Jamy2014

Checking in for the 5th month at NVC!
Scan date 02/13 for AOS checklist.

Yeah! We have an official scan date for AOS / IV package: 12/09/2014.
So the countdown started, 59 days to go
Regarding the DS-260 they said the review is taking 42 days, after that the IV-bill is generated and when it is shown as paid, the DS-260 becomes available.
Glad that we sent out the packages and didn´t wait for the IV bill.

Yeah, progress!
We got yesterday the welcome letter and were already able to pay AOS invoice.
My husband sent out the AOS / IV packages too. Should be there on Monday.

Hey guys, we finally got our case # today! Just got off the phone with NVC.

We got finally our case # today! My spouse just got off the phone with NVC.

Yeah! Progress!

I want to share some experience with everyone going through the grinder at NVC which might help some,
As background, I was granted an expedite (through NVC) by my consulate which required only that I pay my fees and submit the DS260. Things bogged down. I was told 60 days... blah, blah, blah. My case went to a supervisors review. They did finally find the missing form, and as a result I was calling back to thank my supervisor (and the rep) for her hard work and we chatted for 20 min or so (it was an enlightening conversation). It was eye-opening to connect with someone on the other side and it prompted me to share.
Here are my two cents worth of advice and observation:
NVC processing:
- To begin with, for crying out loud, read and reread Saylin's wiki on the process. She is the patron saint of the NVC process and continues to help us out of the goodness of her heart. She is up to date and often chimes in on this forum. She is a goddess.
- Once you understand the process and are complying, you will have to wait. Yes, sixty days... It stinks, I understand. But calling again and again hoping for some other information will do you little good. The reps and the supervisors will NOT tell you anything else, even when they are attempting to look into or fix your issue. They simply aren't allowed. For instance, the supervisor would still only give me the '60 days' spiel, even though she was able to get back to me an hour later with a case complete.
- If you are following the wiki, you will know when something doesn't seem right and it is time to call and verify. If a deadline has passed, call.... If they tell you documents are missing that you KNOW were included, call....
- NVC presently appears to be a little short of qualified supervisors, and the caseload on them is tremendous. But if something is amiss in your case. Ask for a supervisor's review if you can't speak directly to one. It will take a few days, and they don't always contact you. Follow up with a call to see if the review was completed.
- I cannot stress this enough: I know how strung out we all are during this and how rude some of the reps are, but stay calm and polite (and persistent). They are human too and are actually more sympathetic than it appears on our end. But, they are overwhelmed and hamstrung by a broken immigration system, consulate bullying and a plethora of rules and regulations. Nevertheless, don't let a rep bully you. Call back for a different rep if you are being handled rudely.
A word on 'expediting'
- If you feel your situation qualifies for an expedite (and not just because you are you and a wonderful human being, which you are of course ). I suggest you take your time composing your request. You should briefly, yet factually, lay out your case without embellishing it with too much emotional overtone. I cannot stress how important it is to then back the request up with paperwork (in PDF format). A good paper-trail is a bureaucrat's friend. You want the consulate to have every shred of evidence when it considers your request.
- If you are granted an expedite, you now enter a grey area (for NVC as well sometimes) and there is no wiki! Pay attention to what your response letter/email states you need to do next. Don't hesitate to call NVC to get direction (though each rep may have a different story). It was only once I read my expedite email word for word to the rep that she put my case up for a supervisor review. Remember: polite and persistent!!
- Please, if you get an expedite, don't brag here. So many deserving people have been waiting and suffering for ages at NVC. On the flip-side, please don't pester someone as to why they got an expedite, or begrudge them if they get one. It can be incredibly personal.
I know this is a long-winded post, but I hope my experience and advice can help some of you now being ground up by the slow gears of NVC. Eventually we will all be spit out. I hope everyone has a smooth exit.

Good morning everyone,
I do not know about the rest of you but it gets depressing seeing all the posts where someone was "scammed" so the love of their life can get that prized green card, they got married and the love of their life magically changed into someone they do not know, the love of their life left them and is now talking about VAWA, they found out the love of their life really had a secret lover back in their home country and once they got the green card they were going to bring that lover to the US, blah, blah, blah. I guess I could go on but I think you get the picture. Marriage is something real that real people that really know each other and want to spend the rest of their life together till death do us part so help us God desire to make that commitment. Finding someone on a web site and talking on Skype will find you in the first stage of love...Romantic Love. Hey I fully understand she/he and you experience the emotions of joy and excitement. The novelty of a new love leads you to think about your partner day and night, imagining all the possibilities of how this person can fulfill your deepest desires. You want to spend every moment of every day with your new partner in the bliss of newly discovered love. At this point (and I am sure each and everyone of you have heard) if it is too good to be true it usually is...but what a great feeling. You have to think about realistic and mature love and how the love of your life coming to the US will be thrown not only into a marriage but a complete different world from their home country.
okay I guess I will get off my soap box but I pray that everyone will step back and let common sense drive their decisions and not let emotions take control.
Elizabeth (my beautiful and wonderful wife) came from Mexico to work in the US on a TN visa. She is an accountant and we met while my company provided accounting consulting services for her company. There was zero conflict of interest when I asked her out to eat after we had known of each other almost a year. That night we sat and talked for over two hours and yes I was hooked (romantic love!). We dated for almost 6 years before I popped the question. Mind you we did not live together and simply dated. September 14th of 2013 we said I Do. I will be the first to say the whole visa process was very hard. Since we applied for a K1 visa she had to give up her TN visa and go back to Mexico City. The great news is she also had a tourist visa so was able to travel from Mexico to the US a number of times while we waited on USCIS as I also traveled from Atlanta to Mexico City a number of times. We made it through those times which made our relationship stronger. Our faith in God has been the foundation of our marriage. We have not waited for times to get bad (too late sometimes) before we try marriage counseling as we are doing that when the times are great. Our church offers a number of marriage seminars and counseling services which we have used. Those services have helped with the day to day life of being married and life itself. We do not have the perfect marriage but we are making every effort to keep our commitment to God until death do us part. Have we had a major disagreement picking out a color of paint when I painted the kitchen??? oh yes! But folks that is everyday life and what a joy it is to share it with your wife. I wanted to share some good news for a change and we will keep each and everyone of you in our prayers.
May God richly bless and keep you.
Elizabeth and John

Thank you! I´ll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Well, to answer both, JulyFilers is from the Philippines so they will get an auto expedite. That is probably why your friends (also from the Philippines, presumably) have gotten approved even though they filed in late July. The rest of us that are not from the Philippines have to wait 5 months or more so this is not the best thread to complain when you filed in July.

We are still at USCIS NOA1 stage but I renewed my ESTA after my old one expired. Had to renew it anyways due to my name change. ESTA got approved without any problems although it won´t be a guarantee for an entry without problems.