vitaminhan

Hello,

My wife's CR1 case is pending at NVC. The case is complete 2.5 months ago and NVC still has not shipped the case to Guangzhou consulate in China (we are processing the paper version). My estimate timeframe on her CR1 visa is at least another 3 months, if not longer.

I called NVC many times and all I got was wait. Guangzhou consulate now is having too many cases to process so everyone is delayed for... god knows how long.

My wife has a valid B1/B2 visa but is expiring in a few days. Now her company would like to send her to the US headquarter for a business trip. The trip itself is not absolute necessary but her boss told her if she can make the trip, it would be very beneficial to transfer her to the US headquarter once her CR1 visa is obtained.

We all understand at this time there is a risk of being denied on the new B1/B2 application. If the B1/B2 is denied then I guess we have no other option but waiting for the CR1 visa approval. She has been to the US quite a few times in the past and left within the allotted time.

My question is whether the CR1 visa will be affected if she applies a B1/B2 visa at this time, regardless the outcome? Will there be a question when she has the CR1 interview such as why did you apply a B1/B2 just a few months before your CR1?

I think it may look odd but we would like to make this trip happen if the B1/B2 application won't cause problem in the CR1 process.

Thank you

Until an interview has been booked, your case will remain at the NVC. Because of the problem printing visas, the embassies and consulates have been delaying interview dates. You just have to be patient. Also it would be helpful if you filled out your timeline or at least put down a country of interview.

Thank you for the reply. The country is China and there are 2 types of process.

1. Paper. After case complete NVC ships the case to the embassy and the embassy will schedule the interview date upon receiving the paper case

2. Electronic. After case complete NVC schedules the interview then ships the case out to the embassy.

Mine is Paper, so I should go with path 1. Not only I learned this from VJ, but also I have seen people filing paper and the same category got case shipped before an interview date is scheduled. That is why I am mad because after NVC sends the file out, there might be another 2 months wait...

So I have been calling NVC everyday to ask for the reason until I realize the NVC employees may not know much about the process. Also, the people working in call center probably do not have any influence on the people who actually work on the case. I guess that explains why I get 2 different answers from NVC operators and there is no progress after multiple supervisors checked it.

I have no idea how there are 2 different answers. I assume the people work there should be trained well, at least at the supervisor level?

As to how a supervisor check a case, it seems the supervisor just logs a request in the system and then forgets it. If there is no one responds, then that will be it. Today I talked to the supervisor who promised to call me when she heard something back. All she did was put a follow up request to send the case out.

Today is the 63rd day since case complete. I have been calling NVC everyday and ask for the reason. All their first line operators only know "the case is pending and will be shipped any day". I have spoken with 3 supervisors and there are 2 different answers:

1. My case is still waiting to be shipped out. It is really long so the supervisor will look into it. Nothing happens.

2. My case is waiting for an interview date to be scheduled, and will be shipped out after I have the interview date. I confirmed 5 times with that supervisor and she said she fully understood I was a PAPER filer, but still waiting for an interview date.

The NVC people with answer 1 would say the answer 2 people are wrong, and the answer 2 people would say the answer 1 people are wrong. I believe answer 1 is correct...

I feel frustrated. It seems every time I call those NVC people basically just tell me: "we are sorry you have a problem, but we are not able to help"

Today I asked for someone higher than the useless supervisor so the operator contacted a manager. I did not get to speak to the manager but according to the operator, the manager would ask the department which handles my case to ship it out. She said there should be an answer by Friday, which I do not believe at all...

I am using EP i don't know is that will be also the same way?

No... EP is faster...supposedly, no DHL involved

I wish I did EP, but the NVC representative said EP was very slow at the time when I got the case number...

how to tracking with DHL without the tracking #?

Go to DHL.com and under EXPRESS click Track by Shipper's Reference

Shipper's Reference field enter EXP 11 MAY 2015A (5/11 is the first date you can see a package sent out to China in May, the second one is on 5/14, and none after that)

Date Range enter from 5/1 to 5/20

Shipment destination enter China, People's Republic

Here you will see a package mailed on 5/11 to China and was cleared as diplomatic mail. This 5/11 mail was scheduled to deliver on 5/20 but the custom clearance delayed it for 2 days. Now seems the custom clearance is done and it is ready to be delivered.

DHL consistently shows about 1 week to 10 days delivery time even for diplomatic mails. I really hope now our mails do not have to sit in a custom warehouse for a few months!

have you got your interview day yet?

any update?

I called NVC yesterday and the operator told me my case was electronically sent to Guangzhou embassy and the embassy would schedule the interview based on the electronic one. I am a Non-EP filer so I am not sure if he mistakenly assumed me as an EP filer, also I am not sure if the embassy would schedule interview before it sees the actual paper file.

I called NVC today again and the operator did not mention the electronic file at all, but said the case is routed to a supervisor to push it to mail out

Are both EP and Non-EP sent electronically nowadays?

Hopefully my case will be mailed out in the next batch. I am checking DHL website daily and in May there were 2 packages mailed out to China. I hope my status will change to In Transit when I see a new package mailed to China on DHL website.

Hi Vitaminhan,

That is strange because my status says "Ready". I e-mailed the consulate, and they told me they had received the electronic "safefile" and are waiting for the paper file to "be delivered". I am certainly not an expert, but maybe you could ask the consulate to check and see if they have received your safefile. Once they do that, your CEAC status might change to Ready. I have been watching timelines, and it looks like the case complete to P3 letter is running 6 weeks for paper filers.. sometimes even 4 weeks, and 8 weeks on the outside. After all the hoops we've already jumped through, this last "surprise" has been brutal.

Good luck to you, and let me know if you have some luck soon,

DL Aaronson

if 6 weeks or 8 weeks after the case complete to an interview letter, then I am fine with it, but now it has been 4 weeks and according to NVC call representative, my case has not been sent! Sometimes I doubt if my case has been sent but the NVC status just not got updated...

Yes I am a paper filer too. I was going to do EP but before I received my GUZ number I called NVC and was told the EP was really slow at that time, and she recommended me to go the paper path.

Well I have to say NVC did wrap up my case quickly. From the day NVC received my AOS/IV packages to case complete only took 25 calendar days.

I saw my AOS fee status became N/A on 4/20/15 so I called NVC and was confirmed the case was complete. Since the case was paper filed so it must be sent to Guangzhou embassy before an interview date could be assigned.

There is no update since then. It has been 4 weeks since 4/20 and my case has not been sent yet. I call NVC everyday and the answer is always the same: it will be sent but we do not know when.

I have heard paper case would have to wait in a custom warehouse for a few months before it could be shipped to the embassy? It really freaks me out. Though I see DHL website shows mostly 1 week of delivery time instead of few months.

My case status on CEAC is always AT NVC. It never changed to anything else.

I wonder if anyone has the experience about when my case will be shipped out? Also is that true we the paper filers must wait a few months for custom clearance in China?

Thanks

Is the interview already booked? Because they don't mail out the package until the interview is booked unless there is something different that happens at that particular consulate.

China is different. I think China is the only embassy schedules its own interview. So at least for the paper filers, if no package is received, no interview will be scheduled

For China paper file cases (non-EP), this is incorrect, once the file arrives in China, it will sit in a customs warehouse.

so...even with DHL website shows it gets signed off in a week it still sits in a warehouse?

Does that sign off mean warehouse signs off instead of the Embassy signs off?

Thank you very much for the response, sadly it seems there is nothing else to do besides waiting...

Cannot believe it takes weeks to mail something out...

Hello,

My case was completed on 4/20/2015 and I received an email on 4/27/2015 from NVC read as below

27-APR-15

Dear Sir/Madam,

All documentation necessary to complete the National Visa Center's processing of your case has been received. As soon as an interview date has been scheduled, the applicant, petitioner and attorney (if applicable) will be notified.

The applicant should NOT make any travel arrangements, sell property, or give up employment until the US Embassy or Consulate General has issued a visa.

The US Embassy or Consulate General may require additional documentation at the time of the interview.

Sincerely,

Director

National Visa Center

I have not heard anything since this email. I am a paper filer and I know the next step is NVC would send the completed case to Guangzhou Consulate in China so it can schedule an interview for my wife.

In the past few days I have been calling NVC and the answer is the same: your case is going to be sent but it has not gone out yet. The representatives told me the NVC standard for completed case to be sent to China is 28 days. The 28th day will be Monday next week, 5/19/2015.

I really do not believe my case will be sent on that day and I know if I do not do something, my case might be forgotten.

Here are my questions and any advice is appreciated.

1. Is it possible I can ask to be transferred to someone with higher authority than the call representative to mail my case out?

2. Is talking to a supervisor helpful or just waste of time?

3. I have tried to check DHL website and found there are 2 mails from NVC to China after 4/20/2015. One was on 4/30 and the other one was 5/11. Is it possible my case is in one of those mails but the system still shows not gone out yet?

4. My case status shows AT NVC the whole time. It never changed to anything even during the NVC review process. I have seen others see case status change with update time, but mine never changed and there is no time stamp attached to it. Am I looking at the right case status check website or is that possible some case status never get updated?

5. From this forum I have learned paper filers may have to wait a few months for the mail to clear at Chinese custom, but the DHL website show about 1 week from the US to China sign off. Does that mean nowadays the diplomatic mails do not have to wait that long?

Thank you very much!

congratulations,what is ur scan date?

my scan date was 3/25/2015, lucky I did not get any checklist thanks for the info I learned from Visajourney

Just see the AOS fee status became N/A. Called NVC and the representative said the case was completed today. She said the NVC would mail the case to Guangzhou Embassy in China and my wife would be notified directly by the Embassy there.

My question is how long the Embassy will receive the case? If I need to get some update on my case, should I call the Embassy directly? I doubt if there is a number for checking update...

Thanks

Did you mail copies of w-2 with copy of tax returns? If sending in copies of tax forms you also need to include copies of w-2 and anything else you file with returns. Sending in the transcripts you do not

Yeah I mailed W-2 with my return. I just do not know if they will come back to me asking for a transcript. I feel they are unpredictable and give ambiguous instructions

Hello all

This is my first post here. I recently mailed my AOS package and IV package to the NVC but for tax year 2014 I only mailed the copy of my return because I applied ITIN for my wife and the IRS takes forever to assign it.

7 days after I mailed my packages, I received the letter from the IRS and the tax return transcript is now available online.

Should I mail the newly generated transcript to NVC or I do not need to do anything until they request a transcript from me?

Also, is NVC now processing faster? My petition was received at NVC on 3/9 and both the case number and IIN were assigned on 3/16. Both AOS bills and IV bills were available on 3/17 so I paid them, filled the forms and mailed my packages on 3/23. I called them yesterday and was told instead of 60 days waiting time they are doing 45 days now. I read some the posts and saw someone with March scan date received case complete. So...generally a good thing to be happy with?