phillamb168

It’s been almost two weeks since my wife’s visa status changed to ‘issued.’ We were getting concerned, so I contacted the (outsourced) contractor company who handles visa logistics. A rather abrupt fellow who sounded Romanian told me that I should read all of the emails that were sent to me before calling them next time. I dug around a bit and found a couple different email addresses hidden in various FAQs, and sent off a few emails asking what was going on with the visa issuance. In what I’m _certain_ is coincidence, I received a tracking notice an hour after sending those emails (although another coincidence, the label print date was today). We receive her visa tomorrow!

First reason: emotional and financial hardship. Second reason: even more financial hardship (wife's car was destroyed, she had no way to get around). Second one was sent by my congressman's DoS liaison, which may have had something to do with it.
 
The embassy is always the one to make the decision on expedites, so it varies quite a bit depending on the embassy you're talking to. But I think it also depends on _who_ at the embassy looks at your expedite. I would wager that my first one was seen by one person, and the second was seen by someone else.
 
I know there are people who for some reason get upset at people who file expedites for what they believe are 'non-emergency' reasons, but it's not like it's queue jumping - different embassies have higher or lower case load, and the response will differ depending on each case. IMO, everybody who thinks they may have a valid reason should try at least once - think about it this way, if they accept, case load at NVC goes down because that's one less case for them to have to deal with.
 
Oh and I knew my congressman had submitted the request last week, but have still not received an email confirming that the expedite was approved, only way I knew was to log in to CEAC and click on "Check My Visa Application Status" link.

Thank goodness. Our second expedite request was approved yesterday. Found out via the CEAC website.
 
I had already been told (a loooong time ago, back in June when I started this process) by someone at the Paris embassy who actually took care of visas, that "as long as the paperwork's in order they will accept the expedite" - I guess the first expedite was looked at by a different person. Well, the right person looked at the second one.
 
Hang in there everybody.

Congratulations!!!
Finally. Hope you get the interview ASAP as well.
 
Good luck.

Congratulations!

I just saw this... I saw the same thing. I think I'll call them and see if it's in the review department early ;-)

Have priority processing available for $3000. As you know, 98% of the processing time is the application just sitting and waiting for someone to look at it. And considering this would obviate the cost of traveling to visit, long distance charges.. it would be well worth it.

uhhhhh whut

I'm sorry I didn't read through everything already said, but:
 
this is a mostly electronic process. As someone who helps companies do process improvements for a living, specifically those related to software, based on what I've seen from the software being used on this stuff it would benefit a great deal from process industrialization. Metrics, performance bonuses that can be easily tied to those metrics, accurate goal setting based on previous data, and most importantly (at least for us!) accurate time estimates based on current and previous case loads. And it wouldn't hurt to do a little Amazon-type stuff and over-estimate, instead of under-estimate, the time needed for a given task, so that we, the poor people on the other end of all this, can get a pleasant surprise when "1 - 6 weeks" is now "4 weeks" but is actually done in three. Also improved communication w/r/t where our paperwork is in the stack, and the removal of what appears to be 'random' processing - people who sent in stuff in January who get CCs a week later, versus people from the same country who submitted in November who are still waiting.
 
Of course all this and $5 will get you a cup of coffee.

I'm sorry I didn't read through everything already said, but:
 
this is a mostly electronic process. As someone who helps companies do process improvements for a living, specifically those related to software, based on what I've seen from the software being used on this stuff it would benefit a great deal from process industrialization. Metrics, performance bonuses that can be easily tied to those metrics, accurate goal setting based on previous data, and most importantly (at least for us!) accurate time estimates based on current and previous case loads. And it wouldn't hurt to do a little Amazon-type stuff and over-estimate, instead of under-estimate, the time needed for a given task, so that we, the poor people on the other end of all this, can get a pleasant surprise when "1 - 6 weeks" is now "4 weeks" but is actually done in three. Also improved communication w/r/t where our paperwork is in the stack, and the removal of what appears to be 'random' processing - people who sent in stuff in January who get CCs a week later, versus people from the same country who submitted in November who are still waiting.
 
Of course all this and $5 will get you a cup of coffee.

Good evening,
 
First of all, as a USC, I wanted to say how sorry I am about all of this. Remember that despite what he would like to believe, Trump is not a king - there are many people fighting against him every day to try to keep the new policies fair and just.
 
Second, Customs and Border Patrol have said that they are continuing to apply any rules or orders issued by the government, and for the moment this includes a ban on any traveler from one of the following countries: Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Libya. Even if you have a valid visa, even if you have had your visa for months or years.
 
Third, Trump administration officials have said that "going forward" they will allow visa holders to enter. That means you. But they have not been clear about the requirements for this, although given the events of this weekend I think something will be figured out very soon. The ban was put into place much too quickly and they didn't think about how it would affect visa holders, so people just going on vacation have tried to come back home to the US and not been allowed in, which is untenable.
 
Finally, for anyone reading this who might be OK with the idea of banning people from arbitrary countries, remember this: if it can happen that quickly, almost on a whim, to seven countries, there is nothing preventing Trump from deciding that some other countries should be included in the ban as well. I for one am deeply scared that, given his previous statements about France, that he might make France his next target.
 
I am deeply ashamed of my President right now.
 
Good luck to you. If worse comes to worse, try to contact the Canadian embassy and ask what your options would be. At least it would get you in the same time zone.

Good evening,
 
First of all, as a USC, I wanted to say how sorry I am about all of this. Remember that despite what he would like to believe, Trump is not a king - there are many people fighting against him every day to try to keep the new policies fair and just.
 
Second, Customs and Border Patrol have said that they are continuing to apply any rules or orders issued by the government, and for the moment this includes a ban on any traveler from one of the following countries: Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Libya. Even if you have a valid visa, even if you have had your visa for months or years.
 
Third, Trump administration officials have said that "going forward" they will allow visa holders to enter. That means you. But they have not been clear about the requirements for this, although given the events of this weekend I think something will be figured out very soon. The ban was put into place much too quickly and they didn't think about how it would affect visa holders, so people just going on vacation have tried to come back home to the US and not been allowed in, which is untenable.
 
Finally, for anyone reading this who might be OK with the idea of banning people from arbitrary countries, remember this: if it can happen that quickly, almost on a whim, to seven countries, there is nothing preventing Trump from deciding that some other countries should be included in the ban as well. I for one am deeply scared that, given his previous statements about France, that he might make France his next target.
 
I am deeply ashamed of my President right now.
 
Good luck to you. If worse comes to worse, try to contact the Canadian embassy and ask what your options would be. At least it would get you in the same time zone.

Good evening,
 
First of all, as a USC, I wanted to say how sorry I am about all of this. Remember that despite what he would like to believe, Trump is not a king - there are many people fighting against him every day to try to keep the new policies fair and just.
 
Second, Customs and Border Patrol have said that they are continuing to apply any rules or orders issued by the government, and for the moment this includes a ban on any traveler from one of the following countries: Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Libya. Even if you have a valid visa, even if you have had your visa for months or years.
 
Third, Trump administration officials have said that "going forward" they will allow visa holders to enter. That means you. But they have not been clear about the requirements for this, although given the events of this weekend I think something will be figured out very soon. The ban was put into place much too quickly and they didn't think about how it would affect visa holders, so people just going on vacation have tried to come back home to the US and not been allowed in, which is untenable.
 
Finally, for anyone reading this who might be OK with the idea of banning people from arbitrary countries, remember this: if it can happen that quickly, almost on a whim, to seven countries, there is nothing preventing Trump from deciding that some other countries should be included in the ban as well. I for one am deeply scared that, given his previous statements about France, that he might make France his next target.
 
I am deeply ashamed of my President right now.
 
Good luck to you. If worse comes to worse, try to contact the Canadian embassy and ask what your options would be. At least it would get you in the same time zone.

Good evening,
 
First of all, as a USC, I wanted to say how sorry I am about all of this. Remember that despite what he would like to believe, Trump is not a king - there are many people fighting against him every day to try to keep the new policies fair and just.
 
Second, Customs and Border Patrol have said that they are continuing to apply any rules or orders issued by the government, and for the moment this includes a ban on any traveler from one of the following countries: Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Libya. Even if you have a valid visa, even if you have had your visa for months or years.
 
Third, Trump administration officials have said that "going forward" they will allow visa holders to enter. That means you. But they have not been clear about the requirements for this, although given the events of this weekend I think something will be figured out very soon. The ban was put into place much too quickly and they didn't think about how it would affect visa holders, so people just going on vacation have tried to come back home to the US and not been allowed in, which is untenable.
 
Finally, for anyone reading this who might be OK with the idea of banning people from arbitrary countries, remember this: if it can happen that quickly, almost on a whim, to seven countries, there is nothing preventing Trump from deciding that some other countries should be included in the ban as well. I for one am deeply scared that, given his previous statements about France, that he might make France his next target.
 
I am deeply ashamed of my President right now.
 
Good luck to you. If worse comes to worse, try to contact the Canadian embassy and ask what your options would be. At least it would get you in the same time zone.

Good evening,
 
First of all, as a USC, I wanted to say how sorry I am about all of this. Remember that despite what he would like to believe, Trump is not a king - there are many people fighting against him every day to try to keep the new policies fair and just.
 
Second, Customs and Border Patrol have said that they are continuing to apply any rules or orders issued by the government, and for the moment this includes a ban on any traveler from one of the following countries: Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Libya. Even if you have a valid visa, even if you have had your visa for months or years.
 
Third, Trump administration officials have said that "going forward" they will allow visa holders to enter. That means you. But they have not been clear about the requirements for this, although given the events of this weekend I think something will be figured out very soon. The ban was put into place much too quickly and they didn't think about how it would affect visa holders, so people just going on vacation have tried to come back home to the US and not been allowed in, which is untenable.
 
Finally, for anyone reading this who might be OK with the idea of banning people from arbitrary countries, remember this: if it can happen that quickly, almost on a whim, to seven countries, there is nothing preventing Trump from deciding that some other countries should be included in the ban as well. I for one am deeply scared that, given his previous statements about France, that he might make France his next target.
 
I am deeply ashamed of my President right now.
 
Good luck to you. If worse comes to worse, try to contact the Canadian embassy and ask what your options would be. At least it would get you in the same time zone.

Here's a link to the press release from Homeland Security saying they will comply with the court orders:
 
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/01/29/dhs-statement-compliance-court-orders-and-president’s-executive-orders

They will have sent it to NVC, but the My USCIS status won't show 'case was sent' until it actually leaves the building. It usually takes about a week or two.

Congrats! So, first things first, send the email to asknvc@state.gov which I've detailed in this post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/595256-i-130-may-2016-filers/?page=32#comment-8441725
 
This will get your DS-261 moving before they even have processed your case. You can use your USCIS Case number for this one.
 
It took my case about two weeks to get to NVC, but that was during the holidays. More specifically, my case was marked on the USCIS case tracker (https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do) as 'sent to NVC' (as opposed to 'approved') on December 28th and received on January 5th. Factoring in the fact that there was a Federal holiday in between those dates, it appears to currently take about one week from 'Sent to NVC' to 'Received by NVC.'
 
What I did, was to start calling every other day once I got my USCIS approval, and moved to calling once a day (towards the end of the day each time) once my USCIS case was updated to 'Sent to NVC.' Don't forget, I had also sent in my email for the DS-261.
 
After a week, I was told over the phone that my case had been received and had been assigned a case number and invoice number, but that I couldn't actually do anything just yet because they hadn't finished entering the details of my case. BUT, at least now I was able to log in to CEAC (https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/) and see something.
 
It took three business days from when I got my case and invoice numbers to when I was actually able to do something in CEAC, which was to fill out the DS-261 there. Yes, I had already submitted my DS-261 in 'unofficial' form via email, but it didn't hurt to go ahead and submit again.
 
It then took about a day (received 11 January) to receive my AOS invoice via email, which also contained my welcome packet with a bar-coded cover sheet and checklist. A tip: KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE WELCOME EMAIL. Receiving it means that your AOS fee has become unlocked and you can pay it as soon as you receive the email. I didn't realize this, and so didn't check the CEAC site until the following day (the 12th). I paid the AOS fee then, and started to put together my packet. I had already gone over all of the information listed on the state.gov website so I actually had everything, including police certificates and translations, ready to go.
 
I submitted my packet, including cover letter, to the NVC yesterday, 13th January. This morning (two business days after paying my AOS fee) I received an email (AIVF FOR NEOPOST DS-1200) which basically told me that I could pay the IV fee ($325... OUCH!). I did so immediately. As I mentioned in a previous post, it looks like it takes about two business days for the system to register a payment, but given that I submitted it on a Saturday, and Monday is (another) Federal holiday, I don't expect to hear anything until Wednesday, but I'm keeping an eye out for those emails nonetheless.
 
The next email I should receive will be an email informing me that I can fill out the DS-260 online. As stated previously, I've gone over all of the documentation and have my answers ready for every part of the form. Once that's submitted, they will tell me to submit my packet (although I've already done that), and the wait begins! My congresscritter is asking about expedites, but at this rate I'm not sure we'll actually need one.
 
Oh, and SECRET SQUIRREL SECRET WEAPON: I downloaded a copy of my consulate's "Packet 3" - DS-2001 from this link:
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/pk 3 supplements/{THREE LETTER EMBASSY CODE} - {CITY NAME}.pdf (I'm not sure what your particular embassy code and city name will be, and they may not have these all available. Mine was PRS (for Paris) and Paris (for .... Paris.) So PRS - Paris.pdf - I've checked Montreal, and it exists, but London doesn't have one, for example.
 
Anyway, depending on your particular embassy, you'll have different instructions for the DS-2001 (Notification of Applicant Readiness). Mine basically requests all of the papers you had to provide photocopies of for the packet you should have sent between the IV fee and the DS-260 form, AND (this is important) your DS-260 CONFIRMATION NUMBER which, while I haven't yet filled out the DS-260 so I can't be sure, I am assuming will be like the confirmation number you get when you fill out your DS-261, which is in the format: AA###AA### (a = alpha, # = numeric). I have not sent this in yet, but will be doing so as soon as my DS-260 is submitted. I don't know if this will speed anything up or not, but think about it, the NVC part of the process is just paying some bills and making sure you have all your paperwork in order, and then they're sending it off to the Embassy. If you are reasonably certain that you have all of your paperwork in order, there is nothing in Packet 3 that says "you must wait for your approval from NVC." So we're going to do that and hope for the best.
 

Congrats! So, first things first, send the email to asknvc@state.gov which I've detailed in this post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/595256-i-130-may-2016-filers/?page=32#comment-8441725
 
This will get your DS-261 moving before they even have processed your case. You can use your USCIS Case number for this one.
 
It took my case about two weeks to get to NVC, but that was during the holidays. More specifically, my case was marked on the USCIS case tracker (https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do) as 'sent to NVC' (as opposed to 'approved') on December 28th and received on January 5th. Factoring in the fact that there was a Federal holiday in between those dates, it appears to currently take about one week from 'Sent to NVC' to 'Received by NVC.'
 
What I did, was to start calling every other day once I got my USCIS approval, and moved to calling once a day (towards the end of the day each time) once my USCIS case was updated to 'Sent to NVC.' Don't forget, I had also sent in my email for the DS-261.
 
After a week, I was told over the phone that my case had been received and had been assigned a case number and invoice number, but that I couldn't actually do anything just yet because they hadn't finished entering the details of my case. BUT, at least now I was able to log in to CEAC (https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/) and see something.
 
It took three business days from when I got my case and invoice numbers to when I was actually able to do something in CEAC, which was to fill out the DS-261 there. Yes, I had already submitted my DS-261 in 'unofficial' form via email, but it didn't hurt to go ahead and submit again.
 
It then took about a day (received 11 January) to receive my AOS invoice via email, which also contained my welcome packet with a bar-coded cover sheet and checklist. A tip: KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE WELCOME EMAIL. Receiving it means that your AOS fee has become unlocked and you can pay it as soon as you receive the email. I didn't realize this, and so didn't check the CEAC site until the following day (the 12th). I paid the AOS fee then, and started to put together my packet. I had already gone over all of the information listed on the state.gov website so I actually had everything, including police certificates and translations, ready to go.
 
I submitted my packet, including cover letter, to the NVC yesterday, 13th January. This morning (two business days after paying my AOS fee) I received an email (AIVF FOR NEOPOST DS-1200) which basically told me that I could pay the IV fee ($325... OUCH!). I did so immediately. As I mentioned in a previous post, it looks like it takes about two business days for the system to register a payment, but given that I submitted it on a Saturday, and Monday is (another) Federal holiday, I don't expect to hear anything until Wednesday, but I'm keeping an eye out for those emails nonetheless.
 
The next email I should receive will be an email informing me that I can fill out the DS-260 online. As stated previously, I've gone over all of the documentation and have my answers ready for every part of the form. Once that's submitted, they will tell me to submit my packet (although I've already done that), and the wait begins! My congresscritter is asking about expedites, but at this rate I'm not sure we'll actually need one.
 
Oh, and SECRET SQUIRREL SECRET WEAPON: I downloaded a copy of my consulate's "Packet 3" - DS-2001 from this link:
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/pk 3 supplements/{THREE LETTER EMBASSY CODE} - {CITY NAME}.pdf (I'm not sure what your particular embassy code and city name will be, and they may not have these all available. Mine was PRS (for Paris) and Paris (for .... Paris.) So PRS - Paris.pdf - I've checked Montreal, and it exists, but London doesn't have one, for example.
 
Anyway, depending on your particular embassy, you'll have different instructions for the DS-2001 (Notification of Applicant Readiness). Mine basically requests all of the papers you had to provide photocopies of for the packet you should have sent between the IV fee and the DS-260 form, AND (this is important) your DS-260 CONFIRMATION NUMBER which, while I haven't yet filled out the DS-260 so I can't be sure, I am assuming will be like the confirmation number you get when you fill out your DS-261, which is in the format: AA###AA### (a = alpha, # = numeric). I have not sent this in yet, but will be doing so as soon as my DS-260 is submitted. I don't know if this will speed anything up or not, but think about it, the NVC part of the process is just paying some bills and making sure you have all your paperwork in order, and then they're sending it off to the Embassy. If you are reasonably certain that you have all of your paperwork in order, there is nothing in Packet 3 that says "you must wait for your approval from NVC." So we're going to do that and hope for the best.
 

Excuse me? Did I miss an obligatory orientation, or are you just assuming that everyone knows everything? There are five or six apps available on the iTunes app store, I have downloaded one of them. I wasn't aware that there was some sort of interdiction on questions based on time spent on a forum.

6 June here... Nothing yet. Although I got transferred to Texas, which I guess means an extra delay for me. Never thought I'd say this but it seems like those who stayed in Nebraska lucked out.

Transferred to Texas! Looks like they're processing pretty fast out there. GOOD RIDDANCE NSC.

Where are you getting these numbers? Is this on the USCIS site, or something through the forum?
-pl

Wishing you speedy processing! I do wish that length of marriage bumped cases up to be processed faster, it seems pretty reasonable to me! Congrats on the job offer!