jklm2010

WOHOOOOOO!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!! I'm ELATED for you guys!!! So happy!

Legit. I am happy for you two!!! Good stuff!!!

I wonder when they had assigned the interview date for you, since you decided to call yourself.

Like do you think they had already assigned it say a month ago or a few weeks ago but you just decided to call.

Congrats, jlkm!!!! I know that's such a big relief!!!! Now you can start acting on the next stage and get closer to the end of this process!!!!!

Thank you to both you guys for the support! I'm just so SO happy that we at least have a date to look forward to now!

And I'm actually not sure when it was scheduled but I just received the email for it like 25 minutes ago and it was dated today's date

Oh well, knowing about it 4 hours early was totally worth it lol!

GUESS WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?????

FINALLY got our interview date! :joy:

I was browsing through the September interview thread and was noticing that people who were calling today were getting interview dates on the phone but just hadn't gotten the emails yet.

So I decided to give it a try and wasn't expecting anything and it turned out we DID have a date!! 9/30!!! :content: I'm just so happy I can't even express it!

It's a small chance of it being approved but on the offset that it is I just want to know what I'm getting myself into.

You know how the Afghans are over there, always trying to screw something up. So I want to be sure this wont negatively impact my case.

Will it be Americans who review those documents or Afghans? I don't want them doing something, you know what I mean?

So than IF it is approved I guess the AOS/IV package WILL be sent to the embassy right from NVC correct?

Yes I know how Afghans can be like (Vajaster: are you yourself Afghan by the way? I am.)

And I don't know the answer to who will be looking at the documents, but yes NVC will send them directly to the embassy.

.....every time there's a bombing or something over there my stomach twists from worry

May all our loved ones be kept safe.

The plan ahead tool is usefull I never saw that before. I'd like to think that's the case but according to JKLM2010 the 18 days doesn't really sound too promising.

Thanks for chiming in ... wow really? You got a CC on 07/02/2015 and are still waiting for an interview date?

So if I'm not mistaken your case is currently at NVC right? They haven't shipped yet since you haven't received an interview date.

Gah!!!! This is ridiculous! To wait so long for USCIS than NVC to approve and after finally getting a CC at NVC have to wait 2 months for an interview?

I'm thinking of submitting an expedited request really.

I've already submitted DS-260 and have paid all fee's.

What do you guys think if I submit the expedited request? Do you think it will pull up any troubles for me during the interview they than have with my spouse?

Will my IV/AOS package be sent to the embassy? Will it be reviewed here in NVC or will the embassy review it?

UGH!!! I could rant on and on about this whole stupid process! It's torture and just so cruel, especially for those of us who can't afford a $1700 (or so) plane ticket to visit our loved ones

And yes my case is gathering dust at NVC. And no immigrant visas aren't shipped out until they have an interview date.

You can try the expedite, but you would have to have a pretty legitimate reason and then pull out evidence to prove it. I'm sure tons of people have tried expediting at Kabul already.

And if you DO get an expedite, then your documents should be sent directly to the embassy instead of being reviewed at NVC.

But is that from the Kabul embassy's side or the NVC side? I have a friend I found on here who is waiting in Kenya, and she too has CC'd, but is still waiting. I think she's been waiting about the same time as you, jklm, and Kenya has a fast embassy.

What basically happens for immigrant visas is the embassy sends NVC a timetable of the available interview dates for the following month and NVC schedules them according to those dates and any other slots that become available throughout the month.

So Kabul is extremely busy because everybody is trying to get out of there right now.

Amhara, whats the average wait time for an interview to be scheduled at the embassy in Kabul?

My case is currently with NVC I've submitted everything and am waiting for their decision currently before them sending it to the embassy but I am just curious.

I know you're asking Amhara, but since we are in the same visa category and I am currently going through this ridiculous stage....

Our case was completed on July 2 and we are still waiting for an interview date...think about that.....this Thursday will complete 8 weeks that we are still waiting.

I hope your melancholy doesn't last long. The positive thing is that your interview should be scheduled any day now! But I know that without completely knowing, the next two weeks can be emotionally taxing. The letter should come within another two weeks, but it's hard to push away those feelings of doubt, uncertainty, anxiety and being lost that come with not knowing when you should get to the next step.

Just remember that you are closer now than you have been. Try to remember the progress your case has made, and set short-term date goals. We tried to get in the mindset of waiting for the next three weeks for something to happen. Especially in AP, trying to give generous deadlines before going crazy helped, but small milestones maintained motivation. It's close. It's close. His interview may be scheduled for the beginning of October, if my theory is correct. But your case is moving and it's moving in the right direction.

Thank you so much for your understanding and supportive words.

I feel like NOBODY else knows or is capable of understanding what people like me, you and everyone else in a long-distance relationship feel

So of all six of the cases I was tracking that I thought may have had interviews the same day as my fiance, all have been issued as of yesterday. We are still waiting, so we are a little disappointed thinking it would have been issued this week. Oh well, at least we are close. So close...

Today makes it 6 weeks since we got our case complete......I am going through so much depression right now.

So from the forums I read it's OK to send the documents with just the AOS barcode/cover sheet. I don't have to wait for the IV to clear and than submit that bar code. Is that information accurate?

Now can these be scanned and emailed or is it better (or only acceptable) to mail them?

In terms of the DS260, from my understanding, it is completed online and submitted through the CEAC portal correct?

Sorry guys I've got lots of questions and you guys are my hope lol ...

Ummm I think you should wait for both of the barcodes. One for AOS and one for IV separately. Because that's how they'll be able to tell each package from each other.

They have to be mailed.

And yes DS-260 is submitted online once fees show "Paid".

Make your faith in God your hope, we are just sources of information

Great ... thanks for the answers, honestly that was quite a bit of my worries ... those questions there.

So when can I send the AOS/IV package exactly? As soon as the DS-261 is completed and I pay the AOS/IV fee's?

I read that I need to submit a bar code as well? Is that something that will be available on the CEAC website or do I have to actually wait for it to come in the mail/

I'm just trying to make short cuts and not slack off. I want to be on top of this.

BTW: Sorry did some more research lol defintely no EP for KBL lol

And I'll have to get the Nikkah Khat back to AFG for the interview

Yes as soon as you fill out the DS-261 and pay the fees. Once your fees have been processed CEAC will show "Paid" for both.

As for the barcode, right under where it says "Paid" for each fee, you will have the option "Print Document Cover Sheet" for each IV and AOS packages, and that is where you will get the barcode. I will include an image of what it looks like.

Good for you though, the sooner you do everything the less delays you'll have.

Our package sending unfortunately fell right in the middle of tax season so that delayed us a little.

And yeah, that'll be the day when Afghanistan has updated technology

Thanks ... I think I'll just complete it online to be on the safe side.

I've got a couple more questions - (side note should I be making a seperate post for this or is this OK to ask?)

1. But my question is (of course once I pay the AOS and IV fee's) can I send my AOS and IV Packets before completing DS260 or must I wait and send them after I have completed the DS260?

2. Should I go to electronic route or mailing route when submitting these documents?

3. I have the Nikkah Khat (the nikkah booklet with me here in the USA). Will the NVC actually ask for the original that I have? Will the embassy ask for it/should I be sending it back to AFG for my wife to keep and submit?

4. Can I be emailing the AOS/IV Packet?

5. Will NVC be asking for any physical documents (paperwork or originals of documents) for me to mail to them if I choose to go with eletronic processing?

I think it's ok to ask here.

1) I really don't think this is a problem. We sent the IV packet then filled out the DS-260 4 days later and then needed extra time to gather up the documents for the AOS packet because of tax season, so that was sent last. Thank God no checklist

2) Are you sure we have the electronic option to submit these documents? I don't think Afghanistan has that option or else I definitely would have done it that way.

3) No NVC will not ask for the original, they will take a copy of it. But yes the embassy will want to see the original which is why I left that with my husband.

4) & 5) For Afghanistan I'm pretty sure everything has to be mailed, but you can double check and ask someone else too. Places like Canada and UK can do electronic submissions...lucky them

Hope this helped a little.

I would complete the DS-261. That way you won't make any mistakes and you can have a record that it's done.

Is there a reason you don't want to use the electronic form? Is the system down?

I know what you mean. There were two major attacks in Kabul, but I haven't seen any news articles about it. One was just too close. I need my guy!

I heard about that. It's really really depressing

One of those thirty something people could have been somebody else's fiance/spouse waiting for their case here you know? It's so sad.

May God have mercy on them and all of us

I don't think you would need to do it if they already have input it through the phone, but do you really trust them to input all the data correctly? But I wouldn't know this step. What do you think, jlkm?

To be honest I'm not too sure about this one because my attorney took care of all that stuff.

But if it were up to me I would do it online just because I can be sure of typing in the correct information versus telling it verbally to a person and that person possibly getting a letter or number wrong you know? We really don't need the possibility of an extra delay due to a tiny mistake or something lol.

We didn't have a ceremony either for now (which is a big deal in our country) and got a simple court marriage but I don't think it will be an issue as

long as you have the documents to prove both of you are married.

I mean you can never be too careful, bringing along pictures and extra proof is an extra benefit but your marriage documents should be enough.

Good luck to both of you!

Oh nevermind about the priority date. I found the answer here on VJ.

"For a case involving a spouse of a US Citizen, the priority date is nothing more than the date the file officially enters the queue. It does not affect the scheduling of an interview by the NVC as a visa for a spouse of a US Citizen is not subject to numerical limitations.

For visas in numerically limited categories, the priority date must be current before an interview can be scheduled."

I can totally relate! I don't know what I would do without this site! It at least gives me a way to get information to help me feel a little empowered!

Yeah, I think you are right and that they are SIV cases. They must be getting ready to interview a lot of SIV guys. It seems that the chatter is saying some of them have interviews the end of August. One person is saying that their interview was changed from September 3rd to the end of August. I don't know. But if these ones are getting updates this fast, then they must be getting interviews soon. I checked those cases last week, and they seemed to have gotten about three updates since then. I was watching to see if they were getting more updates than my friends'; and now it seems that they have.

So can't they schedule the currently waiting "Ready" cases, like the ones received in June for their interviews in early September? It seems that based on my time line, they should receive their interview letters soon in early August for an interview in early September IF they are holding fiance and spousal visas to interview together.

I seen a lot of cases in ceac get visas issued early July. This reinforced my theory and got me started thinking that those cases were interviewed together. Now I have a batch of KBL numbers that I suspect were interviewed at the same time as my guy because they are getting updates about the same time.

I called my attorney today who deals with a lot of Afghanistan cases and he said that Kabul is packed right now and among the busiest embassys and that it's been taking months for people to get their interview dates.

I'm also wondering how much of an influence priority dates have on getting an interview date because my priority date is August 26th....any idea on that?

And I completely agree with you this site is amazing. I don't know how I would channel out my impatience and frustration without this website.

Not having VJ would be like floating lost in outer space lol.

Thanks, you guys!

I think they do, unfortunately, because when I've searched through the KBL numbers, and it seems that the cases that say "Issued" that say "Immigrant" on top (because fiance's changes to "Nonimmigrant" when it's issued), which are the spousal visas, are issued about the same time frame as fiance visas. They wouldn't be SIV because SIV takes nearly a year or more to get. They could be lottery immigration visas, but the chances of seeing one of these KBL numbers and it being a spousal visa is very high.

So if I look at a 2015 KBL number that reached NVC on February 25th (or the 56th day of the year) that happened to be the third case processed by NVC that day, you see they waited for about 135 days, or 4 months and 15 days. If you compare that with our time line, assuming we get the visa on August 15th, our process will be 115 days, or 3 months and 24 days.

That tells me that they take about the same time considering spousal visas stay at NVC a lot longer to process the green card.

So then what do you think are all those case numbers that have either 4 or 5 or 6 people under one case number?

And also, I just checked a few of them again and it's weird because yesterday the last updates for these were July 29, but

I checked them again right now and the last updates show up as August 4.

I've developed an obsession with searching for as much information as I can find. I'm on the VJ website more than Facebook lol!

Congrats Amhara!!

Hey you guys think it takes the same amount of time for spousal applications (I-130's)?

That's exactly what I was wondering because Omar and Amhara's cases were for the K1 but both of our's are for the IR-1/CR-1.

Kabul takes forever to schedule interviews. In 2012 when I applied for my then fiancée, it took them nearly 3 months for an interview. I applied in July, 2012, expedited and sent to NVC in I believe 1 week, and NVC forwarded it Kabul a few days later. I made a mistake of flying out to attend the interview with her(thinking it would only take a few weeks) but ended up staying there until 11-11-2012. Her interview was on 11-05-12 I believe and if I recall, there were about 30 people there with her. She passed the interview and they told her to come back on Sunday the 11th I think to pick up her visa. Went there Sunday, got the yellow packet and we flew to put Monday to the U.S. They are extremely slow and at that time they were back logged. Communications are done through emails and phone calls. In my opinion women get approved and issued their visas a lot quicker then men.

I wonder if K1 visas and CR-1 visas differ in how much time it takes to get an interview.....3 months is just BS.....I'm telling you it's all these large groups of Special Immigrant Visa families that are backing everyone else up they need to make a completely separate department in the embassy that handles those cases alone and not mix it up with all the others.

You and I were doing the same thing last night! I was seeing those cases too and the majority of July 9th and 29th. But I don't think they are really waiting on those from January and February 2015. Our case didn't get any updates after it arrived in Kabul. Our case got to Kabul on May 5th, we got an update June 9th, and we got the interview letter June 14th. So I think they are trying to touch all their cases timely, but I watch the chatter on the SIV site and they seem to be on a different schedule than the other visas. That's why I think they are worked in batches. But that's the only logical reason I can come up with on why a petition needs to wait for six to ten weeks before getting an interview letter. From what I've seen, SIV cases normally need to wait nine to twelve months before they get an interview.

At least the embassy is working on cases. Btw, we got our drop off call last night!!! We should get our weesa by next weekend!!

Yayyyy! Congrats! Almost there

Ok so I found out some information regarding IV from a few days worth of data from CEAC website.

As infuriating and irritating as it is, the majority of the cases that Kabul has been updating involve a large number of family members (like 3-7 people).

I don't know for sure which visa categories these might be but I have a good guess that they have something to do with the Special Immigrant Visas,

which is SO unfair for all of us who are just waiting for that one person! :ranting:

I looked at case numbers that were received at NVC during the last week of February.

These are the days in July that cases from then have been getting updates: July 9, 13, 20, 27, and 29 (a whole BUNCH were updated on this day)

And I even saw one that was updated today. I'm hoping sooo much that we get an interview date sometime this week.

So there you go, just some data out there for us uninformed people waiting for Kabul.

The ceac.gov case numbers are issued in an preset manner. (http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process#Step_1_-_Case_Number)

For an example, we'll use a date that NVC didn't process cases on. So if the petition was received by the NVC on July 4, 2015, the case number would be KBL2015685001. It translates into this: KBL 2015 685 001

KBL = abbreviation of the city the interview will be conducted at

2015 = the year the petition was received

685 = the day of the year the petition was received + 500 (July 4th was the 185th day in 2015)

001 = the numerical order the case was received (this was the first case NVC received on this day for Kabul)

So if it was the fourth case received at the NVC that day for Kabul, the case number would be KBL2015685004.

This is how I look up numbers on ceac.gov with dates before and after your own case to get an idea of what's going on with the case load. The K-1 cases change, so you will find some older KBL numbers with later case creation dates. Also, I think a lot of SIV cases still show At NVC with no case creation date.

That was extremely helpful and easy to read!

Thanks so much!

Just a theory of mine: I'm wondering if Kabul doesn't work their cases in batches. Such as, instead of scheduling the petitions as they come in, they wait for them to accumulate, then schedule all fiance and spousal visas on the same day? My guy interviewed with fiances and spouses. I have been tracking seven KBL numbers that I suspect were received by the embassy about the same time ours was (and probably interviewed the same day) and all seven of them, including ours, were updated on August 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Two of the seven (not ours unfortunately) are still in AP, but are about to be issued as K-1 visas.

I also noticed in my search through CEAC.GOV, that there were a lot of visas issued the beginning of July, and less visas issued at any other time. So I'm thinking that maybe they are waiting to schedule another round for maybe September interviews (and probably why my friend hasn't gotten their interview date yet). Hopefully they will be issuing K-1 visas then too! I don't know, though. It's just a theory.

Oh cool so how have you been able to track other KBL numbers??? Is there like a generalized list somewhere or something?

And how have you been seeing the numbers of visas Kabul has been issuing?

Please let me know I would love to look through that info.

This week is my friend's eighth week of their petition begin at Kabul, and still no interview date. When she sent an email, they said she should send another email if they don't hear anything in another three more weeks! The embassy said they have gotten a lot more spousal/fiance cases lately. I must have been real recent since we got our interview date after six weeks.

But maybe an NVC expedite will transfer to the embassy?

I sent this email to Kabul embassy on July 10:

"I was just wondering how long it takes for your consulate to schedule an interview for an immigrant visa applicant after

I would appreciate any information about how and when you guys schedule interviews. Thank you."

This is the reply I got:

"Thank you for your e-mail.

Please note that NVC schedules all the immigrant visa appointments, except fiancée visas, K1 cases."

Is this true???

CC on July 2.

Still waiting for interview email...praying for an early September interview

Please let this be our lucky month