sbai2000

awwww.......Nicalord, sorry to hear this.
I recall something similar happening to a particular user on VJ and if memory serves it was a 8week wait. I will see if I can locate the info.
stay encouraged and try to look on the bright side so you can get through this last leg of the journey. I know this is a great disappointment for you.

@mrs E - yep...everyone can relate....
take heart....and when you get sad, read some of the personal stories here on VJ...you will see the light in your own circumstances.
so hang in there!

@mrs E - yep...everyone can relate....
take heart....and when you get sad, read some of the personal stories here on VJ...you will see the light in your own circumstances.
so hang in there!

@ K & V - we did as DWheels suggested - we put yes. (we were short a couple of required shots, by the way, which were done at the medical)
I don't think you should overthink it ... the response to that question can only be "yes" because you will have to have documentation in order to have an interview!

yep - it happens all the time....
It happened to me....nothing you can do....VSc is slow. My PD was current and we were not even CC because of how long it took VSC to process (or not process) our case, which was eventually transferred to CSC.
nothing you can do, just hang in there....they will either start processing or at the last minute they will transfer you.
The good news is that once USCIS approves your case, you will go extremely quickly at NVC stage.
As another VJer once told me when I was in your position, wondering when VSC was going to process my case, you'll either wait at USCIS or you will wait at NVC. Either way, you will wait!
hang in there and best of luck!!

We just received our interview letter!
September 11, 2015 at 8am

@Dwheels - please update us - we got our interview date September 11, 2015 at 8am!!!
thank you!!!!

Hi Dwheels - hope you are well!!
can you please add us to your spreadsheet?
CC 7/28/2015 ... now just waiting for that illusive IL!
Thank you much!

note: also posted on the NVC forum...
Hello all -
I was wondering if anyone is experiencing issues logging on to the CEAC website as of today 7/11/2015? (I am not talking about the past issues that most of us were experiencing over the course of the past couple of months. I am talking about something that seems to have just started since yesterday...).
I have been able to pay my IV fee and access DS-260 since last week when NVC took their database down. But as of yesterday I noticed that CEAC site was getting very slow...so I took a break from it and then when I tried again today I've been getting error messages ...something like "you have encountered an error application please try again later". I can log in to CEAC ok...but when I try to edit the DS-260....I keep getting the error message
Anyone else experiencing this?

Finally able to pay my IV fee online this morning! Thank you, Lord!!
Looks like NVC is slowly getting its act together...although there are still many applicants who still cannot access their fees online/DS forms.....so its not over for some. Hopefully, they will be joyful by tomorrow...so if you are one of those people, stay encouraged and check the ceac site regularly.
best of luck and my continued prayers to all of us on this journey.

my pleasure - glad to be of help!

@Habel - hey girl, how u doing! yea, im still here...beyond bonkers....positively insane! LOL!
@Hopewings - if you have already received your case # and IID number, you don't need the welcome letter in order to log in. Its the same information that's provided in the welcome letter. Have you tried logging into the CEAC account? if not here is the link https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/
if you cant get in now, don't worry, just try again on Monday when the NVC database comes back online.
try and fill out choice of agent form as soon as you can. look at my timeline to get an idea of how long each part took me.
BOL!

Hi Hopewings! good to see you round...I told you that NVC was going to be a bumpy, bumpy ride!!!
can you remind me when your case was approved at uscis?
Case Number and your Invoice Identification Number:
really at this stage all you need to do is call NVC and get your Case Number and your Invoice Identification Number in advance of receiving the welcome letter. (you can also wait til you get the welcome letter because that information will be contained in the letter). Keep in mind that NVC has some systems issues so you may not be able to get the info from them til after Monday.
DS-261/choice of agent: once we got our case number & Invoice Identification number, it still took us awhile to be able to log into our account on CEAC website. But eventually we were able to log in and I was able to fill out the DS-261 form online. (that's the choice of agent form and that's what you use to assign who will get the notifications and also giving NVC your email address. you can assign yourself, your spouse or a third party like an attorney. I assigned myself, as the petitioner). Filling the DS-261 form is the first step that starts the ball rolling at NVC...Remember: You have to give NVC time to process/review your DS-261 form but once you have submitted the form DO NOT log back into it!!!! if you do it will re-set the review time.
AOS fee/IV fee invoices: Once your DS-261 form has been reviewed then that leads to you getting the AOS invoice (and if you are lucky you will also get the IV invoice at the same time or close to the same time). Once you get both or either of the fees invoiced in your ceac account...pay them both IMMEDIATELY!!! Do not wait and do not hesitate. This is the point where a lot of us have been stuck and cannot proceed - although we are told by NVC that they will be working on their system problems over the weekend. So, God willing, you will not experience the set back that many of us are experiencing right now....
DS-260: Paying the IV fee unlocks the DS-260 form.....I have not been able to pay my IV fee and thus I am unable to unlock the DS-260 form. (it is an online form...you cannot fill it out any other way).
many people have handled the difficulties with the ceac website differently. I will tell you what my husband and I decided to do....we decided to wait for the IV fee to show up online and not to mail anything in. Everything I have read on the wikis on VJ and everything that many VJers are advising is not to send in your payment by mail. I also have not sent in my documents yet because NVC is reviewing the docs so fast and I did not want my docs to be reviewed before I am able to pay the IV fee or get the DS-260 form unlocked. we are taking a chance but we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Other stuff you can do while waiting:
once we get our USCIS approval, we began getting our police certifications and my husband made sure he got any necessary vaccinations in advance of the visa medical that is required.
if you haven't already you should order your tax transcripts now from the IRS (they are not longer doing the online requests since their systems got hacked, so you will need to request them by mail and they state it will take 5-10 business days. So you might as well do it now if you haven't got them already. we ordered for 2014, 2013 and 2012 tax years.
you should also start reviewing the I-864 forms....there are several different versions and so you should make sure you know which form you should use for your specific case.
I hope this is not too confusing and I hope it is helpful to you. Just try and keep to the script and don't second guess the process too much - even with all this technical difficulties. There is no real way to speed up the process or to by-pass the process....so best to follow what those before us did and practice the fine art of patience.
As always, all the best of luck!

SC------PD --------------- Name --------------------- Country ----------------------------- NOA2 ------------------ CC --------------------- IL
2011
12/2/2011 ---- F2A12/2/11 --------------- Colombia -------------------------- 12/31/2013 ---------- 6/11/2014-------------- 08/14/2014 (notified on 06/25/14), visa issued 8/15/15 , POE 8/28/14
2012
10/15/2012 ---- happywife08 ------------ Philippines ------------------------ 08/15/2013 ---------- 04/17/2014 -----------
07/24/2012 ---- zainqaiser --------------- Pakistan ------------------------------ ????? -------------- 04/11/2014 ----------- waiting for IL
08/22/2012----- Goldy85 ------------------- Bulgaria ----------------------------- 10/04/2013 ----------03/28/2014
2013
05/16/2013 ---- simmuss0000 ----------- Nepal --------------------------------????????? ---------- 06/02/2014
05/16/2013 ---- ny_a&p ------------------- Costa Rica ------------------------12/11/2013 ---------- 03/28/2014 ----------
05/21/2013 ---- Mari09 --------------------- Dominican Republic -----------11/20/2013 ---------- 04/25/2014 ----------
05/22/2013 ---- ShahenazFahad ------- India -------------------------------- 11/06/2013 ---------- 03/26/2014 -----------
06/03/2013 ---- Cricely713 --------------- Dominican Republic ------------ 1/10/2014 -----------04/10/2014 --------- 03/16/2015
06/05/2013 ---- Bublebelle --------------- Ghana ------------------------------12/10/2013 ---------- 04/08/2014 -----------
06/10/2013 ---- Phillip Wu ---------------- Cambodia ------------------------- 09/10/2013 --------- 03/22/2014 -----------
07/11/2013 ---- fhakim02 ----------------- India --------------------------------- ????????? --------- 03/29/2014
07/11/2013 ---- Kalloo --------------------- India -------------------------------- 02/06/2014 --------- 03/29/2014------------
08/05/2013 ---- Air Force Wife ---------- Dominican Republic ------------ 08/27/2013 --------- 03/05/2014 -----------
08/12/2013 ---- tranngbaokhanh ------- Vietnam ---------------------------- 10/10/2013 --------- 03/05/2014 -----------
08/12/2013 ---- e24 (1) -------------------- Philippines ----------------------- 11/22/2013 ----------- 03/20/2014 ---------- 05/27/2014 visa issued
08/22/2013 ---- CarL+Trin ---------------- Philippines ------------------------11/15/2013 ----------03/10/2014 -------------05/12/2014 Cancelled/med exam 8wks culture test
09/10/2013 ---- Pagu ----------------------- India --------------------------------- --/--/-------- ---------03/07/2014 -----------
11/01/2013 ---- chanhphamvn ---------- Vietnam ---------------------------- 05/01/2014 ---------
11/15/2013 ---- DEW_DROPS ---------- INDIA -------------------------------
11/08/2013 ---- Mockingjay --------------- Philippines ----------------------- 02/05/2013 ---------
11/25/2013 ---- DanDaniel ---------------- Nepal/UAE -----------------------
VSC 12/02/2013 ----sbai2000 ------------------- UK ----------------------------------
12/09/2013 ---- e24 (2) --------------------- Philippines ----------------------- 01/21/2014 ----------
12/09/2013 ---- wheondo ------------------ Philippines ----------------------- 02/09/2014 ----------
VSC 11/22/2013----- Habel-----------------------UK------------------------------------
2014
02/18/2014 ---- vbaez2014 --------------- Dominican Republic ------------ 04/07/2014 ----------
VSC 02/24/2014 -----SAM1986 -----------------Pakistan
06/05/2014 ---- Mrs Tams ---------------- Antigua & Barbuda ----------------------------------------
03/31/2014-----shantoph0208------------Philippines--------------------------04/21/2014...............
07/24/2014........M&S.............................France....................................01/06/2015.....................

hello Padistine - yes it is torture but it is, unfortunately, the US immigration process.
Your priority date seems to be some time in January 2014 -- which is just a month after mine. (I am December 2013). Like you, I am also stuck in the Vermont processing center which is known to be notoriously slow. There's not much we can do for now but wait.....try to Ignore the California applicants who have already been approved. If you pay attention to them you will feel doubly frustrated! (don't worry, even though they have been approved, they too cannot process their cases until the PD is current which will not be until after the Vermont applicants).
So take this time to make sure your have all your ducks in a row and that you will be ready when your priority date becomes current. At the current pace it looks like your priority date will become current towards the latter part of this year.
Best of luck and hang in there!

from what I understand his F1 visa has expired....and his work permit is contingent on him having a valid student visa....? then he is SOL. Get married and file his I-130 and I-485 asap. As long as you are a USC and the relationship passes muster and you are not marrying for immigration benefits, then he should be fine. Good luck to both of you.

from what I understand his F1 visa has expired....and his work permit is contingent on him having a valid student visa....? then he is SOL. Get married and file his I-130 and I-485 asap. As long as you are a USC and the relationship passes muster and you are not marrying for immigration benefits, then he should be fine. Good luck to both of you.

from what I understand his F1 visa has expired....and his work permit is contingent on him having a valid student visa....? then he is SOL. Get married and file his I-130 and I-485 asap. As long as you are a USC and the relationship passes muster and you are not marrying for immigration benefits, then he should be fine. Good luck to both of you.

yes the situation on the border is out of hand but then you said: "but there is a great deal of chance that F2A will no longer be subject to visa quotas but will be processed like Immediate relative which means no waiting for visa availability."
that's the part that's out of this world! no way!!

I beg to differ....there is a relationship between NVC processing and DOS visa number (see below)......besides, I think you miss the point of my post...
DOS does indeed move the PD forward in order to force USCIS to process I-130. Anyone with their application in Vermont knows that VSC has stopped processing F2A application - ostensibly because the VB has retrogressed. We are simply looking forward to NOA2 approvals.
Note on Timing of NVC Fee Invoices
Mr. Oppenheim noted that the National Visa Center (NVC) is sending our requests for fee payments about 8 to 12 months in advance of the priority date becoming current (this is change to the previous practice of doing so 12-18 months in advance). When applicants pay the fee earlier after receipt of the fee invoice, Mr. Oppenheim is able to "see" the demand earlier and adjust the demand in the category accordingly, eliminating the need of major forward movement, followed by a retrogression

I beg to differ....there is a relationship between NVC processing and DOS visa number (see below)......besides, I think you miss the point of my post...
DOS does indeed move the PD forward in order to force USCIS to process I-130. Anyone with their application in Vermont knows that VSC has stopped processing F2A application - ostensibly because the VB has retrogressed. We are simply looking forward to NOA2 approvals.
Note on Timing of NVC Fee Invoices
Mr. Oppenheim noted that the National Visa Center (NVC) is sending our requests for fee payments about 8 to 12 months in advance of the priority date becoming current (this is change to the previous practice of doing so 12-18 months in advance). When applicants pay the fee earlier after receipt of the fee invoice, Mr. Oppenheim is able to "see" the demand earlier and adjust the demand in the category accordingly, eliminating the need of major forward movement, followed by a retrogression

Kalloo - how does he actually know this? There is no way for him to definitively say this. Firstly, he doesn't know the number of people who have applied....Secondly, (as I am discovering) people get I-130 approvals and don't do anything with it for several years....thirdly, many people upgrade to the CR1/IR1 category.
I just don't think there is anyway for anyone to even give a guesstimate as to when PD September 2013 will be current. There are just too many unknown variables....

Checked my records and I stand corrected.
the $1000 fine/penalty is only if you are adjusting under 245i. There is a supplemental 1-485A form that you will used for that.
if you are adjusting as an immediate relative of USC do NOT need to pay the $1000 fine.
ok sorry if I confused anyone.

you could do this on your own but if I were you, I would hire an attorney because your mother is out of status.
if anything were to go wrong, she would be in a very vulnerable situation and could be picked up by ICE. So spend the money and hire a good attorney, remember that they are accountable to you. So keep on top of them and don't assume that you can take your eye of the case.

@jan22 - well this is America and everyone is allowed to have an opinion......but in my book, making a category current to increase demand is the definition of manipulation; approving 2014 I-130s when 2013 applicants have not been touched is manipulation; retrogressing a category to slow down the pace of completed cases at NVC is manipulation. That's a fact - not paranoia.
DOS knew full well that a very large number of the people applying when the category was current in 2013 would never make it to the interview to get a visa in 2014FY. So we are all sitting around with carrots dangling....applicants in Cali who sent their I-130 in 2014 and already have approvals are sitting around thinking that their approvals are meaningful and that they are moving closer to getting their GC!!!! NOT!
Tell me how it makes sense to be approving 2014 applicants when there are a ton of 2013 applications still waiting for approvals at VSC? This is fundamentally what causes this constant, cyclical retrogression. It will happen again in a couple of years...the 2014/2015 applicants will be told that they have to retrogress to 2013. Why? because there will be a ton of us 2013 filers still trying to get to the NVC stage in 2015, not least of all hindered by how long it took to initially approve our I-130s. Then, of course, the explanation will be that there was "not enough time to process".
Those who are "less experienced" (and your intended audience) can take comfort in reading your academic explanations of visa number allocations. Pardon me if I don't; I prefer to understand this retrogression so that my husband and I can make an informed decision as to what our next step should be.
That does not make us conspiracy theorist.