VinceKath

My wife and I were confused on this one as well. Her medical exam was done on March 2017 and we filed for AOS August 2017, so going by the USCIS' written rule, we should be ok. We had our AOS interview last 7/13/2018 in Los Angeles. USCIS officer asked for a new medical since the one we submitted with the AOS fling was now "expired". It's a good thing that I didn't take the chance of going in there without having a new medical exam done or else we would've gotten an RFE. I handed her the new medical exam sealed in an envelope and politely asked her about their written rule. She just shrugged and said that the 1 year applies from the date of her medical to when the AOS is adjudicated. So in our case, her medical expired March 2018. Since the interview was going well, I didn't want to argue with her further on the fact that their written instructions stated otherwise so I just let it go. So judging by our experience, I would suggest getting a new medical exam. But like you, I've also read some people who went in without having to get new medical exam and it went well... My wife got approved btw. Goodluck.      

13 hours ago, Mmagic said:

I know you are one of the informed VJ  members in here...Can you comment on my case?

I am a K1 applicant in 2016.

1-I took my Medical Exam in Singapore on September 2016

2- I had my Visa on January 13th. 2017

3-Arrived in the States on February 25th.2017

4- Got married on March 24th. 2017

5- Applied for AOS on May 31st. 2017

6- Had my interview this June 9th, 2018

7- Officer told me I need a new Medical Exam since my old one already expired (More than 12 months) and why would he say my exam expired on  March of this year? 

 

Thanks

 

I'm really confused as well, but I've read on a different forum that the 12 months expiration of your medical exam actually starts from when USCIS received your medical files. This would make sense on your case since you arrived in US Feb 25th 2017, that's when you handed your medical files, so they probably started the count from March 2017 - March 2018. I'm not sure how accurate this is.

In our case, we will have our AOS interview this coming July 2018, my wife had her medical exam in Philippines back on March 2017, she arrived in US on May 2017, so going by your case, I'm assuming that her medical exam expired in June of this year. Seeing as some people get by without having to complete a new one even after the year passes, I'm contemplating whether we should just go in the interview without having to go get a new medical exam, worst case scenario is they just give us an RFE to submit a new one, if we get lucky we save around $295 which is what a new medical exam would cost around my area.  

2 minutes ago, Yasser&Neveen said:

and how long does it usually take for the beneficiary to receive package 3?

It varies in different consulates. For example in the Philippines, because of an unreliable post office, a lot of people don't really get to receive their packet 3 at all, but luckily, it's not needed to move forward with the case. You might want to look at VJ's regional forums for Egypt, you can get specific answers for your country there.

1 minute ago, Yasser&Neveen said:

Hello,

 

if the NVC site status shows "ready" does this mean the embassy received the case?

 

Thank you.

Yasser

Most likely, yes.

3 hours ago, Presirika said:

Hey guys, I'm a little confused, do you need the nvc case number(email copy or letter from nvc) to schedule the medical interview?

Since you don't really need to schedule an appointment for medical. St. Luke's requires that you show them proof that your MNL case number is ready to schedule for an interview before you can proceed to have any procedure done. It could either be an e-mail from Phil consulate, NVC or at the very least, a screenshot from the CEAC website with the status of your case being "Ready". Like I said, the medical for the Philippines is first come first served, so you don't really need to schedule anything. You just show up when you have all your requirements. 

25 minutes ago, Kiki-G said:

Hi @VinceKath!  Quick question, when you went for your medical, did you bring the letter from NVC? what if we do not have 1?

Hi @Kiki-G. My fiancée printed out the e-mail from the USEM stating that our case is eligible to be scheduled for an interview. I received the e-mail approximately 1 week after the status changed as "Ready" in CEAC website. From what I've read from other people in this forum, not everyone receives any correspondence from USEM at all. If this is the case, I believe you can bring a screenshot of the "Ready" status window from CEAC website. Also, it's really easy to request status of your case from NVC by using the link below. I also received our NVC case status by using the link below, the response from NVC is very similar to the e-mail USEM sent me. I believe what's relevant to St. Luke's is for the beneficiary to provide them with your MNL case number. Hope this helps.

https://secureforms.travel.state.gov/ask-nvc.php  

5 minutes ago, Reboot1 said:

Hi everyone. Our case was sent by NVC to Manila on 3/10. No package sent to my fiance yet. I am getting jittery and wondering if there is a number to call or a way to check what's going on?

Do not wait for the packet to be sent to your fiance, you won't need it for anything really. My fiancee received hers a couple of days after she got approved for an interview, It didn't say anything that she doesn't know. Once you get your case status is ready, it's time to schedule for an interview. 

This is what it will look like:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/1178798/Instructions Packets/K1 and K2 Interview Preparation Instructions - English _February 2016_.pdf

1 hour ago, Kiki-G said:

Quick question please. 

if NVC status says IN TRANSIT, is it okay to pay for the visa fee already? 

 

-> Philippines specifically. Thank you! 

We didn't even wait for the NVC status to say "In Transit", as soon as I got the MNL# from NVC I had my fiancee pay the visa. The most important thing is to make sure that the status is "Ready" in time for the interview. 

9 minutes ago, Chelleyandaaron said:

those who have recently had interviews -

 

Were you asked for any evidence of ongoing relationship?  Photos? Screenshots? Call records etc?  It doesn't ask me anywhere on infor from the embassy for this info - wondering whether I need to pull something together.  Interview Friday - I have to fly to London tomorrow

I believe it all depends on the interviewer (or maybe how complicated the case is? Not sure). I sent my fiancée exact copies of evidences I sent in for our I-129F application (photos, copies of flights, passport stamps, etc.) but they didn't ask her for any of those at all. But I've also heard from other experiences where the interviewer would ask for photos at the least. So at the end of the day, I'm guessing that it's better to have some evidences on hand on the day of the interview than not having them at all, in case they ask for it.

18 hours ago, Sagot said:

The I-134 is used for other types of visas, so for sure do not follow everything listed there, it asks for things not pertinent to the K-1 visa process.  

 

For new employees, pay stubs and employer letters are good to have, but 99.9% of the time the embassy looks at the most recent tax return and W2 ... if they even ask for support evidence (since 2014 they have not been asking all the time)

 

No it is not sensible to include bank statements, personal property statement and such ... embassy will not look at them.

 

.. more is better.  Might as well include the warranty for a toaster.   

 

Never DO-DO when DO will DO ~

I see. So assuming that there are no co-sponsors available, what would be the best way to show the consulate that the beneficiary will not become a public charge if the tax return and W2 would not meet the minimum guidelines? Or shall we cross our fingers that they not ask for I-134 evidence at all? Or does including the bank statements and any other assets be more sensible at that point (including warranty for toaster LOL)? I'm curious because I don't think my W2 alone would be enough but I have enough in the bank to provide adequately... Will we face problems in the interview?

47 minutes ago, Sagot said:

To get an email from NVC you have to email them 1st, requesting your MNL.   http://visaconnection-philippines.com/index.php/2-visa-process/2-nvc-k-1

 

The NVC letter is NOT necessary for completing the medical if you have copies of your interview confirmation (email/page printout) for USEM.   You only need ONE or the OTHER.

 

http://visaconnection-philippines.com/index.php/2-visa-process/4-slec-medical

 

Show up at St. Luke's an hour after they open and you will have no waiting and still easily complete the 1st day of the medical.  You will need copies of your DS-160 confirmation page on the 2nd day.

 

Do follow the embassy instructions letter for what is required.   Links for the instructions letter are half way down the page here:

 

http://visaconnection-philippines.com/index.php/2-visa-process/3-usem-k-1-visa

 

 

Embassy only asks for the most recent tax return, NOT 3 years.  Bank account statements will not be asked for.   Pay stubs are good IF a person is a NEW employee, otherwise they aren't needed either.

 

Yes that's true. I guess I'm going by what is on the affidavit of support (I-134).  If you fill out other source of income section in the I-134 its sensible that you would want to include proof to support it (bank statements, personal property statements and such). I guess the critical thing is for the beneficiary to be able to demonstrate that they will not become a public charge or burden on the U.S. taxpayers for financial support." But going by my philosophy is, the more support the better. You can never go wrong with having more.

1 minute ago, AizaNToby said:

Oh Ok!

Yeah Mine Says "READY" and I did a screenshot of it also.

 

I was looking for someone to email to make sure that I received that thru email!

Thanks for the email link!

 

FYI the embassy appointment is only 7 days wait....

So I'm waiting to see how long it takes to get to St Lukes.

 

She paid the Embassy Fee today.....

 

 

ALSO,

I NEVER sent an Affidavit of support with my I-29F.

Will she need this for the Interview?

Do I need form I - 864 or I - 134

There is no appointment needed for St. Lukes. You can just go there anytime during their working hours (go early). Yes, it is highly recommended that the beneficiary have an I-134 (affidavit of support) from the petitioner at the time of the interview. Also, petitioner's past 3 years worth of tax transcripts/ tax returns, W2, pay stubs, bank accounts and anything that will substantiate that the petitioner will be able to support the beneficiary when they come to the U.S. Consulate might not even ask for them but it's best that the beneficiary have them on hand at the time of interview to prevent delays. 

3 hours ago, AizaNToby said:

 

CURRENTLY -

CEAC - Says my Immigrant Visa is   " IN TRANSIT "  to the consular embassy.

So they recognize the case number now.

Do I still need to wait for Email before I make Appointment?

I had my fiancee pay the visa fee and schedule the interview appointment as soon as I got the MNL # from NVC. It's a little bit risky but I knew we could always re-schedule the interview if the case wasn't "ready" at the time of the interview. I also e-mailed NVC about our case status at this site https://secureforms.travel.state.gov/ask-nvc.php in case USEM does not send the confirmation e-mail that they have received our case (beneficiary would need this for St. Luke's Medical). I received both e-mails from USEM and NVC anyways, if you don't receive any of these in time you can do a screenshot of the CEAC page where it says your case is "Ready". Everything worked out since the ceac status for our case was "ready" a couple of days of it being "In Transit", which was way before our selected interview date on March 15th. So to answer your question, no, you don't need the e-mail to make an appointment. Just make sure you have some sort of proof of eligibility that you can schedule an interview in time for the medical.

4 hours ago, Yasser&Neveen said:

Hello,

 

it has been 2 weeks since our case was approved, is it to early to call NVC to see if they received the case?

 

Thank you.

Yasser&Neveen

It only took them 10 days from when my case was approved online to issue a case number, so you can definitely start calling. But like what was mentioned above it can take up to 6 weeks! But I started hounding NVC 7 days after getting approved online and got lucky on the 10th day.

35 minutes ago, bbf3562 said:

Did you called NVC 7 days after case status online approved or after you received NOA 2 letter?

I called them 7 days after case status was changed online and before I got the hard copy.

34 minutes ago, bbf3562 said:

On March 1, I got NOA2 from Case Status online saying that USCIS approved my I-129F form and will mail me approval notice. So while waiting for letter to arrive in mail, what steps I need to do ahead of time to make process quicker? Should I call NVC to get new case number 7 days after online approved case status or after I received letter? Should I go ahead send my original k-1 application papers to my spouse for her to prepare interview or need document for her to bring to interview?

Here is what I did when we got approved

Prepare affidavit of support (I-134)

Gathered my tax transcripts, W2's, employment verification, pay stubs, Bank Accounts (for I-134)

Updated the date on our Letter of Intent

Made a copy of NOA2 as soon as I received it in the mail

Called NVC 7 days after we got approved (We got case number on the 10th day)

Checked CEAC site to see if the case status have been changed to "ready"

I had my fiancée fill out DS-160 after we got the case number from NVC.

I mailed everything to my fiancée in the Philippines including a copy of the I-129F packed I sent to USCIS. The rest of the steps for the consulate are country specific, so you might have to go through a different route after getting your case number from NVC.    

9 minutes ago, DianaLucena said:

Hi Vince! Thanks for your response. I don't need it for the interview or medical (I think) but I thought it was weird that we didn't received the letter since almost everyone in this thread has received it. But as long as I don't need it for the AOS I think it's ok, there shouldn't be any problem then

Yea, I guess I was too focused on squeezing out our case number from NVC that I didn't notice that they haven't sent me any letter of confirmation. But like you said, it shouldn't be a problem for future filings.

42 minutes ago, DianaLucena said:

Yes, my case is already at the Embassy in Venezuela, but what I'm saying is that the NVC usually sends a letter to the petitioner after they received the case, and we haven't received it yet

Hi Diana,

I didn't receive any letter from the NVC as well, but I did receive an e-mail from NVC after I inquired on their site regarding my case. However, is there a reason why you are waiting for the NVC letter in particular? Isn't it enough proof that your case have been received and forwarded by NVC because it's already in the embassy in Venezuela? In any case, if you really need to have a confirmation from the NVC, you can send them an e-mail through this site https://secureforms.travel.state.gov/ask-nvc.php. Hope this helps.

2 hours ago, EUDESKI19 said:

Aren IRS transcriptd and 1040 the same thing?

Yes. They are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that the tax transcript proves that you actually filed your taxes with the IRS. 1040 however, you can download off the internet fill out and sign without actually filing. So the IRS tax transcript is a more acceptable form for immigration purposes, although copies of your signed 1040 would work as well.

20 minutes ago, fruitcake said:

How come? I had my dog tested her screwworm in Manila. I forgot the name of the clinic but I will look up later. Dont go to the city vet. You'll waste your time. If you live in Manila go right ahead and inquire at BAI, theyre located in Quezon city.

I'm not sure, but my guess is it's not everyday that someone comes in for a "screwworm" test in most vet clinics, that's why a lot of them have never done the procedure before and are quite unsure on how the test is administered. My fiancée lives in Quezon City, so it shouldn't be a problem visiting BAI. Thanks again!

19 hours ago, fruitcake said:

Hello Vince, i am glad to help.

Yes, your fiancee's dog must have this screwworm test, its a bloodtest. This is a certification given by her vet. It expires 3 days. This is just one of the requirements needed to show to the BAI. You can find specific information on my post please read.

Yes, I flew with Philippine Airlines. I paid the cargo fees for my dog upon check in.

Yes, the US customs check all my documents.

 

Hope everything will be smooth with your fiancee. Have a nice day!

Thanks for the info fruitcake! We have been struggling to find information on the screwworm test, and it seems like even the vets in the Philippines (most of them) are unaware of this "test". We probably have to get guidance from BAI if they have a list of vets that do the test as the dog's current vet might have no clue on how to perform the test.   

12 hours ago, Jing&Kuting said:

Hi, 

 

The screw worm test is not applicable in all states. There are states that you don't need one  Check with your vet and with the airlines.

Hi Jing,

I believe the CDC mandates the screwworm test for all international dog importation into any port in the U.S. For what I understand, there are countries that are free of screwworm and that are not required to furnish the screwworm requirement upon entering the U.S. but the Philippines is in the list of countries that are "required" to have the screwworm test done upon entering.

https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs.html

38 minutes ago, pe8ches said:

Does anyone know whether an I-134 affidavid of support is required for every K-1 beneficiary interview?  Or only for embassys in some countries?

Not all consulates require the USC to provide an I-134 affidavit of support, but all consulates will require some evidence that the beneficiary will not go on welfare or other government financial assistance while in the U.S. You might want to contact the consulate in your country what their requirement is.

2 minutes ago, MapleLeaf29 said:

Has anyone else gotten their tax transcript online?

 

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

I got my tax return transcripts online. I printed out 2014, 2015 and 2016 and sent it along with I-134 to my fiancée in the Philippines.