APeralta

We also finally got our interview date!

DQ: October 5th 2023

Interview letter: December 26th 2023

Interview date: February 7th 2024

5 hours ago, Christian And Van said:

Wanted to give an update to any and everyone following this thread that lives in Portugal.

There is now a new clinic that does the exam again - its the same doctor - just a different clinic now!!
 

Oh that's fantastic news!! What's the name of the clinic?

We just got DQ'd from the NVC today.

Sent everything 22th September, RFE for W2's missing on the 29th, Approved 5th October.

So they're literally only taking 5 business days to check the process at the moment.

Good luck and all the speedy DQ'sfor everyone at this stage.

8 hours ago, Jess98 said:

Hi @APeralta - bad news, they don't do it anymore. Only option Açores or Paris

That's most unfortunate that this is the current situation. How can Lisbon not have a certified doctor is beyond me... I guess Paris it is!

Let us know how it goes, you seem to be slightly ahead in the process and good luck!

15 minutes ago, Jess98 said:

And this time will you need the medical exam? I'll call the clinic that you mentioned tomorrow!

 

Yes, the medical exam is always required! You have to bring it when you enter the U.S.

Great, good luck! Let us know if they still do the exams, I'll need to go there again soon as well.

1 hour ago, Jess98 said:

Hi! Thank you so much. When was the last time that you went there? Paris is so damn expensive 

It was back in 2015 already. And yes, Paris is quite expensive. We ended up staying a couple of days just to be sure everything went well but I was approved right on the day no problems!

Hey guys, I'm also waiting on the NVC to approve and move us to the interview stage.

This is the second time we've been through this and last time I did my medical exams in a clinic in Lisbon called CMIL.

They apparently still do immigration medical exams, its probably worth a look and get in contact!

All the best luck in this final stages

Hey guys!

Just wanted to give others some hope, as we got approved today!

Sent: October 15th 2022

Approved: September 6th 2023

On to the next stage we go

Keep the hope up, its coming soon!

You get the ticket at the waiting room, there's a lady handy out tickets! And the order is the order she distributes them. Being the first to arrive will ensure you'll be the first one in the interview.

Hello forum,

I finally finished my journey and got approved at the interview and will be recieving my green card in the following weeks!

Just wanted to share my experience at the Paris Embassy where I went to attend my interview, if anyone is going there soon. If you plan to go by metro, the Concord station is extremelly close to the embassy. I arrived around 10minutes before the set time, no problems whatsoever. You get stripped of pretty much all electronics at the entrance. Only one person more is allowed to go in with you.

After you're in, you'll be given a number and you'll have to wait in a room, the order of the interviews (if there are more in your day) will be the order of arrival. You have to go through a "pre-interview" where you'll be asked for your medical exam, marriage, birth and police certificate as well as giving your Chronopost package so that they can deliver your passport (quick note on this, you have to buy it in France at La Poste. Don't go for the one near the embassy, its kinda hard to find. There's one right next to Gard du Nord which is an easy commute by subway. It cost me 58€).

After this, you have to wait one more time and then it will be the interview with an officer. A translator will be available for you if you need. Honestly, the interview was super easy. It lasted around 5 minutes. I was only asked about the story of how I met my wife and how is our relationship and then case closed. Didn't have to take a single document out of my briefcase. I came super prepared though which you should always since every case is different. However if you delivered everything to the NVC and have no doubts in your relationship proof, you'll be fine! All in all, I was there around 2 hours due to waiting for my number to be called so be prepared to spend from 2 to 3 hours in the embassy.

There was more people at my interview and some of them didn't bring the Chronopost package, some forgot the police certificate. They all got approved, the only difference was that their Visa was only going to be sent after the missing documents arrived. So don't freak out if you forget something. They're very understanding from my experience!

Wish all the best of luck and if you guys have any questions, I can try and answer them!

Hi there,

I have my interview scheduled by the NVC at the 26th of Feb and today I recieved an email from the US Embassy in Paris (Portugal doesn't do immigration interviews anymore) saying the following:

" Register your appointment: If you currently reside in France register your appointment with our new courier service at no additional costby visiting www.usvisa-info.com. **Please note, only the appointment date and time given to you by NVC is valid, please select this date and time only when registering your appointment."

Now, I do not reside in France, do I actually need to register my interview? I tried but they can only accept French adresses as a Courier adress. I'm confused... Anyone had to register their interviews online? I was guessing the NVC had already scheduled it for me.

Just don't want to get to the interview date and nothing is set!.....

Thanks in advance!

AP

Hello again fellow immigrants,

Is the DS-2001 Application of readiness still required to send the Embassy even after recieving the date of interview?

The embassy will have the originals so no you don't need the originals.

The problem is I never sent "Originals". My joint sponsor digitalized the originals and sent them through email and I printed them and put them in on my AOS Package to the NVC. Will they ask for the actual original papers my joint sponsor is holding?

Thanks for such a fast reply!

Hi there everyone I've been preparing for my interview (the 26th of Feb) and I got to the part of the Financial Evidence and got a Y (The NVC Sent this form or document to the U.S Embassy or Consulate) but they still say they require originals.

Now, my AOS package is with a Joint Sponsor who lives in the US and they sent us digitalized copies of their TAX information which I print them and sent to the NVC.

Am I required to bring their original Tax Documents (which would require my Joint Sponsors to mail them to me) to my interview or updated copies will suffice?

Thanks in advance for any answers

Hello there,

I just got my interview appointed to the 26th of February! Yay!

Now, I live in Lisbon and my interview will be set in Paris. I read somewhere that they take my passport. How am I suppose to come back to Lisbon after the interview?

Also, I submitted my original birth certificate and marriage certificate to the NVC (as requested by them really) but I still got asked in the letter to bring originals. I assume this is just a mistake and I only need to bring photocopies ? Or a copy of the original (which will cost yet more money)?

Thanks for any replies!

So you're telling me I can give my case number and all details, and my friend can log in online and do the payment?

Anyone help?

Hello all,

My process is going very well so far, sent in the I-130 package 4th april, got approved the 11th and I'm already at the NVC stage. Now I need to pay the AOS fee but I have a question that I need a quick answer to. My wife and I are both living currently in Portugal and we'd like to send the payment online.

My joint sponsor for the AOS is going to be a close friend of my wife's who's living over at Massachussets. Can she be the one paying the fee even though she's only the joint sponsor? Or I really have to send in a check through mail (which could take a few more days)?

Thanks for all replies!

I have a question, do I need to file the I-864 Affidavit of support along with the I-130 petition or do I only need it for the interview after it's been approved? I searched around, the FAQ says I need it but the Guide doesn't mention it under it's requirements.

Thanks for the replies!

Because not all countries have DCF.

OP: Sometimes there is a secret "auto-expedite" queue for I130s from USCs who live abroad. You can't ask for it, they won't say it exists, but we have noticed in on this site. it appears to have stopped, unfortunately, but you never know when it might start up again. Make sure it's clear your wife is abroad when she files.

Have you filed yet?

I haven't filed yet, I'm still gathering the last documents to pack everything. DCF is not available in my country as far as I know. The US Embassy here does not deal with Immigrant Visas either, it's all taken care in the Paris US Embassy, which I'm not sure will help in terms of speed or not... Is there an option in the I-130 to clearly state my wife is living abroad other than having the same adress as me? lol

If you got a job offer in the US, they would have to sponsor you for a work visa, which are already sold out for this year. They would have to pay thousands of dollars to get you here. Do you have a job in mind?

I have companies in the Boston that I'm going to try to apply for a job (I'm in the sound field) but I only have 2 years of work experience under my belt, It's hard to believe a company will go that far for someone with as little experience as I do. We wanted to move in sooner because my wife wants to start a course and get herself a job there ( No luck over here), so we wanted to get moving as fast as we can. One year seems a long time. I've seen people saying USCIS took them 3-4 months for approval. Will it be that lenghty after the approval? Can't believe it takes 1 full year for someone to immigrate to the US...

What should I do if for example: I start my i-130 process, it hasn't been approved yet, I get a job offer over from the US. How should I procceed about this? If someone with a K3 is not allowed to work in the US, is there a different way to go there while waiting for the I-130 and have a job?

Is it normal for the Visa Process to take full 6 months? I was hopeful I could move by September.. I understand it's completely out of my control and we probably should've started everything sooner, but should I be any hopeful for this to happen or It's just better to plan for 6+ months?

Thank you for your fast responses! I'm sorry I wasn't aware of the Guide section. I've read the guide and your comments thoroughly and I understand what I have to do. It seems I had been mislead on most websites telling me I had to do more than I actually have to, thus being so overwhelmed with conflicting information. My wife will start my I-130 ASAP and I hope the process goes out smoothly.

One last question Darnell, you said that I could study their calendar to fit my plan accordingly, where can I do that?

Many thanks!

André

Hello all,

My wife (US Citizen) and I have been married for 1.5 years and we're are currently living in Portugal, looking to move to the city of Boston within 6 to 8 months. However, this whole immigration process is quite overwhelming due to the amount of forms and information around...

I understand I must start the process with the i-130 form, however, by October we will have completed 2 years of marriage which would enable me to get a permanent Visa, so I'm not quite sure how to procceed with this. I need to get employment authorization as well (I don't have any job offers at the current time though). Should I start the i-130, wait for approval and interview, move to the States and then do the i-485 while I'm there and get both i-485 and 756 at the same time or do the i-751 instead? I'm also trying to keep everything as cheap as possible cost wise.

Also, If I got a job offer meanwhile my i-130 was being processed, could I do a K3 visa, move to the US and the company would deal with the employment authorization and residence?

Thanks for all the help in advance, I'm rather lost with all of the immigration process...

André