allende

PS: when you call NVC you have to have the following information ready as they ask you for it before you even say hello!

-case number from USCIS (you'll find it in NOA1)

-petitioner's name and date of birth

-beneficiary's name and date of birth

On the second call they actually asked me to confirm my fiance's cell phone number and mine. I was not ready for this! He changed his number a while ago and I never learnt the new number by heart! Luckily, I had my cell nearby so I was able to check that...

Hi!

the only notification that we got was for NOA1 (via text and e-mail) I found out about NOA2 (I'm the beneficiary) because I had signed up for the USCIS mailing list and I got an e-mail. We did get it in the mail like you, which is very important since it's needed for AOS later on.

As for NVC, I don't think there are any notifications... About two weeks from NOA2 date I called them and I got my case number, which changes at this stage. Mine started with MDD because my embassy is in Madrid. If yours is in Berlin it might start with BER, BRR or something like that! This is their contact info:

They don't tell you the SC in the text. You'll find it either in the e-mail (your fiance will most likely have gotten it already; ask him/her to check! Sorry, not sure if you're the petitioner or beneficiary! And who is the "he" or "she" ) or in the hard copy, which shouldn't take very long to arrive through the mail.

I'll keep my fingers crossed you get the CSC! But even if you get the TSC don't despair, you'll get there!

Thanks to you too! And good luck!

Yes, it is very hard to wait, specially when you have no idea when the wait would be over!

We did send that form to be notified by USCIS; we got a text and e-mail for NOA1 but not for NOA2 or arrival to NVC or anything else... We did get the hard copy of both NOA1 and NOA2 through regular mail (it's important to keep NOA2 as it is needed later on, for the Adjustment of Status after you get married)

As for the USCIS mailing list, it worked for me! I did get an e-mail when my petition was approved! (it was very unexpected! It only took them 24 days) I've read on this forum that people get RFEs and don't get notified, though, or nothing for NOA2. But it's free, so it can't hurt to sign up for it!

If you're lucky they'll send your case to the California Service Center. They're MUCH faster than Texas! I'm in touch with two girls also from Spain who both got almost the same NOA1 dates than me. My case was sent to California and I'm in the last step (awaiting the interview) and they don't even have their NOA2 yet because they're in the Texas Service Center. It's unfair and it seems random but that's the way it has been, at least recently! You'll know where they sent it when you get either the e-mail or the hard copy.

If it's the TSC it's not a tragedy either, some cases still go fast! You just don't know...

Hi!

the NOA1 is pretty fast. It'll just tell you that they received your petition and tell you where it has been sent (they mostly send them to California or Texas) In our case it took about 14 days to get the text/e-mail (you'll get that only if you included a signed form G-1145) and 7 more days to get the hard copy through regular mail. From what I saw on the timelines, this is longer than usual because there were all the Christmas and New Year holidays in between.

Keep in mind that the NOA1 does not mean much other than they received your package and that they sent it to one of the service centers. Also, they give you a case number and you can track progress at:

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/CaseStatus.do

You can also sign up for a mailing list in this same USCIS webpage so you get notified if there are any updates. It's not 100% reliable (sometimes they don't update the case status online) but it's something! The "official" time to get approved is 5 months so you can't really contact them before that as they'll just tell you to wait the 5 months. However, it often goes faster than that, just prepare yourself for that waiting time just in case.

The process, as far as I know is:

- NOA1 with your case number

- (sometimes a RFE if there's anything missing or any mistakes; hopefully not your case!)

- Petition approved - NOA2

- Case is sent to NVC; there'll be a new case number that you can track here: https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx

- NVC will forward your case to your embassy in your home country

After that you should look at your country's portal because the process is country-specific. Each embassy continues with the process a little differently!

I can't give you estimate times because they're all different as well. Look at the Timelines in this website to get more information. You can track other cases from your country or get a general overview of other VJ members.

Good luck with your process!

I can't add much more but after doing some reading online I think it's probably the denied visa that caused them to write that on the form. It's good to know other people had the same issue but were approved anyways!

Like the others said, just bring a lot of proof that day. It's great that your fiancee will be there with you! That'll help for sure.

I'm also waiting for my interview so even though I can't give you any valuable information (I wish I could!) I wanted to wish you luck! I won't tell you not to get nervous because that's easier said than done I'm sure I'll be pretty nervous myself!

We sent it via standard mail too and it got there ok, even with the holidays (we sent it right before Christmas) Don't feel bad, we are all nervous through this process and I've felt like yelling at my fiance once or twice too... Poor guy! But you're right, what's done is done, no use getting mad at him. I'm really glad I was visiting when we send our package and I could do most of the work! Just made me feel better to review everything.

The others are right, it's not a big deal at all. He'll get the NOA1 through regular mail and with that case number you can look up the progress at the USCIS website. Also, you can subscribe to a mailing list at USCIS and get a notification when there are status changed (basically RFE or NOA2) AND once it's at NVC you can call them and give them your phones and e-mails and they'll input it in the system, so no problem!

Good luck!

Hi!

so nice to read your stories! Here's mine:

I was an exchange student when I was 16. I studied my junior year of high school in the States and I lived with an American family. My fiance was our neighbor from a couple blocks down. My host mom and his mom were friends and I spent a lot of time at his house. We didn't talk much that year and we weren't even what I would call friends. At first I didn't speak much English and he was shy. He says that he liked me then but I don't believe him I didn't pay much attention to him, to be honest with you!

Anyways, we lost touch for about 12 years and then one summer my host mom gave me a birthday present: a round trip to go visit her! She had come a couple times to visit me in Barcelona but I hadn't been back to the States since. So I went and even though she had moved to another house, one day we went visit her old neighbor and her son, my now fiance, was there that day We started talking and saw each other a few times that summer, but only as friends. When I went back we e-mailed a lot but again only as friends. However, I felt that there was something else there so the next summer I decided to be brave and go see him... and we've been a couple ever since! It's been 3.5 years and I can't say that it has been easy but we made it! He lived with me here for a year and I lived with him for 6 months over there, and many other shorter trips. Like I said, not easy but we do love each other.

Sometimes I regret that we didn't fall in love then but we were too young... We lived too far away! The Internet wasn't what it is now, it took 20 minutes just to open an e-mail And I wouldn't be the person I am today. He's very rooted there but I'm a traveler. I've lived in many places, enjoyed other cultures, learnt other languages... Now I can settle down with him but if I had done that before I was ready I think I would've felt like there was something missing in my life...

We'll hopefully get married this summer and really start our lives together with no return dates, no deadlines

Wishing all of you luck with your processes!

When in doubt write both! I think they're asking for how you initially met (online, studying, etc.) I'd put that and then how and when you met in person if you want. Just keep it short! I might be wrong but I think this first question is to state how you met in the first place and the "proof of ongoing relationship" (in your case plane information, pictures, etc.) are proof that you have met in the past two years.

We didn't have the original plane tickets either so I did the same as you (e-mail confirmations highlighting the dates and times of flights, as well as origin and destination)

It certainly looks like you have everything covered! I didn't send any e-mails, logs, or things like that... But it can't hurt! We sent 5 pictures with an explanation in the back (we matched the pictures with trips taken together because we had the plane ticket e-mails as proof as well) and the mentioned plane ticket e-mails and we were approved in 24 days

Best of luck in your process!

PS: http://www.visajourney.com/content/paying-immigration-fees

You probably already looked at this but just in case! Useful info on how to write the check correctly!

Hello everyone

So last Monday our documents were sent to London consulate. I've been checking on https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/ but it keeps coming up with the message "Your search did not return any data."

Does anyone know why this would be? It is likely that our case no. is incorrect?

Hi!

either the number is not correct or you're not choosing "immigrant visa" at the CEAC status check webpage. When I selected the "non-immigrant visa" option I got the same message you did.

Hope this works! If not call NVC and verify the case number.

I filled it in when my case was at the NVC. Just make sure you write down the application number that they give you and remember the security question. What I did was fill it in but I didn't finish it. It's valid for 30 days; you can open and close it and review it as many times as you want as long as you don't finalize it. To access it again they ask you for:

-application number

- first 5 letters of your last name

- year of birth

- answer to the security question (you can chose one question out of a list when you first start the process)

As soon as I got my "package 3" I confirmed it and printed the confirmation page (the one with a barcode) Before I did that, I (obviously) made sure everything was correct first (before you finish it all the information shows on screen so that you can make sure it's all ok) It's a pretty long form so I'm happy I did it beforehand.

Someone else was asking about the passport thing because his fiancee doesn't have a passport yet. Most of the answers said you won't need that until later and some people said that their partners didn't even get a passport until later on during the process. So I guess you don't need it yet...

As for the address, it'd be great to use somebody else's stable address (someone you trust, of course, and that will let you or your fiancee know as soon as any letters arrive) The PO box seems like a good idea too! I used my parent's address because I wasn't sure where I'd be staying (since I had no idea how long the process would take)

I had the same "problem" with last names as my fiance and I were filling form I-139F. What I did was attach a post-it on top of the question and I wrote something like: "Please note that in my home country we have ONE first name and TWO last names. The first last name is the paternal one and the second one the maternal last name" And I signed it (I was visiting my fiance at that time so we did everything together) I did have to put my passport number but only because I was visiting him at that time. We didn't get any RFEs and so far everything is going ok. We'll see after we get married!! I want to keep my last names and I know that's always going to be a small problem in the States as you have only one last name... Like Tarumba said, I'll probably end up hyphenating it!

Good luck with everything!

Did u pay the 88$ for the affidavit support??? Those 240$ i think some they pay it on the nvc stage.

No, never heard of the $88... I didn't know you had to pay for the affidavit of support for the K1 visa... My fiance just sent me the papers (to Spain) when our case was at the NVC (just to make sure we had enough time) and I sent them back to my embassy enclosed in the return "package 3". The only thing we've paid so far has been the $340 for the USCIS (with the I-219F package) And as soon as I get "package 4" with my interview date I'll pay the $240 online. That's it! Well, and the medical exam, of course, which here is 165€ (I'm still mad about it; that price is outrageous!!!)

I do have to pay another fee: $240. I'm currently waiting for a letter with my interview date (this procedure changes depending on the country) In my case I have to pay it after I receive my appointment date. I have already filled in the DS online form and sent the confirmation page and other documents to the embassy in Madrid but the system (Spanish US Embassy's webpage) doesn't allow you to pay until you have the interview date. I'm pretty sure everyone pays that, it's the when and how that changes depending on the country!

I don't know about France but they've just changed the procedure in Spain... They went from forms that they sent by mail and that you had to fill in by hand (some you had to send back to the embassy also by mail, others you had to take with to the embassy the day of the interview) to that online form. If it's the same than Spain, the beneficiary just has to print the confirmation page for the online form (a page with a barcode) They changed this very recently! Because the last reviews from the Spanish embassy in December still mention the paper forms.

Maybe it's the same in France? Hope you get the instructions soon and you'll know for sure then. Good luck!

More info from US embassy in Paris:

http://france.usembassy.gov/fiancees_visas.html

Applicants must complete the new DS-160 interactive online application form, available at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv. Completed forms will be transmitted electronically to the Consular Section of U.S. Embassy Paris.

Huzzah! Got it! Eeeee!

I guess complaining works XD

Congratulations!!!!

We're so lucky we sent the forms at a good time! It used to take much longer than this!!!

Now on to NVC... In our case it took about 12 days from CSC until it was processed at NVC and it was on its way to the embassy about 15 days from NOA2. Hope it's quick for you as well!

Package 3 is the package sent by your embassy with the instructions (documents you need, forms, etc.) This varies depending on the country; the content of the package changes.

Package 4 is simply a letter with your interview date and time. I saw that some embassies do not send this and sometimes it is the beneficiary who has to schedule his/her interview.

If you already have your interview date and were able to schedule your medical then you are good! Like I said procedures are different depending on the country (you can ask in the regional forum for the Philippines if you want to make sure you have everything that you need)

Good luck with your interview!

it is not illegal to cancel a return leg. i have heard of airlines charging a no-show fee in some cases. in general if you cancel way ahead of time, there should be no penalties. check the terms and conditions of your ticket to be sure.

since you have a return ticket, be sure to cancel the return leg once you've arrived in the US as there have been cases where the airline forgets to update their flight manifest and the exit system records that someone has left the US when in fact they just didn't turn up for that flight. it can cause complications with AOS, so remember to cancel that return portion.

that's what this guy thought... http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/387716-aos-denial-uscis-said-i-left-the-country-but-i-did-not/

I had no idea! I was just going to book it and forget about it... I'll have to see what I do! Jeez... They make things so complicated!!! If you don't board I don't see how there can be any record of that. But better safe than sorry, I guess!

Maybe you should ask in a regional forum. It might depend on the country...

In Spain, you don't pay until you have received package 4 which contains your date and time for the interview, You then have to register online in the embassy's website, specify the interview date and time provided and then you pay. Afterwards you can print the proof of payment and take it with you to the interview.

But, like I said, this might be country specific. However, it seems to be common sense to pay once you have your interview date (but common sense and paperwork don't always go together! )

I get the same message at CEAC (and has been the same from the time NVC sent it to the embassy; I have since received package 3 and mailed it back and it still says the same, only the date has changed)

Best of luck!

California filers here, got our NOA1 Jan 13th. No RFE, no NOA2, no nothing. I'm really hoping we get looked at this week. Watching the estimated approval time fly by while everyone else is getting approved and moving on has been so demoralizing.

That is tough! Who knows why sometimes they go fast and sometimes they go slow... I feel like this is a lottery! We were lucky but other people's are taking a lot longer (I just read a post from someone in Germany that had been waiting since August but just got their case transferred to NVC) The numbers seem pretty random.

Just keep checking USCIS status (I'm sure you already do that!) and as far as it doesn't mention any RFE you should be good!

It's not even been two months so you're still in a good time frame but I know it gets worse when you see that a lot of other people are getting approved. We were prepared to wait 5 or 6 months so anything less than that was amazing!

Best of luck! We're keeping our fingers crossed!

I plan to do the same than amolineux because it is a lot cheaper to buy a round trip (in my case, around 600€ round trip and almost 3000€ one-way) It is not the same having a ticket and actually boarding in the flight... I never thought of it as being a problem but if they ask me I'll say the same, that it was just cheaper and that I have no intention of actually using that return ticket. You can't be on any lists if you don't board that flight!!

Hi!

at a first glance, a couple things:

You do not have to pay all that now, as far as I know. The first check for USCIS is for the amount of 340 dollars for the fee. The Medical exam fee you have to pay at the clinic when your fiancee goes to have her medical and the last fee (240 dollars) is for the embassy, not for USCIS directly. Here it explains how to write the check so there are no mistakes:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/paying-immigration-fees

You do not have to send the affidavit of support yet!! That's for your embassy, not for USCIS. So no form I-134 or attachments in this package, save that for later (you might have to do it again since it'll have to be dated much closer to your interview date)

Good luck with your process!

Hi!

it is not unusual not to get hard copy of NOA1.. BUT it is a little strange that you got the sms more than a month ago but that it is not on the USCIS website yet... Also, no e-mail? Nothing to worry about, of course, but it'd be good to talk to someone from USCIS and make sure they have the right address and that you have the right case number so that you can check online.

I'm also from Spain and I'm almost in the last step (waiting for my interview date) so if you need more info send me a private message and I'll be happy to help you with any doubts you might have.

Best of luck with the process!

I forgot one link!

Medical examination:

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/med_exam_instructions.html

(again, sorry if you're going to another embassy but all embassies have a similar page to this, just type in the city's name and you'll have the specific instructions for that embassy)

Hi!

maybe you should ask this in your regional forum? Because this changes depending on the country... The page that is most helpful is your embassy's page. Is it in Canberra? (that's the one I found after a quick search) The instructions (that you may already have) are here:

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/fiance_niv_appl.html

You probably need to ask other people from Australia...

In my case, I filled in the DS-160 first because you can save it for a whole month and then finalize it when you need to and print the confirmation page for your embassy. That's what I did! It's a pretty long online form but it's good that you can retrieve it; you just need to save the number that they give you and remember the answer to a security question.

The other two questions are more country-specific. I don't see any mention of the DS-230I but you might be going to another embassy...

Sorry I can't help much! If I were you I'd look in the regional forum for Australia and ask there.

Good luck!