willnmahi

We were finally able to get someone on the phone. The gentleman looked up the case and said that although it was denied, he didn't see any reason why. He didn't show where they even sent out a RFE notice. He said mistakes do happen sometimes so this is definitely on them. The best he could do was escalate it to tier 2 and he said they will call me after 72 hours. I'm hoping they have the power to reopen the case once they are able to see that it was a mistake on their part. 

Someone mentioned that she doesn't have to leave the country yet but our letter says that she needs to leave immediately and mail in her card. Should I just ignore that for now?

9 minutes ago, PedroDaGr8 said:

Print out the histories from those pages showing no steps indicating and RFE, that could be useful information later. The systems can take time to update so make sure you can show that as of today that there was no history showing an RFE.

I will do that today. Thanks!

10 minutes ago, LirikBlaidd87 said:

There's 2 online systems where you can check the status of you application

Old: https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do

New one where you have to create a new myuscis account: https://my.uscis.gov/

 

Did you check both?

 

Also do you happen to have a long address with an apartment number?

Thanks for all the responses. Yes, I've checked both those systems and the last message on both is that fingerprints were reused last August. There is nothing about a RFE or a denial. Our address has stayed the same and it is a house. If we were truly sent a RFE and given an eventual denial, should that be reflected online now when I type in the receipt number?

Hello. We filed last April to remove conditions after the 2 year green card through the K1. We received no notices or RFEs from then until now. We just got a letter saying that our I-751 was denied because we didn't respond to a RFE sent September 2020. We never received an RFE back in 2020. Also, when we checked online, it never said that they sent an RFE. It only says case received and then the last message was August 2020 and it said "Case was updated to show fingerprints were taken". If they even sent an RFE several months ago, shouldn't the online status reflect this? Should we bother calling them or should we just get a lawyer? Any help would be appreciated. 

Be safe when you get there. Most news coming out of Ethiopia these days is bad. You will need to be very careful.

Hey everyone, hope all is well with y'all. For those of you who have already been through the process of getting the medical and police clearance done, did y'all have to get any of those certified by the foreign minister's office? Not sure where I read that and if it related to the k1 fiance visa. Please advise. Thanks.

My wife went ahead and got both of her documents certified by the minister's office. I don't think I read that it was necessary but a friend of hers said that it must be done. She only did it because it wouldn't have hurt anything.

I'm glad you finally got it! I'm rooting for you and let me know if you have any more questions!

Hey guys,

We had registered for the DHL but no email. Will had mentioned in a response that we may get an email with a PIN and also be able to download the payment instructions so we are still expectant and hopeful. On that page, after registering, we are able to see her name and the DHL service collection center we chose. However, unlike you Krista, when we click on continue, it takes us to the next page but there is no downloadable PDF yet. I'm guessing maybe it takes a couple of days for the service people to upload that into the portal? Thanks everyone for your response.

I believe that we received the email within minutes. Have you checked your spam folder?

Thanks Will, I guess I will see in about an hour. I hope she gets the email and someone can make the payment cos on the embassy website, it states any bank of Abyssynia in Addis. I'm optimistic that someone will be able to pay. Will let you know how it goes. Thanks again brother.

No problem at all! We're actually leaving Addis later this evening and headed back to Houston. Talk to you soon!

The fee in Ethiopia cannot be paid online. He will need to pay it in person at one of the Bank of Abyssinia locations.

Ahhh I see. Thanks a bunch brother. I used her email so I guess that's why I didn't know. Will call her when it's morning there so she can check the email, download and move forward with payment. Just wondering though, can someone take the downloaded document and go make the payment on her behalf? I hope so because she is doing national service in a rural area that's 11 hours from addis and won't be back in addis until next month when she hopes to do the medical and police clearance and hopefully attend interview before she returns to the village where she is serving. So do you know that if one can pay on her behalf. I would hope so. Thanks for your response.

I'm really not sure if anyone could pay it but from looking at the instructions, it looks like anyone can since all you need is the payment instruction form with the pin. I don't know if Bank of Abyssinia is only in Addis but maybe they have a branch where she is stationed now? Here are the instructions from our form:

The US Machine Readable Visa (MRV) Fee is collected on behalf of US Dept of State by CSC. MRV FEE PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE AND NON-TRANSFERABLE. Once paid, this fee is valid for one year from the payment date and may only be used for U.S visa applications in Ethiopia.

How to pay the Visa Application Fee (MRV Fee) • Take the payment instruction to any authorized Bank of Abyssinia (BOA) location. • Present the payment instruction along with amount payable to the Bank Teller. • Do not use this payment slip to pay the amount indicated more than once. • You must pay before the date specified in this payment instruction. • If it is past the date specified, print a new payment instruction. • It may take up to two business days for your payment to be received from the bank and processed by our system. • If you have made a payment and encountered a technical issue, please visit http://ethiopia.usvisainfo.com and click 'Contact Us' to submit an inquiry. THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW WILL BE ENTERED BY THE BANK'S TELLER INTO THE BANKING SYSTEM.

Hey,

Once you register on the website for the DHL, they should send you an email immediately. It has an attachment that has the instructions as well as an unique pin that you need to take to the bank. It could be possible that it went in your spam folder but I received this email as soon as I registered her on USvisa website and chose the DHL location.

Also, I don't think you need to worry about the "Add New Applicant" part. I assume that is in place if your fiancee/wife is bringing children or relatives along.

Hello everyone and Will, I was in Virginia visiting my fiancée's family for the new year and heard about the protests and killings. That's sad. Well, hope things get better someday there. I don't get notifications anymore when someone posts a response to a thread I am in. Tried to fix it but couldn't, so I just check in occasionally incase there is a subject I can learn from. Sure, I noticed that you are from houston too. So that will be awesome to have coffee ?. By the way, I was wondering, when are you able to make an appointment. Is that when your case leave the NVC? Now our status says "At NVC" and when we attempted to register so we can get the payment instructions for the bank as instructed, it said the case number entered is not ready for the processing. So we were just wondering if it was when it said "In transit" that we could register and go make the payment OR when at the embassy. But I do know from what you and all petitioners before me experienced, there was no need to wait to get the packet 3 prior to registering and paying. Same thing applied to many other countries. Thanks for any response we can get.

Hey,

I hope all is well! As for the appointment, you need to wait until it changes from that status. I think ours said "In transit" when we scheduled our interview but I'm not entirely sure. I do remember that it has to be finished at the NVC before you can schedule. All you will need to do is sign up for DHL, fill out the DS-160, pay the fee, and then schedule the interview. You won't be able to schedule the interview until you pay the fee at Bank of Abyssinia. Talk to you soon!

Thanks a bunch, Will. Puts the mind at ease. Happy Ethiopian New Year. ?

Happy Ethiopian New Year!

Actually, it wasn't too happy over here on the New Year. People are so upset about the political issues/killings that there was barely anyone outside celebrating. Things might be different in Addis but that's how things have been here in Hawassa and Shashemene. Anyway, let me know if you have any more questions. I also see that you are in Houston so maybe one day, we can invite you guys over for coffee.

Hey everyone,

I need help and advise again. When filing out the DS-160, it ask this question,"Do you have documentation to establish that you have received vaccinations in accordance with U.S. Law." Did y'all answer YES or NO. I don't think they have the documentations as verified by my fiancée. But I'm just wondering if y'all chose YES or NO. She has had the usual childhood vaccines like yellow card and had childhood BCG vaccine for TB but just wanna know what y'all picked. I believe the medical that needs to be done would be one of the ways they clear off any medical issues, including vaccinations. Please advise. Thanks everyone.

Hey,

I'm pretty sure that we put on our DS-160 that she had all the necessary vaccinations. Ultimately, I think what they go by is the physical exam done in Addis so you should be fine if you answer 'yes'.

Hmm. This is scary. I had one of my homeboys denied cos he filed a fiancé visa after getting married. They put their pics on Facebook and never thought the consular section would dig into Facebook. Needless to say, she was shown his and her Facebook account at her interview and told to go ask her husband to file for a spousal visa (green card). Good thing is she just got here now and they just had their wedding reception three weeks ago.

I guess that makes sense for them to check facebook in order to see if the relationship is real. It sucks for your friend but at least he finally got her here.

Okay trusty fellow Ethiopia petitioners --- in regards to the I-134, we only need to include tax returns if we were self-employed this past year? I was not, and just want to triple check this. (If we are required for the I-134 to be above that poverty threshold for the past two years I'm screwed and will need to find a sponsor ASAP... but per their instructions I don't think this is the case?)

From what I understand, you only need to be over the poverty amount for the current year. Also, I think the past Tax return is required whether or not you are self employed. If self employed, you need to send a tax transcript too. The other documents (bank statements, letter from employer etc....) are optional I think but the more you can provide, the better. If you are not over the guideline then you will have to find a sponsor. At our interview, she took my tax transcript, letters from the bank, I-134, and full tax return (1040). I don't know how hard they checked it since they didn't ask her anything about it.

Hey,

I don't remember exactly which form my fiancee too to the bank. It was either the DS-160 confirmation page and/or the page you get after you register for the DHL on the usvisa website. I'm positive it was one of those documents. Also, the fee for the visa was $265.

Hey Will - just curious if you've been checking the CEAC portal to track your fiancé's visa (https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx)?

Ours has said "no status" all week, and just changed to "administrative processing" this morning.

It reads:

"Your visa case is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take several weeks. Please follow any instructions provided by the Consular Officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed/available within two business days."

The "if your visa application is approved" note is conflicting, as the consular officer already told him it was "approved" and gave him a document with instructions for pick up - his pick up date is listed as September 6th.

Just curious what your pick-up date was listed as, and if the CEAC portal shows anything different for you?

Sorry I'm sure you're super busy preparing for your trip!

Hey, I didn't realize that we could check the status online. I just checked our case and it has the same exact message as yours. She also received a package that said she could pickup her visa on the 6th. I wouldn't read too much into the message on the website. It seems like things are so backwards with this process so I'm not surprised to see that message. I am expecting that the visas will be available on the 6th as promised.

Hey,

So my Fiancee had her interview in Ethiopia for a K1 and passed. She said that the consular asked her questions about my kids (names), my ex (name and ethnicity), my original date of marriage, divorce, birthplace.......Things like that. She was confident the whole time and answered everything perfectly. Her interview barely lasted 5 minutes. She noticed that other people before her that were getting their interviews were very nervous and some were visibly shaking. She said their interviews lasted a lot longer (20+ minutes) and some were denied. My question is, do consular's mainly look at body language and attitudes even without knowing the answers to the questions they ask? I know he could have dug through our documents and found the answers but it's just hard to believe that he memorized all of that before the interview. I'm just curious as to what others think about this.

Congrats!

I'm glad to hear that all went well with you guys! Your interview sounds like it was even easier than ours! I'll be leaving next week for Addis and I'll definitely enjoy the New Year. Take care and good luck to all!

Hey guys,

Just wanted to report back that she had her interview today and was successful! Just as I guessed, he asked a lot of questions about my past. It was things like my kid's names, birthdays, my ex's name, marriage date, divorce date.......He also asked details about how we met and the proposal. We spent the entire month of August preparing evidence like SKype and Western Union receipts but the only evidence he asked to see was the engagement pictures. Luckily, she printed those and had them in the book along with our other pictures. Overall, she said it was easy and I think a big part of it is that I front loaded our original application and I also visited 3 times before proposing. Good luck to everyone here and I let me if you have any questions.

Happy Friday everyone!

Can't believe the 29th is only 3 short days away ? Getting sooooo excited!

Just wanted to update that I also received the information that the embassy emailed me (including the checklist and official letter saying they are ready to begin our approved petition) PLUS our approved I-129 form with stamp from USCIS, in the mail. I scanned these 6 pages of the I-129F with the stamps and markings by USCIS so that he could print them and have them on hand when he goes to his interview Monday. Not sure that this is necessary (as it wasn't included in the checklist they sent), but I just wanted to be extra vigilant that he has ALL if not more documentation.

Also, this is probably a totally silly question, but the interview appointment time reads 12:30 EAT - meaning 12:30 PM - I'm only wanting to double check on this because Ethiopia utilizes a different time system than us, which was ALWAYS confusing when I lived there. But because this is coming from the US Embassy I'm sure they're utilizing our time reference, yes?

Will, if I can ask, what time does your fiancé plan on arriving Monday?

Hey,

My fiancee's appointment is at 1300 EAT but she plans to arrive around 1100 just to be safe. I never heard of "EAT" before but when I looked it up, it stands for Eastern African Time. We should be good to go but she will arrive early just to be safe.

Also, are you saying that you received your full I-129F form back? I thought that was supposed to be forwarded directly to the embassy by the NVC?

Hello Will, good to know you got the "packet 3" email from them! I've always wondered what would happen if an applicant's interview date came up and the applicant hadn't received the packet 3 prior to the interview. Could that potentially pose a problem or ineligibility for the interview? Also, as you said we can't complete the medical and police certificate without first completing the DS-160. So I am assuming, and correct me if I'm wrong, that we will need the no. from the NVC (probably an ADD no. judging from other country's prefix code) before being able to fill out the DS-160 application to completion. Thanks.

Hey,

I'm not sure what would happen if we didn't get packet 3 before the interview and I was starting to sweat a little since we didn't receive it before. I'm only guessing about this but since packet 3 really didn't include any new information about us or our case, I don't see why it would be any problem at the interview as long as the person had all of the required documents. As I mentioned before, I had her go to the embassy and ask about the packet and they turned her away and said there was no packet and to just follow the instructions on the website. Surely if they required the packet to be sent before the interview, they would have mentioned it (again, just guessing).

You can call the NVC and get your ADD number. We got ours even before they forwarded it to the embassy. Once you have that, you can get the ball rolling on the DS-160, police paper, and medical. Let me know if you have any other questions.

That's terrific - and coming up sooo soon!! Glad you finally got it. I am wondering - was there anything in the packet that stipulated timeframes of when police reports/medical are supposed to be obtained? I'm still waiting on my notice from NVC that our petition was mailed.... fiance really wants to start getting the medical/police together ASAP. Do you think there's any risk of getting these things do too soon, which would make them not qualify for proper interview protocol? For example: Like how our passport pics had to be taken within a month of filing the petition.

I'd say don't hesitate to start collecting the documents now. According to the packet, the police certificate is valid for one year after issuance. It also says the medical exam is valid for 6 months but sometimes up to only 3 months. You can't get either of those done without first completing the DS-160 online, paying the fee, and then scheduling the interview. I don't think there is any risk since we finished everything before even getting the packet from the embassy. Now we are just using this extra time to go over potential interview questions.

On a related note, she spoke to a woman today that just had her marriage visa approved. She said they barely looked at the pictures and didn't even ask to see the I-134, financial documents, or any of the other evidence. I hope our interview goes as smooth because we have been stressed out after reading some of the horror stories on here.