chrislily

Yes my issues are with the NVC in the USA. I called them last night and they are clueless. They told me they did not know why I received a checklist. Even though the letter states to call that number if I have question. Their advice was to wait until Friday which is the 30 day mark of receipt and call then to see if it is a true checklist.

Basically the reasoning they proposed was that the person inputting my case in may have stopped at the end of their day before putting in all of the documents. I don't find that too reassuring because documents that were physically between the Birth Certificate and Korean Police check were not on the checklist (Marriage Cert. Divorce Cert, Photos, etc..)

The most frustrating thing is the checklist does not get specific.

1. If its "missing" then I know they lost it. Then I resubmit the lost documents with the checklist coversheet.

or

2. If they don't like the documents I submitted for whatever reason then that would be great to know as well so I don't resubmit the same previously rejected documents.

The NVC is a complete fail of an organization. I am stuck with no ability to take an action step right now and I already know they tack 30-60 days on every single thing they do so it truly sickens my stomach to know that the ball is on my side right now and I have no idea which step is appropriate.

So frustrated. I received a Checklist email notification with the checklist attachment.

It stated that it wanted the applicants birth certificate and the Police Certificate from South Korea.

I created 4 identical packets before submission. Both documents were in the packet with an Avery label affixed that annotated the case number.

I have an ongoing Congressional regarding my case as well. I contacted my immigration advocate at the congressman's office and we set a plan into motion.

I submitted her birth certificate as issued by the embassy in Seoul. She is not Korean. The certificate from the embassy stated everything they require and it was in English. I am 100% certain this same type of certificate was accepted by mutual friends who had done direct consular filing. If its good enough for them then why not good enough for me.

I submitted her Korean Police Certificate as Issued by the Korean Police with the appropriate stamps in place.

Both documents were included in the original submission packet.

I am so frustrated right now. Any advice would really be appreciated right now.

Another must read for you:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/support

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/user/90397-saylin/

This forum can be really helpful to answer all of those questions. These are all the same questions I had when I started.

On most members profiles you can see something at the bottom that says "timeline" Click on that and you will get a stream of dates of their particular immigration process. (you could start by looking at mine)

Right now I am on the tail end of my NVC processing in New Hampshire. I am awaiting my "Case Complete" status and keeping my fingers crossed that there will not be a dreaded "Checklist" aka RFE (request for evidence) this happens when a petitioner or beneficiary do something out of sequence, submit incorrect forms, forget to sign something on a form, or when for whatever reason the adjudicator sees something they don't like.

Once I get a Case Complete the Petition goes to Seoul and from there my spouse can complete her interview process at the Embassy and from there a Visa. Then we can schedule a flight, and bring her home.

My case though is vastly different from yours based on how we as petitioners had to file.

There is a really good I-130 checklist cover sheet available in the I-130 section of this Forum. Its very well explained and it is also the one I used for my own I-130.

For the I-130, after you make your initial Embassy appointment you will complete the form and assemble all necessary original documents. Make 3 copies of every original document and assemble a total of 4 packets. 1 is originals that you hand carry to you appointment. 2 is the packet that is carried in addition to the originals to your appoint. 3 is your packet of copies. 4 is your spouses packet. Have everything assembled and in order before your appointment.

From there they will receive it at the window and you will pay the initial 420 dollars fee.

From there I get a little fuzzy because I was unable to go through any further motions in Seoul before I was referred back to the USA based on my address not being Korean.
However, I do know that there is an AOS of support. It sounds like you will do the I-864 fortunately when filed abroad there is no fee. Domestically, its 120 dollars. After a period of time you will need to pay the IV Fee bill which is 325 dollars and from there is when you fill out the online Visa application on the CEAC website. Make sure to print the confirmation cover sheet as your spouse will need it for the interview. From there they will schedule the interview and you will be all set. Seoul Embassy is pretty good. I have known them to process 3 cases from Korea and they all went smoothly in and around the 3-4 month point. I am a little hesitant to throw out to much more on those cases because simply stated they were not my case and I am not completely familiar.

Always have your documents in order, and ready to carry to the embassy for whatever reason. (things get lost) Never give away your last copy.

One timeline I saw that was relative to what you are about to go through was this one. There is a Texas service center listed on there but that is likely an error because the dates move to quickly for it to be a true file to the Texas service center. This one was done start to finish in Seoul:

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=197921

I hope that helps and if there are members that have better info please feel free to add on or make corrections if I have misspoken.

Sayalin is really really sharp in their posts. Look for the Sayalin Wiki in the CR-1 Section of the forum.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

http://www.visajourney.com/content/dcf

Also, to add on about your AOS thoughts. If you don't have a job in the United States you will very likely need a Co-Sponsor on your AOS. They fill out I-864A. This is generally done by close family member from the petitioners side. It complicates things a little more but My Brother-in law was Sponsored with an I-864A in a local Seoul Visa filing (your exact possible situation) and it still only took 3 months for them.

I can help you with some information on this specific matter you are experiencing.

I am also applying for a CR-1 for my wife who is living in Seoul and I am living in the USA.

Here is the deal:

As long as you and your spouse are currently living in Seoul then the Embassy in Seoul will process your specific Visa case. Things still clear through NVC and Homeland Security but it as done at their level and not yours. The end result is that the process in your case is going to move fast. Three months is about the average assuming you have everything in order.

Where it gets a bit rougher is when the petitioner lives stateside and the spouse lives in Korea. The Embassy will not process anything for you. Everything has to be initiated by the petitioner in the United States. This is where time and patience comes into play. All the situations where you are seeing seemingly endless wait times falls under this type of processing.

If you can file in Seoul because you live there... 3-4 months.

If you can't.... 8-12 months assuming there is no RFE's involved.