting, you'll at least want to make sure you have solid evidence of your continuing relationship.

If I understood the bit about the debt right, it's a debt to the government, reimbursing for welfare payments made to support a child he didn't know he had. The US won't take your passport because you're behind on your credit card or mortgage, but if you owe the government money, it's a different story. That said, I can't see this not coming up in the immigration process. You may have the income to support so the actual affidavit of support may not be a problem, but I still think it will come up (I'm not a lawyer and I have no evidence to support this, but you probably should clarify it before it becomes an issue).

This is all good and useful information. You guys are all wonderful! Thanks, and keep it coming... I am sharing all of this with my fiance in Russia, and I think will prevent us from making mistakes like we have already that must be explained or overcome.

Privet everyone! I am relatively new to the forums here, as well as to international relationships and immigration law, so I beg your forgiveness for my ignorance in advance)))

I met my fiance online last year, and after several interesting trials (check my posts here if you are curious), we are ready to marry. A good friend of mine, who I completely trust to give me good and accurate advice told me that the US consulate in Russian is extremely critical on couples applying for visa. She explained that Russia is a high visa fraud country and that meeting once is no longer acceptable in their eyes, insisting that we meet twice to have any real chance to be approved for a visa.

She also asked me to check with you guys in the RUB forum, and praised all of you for your kindness and unbiased advice. What I would like to know is do we really have to meet again? My girl has a 7 year old daughter, and besides the financial burden it will place on us to take another vacation together, it is extremely difficult for her to secure someone she trusts to watch her little girl while she leaves the country to visit a man.

Furthermore, is there any advice you can give that pertains to the US consulate in St. Petersburg that can help us not to make any mistakes, or things they like to see in lieu of a second meeting? I understand that it is not all of you I must convince that the relationship is real. All of you are no different than me in this regard. But I really love this woman and her daughter, and only want the chance to provide the life for them that I know they deserve.

Thank you for your help. I am proud to be part of this community.

So now that I have a little more time, I wanted to go over all that happened during this process, in hopes that someone else will benefit. First, I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to SandraNJ for all her wonderful help. She has been a godsend, and I owe my relationship to her.

Here is basically what was done since my original post. SandraNJ discovered for me that there is a method in place at each port of entry that issues a ban or Expedited Removal Order, called a request to vacate order of removal. This is a pretty lengthy process and included the following:

Request to Vacate Order - 3 pages

Copy of Passport - 3 pages

Expedited Removal Order - 16 pages

Letter from me briefly explaining the events - 1 page

Misc Supporting Documents - 10 pages

(the last included my own birth certificate, hotel receipts, airline tickets, and photos)

The entire packet was very much like a stripped down version of a K1 packet (33 pages in all), minus all the supporting evidence of ongoing relationship. But as it was explained to me was, the goal was to prove there was no intent to enter the US illegally, and show that the order was issued without just cause. Basically you are begging them to reconsider the order, and asking that it be vacated as if it was never issued. It is a long shot, but if you feel you have a strong case, and truly did no wrong, then it is worth a shot.

I personally hand delivered the packet to the watch commander, who promised to deliver the packet to the port director. The process after that is another bureaucratic waiting game, as was expected, however the watch commander explained that the request is meticulously reviewed by several people before approved or denied.

Anyway, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.