JOL

On 7/21/2017 at 8:15 PM, Tom12345 said:

Hi all,

 

My wife and I filed our I-130 petition in May 2017 and received our NOA1 in June 2017 via mail.  We completed the E-Notification form but never received an email.  Our case is at the Nebraska Service Centre. 

 

Later on in June, we sent our I-129F to apply for a K-3 Visa.  Unfortunately, due to a minor error, it was sent back.  We then re-sent the I-129F after amending the error.

 

Today we received this email:

...

Is this email in regards to the I-130 or I-129F?  As we have never received an email before we are unsure what it means.  Does this mean our case has been approved?  Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

The simplest easiest way to tell is to compare the LIN receipt numbers in the physical NOA1 and email.  Your I-130 and I-129F petitions will (necessarily) have UNIQUE receipt numbers, so if the emails LIN# is the same as on your NOA1 for the I-130, the email is also for the I-130.  If LIN#s differ, the email is almost certainly for the I-129F, unless you filed some other petition with the USCIS (or it falsely BELIEVES you did; the USCIS is far from flawless, but I would still bet heavily on a second LIN# belonging to the I-129F.)

You can also click the USCIS link in the email, then click "Check Case Status" and type in the LIN#; as I recall, the message that returns does not explicitly state which PETITION it is associated with, but does say when it was received, and the I-130 and I-129F will not be received on the same date, so you can usually interpolate from that to figure out which is which.

For whatever it is worth, since it does not sound like the USCIS had any problems receiving (if not necessarily reviewing) an I-130 for which you got NOA1 in June, it does sound like the July email confirmation is for your I-129F.  It is odd though; if you included the e-notification form atop both petitions, you should have gotten e-confirmation when each was received.

14 minutes ago, Pratik211 said:

My wife sent i130 05/01/2017

priory date is 06/14/2017

sent to Texas service centre 

i heard Texas service centre is processing late than other service centre ?is that true ?

Seems to depend on when one asks (and perhaps whom.)  When I sent our I-130 I hoped we would get the Texas Service Center, because its current processing times were among the fastest, and hoped we would NOT get the Nebraska center, because its times were the longest:  So guess which one we got, despite the fact I LIVE in Texas.  

I advise checking the Visa Journey database compiled from users timelines (this is a big reason for everyone to submit a timeline, and keep it up to date.)  The problem is that I-130 petitions require so many months to approve that current stats are only a very rough guideline for recent submissions.  But the "current" stats will eventually catch up to any given petition (usually around the time the USCIS approves that particular petition:  Like MAGIC! ) Once current stats shows your center processing time is close to how long it has been since you filed, well, it should be obvious they are likely to finish yours soon (unless there is a problem; that can understandably alter processing time a lot.)  Another way to check is at the USCIS site itself:  Just hover over the "Tools" section at the top of the main page, then click "See Office Case Processing Times."  When I did that just now, it showed the Texas center is currently processing I-130s for spouses whose petitioner filed in January 2017; Nebraska is still on spouse I-130s from the middle of last November (about the same plodding pace at which it has been completing reviews since before those petitions were filed.)

Yeah, go ahead and pay the IV fee as soon as the CEAC lets you, because the CEAC will not unlock the DS-260 IV application until it shows BOTH the AoS and IV fees "PAID."  That status normally appears (at least) 2-3 days after payment, and some people (including me) experienced a significantly longer delay due to website issues on the NVCs end.  In other words, even after I submitted both payments it was still several weeks before my wife could fill in the IV application, and that situation has been fairly common lately:  Had we delayed payment longer, the IV application access would have been delayed longer.

On 7/30/2017 at 0:45 PM, missileman said:

A little earlier this year, NVC was taking 11 weeks.  Maybe they are faster now.

That was the number they gave me when I called yesterday (SD 19 July, but I wanted to know if they had "Case Begun" it yet, and, if so whether we had any checklists, which the NVC operator said they could tell me over the phone:  No news is good news, so far.)  For whatever it is worth though, when I go to the VJ spreadsheet and sort by either SD or CC, it does look as if most people with SDs since April are getting CC in ~8 weeks.  Sure hope and pray that trend continues:  If my wife is not here by Christmas I will have officially spent more of my daughters life away from her than with her.

On 7/29/2017 at 3:36 PM, MonicaP said:

Hey everybody. I mailed my I-130 on May 31,2017, they received it on June 5 with a priority date of June 5,2017. I pray that this process goes quickly. Wondering if I file for a k-3 visa would it go through quicker. Cause Nebraska has the slowest processing times ever..... Praying and believing God to move supernaturally on our behalf because I miss my husband dearly ❤.

Nope:  Effectively, our "I-130 approval notice" was a notice saying our I-129f was terminated precisely because our I-130 was approved.  That arrived so quickly it actually came the day BEFORE the date on the letter; our actual I-130 approval (i.e. NOA2) only arrived four (4) days later.  Since the I-130 MUST be filed first (because the 1-129f CANNOT be filed without a USCIS notice showing their receipt of the I-130) and its approval at any point IMMEDIATELY terminates the I-129f, the K-3 and K-4 are effectively dead letters.  As others here explained to me, Congress enacted them to remedy IR-1 (and CR-1) spouse visas processing times twice or thrice as long as now, but I/CR-1 processing times have improved to roughly the same length as K-3/4 processing times, so actually issuing K-3/4s is quite rare today.  That is actually good news:  K-3s are not taking any longer, but I/CR-1s are moving much more quickly—I/CR-1s come with a green card, so your spouse can work immediately!—

You are certainly free to file the I-129f for a K-3; including NOA1 (i.e. notice the USCIS received your I-130) waives the I-129f filing fee, so it costs you nothing but postage, and virtually all documentary evidence is the same.  But it is largely wasted time and effort:  In practice, it seems the I-129f is now solely for visas for fiance(e)s and/or their kids, not spouses nor their kids.

On 7/31/2017 at 10:28 AM, MonicaP said:

When did you apply for the I-130 and how long was it before your approval?

NOA2 (i.e. notice of I-130 approval) lists it received 14 September and notice of approval issued 20 April.  I am unsure how much (if any) delay there was between the USCIS registering the I-130 approval in its system and formally issuing the notice.  So UPS "express" mail was not very, since it took five (5) days to arrive at the USCIS.

For whatever it is worth, I also believe our I-130 approval took slightly longer than most (at least based on the VisaJourney database) because I sent a relatively large packet, so the many documents may have taken longer to review.  But I prefer copious documentation safeguard approval, even if it delays the process a month or so, than risk Requests for Further Evidence extending it indefinitely.  My understanding is that if the USCIS decides to issue an RFE, it stops reviewing the whole submission right until the filer receives the RFE, obtains the supplementary evidence and that evidence arrives at the USCIS:  Then they begin reviewing the whole submission all over again FROM THE BEGINNING.  Theoretically, the USCIS could issue an RFE for each and every page of an especially flimsy I-130 packet, each requiring however much time it took for the filer to receive the RFE, obtain the additional evidence, submit it, then wait for the USCIS to restart the whole review from the beginning and proceeding until they reached the very next page and issued another RFE, etc. etc.

I have always said that there are two ways to do a thing:  Right or twice, and the first one is always faster and easier than the second.  Not to mention that "if at first you don't succeed, maybe bomb disposal was a poor career choice:"  I DEFINITELY do not want to end up having to request an appeal because I did such a poor job on the submission.  From what you have said in your other posts, it sounds like you dotted all your "i"s and crossed all your "t"s, so this is mainly just an alert in case anyone reads this later, and an explanation for why there is a good chance most people will receive I-130 approvals sooner than we did.

Checking in:  Scan Date 19 July, so a week ago tomorrow.  Not sure when the NVC begins actively reviewing submissions after scanning them; is it a good idea to try calling to preempt any potential checklists, or should I just leave the lines clear for everyone calling to find out why their fees have been deducted from their banks yet still aren't showing at the CEAC?

I will try to comprehend how to enter us into the spreadsheet and do so by next week, if only because the four people I see there now who'll go through the same embassy as us (i.e. Stockholm) are a small sample on which to make projections.  Maybe that is understandable, since all Nordic countries consistently rank at the top of Human Development Indices, Norways per capita income is a little more than TWICE that of the US and, of course, there are people of Norwegian descent in the US now than in Norway itself.  In other words, there are not many potential immigrants in the first place, and most have little cause to leave.  

Not that that small sample discouraged me MAKING projections anyway, and it is encouraging to see that the three other cases that have already CCed did so within 40-50 days of their SD, and have interviews scheduled about the same amount of time after their CCs, so I am hopeful (if not confident) I will have my wife and child back by Christmas.  Since this is the time of year most people are taking their mandatory 4+ weeks of paid vacation, I was concerned processing might slow because the US embassy is running a skeleton crew, and still worry our particular case might be larger than normal and thus take proportionately longer to complete.  Our I-130 was certainly copious, and was at the Nebraska Service Center for ~8 months (mid-September through mid-May,) which I believe was a month or two longer than average (according to records here at Visa Journey.)

Huge thanks @JBMG for lots of information and encouragement, both of the "read this," "do this" and "DON'T do this" variety, as well as the "you've ALREADY done that, so stop worrying about it!" kind. 

Good luck and God speed to all scanners!

On 7/14/2017 at 6:30 AM, vilkim said:

Does anyone recently has used the "service" emailing NVC? I need to send them a proof of paid fees, because the bank says the payments went through (AOS and IV), but NVC don't have it on their system. So does anyone have had an experience these days? How long does it take them to respond? Thanks!

On 7/14/2017 at 11:31 AM, LaurenAndBrent said:

Hey,

 

Hoping someone can put my mind at ease on this one. Our AOS fee was available to pay this morning (I submitted choice of agent yesterday afternoon) My husband filled in the payment info and when he sent the payment it took ages for the website to respond. It finally came up with a message to say there was an error and to try again later. (He's a computer guy, he said it was a typical server error) He went to submit the payment again and the same error message appeared, but when he went back to the main payment page the status of the payment is "in process". Anyone experienced this? Have we actually sent the payment successfully? And have we potentially submitted it twice seeing as both times we got the same error? 

 

Thanks in advance 

I had a similar, though slightly different, experience trying to pay the AoS and IV fees in May:  When I hit the submission button it gave me an error screen, but when I went back to the payment screen it showed "IN PROCESS" and had a receipt, invoice and bar coded document cover sheet I could print and/or email for BOTH payments.  So I thought it must have gone through despite the error messages, but (and this is where my case was different) after the standard 2-3 business days neither fee had been withdrawn from my account, so I emailed the NVC inquiry address.  I then (i. e. same day) called the NVC, where an operator told me the CEAC site had been sending payments to the wrong server, but the issue had been resolved and the tech instructed them to tell anyone who had made a payment during the problem that it would process within 2-3 more business days, though the operator also put in a request for a supervisors review at the same time.  After 2-3 more days I called back and another operator told me that the techs had revised the information they were previously given, and that all payments attempted during the server problem had instead been discarded and would have to be reattempted.  I did that, but either the CEAC or I mistakenly tried to send the deductions to my savings rather than checking account, so I had to wait about another week for that to get straightened out, though both fees did change to "PAID" in the interim so we could go ahead and complete the DS-260.  All told, it took nearly a month to actually have the payments deducted, and about the time my wife finished navigating other problems with the DS-260 logging her out all the time and finally submitted it--I finally got an email back on that NVC inquiry email I made a month earlier when all this started.  So no, I would not hold out much hope of a timely response via email.

On 7/14/2017 at 1:30 AM, kshaheen said:

It has been 4 weeks since my SD.

 

I am unemployed and dependent on another person, who is already supporting 7 people, including himself, the 7th person just immigrated and it is becoming tough. I am also having a hard time finding a job myself. I really need to start my life soon and that is only possible if my husband immigrates faster and finds a job here and then supports me. 

 

Is this a legitimate reason to get my case expedited? Also, if the expedite request is denied, does the case take longer to process?

Just my opinion, not based on any experience (firsthand or otherwise,) but:  Ensuring your sponsor has enough income to support both you and all other dependents without need of government aid is evidently a, if not THE, determining factor in the rest of this process.  So if it were me (which of course it is NOT) I would hesitate to ask the case be expedited on the grounds the sponsor is already at or perhaps even beyond the limits of their financial means support dependents.  The NVC is asking if your sponsor has enough income to take care of you, all other dependents and another intending immigrant; you would basically be outright saying your sponsor does NOT have that much income--then asking your case be expedited for that reason.  If you are already in the US yet remain unemployed, what reason would they have to expect your husband to get any US job any sooner?

Not saying "don't do it," only that I would not do it; good luck to ya'll either way.

On 7/19/2017 at 4:49 PM, Renew17 said:

I just finished the whole process, and I am finally in the US. I thought I summarize the last end of the process, as that is something I was missing myself when I was getting close to being approved and not knowing what was next. I would still be in Norway if it was not for the fact that I called NVC almost daily the last two weeks before being approved (I knew I was getting close looking at other memeber´s timeline). NVC did claim at one point that pages were missing from the application. I knew for a fact that I had sent everything. Luckily I managed to catch the file before they sent it back (to another building), and they were able to review the file again and sure enough, they found that all pages were there. So, stay on top of it by calling NVC frequently when it is getting close to being approved. The interview at the embassy took less that 10 minutes. They focused on asking questions about my relationship with the petitioner (family member). I supplied two recent photos of us and an affidavit confirming that we had had continuous contact. I was able to fly out 13 days after my interview at the embassy. The process at POE was maybe the easiest of all. I was in secondary less than 5 minutes - able to come out in transit hall less than an hour after landing.

This is helpful and encouraging, since my wife is also in Norway (as is our daughter, but I flew down to Oslo with her and got her Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a US Citizen, plus her US passport and SS Card, when she was ~6 months old; actually included copies of those in our I-130 packet as relationship proof.)  It is especially reassuring that your timeline shows you arrived in the US ~9 weeks after your CC, though less reassuring that it looks like your CC itself took nearly a full 11 weeks after you sent the IV packet.  I will definitely take that advice about calling daily once we near the point where we "should" expect a CC; thanks.

Turns out last Thursday was NOT too soon to call for our Scan Date, because the NVC operator told me they scanned it the previous day:  19 July.  That was from the time the USPS showed the NVC received and signed for it Monday, 17 July (and the green card just arrived back in the mail yesterday, showing the same.)  So 3 days from NVC receipt to SD.  

With that in mind, I would like any and all feedback on what we included in our packet (since there will be NVC feedback until they either CC or, heaven forbid, checklist us; in the case of a checklist, I would like to preempt that if at all possible.)  I will include the list as a spoiler in the interest of saving space:

Again, all feedback is welcome and encouraged, in the hopes any errors we might have missed can be detected and corrected without waiting for the NVC to notice them, send a checklist, us to receive it, then provide the necessary missing documents, the NVC to receive them and, finally, creating a new SD after which we must await the whole 8-11 week process all over again from the start.  In particular, I am concerned that

1) "Proof of Assets" is marked as both "Included" AND "Not Applicable," something I only just now noticed, and 

2) My wifes name and case number is printed at the bottom of every page EXCEPT all those of the I-864 and I-864A, because I feared submitting copies rather than orginals of legally binding contracts would itself produce a checklist (as I recall, the I-130 instructions explicitly state it MUST be an original, not a photocopy.)

1 hour ago, Lacosta said:

MY COVER SHEET HAS TO 4 SECTIONS:

1. COVER SHEET

2. PHOTOCOPIES OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

3. SIGNED AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT

4. OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

SECTION 2 IS CLEAR FOR ME BUT SECTION 3 WHERE IT SAYS PETITIONER'S CIVIL DOCUMENTS, WHAT DO THEY MEAN WITH THAT?

SHOULD I SENT MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE? OR WHAT?

Yeah, that also confused me, because every civil document for ME was already included in the packet in some other capacity (e.g. since my marriage certificate is also my wifes it was already included with the other photocopies of her civil documents in part 2; my US birth certificate was already included in part 3 to establish my legal US residency, etc.)  I called the NVC and the customer service rep basically said that as long as each of the mandatory documents is present in SOME section appropriate to it there is no problem.  If you want to play safe, I also asked whether included more copies of the same document in other places where it fits would be a problem (because I included the printouts from the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant both with I-864 letter explaining why I did not file in those years, as well as again in the section for tax transcripts) and the NVC representative said that will be no problem.  It is probably not a good idea to go overboard though, since I imagine review times are at least somewhat proportional to the amount of documents being reviewed (I am a bit concerned our submission may be too tomey, but when it comes to documentary evidence my general rule is "better too much than not enough.")

For the record, I overnighted it return receipt requested through the USPS last Thursday; despite the teller assuring me it would be out by 17.00 and arrive by 12.00 Friday, when I checked their online tracking it said it got to the Portsmouth post office Saturday, when they attempted delivery but "business was closed" (um, this is a federal office, so DUH!)  They did deliver it to the NVC Monday though, and the USPS tracking site even allows email confirmation, so I had them send me and my wife each an email, which consisted of a PDF of a letter stating the date and time of delivery, with photocopies of the written signature and address (apparently the NVC stamps received packages that require signatures.)  Hopefully tomorrow is not too soon to call and ask whether it has been scanned, but whether or not it is, that is what I will do.

4 minutes ago, JBMG said:

 

Hi Jol.  Just the applicant, your wife in this case. 

Thanks; applying the old "trust--but verify" to my judgement here.   And going on my third day of "just ONE more day until the packet will be ready to mail... I think...."

On 6/14/2017 at 5:46 PM, JBMG said:

Avoid getting a checklist....

Police and Court Records

If you lived in any country more than 6 months, you have to request and police report from that country.. If you have any court records, you have to request those too. 

Does that also apply to Petitioner and/or Sponsor(s,) or only the Applicant?  I have my wife's police report, but none for me, and I lived with her in her country for 5 years before returning to the US.

Since, if humanly possible, I WILL mail the NVC our IV/AoS packet Monday, I have a question about cover and other letters:

In Part 11, Item 3a-3d of Form I-864 I state, "SPONSOR RESIDED ABROAD WITH APPLICANT FROM NOVEMBER 2010-DECEMBER 2015 AND HAD NO 2014 INCOME SUBJECT TO US TAXATION, SO FILED NO 2014 US TAX RETURN," and the same for 2015 in Part 11, Items 4a-4d; in addition, I am including the suggested explanation letter stating,

Quote

Re: Missing IRS Tax Transcripts - Did not file taxes for years 2014 and 2015

 

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

I, _______, SSN xxx-xx-xxxx was not required by the IRS

to file federal income taxes for the years 2014 and 2015, as my income was

below the IRS required level. I was not employed and had no gross income. I

attached the Interactive Tax Assistant Interview Summaries for the years 2014 and 2015.

They state the following:

 

"You are not required to file a tax return for 2014. You are not required to file

a tax return because your income does not equal or exceed $3,950, nor do

you owe any special taxes or have any special situations that require you to

file."

 

"You are not required to file a tax return for 2015. You are not required to file

a tax return because your income does not equal or exceed $4,000, nor do

you owe any special taxes or have any special situations that require you to

file."

 

Sincerely,

xxxx xxxxx

Is this sufficient, or do I need a general cover letter for the whole packet, separate ones for IV and AoS sections, or any others?

Called the NVC last week with my questions, and am passing along their response in case anyone is or will be in a similar situation with similar questions, and also to encourage anyone who already successfully navigated our situation to share their own experiences:

On 7/3/2017 at 9:27 PM, JOL said:

1) Form I-864, Part 2, Item 7 requires the principal immigrants phone number, which the forms instructions state should include the area code, but the PDF only allows entry of US phone numbers (i.e. 10 digits, including area code) and my spouses phone number is 11 digits (including country code; 8 digits without country code) so I cannot type it on the PDF.  Also, for some reason, the data I input for this field--and ONLY this field--is displays and prints in purple rather than black.  Should I just fill this in by hand after printing out the parts entered via the PDF, or will that cause problems with the 2D barcode, since it (obviously) cannot record data entered by hand?

The NVC customer service representative told me that, despite the 2D barcode that alters as it records the information input, the I-864 was not designed for electronic completion, so completion by hand is recommended.  She verified that typing data into the pdf is still permissible where possible, but the bar codes inability to record data handwritten on the form is not a problem. 

On 7/3/2017 at 9:27 PM, JOL said:

2) Form I-864, Part 5 states, "Do not count any person twice," but at Item 6 it further states, "If you are currently married, enter '1' for your spouse."  Since this is an IR-1 Visa, my spouse was already auto-populated to Part 6, Item 1 as the principal immigrant, but I do not see anything on Form I-864 actually identifying her as my spouse, and we ARE married, so I do not want to make (much less swear, under penalty of perjury) a false statement by entering "0" in Item 6.  At the same time, we are not supposed to leave any fields blank, so that is not an option either.  Since literally every single person who has successfully petitioned for an C/IR-1 visa has encountered this same problem, I would like their (i.e. YOUR) suggestions on how to address it.

The NVC customer service representative verified that sponsors of spousal immigrants will not commit perjury nor otherwise prejudicing their case by filling in "0" for their spouse already counted in their household size as the immigrant applicant.

On 7/3/2017 at 9:27 PM, JOL said:

3) The checklist in the instructions for Form I-864 states,

Quote

 

For ALL sponsors:

 

A copy of your individual Federal income tax return, including W-2s for the most recent tax year, or a statement
and/or evidence describing why you were not required to file.

 

with no mention of tax transcripts (though the earlier instructions for specific parts of Form I-864 do explicitly cite tax transcripts as an acceptable alternative to tax returns.)  Is this just an oversight, or must copies of tax returns, W-2s and all attached schedules be included even if tax transcripts for all applicable years are already included?  Same question for the Form I-864 instructions about Household Members, which state the same requirement in precisely the same language (i.e. omitting all reference to tax transcripts.) 

The NVC customer service representative initially thought I was referring to the instructions specific to sponsor income (i.e. page 6 of the instructions, covering Part 6, Items 1-20 of Form I-864) but once I clarified that I was referring to the instructions' concluding checklist (i.e. page 16 of the instructions) she confirmed that EITHER tax returns OR transcripts are acceptable (as stated in the instructions for Part 6 of Form I-864,) not tax returns ONLY (as stated in the instructions checklist.)

Now the tricky one:

On 7/3/2017 at 9:27 PM, JOL said:

5) Form I-864A, Part 4, Item 1 has a checkbox for "I have filed a Federal income tax return for each of the three most recent tax years.  I have attached the required photocopy or transcript of my Federal income tax return for ONLY the most recent tax year." (Caps added for emphasis.)  However, Item 2c has another checkbox for "(Optional) I have attached photocopies or transcripts of my Federal income tax returns for my second and third most recent tax years."  It is impossible to truthfully check BOTH boxes (i.e. because the first box states ONLY the most recent tax return/transcript is included, while the second box does not reference the most recent year AT ALL, and DOES state return/transcripts for the second and third most recent years are included.)  The form does allow both boxes to be ticked, but the statements are contradictory; mutually exclusive:  Which one(s) should be ticked?

The NVC customer service representative said this is essentially an "either/or" question:  A SINGLE tax return/transcript for the most recent year is preferred; returns/transcripts for the two years preceding it are necessary ONLY if the most recent is unavailable.  However, the form does allow both boxes to be checked, and we would like to include all three of my Household Members most recent tax returns/transcripts if possible.  In particular, Form I-864A, Part 4, Item 2 is a blank table with row 2a for the most recent, 2b for the next most recent and 2c for the third most recent tax year and incom:  Since we are instructed not to leave ANY field empty, and I am unsure "Not Applicable" would be a valid response (since my Household Member DID have income each year) we are completing all three rows, but I want to avoid receiving a checklist for failure to include a tax return/transcript documenting each years income.   

In essence, I feel DECLARING anything without DOCUMENTING it just invites a checklist; I can't expect the NVC to simply take our word on good faith.  Since I also can't evade the issue by simply leaving some fields empty, that requires I both declare and document data except in cases where there is nothing to document (e.g. I have never been married before, so there is no divorce degree for "previous" marriages.)  Experienced suggestions are welcome and encouraged, and I will call them back about this one Monday (though I also hope to have our AoS/IV packet ready to mail by then, since that 8-11 week clock cannot start ticking until the NVC receives that packet.)

14 hours ago, NihalV said:

thanks... I regularly call NVC to see of they have CASE number in system... 

Once case is in system will they share the IIN number over phone ? because as per my understanding if I have my case# and IIN, I will be good to fill DS-261 and pay fees for AOSand IV ( which normaly takes 7 days ) .. regarding welcome letter.

someone suggested we should ask NVC to update the Email ID in case so they will send the Email of Welcome letter while sending snail mail.... please share your comment

Disclaimer:  I am fallible, and can only speak to how the process has gone so far in our case; "your mileage may vary."

On arriving at the CEAC site, clicking any immigrant visa link immediately goes to a page almost wholly blank except for a field prompting for case number; no further progress is possible without the case number.  After entering a case number and clicking "continue" it adds fields prompting for an IIN, the users relationship to the case, and the standard "re-type these displayed characters" security field; again, further progress is impossible without the IIN.  I did not realize emailing the welcome letter was an option, nor could I get the case number nor IIN over the phone, even after the NVC finished inputting our case:  They told me to wait for the physical welcome letter to arrive through the US Postal Service.  But yes, entering both the case number and IIN, then hitting "continue," should immediately lead to the page with links for both DSes and fee payment options.  However, the payment links will not unlock until the DS-261 is submitted AND THE NVC FINISHES REVIEWING IT, and the DS-260 IV application will not unlock until the status of BOTH the AoS and IV fee payments show as "PAID."  Our process went in this order:

1) USCIS notice of I-130 approval and forwarding to the NVC arrived through the US Postal Service.

2) Next week the NVC registered receipt of our case.

3) Next week the NVC finished entering our case into its system and sent the welcome letter by snail mail.

4) Next week the NVC welcome packet arrived with

   a) Welcome letter, containing case number and IIN

   b) AoS invoice

   c) AoS document cover sheet

   d) NVC coversheet/checklist 

5) We then went to the CEAC and submitted the DS-261 online Choice of Agent form.

6) A week after calling the NVC every other day, an operator said our DS-261 was in the system awaiting review, which would take another week for them to do independently, or he could do it right then over the phone; naturally, I chose the second option.

7) A few days later the IV application fee unlocked (as I recall, the AoS fee was unlocked from the start, presumably because they included an AoS invoice with our welcome letter, but I do not know if that is true in all cases.)

8) A few days after the fees were submitted (which actually took a few weeks, due to internal problems the NVC was having with its servers) their statuses changed to "PAID" and the DS-260 IV application unlocked, at which time my wife completed, we both reviewed, and she finally submitted it.

One nice thing is that the CEAC offers copious documentation of both fee submissions:  Each one has its own receipt, invoice, document cover sheet and tracking page, which can be emailed and/or printed out from the site.  For peace of mind, I recommend "printing" each document to your hard drive as a PDF, printing out physical copies, and emailing copies to all concerned parties, all of which can be done directly from the CEAC site.  The rule I have always heard from lawyers (et al.) is that "If you didn't document it, IT NEVER HAPPENED."

12 minutes ago, NihalV said:

Hello All,

 

NVC received petition on 06/21/2017 and its been 2 week now (07/04/2017) but still case is not created at NVC... is it normal? or this is taking longer time in my case ?

 

I-130 approved  06/03/2017

NOA2 received through mail - 06/08/2017

NVC received case - 06/21/2017

My own experience was that it took about that long for them to assign a case number, and there is literally nothing you can do until then.  Go ahead and continue assembling documentary evidence for the AoS, and complete it, but when you go to the Consular Electronic Applications Center (i.e. the place we are required to fill out the online DS-261 Choice of Agent form, then submit the AoS and IV application fees, and then fill out the online DS-260 Immigrant Visa application they stress is NOT a formal application, since that technically must be made at the interview) the very first thing it asks for is a case number, so until you have that all it will do is stare back at you impassively.  Just keep calling the NVC service center until they say you have a case number, though even then I had to wait for their welcome packet to arrive by snail mail with our case and invoice numbers.

58 minutes ago, larnar1309 said:

Woah! I read through PDF templates but didn't realize the residency is from age 16!! Is that information just for the application or also since the petitioner was 16 also?

 

i have all the other stuff like parents info and all that saved into a word doc so I'm hoping to just cut and paste and be able to get through it without it takin hours and hours! 

 

But yea - I lived in Japan for 5 years and moved around constantly with my husband there so i can imagine your wife's frustration when it kept logging her out! How annoying! I'm glad you got it all sent off now  excited for you both !! 

Unless I missed something (touch wood) only the applicants residences since age 16 are required.  

My in the moment suggestion is to not repeat my mistake of thinking you must wait until the DS-260 is submitted before starting the AoS, lest you also repeat my error of still scrambling to assemble all the documentary evidence and figure out Form I-864 two weeks after submitting DS-260.  The DS-260 seemed pretty straight forward and much simpler than the I-864 to me, but I 1) only filled out the first page before handing off to my wife (since I do not know things like her passport number) and 2) do not believe the NVC has begun reviewing our DS-260 yet, so cannot know what their assessment of it will be (touch all wood in reach.)

32 minutes ago, larnar1309 said:

Just managed to pay our aos fee  woo! Progress or perhaps an early birthday gift from the NVC haha! (I'm a July 4th baby) 

 

happy 4th to all of you and I hope it brings all the other NVC filers luck for today / tomorrow 

 

im hoping this means my ds-601 choice of agent was accepted and that the IV fee should be available in a few days?? Fingers crossed ! 

I cannot answer that, because they sent my AoS invoice with the initial welcome letter, and made it available to pay at any time, but I had to wait until the NVC completed review of our DS-261 Choice of Agent form before IV payment options unlocked, then wait until its status (and that of the AoS) showed "PAID" before the DS-260 IV unlocked for my wife to complete.  

One word of caution on that:  It asks everywhere the applicant has lived since age 16, which was nearly 20 years ago for my wife, so she had MANY residences (because of dishonest landlords saying, "oh, NO, we would NEVER think about selling the property a just 2-3 months after leasing it to you," but then doing EXACTLY THAT, we had five different residences in just our first 2½ years of marriage.)  I mention that because the CEAC logged her out every time she was inactive for 10 minutes, and would not let her save that page until/unless she had completed every single field, so she got very frustrated with it.  Eventually, she wound up filling in a single residence, "completing" the rest with random filler, saving, then re-opening the page to fill out another single residence the same way, but she finally got through it in the end.  And both the petitioner and intending immigrant can access it once it is unlocked, so you can both double check the saved information to verify it is correct.  I just hope we did not both miss any errors, because it is already submitted, so we will just have to wait and see what the NVC says....

On that note, good luck and God speed, to you, me and all of us! 

On 7/1/2017 at 10:47 PM, pghknr said:

@JOL you can file taxes for Zero Income. 2016 Tax Returns you can send to NVC

Yeah, it made sense once he said it, I had just never thought about it before now; "Why would anyone want to bother filing a tax return for $0 income?"  Because of stuff like this, of course.  Sounds like I should just include the letter stating I had no 2014 nor 2015 income though, and the same statement at the end of the I-864.  My only big concern right now is that the consular officer might decide s/he cannot count on someone in their early seventies to financially support someone for another full decade.

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

 

Yeah, the NVC schedules your interview after they have approved your documents.  So yeah, after you have a CC. 

Wow.. It's because of errors like this that people can get confused. 

Fer reals; I suspect a similar ambiguity at the end of the instructions for Form I-864, so have requested clarification of that (et al.) in the thread for July filers, which is where I'll try to post all future questions (at least until the NVC promotes us to the CC thread.)

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

Just want to make sure it lists both parents on the birth certificate.. In the native language..  Does it clarify on the American embassy website in Norway?  If in doubt, include both versions? Explain in letter why you're submitting both versions.. 

I believe Folkeregisteret prints both versions in response to all requests, so I feel safer including both anyway (because that was the full official response.)  The first page is entirely in the native language, and the second in the native language, English and several others, but both pages list the names of both parents.

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

 

I was thinking for your parents, instead of providing their birth certificates.. Passport won't document domicile but can be used to show proof of US status.

Right; I am wondering now if I should use my voter registration card and birth certificate for proof of my status though, since those are single-page documents and my understanding is that I must include copies of every single page of my passport if using it to establish my legal US status.

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

Yeah, good idea. And you can print out airline receipts showing those dates..  But collect this stuff for your interview.. Not needed for the NVC. 

Yep, and planning to do both

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

 

She can order the tax transcripts online.  Yeah, will take a few days to set up the code.. But honestly, the NVC prefers the transcripts..

Well, we were going to do that, but I have not been able to figure out the format they want for her cell number, so after trying three different ways they kicked it out and said a confirmation code should arrive by mail within 5-10 calendar days:  I really want to have our NVC packet in the mail before then, so I guess we will just go with her tax returns and 1099s.

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

oh  and I'm sorry but if you had zero income for any of the last 3 years.. Then you just include a letter on why you didn't have to file for those years.. So no, you don't have to file with the IRS if you had no income.. Sorry for the confusion there.  

 

example of my letter. 

 

--

Re: Missing IRS Tax Transcripts - Did not file taxes for years 2013 and 2016

Dear Sir/Madam:

I, _______, SS# xxx-xx-xxxx was not required by the IRS

to file Federal income taxes for the years 2013 and 2016 as my income was

below the IRS required level. I was not employed and had no gross income. I

attached the Interactive Tax Assistant Interview Summary for the year 2016.

It states the following:

"You are not required to file a tax return for 2016. You are not required to file

a tax return because your income does not equal or exceed $4,050, nor do

you owe any special taxes or have any special situations that require you to

file."

Sincerely,

xxxx xxxxx

 

----

Thanks, I will use that; on the I-864 I am including this statement in Part 11: "SPONSOR RESIDED ABROAD WITH APPLICANT FROM NOVEMBER 2010-DECEMBER 2015 AND HAD NO 2014 NOR 2015 INCOME SUBJECT TO US TAXATION, SO FILED NO 2014 NOR 2015 US TAX RETURN."

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

wow.. that really sucks!!  Fortunately, I didn't have any problems.. 

 

no, sorry, again i must clarify, They want to make sure you have the right paperwork, versions, etc.. but also that you have set your file up correctly.. The NVC will alert you/advise you to bring on another joint sponsor.. For example, we're using assets since we're both living in France.. The NVC said, we advise you to have a joint-sponsor complete a AOS form to bring to our interview.. It's up to the embassy to determine if you qualify for a visa.

Ah, so the NVC may make a note about it, but will never kick it out, instead leaving that to the consular officers discretion?

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

 

Yes, make sure that 2d bar code changes as you fill in the fields.. If it's not changing, it's not working. But yeah, any fields you can't fill in electronically, print out and manually complete the remaining non-applicable fields. Include all pages and make sure they're signed in the right places. read carefully the 864 instructions and youtube how to fill in the AOS i864.. there are vids online.  But yeah, all empty fields should say NA or none.. Very important.  

Yeah, I am muddling through that now (hence the new questions in the thread for July filers, which, God willing, includes us.)  Once I get a final draft I will probably print it out, then retype all of that into a completely new and blank PDF just so I can make certain the bar code is changing as I populate each field.  I am a bit embarrassed, because we all went through this came ####### with the I-130 (and, in this case of we stupid people who hoped to be an exception, the I-129F) but cannot recall the specifics of how I handled things like "it asks for phone numbers they know MUST be foreign, yet still requires they be of US length."  I would just give her number by itself and expect the NVC (of all people) to know calling anyone in a foreign country requires entering the country code, but the instructions explicitly say to include the area code, which the form makes impossible. 

On 7/1/2017 at 4:33 PM, JBMG said:

you're welcome.. And If you doubt any of my feedback, i won't be offended if you ask for clarification or advice on the forums.

Wish you luck.  

Thanks again, and never fear:  I am certain we will have MANY more questions coming your way.... 

A few (more) questions, please, as I and my Household Member attempt to finalize our respective I-864 AoSes (or I-864A, in her case:)

1) Form I-864, Part 2, Item 7 requires the principal immigrants phone number, which the forms instructions state should include the area code, but the PDF only allows entry of US phone numbers (i.e. 10 digits, including area code) and my spouses phone number is 11 digits (including country code; 8 digits without country code) so I cannot type it on the PDF.  Also, for some reason, the data I input for this field--and ONLY this field--is displays and prints in purple rather than black.  Should I just fill this in by hand after printing out the parts entered via the PDF, or will that cause problems with the 2D barcode, since it (obviously) cannot record data entered by hand?

2) Form I-864, Part 5 states, "Do not count any person twice," but at Item 6 it further states, "If you are currently married, enter '1' for your spouse."  Since this is an IR-1 Visa, my spouse was already auto-populated to Part 6, Item 1 as the principal immigrant, but I do not see anything on Form I-864 actually identifying her as my spouse, and we ARE married, so I do not want to make (much less swear, under penalty of perjury) a false statement by entering "0" in Item 6.  At the same time, we are not supposed to leave any fields blank, so that is not an option either.  Since literally every single person who has successfully petitioned for an C/IR-1 visa has encountered this same problem, I would like their (i.e. YOUR) suggestions on how to address it.

3) The checklist in the instructions for Form I-864 states,
 

Quote

 

The following items must be submitted with Form I-864:

 

For ALL sponsors:

 

A copy of your individual Federal income tax return, including W-2s for the most recent tax year, or a statement
and/or evidence describing why you were not required to file.

 

with no mention of tax transcripts (though the earlier instructions for specific parts of Form I-864 do explicitly cite tax transcripts as an acceptable alternative to tax returns.)  Is this just an oversight, or must copies of tax returns, W-2s and all attached schedules be included even if tax transcripts for all applicable years are already included?  Same question for the Form I-864 instructions about Household Members, which state the same requirement in precisely the same language (i.e. omitting all reference to tax transcripts.) 

5) Form I-864A, Part 4, Item 1 has a checkbox for "I have filed a Federal income tax return for each of the three most recent tax years.  I have attached the required photocopy or transcript of my Federal income tax return for ONLY the most recent tax year." (Caps added for emphasis.)  However, Item 2c has another checkbox for "(Optional) I have attached photocopies or transcripts of my Federal income tax returns for my second and third most recent tax years."  It is impossible to truthfully check BOTH boxes (i.e. because the first box states ONLY the most recent tax return/transcript is included, while the second box does not reference the most recent year AT ALL, and DOES state return/transcripts for the second and third most recent years are included.)  The form does allow both boxes to be ticked, but the statements are contradictory; mutually exclusive:  Which one(s) should be ticked?

If further information about our specific situation is necessary to answer these questions, it is listed in this VJ thread, because I posted it on its own under the (mistaken) impression this thread was reserved for people whose documents the NVC had already scanned (a misconception JBMG has since helpfully corrected. )

On 7/1/2017 at 7:31 AM, JBMG said:

On 7/1/2017 at 7:29 AM, larnar1309 said:

Wow - thank you so much ! I have been reading through but I still feel like im

always finding out new info every day  

 

thats great advice about the call - I'll get my husband to start calling to ask on Monday  

 

thank you again!! 

You can also call yourself.  You can use google hangouts to call for free. I gave the NVC number and additional apps to make free calls to the US on a previous post. 

Great advice:  When I called, the NVC operator told me point blank that it would take another week for them to finish the DS-261 review independently, or he could do it right then and there over the phone and avoid that weeks delay.  

Regarding larnar1309s earlier question, that was a week after submitting form DS-261 Choice of Agent (when I called earlier the NVC said it would a week to enter their system, despite electronic filing) and the Consular Electronic Application Center granted access to fee payment options a few days after phone review.  The DS-260 was unavailable until payment fee statuses showed "PAID."  Sadly, a week after submitting the payments they still had not been deducted, so I called back and the operator said the NVC had had server glitches and the payments would clear within a couple more days.  When they did not, I called again and the operator said all payments during the glitch had been thrown out and had to be resubmitted, but once I did that the statuses changed to "PAID" within a few days, at which time the DS-260 became available to complete.  All told, it took about a month from submitting the DS-261 until we could submit the DS-260, but without the server issue it probably would have been half that.

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

Makes sure it's the right version.. For example in france, they offer an english version. This is not the correct version.. WE just needed the classic french version..  Do a search on the forum for "Norway birth certificate" Also look on embassy website. could explain there.. Could be a different version than the one you sent to the USCIS.. 

 

http://www.visajourney.com/sitesearch/?cx=partner-pub-3407508467788263%3A9725800110&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=NVC+Norway+birth+certificate&sa=Search&siteurl=www.visajourney.com%2Fforums%2F&ref=&ss=7264j6543542j30

 

Same as above, make sure all the correct versions.  

 

I found out about this links now.. could be useful.. 

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/interview/prepare.html

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Supplemental/OSL - Oslo.pdf

Somewhat, thanks; the Oslo.pdf appears out of date in a few places (e.g. its link to instructions on which documents to submit to the NVC appears to have been shortened from "...documents-to-submit-to-nvc.html" to "...documents".)  One of its links (eventually) led here, which does not reflect my understanding of current actual experiences with the Stockholm embassy as reported at VJ; perhaps "Appointments are usually scheduled for the month after all documents are submitted" is actually intended to mean after all documents are REVIEWED [i.e. Case Complete?]

I did visit the NVCs document reciprocity page ages ago, but was uncertain of its informations validity in our case since its visa category pull down menu lists neither IR, CR nor K visas.  It does say marriage and birth certificates should be obtained from Folkeregisteret, which is precisely where we got them, and, as my wife noted when we were discussing the issue, that is the only place they CAN be gotten.  It looks like the birth certificate and marriage certificate consist of the Norwegian-only original on page one, followed by a French/English/Spanish/Italian/German "extract of the register of births"/"extract from record of marriage" on page two, with all the same data.  Page two does not declare itself a translation (certified or otherwise) of page one in either case, and DOES declare itself an extract rather than original, but has the same national seal as header and same office stamp at the bottom (both pages of the birth certificate are signed by the same official, but original and extract marriage certificates were signed by different officials.)  Also, only the marriage certificate lists my wifes name change on the extract; the birth certificate only lists that (and the date my wife notified Folkeregisteret of it) on the Norwegian-only first page.  However, as she noted when I pointed that out, "this is the only form Folkeregisteret HAS," so hopefully the NVC has seen enough of them to recognize and remember that.  The USCIS accepted it without comment, but I did note the warnings that what USCIS did/not accept means bupkis to the NVC.

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

yes, and maybe passport if possible? 

Duh; can only plead sleep deprivation as an excuse for why I did not think of my passport to document my legal US residency.

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

sounds right, i didn't do this.. 

 

You need to order the tax transcripts for both parents and yourself.. much easier.. everything is in the transcripts.. 

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

Assets need to be converted into cash within 1 year. So whatever you can't convert, leave out.

Good point; thanks again.

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

not needed.. this was done at the USCIS stage.. you've already proved a bonafide relationship there.. keep collecting this data though for your wife to bring to the interview.. So you'll bring all originals that you submitted to the USCIS to the interview.

Interesting, but somewhat logical.  The reminder my valid US passport proves my legal US residence status also reminded me I can photocopy the pages with my port of entry stamps as further interview evidence of our bona fide relationship sadly, my wife had to get a new passport after our wedding, because her name changed, so it only has the port of entry stamp from her trip to visit here for Christmas, but mine go all the way back to our initial in person meeting October 2008; only bad news there is that trip was the entire reason I got my very first US passport, so it expires at the end of next summer.)

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

 

you don't need w2s if using tax transcripts.. my advice.. NVC loves tax transcripts.. very easy to review/approve..  Even if you were living abroad, and earned no income, you have to do your taxes each year.. if you didn't do those, do them..  Use forms f2555ez and f1040.. If you don't owe anything there is no penalty to file these.. for example, i filed the last 3 years last summer when i started this process!! hahah.  If you do this, then just send copies of your returns because you won't be able to get a transcript.. oh and include a letter explaining you don 'have w2's since you were not working in the US. 

 

just use tax transcripts.  

My mother is adamant that we use her tax returns (including all forms filed with them,) and already has them, whereas we would have to wait for receipt of her tax transcripts.  It never occurred to me that tax returns can be filed even in years with NO income, but that, as well as the observation there is no penalty for filing (even years) late unless money is owed, are very helpful; I can just go ahead and complete zeroed out tax returns for 2014 and 2015, and mail them at the same time I mail the NVC copies of them and a letter explaining I lived abroad all of 2014 and all but two weeks of 2015.  The IRS link for requesting transcripts is useful, too; I had already used it to get the transcripts for last year and the most recent previous year I filed (which was 2013, one year more than the most recent three:  Of course....)

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

whoah.. don't know what's going on there.. call the NVC and ask.  I just had 2 letters with our case number.. only used the letter with the checklist on it.

 

confirm with the NVC..

 

Calling from outside of the US

 

Best 5 Android Apps to Make Free Calls to US

Best 4 iPhone Apps to Make Free Calls to US

 

Phone Number

NVC - 603-334-0700 [HOURS: 7am - 12am (7h-24h) EST, M-F]

Best time to call: 7-8am or 11pm-12am (7h-8h or 23h-24h)

Current local time in Portsmouth NH (NVC)

Time Zone Converter

 

Menu

Press 1, for English

Press 2, for Spanish

 

After pressing 1 for English, the options are:

 

1, to verify priority date

2, to establish an agent, request fee bill or invoice number

3, to verify that they received your mail

4, to confirm date and time of interview

5, to update your mailing address, phone number, email address

6, if your case is at a US embassy or consulate overseas

7, for all other questions

Near as I can tell, our NVC welcome letter included not only a cover sheet/comprehensive (if generalized) checklist, but an Affidavit of Support fee invoice as well, but when I actually paid that and the IV application fee the CEAC generated wholly new invoices and cover sheets so I could submit them in the NVC packet as required proof of having paid all fees (even though an invoice is not a record of payment, only of debt.)  

Another possible cause is that (as you have heard) the CEAC web coding glitch in May directed all payments to the wrong server, which is why I got an error message when submitting each payment, but the status of both changed from "Not Paid" to "In Process" and the CEAC generated the cover sheets, invoices and receipts at the same time.  Note for anyone encountering that problem in future:  Unless the CEAC also generates a tracking page (with not one but TWO tracking numbers, yet without stating where to enter those numbers to track payment) your payment was not submitted, but you will not be able to re-try before the "In Process" status reverts to "Not Paid," because the tickbox to select a given payment is deactivated once a payment attempt is In Process.  Once the NVC corrected that error, they initially directed their CS representatives to tell everyone who called about a payment in the interim that those payments would process within 2-3 days (as a CS representative told me when I called.)  They subsequently discovered that all interim payments had instead been discarded, but I only discovered that when calling back after 3 more days (because it is not as if we are in a hurry or began this process last September.  They also recorded a supervisor contact request during my initial call, plus I submitted an email to which they also responded:  Three days ago. 

Now I get to call them yet again; joyful and triumphant, but hardly shocking at this point.

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

Yes, the counselor will have everything.. but the NVC doesn't review the stuff from USCIS.. A NVC rep told me they don't get anything from USCIS.. so I don't know how that process works.. but there have been plenty of people who received a checklist at the NVC asking for documents that were included in their USCIS package.. 

 

Yeah, fortunately you don't have to prove bonafide relationship.. Just include what the NVC asks for.. Anything more will just annoy them and you..  The NVC is responsible for making sure you have collected the right version of each document. That's all.  It's the counselor who reviews/approves your visa. 

So if (for example) the Sponsors income (or, alternatively, Joint Sponsor or Households) income is below federal poverty level for the stated household size, the NVC will not raise that objection prior to the interview, it will only be raised by the consular officer AT the interview?  Just trying to get clarification, because I could have sworn I read a few VJ posts by people who said the NVC rejected them over that well before the interview (but I have read... so many things... in the past year or two, and not just here, though certainly here as well.)

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

 

Print out, hand write N/A and none when appropriate..  Whenever I couldn't write n/a in the document, i wrote NA and I had no problems with my AOS form.

Another clarification:  Electronically complete as much of the Affidavit of Support form as possible, then print it out with that 2D bar code and manually complete the remaining non-applicable fields?  Or print out the pdf of the blank form and complete EVERYTHING by hand?  I really like the concept of the 2D bar code (and definitely see why the USCIS and NVC do also,) but requiring all fields be populated, while simultaneously preventing some fields being populated, is self-defeating (reports "self-defeating" has replaced "e pluribus unum" as our national motto remain unconfirmed... so far.... )

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

 

currently processing in 8-11 weeks from your scan date.  

 

No more RFEs.. NVC calls it a checklist when something is missing. 

Good luck.. just get those IRS transcripts.. And make sure all the versions are correct.. 

 

If there is anything listed on the police certificate.. ANYTHING.. then you need court records too.

Excepting biographical data and liability boiler plate, there is literally nothing but the words "The aforementioned person HAS NO CRIMINAL RECORD" (caps in the original.)

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

Finally. if she lived anywhere for 6 months or more abroad, you need a police record from those countries.. 

 

hope I've helped you some.  

Quite a bit, actually, so thanks again.

18 hours ago, JBMG said:

 

ps.. have you seen the 864 instructions? very useful.. 

 

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-864instr.pdf

 

Also look at the first post of this forum. LOTS of great info there..  and don't hesitate to ask any questions there.  Even though it's going to close soon. they'll open another one called NVC filers- July 2017

 

Here's all the forums in that area.. 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/134-ir-1-cr-1-spouse-visa-case-filing-and-progress-reports/

Only skimmed the I-864 instructions so far, but will review them in exhaustive detail as I attempt to complete the thing this weekend.  And will do; on the rest also.   I will try to remember to confine future posts about this to those threads, but wanted to acknowledge and express my gratitude for all the helpful information you copiously provided here.  I understand the basis of the USCIS/NVCs See/Hear/Speak No Evil policy, but they take it WAY too far, IMHO:  I do not expect them to just give everyone the answer to every question like a high school football coach giving his starting quarterback a class exam, but expecting them to clarify the many vague QUESTIONS is not unreasonable (again, IMHO.)  Especially when they are doing it on MY nickel. 

1 hour ago, JBMG said:

whoah.. that's def a post.  

Yeah I kinda... do that (sorry.)  My tendency to write in excruciating detail and try to anticipate every contingency probably makes me an ideal Sponsor--or the worst possible!  I believe my I-130 approval took significantly longer than average, but a least no RFEs delayed it even longer.

Quote

 

VERY Important. Please check this out too..  Could answer some of your questions. 

 

Did, and will review again (several times;) my belated thanks.  Definitely putting the case number on each page.

Quote

Also, there are monthly thread to join where you can ask your questions. it will change here shortly to a July one but here is the June one.. Read the first post, very informative..  

I saw that, but got the (perhaps mistaken) impression it was reserved for people who already had a scan date, which I do not believe includes me, because all we have submitted so far are the initial fee payments and the DS-260/261:  I am trying to figure out how to REACH a scan date that is not aborted by an RFE three months later.  If that thread includes pre-submission questions though, I will go there (but link this thread unless some Mod wants to merge it; I want to re-type all that again about as much as you want to re-read it. )