SharksBelow

Just wanted to drop in and give you guys all some love and support. I've been here over a month now and things are great, I even got a job which I really like. Being with my husband is obviously worth all the pain.

It was hard to come here for awhile because the last few days of waiting for my visa were so traumatic, I just wanted to forget. But I haven't forgotten you beautiful people and the amazing support you gave me <3

The ELIS website is terrible, but you don't actually need to pay the fee before entry. It's just a recommendation. You can pay it any time after POE - the only thing is that your green card is not going to be made until after you pay... but that step is actually taking like three months apparently so a week is not going to make any difference. The stamp on your passport is valid as a green card for a year. Good luck!

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/How%20Do%20I%20Guides/F4en.pdf

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What if I cannot pay my USCIS Immigrant Fee before I depart for the United States? If you are unable to pay the fee before your departure, you must pay this fee after you arrive in the United States. If there is no record of payment in USCIS ELIS following your admission to the United States, USCIS will send a Request for Payment, which will include instructions on paying your fee. Please note that you will not receive your Permanent Resident Card until you have paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee.

Oh my goodness thank you both so much. Phew! Hubster is still going to try to pay it in the morning (US time) before I fly out. Just in case. We cannot take any risks in this process!

My visa page is very fancy and makes me feel very official

I'm about to leave for my domestic flight to Brisbane then leaving for LAX tomorrow at 10:25am QLD time. God I cannot wait to see my husband and dog!

I'm freaking out. This is a problem with the USCIS site but I have to pay the fee before entry?! ?####### am I going to do

I got my visa! But now ELIS won't let me pay the fee. What the eff! I added the 0 in the alien number and it says if my visa was issued <5 days ago I need to try later. But I need to pay it before I get to POE which is Wednesday morning... :|

I am having the same problem, and my plane leaves in <24 hours. Great.

Wow a Congressperson really got something done with your case? It's possible? Awesome! Hey I wouldn't freak out, i'm sure it's coming, maybe they are printing it, and it takes a few days longer. I heard it can take up to 7-10 days at max...keep us posted! and Can you tell me when did your congresswoman check on your case and what did she say to you??? Please and thanks so much! And CONGRATS!!! ON YOUR VISA!!!

I don't know if they got anything done. The embassy replied to the enquiry that the Congresswoman just saying "she had an interview and her visa has now been issued and was posted this afternoon" on friday, but that doesn't mean she helped, they were just responding like nothing even happened, like they didn't make a huge mistake.

It was issued and posted on Friday, according to them. I am freaking out because I'm meant to leave tomorrow.

Still no tracking for my visa delivery. What an utter joke. Why even bother having trackable packages if there's no way to track them? THe embassy assured both myself and the Congresswoman that my visa was posted on Friday.

Why is it that NO ONE involved in this horrific process can do their job? WHY.

I wonder what really happens on the weekend with Express Post. We still have Saturday delivery here in the States, so I would expect some movement to occur on the weekend here. But Australia Post is different...

If your POE is New York, let me know. I'm coming to the airport to welcome you!

Sukie in NY

Awwww, thank you! You are so sweet. POE is LA for me then I'm flying to Boston where my husband is picking me up.

Yes it's a total mystery what happens over weekends with AP. I believe that transport still happens, just no scanning or tracking of any kind. So with any luck it'll be on board for delivery Monday morning. If not, hopefully Tuesday. A friend suggested calling AP on Monday morning if there's no tracking at all and making a fuss, lol.

Sharks, you are from NSW, no? Fairly large community?

Our packet was mailed on Tuesday afternoon, and we received it on Thursday afternoon (Gold Coast, Queensland). If your packet was sent of Friday, you MAY get it on Monday - or perhaps on Tuesday. You are flying on Wednesday, yes?

Soooo hoping for fast delivery for you!

Sukie in NY

No I'm in QLD, in Rockhampton. It's a 'major regional centre'. Usually I would expect two 'nights' for express post, but sometimes australia post surprises me. I think Tuesday is more likely than Monday.

The difficulty is that if it's not tracked *at all* on Monday, I won't know when to change my flight to. :|

How could this be anything but a case complete? What worries you about that?

Visa was approved this morning and issued on CEAC about 5 mins after. Thanks for all your help!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!

Ok called they said it would be a 90 minutes wait so made a sort of appointment for them to call me back Close to 3 phone rings I jump out of my seat and pick it up, after prompting it to talk to a human being. I hear a little squeaky voice asking me questions and sure enough it's a guy from India whom I can barely understand so I had to have him repeat a lot of stuff. Sweet and patient guy so have nothing bad to say about him but for Pete's sake I couldn't understand him very well. Bottom line they said they didn't have it in the system yet, I did tell him the Embassy gave us the tracking number which said it arrived and was sighted for on March 2. He said it will take about 6 months. For someone to go over everything. I'm praying this doesn't go on forever I'm tired as it is.

I feel like when you were little, your taking a math test and one by one the kids finish, get up and leave and finally your the last one left. That's how I fee. 600 days from NOA1 to Interview, how much longer have they decided to torture us?

My heart breaks for you Soloenta This is so unfair, there's really nothing else to say. I am sending good thoughts and speedy vibes to the people reviewing your case.

OMG.....A huge congratulations......i was reading all ur post in this thread since your interview to today. Soooooo happy for you.

Going through same hell. CO asked me to submit a new joint sponsor bcz he has already sponsored many in past. So he is ineligible. Where the hell they were uptil now? NVC never told anything about this nor my interview letter mentioned to bring new joint sponsor. I was so careful since inception though it leads to AP for me.

Need prayers.....

Oh my dear, I'm so sorry. That is so stressful. That is what I wonder as well - why the hell would the NVC not have flagged that? Have you got any candidates for further sponsoring?

there was no reason to leave the forum. hahahahaha. CONGRATS!

I wasn't leaving the forum! Just the thread where everyone else was getting such good news.

I hope they put it in the post today. I wish there was a way to know.

HELLO BEAUTIFUL!

Now put it in the post. Do it now... C'mon..

Back to AP today which I think means they are printing the visa in the passport.. if it is in the mail tomorrow I can go on Wednesday. If not, I will be rebooking my flights.

Thank god andlolosays told me that our status would go back to AP before issued. I would have DIED if I had seen that and not known that means they're printing the visa. Hoping for ISSUED tomorrow... if that happens and it gets put in the post, I might be still able to go on Tuesday.

i want to ad a spoiler to my signature...can you tell me how?? i'm happy for your READY...that's really exciting!

My pleasure

Put [spoiler.] (without the .) before the words you want to make a spoiler, then [/spoiler.] (again without .) after the words you want to make a spoiler. Done!

Congrats!!! btw your interview says 2014....???

Oops! Thanks for letting me know.

Still says "READY" today but case update date is today..

Yes Mame. :joy: Should change to Issued a day. I am happy you didn;t leave us completely. Now how can we lift you up and support you if you leave. I only get you folks for a small window of time and puff your gone and I am here alone ready for the next month of peeps.

Happy for you sweetie. Mama Debbie is happy. IMG_26042148535689.jpeg This is me happy!

Thank you! It was hard to be around with all those approved people jetting off to their loved ones but now that could be me next week .. maybe.. My flight is booked for Wednesday so I think I will be pushing it. But we will see, I will know if it gets posted today or tomorrow whether I can go.

Congrats!!

next status update should be issued

Hoping that happens soon!

Oh I understand how you feel but the fact is READY means your VISA is ready, please call and pick it up as soon as you can. I'm just so thrilled for you, your nightmare has ended.

Thank you my sweet friend, please keep us in your prayers, I don't know if we will ever see that message but I will keep praying for a miracle. (L)

In australia our visa gets posted so I can't pick it up.. Sadly.. lol! I left them an express post envelope. I have the tracking number so I can keep an eye on that after I see "issued". I don't dare to hope that I could go when I planned - 6 days time (no post on weekends here).

Sharks, I am barracking (isn't that what Aussies say? I know the American "rooting" has another connotation!!!) for you.

I am going to guess that your case has been approved and is "Ready" for them to actually print the visa foil that goes into your passport. I am also guessing that when that foil has been printed and has been applied in your passport and is ready to ship, it will say "Issued".

Looks like progress!!!!

Soon!!!!

Sukie in NY

I hope you're right Sukie. I am not optimistic that I'll make my flight on Wednesday but still feeling more hopeful than the despair of the last couple of days.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS YOU HAVE YOUR VISA WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO OMG I'm so very happy for you, you have no idea. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

I feel that I can't even believe it. Maybe when it says "issued" I will believe it. Maybe when it's in my hands. Maybe when I'm on the plane. Maybe when I'm in my husband's arms.

And as always my love and thoughts are with you Soloenta I wish you too were seeing this message.

From what i read from this site, from AP to READY will eventually become ISSUED.

It will come. I am positive.

Gosh, I hope so. I understand that it may not come in time for me to leave when I had intended (Tuesday night, it is now Wednesday night) but gosh.. wouldn't that be magical

Think positive. This should be it. They might have realized they need not ask for something a self employed does not have. Its coming..

Well, we also did send in what they asked for when we said we couldn't give a w2 ("a signed and dated letter explaining why he cannot get a w2"). So maybe they accepted it?