vylex

yes from what i read , london send a letter saying arrange medical/police cert and then return that - and then they send interview date when they know you are ready..seems all the embassies are different

Thanks for another data point. The embassies are definitely different. I believe the UK and Aussie embassies operate similarly then.

Cool. I know what to have my wife gather then.

If you are refering to a OMB date, you can continue using the form, it is a date that Office of Management and Budget specifies that suggested changes and auditing by the various departments needs to be completed by, in this case Department of State. OMB date is an internal audit date, not an expiration of the form.

The various consulates use and mail out forms that are much older than that.

So no problems using that form.

That's great info. Thanks! I always wondered what OMB stood for. I feel better now. I had my wife fill out, sign and mail me the current DS-230 form a few weeks back regardless of that date.

Hello everyone!

My husband is with me now in Holland for three weeks, we are expecting the IV bill in about 7 days, but of course it will be sent to my husbands adress and we are gonna have a two week delay.

My question is; can someone else pay this for us? So can our roommate sent one of his checks instead?

Thanks in advance!

A. Yes someone else can pay.

B. Use only Cashiers checks or Money Order (at the Post Office will do fine).

Personal checks are not accepted.

CONGRATS KYM!!!!!!

I am going to wear out the happy dance LOL!!!

Jodee, happy reunion with your hubby! How long has it been now? I can't wait to fly back to Sydney and raid Harry's hahahahaha. I am craving some meat pies LOL.

Oooh! My husband already sent the I-864 with the self-generated barcode (7-26-2007 thursday),expecting that he will received the package with the IV bill.

Would you think there'll be a problem? Thank you.

KayArt

I don't expect there to be a problem since the AoS Bill payment was already entered into the system. The only thing I can imagine is running into the same issue Mononoke did which is the automated response will not state the DS-230 was generated since the I-864 might be processed and updated ahead of time.

You'll be stuck having to call and squeeze some info out of the live operators once you think the DS-230 has been generated.

Good Luck!

hi ya pris and vylex .. no movements on your pettitions??? not long before you fly off vylex.. safe journey if we dont see ya before hand...

Hey Kath!

Sounds like we're in the same boat as Vylex; waiting for the IV Bill. Likewise also the I-864 has been generated but J's mother is cosponsoring and she's on her honeymoon..! All in good time I suppose.

I've been busy tho celebrating my 29th and catching up with the fam as a sister visits with her first child..yes it's been busy yet slow also. Really looking forward to celebrating my future birthdays in summer over cocktails for a nice change and of course with my darling.

Good luck on you driving test!

Best wishes for your wedding Alex, I hope you have a day to remember! Maybe we will catch each other at Sydney..

Great pics guys you all looking happy and very much loved up ..yay!

HAPPY 29th BIRTHDAY Pris!!!!!

That's one of my favorite numbers (I was born on the 29th hehe).

Thanks for the wishes too!!! I am excited but we are both scrambling to get things ready. We really want to make this extra special (but which bridal couple doesn't LOL).

It would be cool if we caught up at Sydney! I'll be there for a month starting August 11th woo woo!!!! I can't wait to go already but I still need to finish up a few items (namely immigration paperwork before I can breathe a little more haha).

Good luck as well with rest of your journey! If you happen to be at Circular Quay on the 18th of August by the Opera House, give a wave! I'll be there with the wifey hehe.

I hope everyone else is doing a-ok.

-Alex

Hey Alex

The address/phonenumber of the doctor (and the X-ray clinic) + office hours were in the letter, along with some medical forms and instructions (vaccinations/what to fill in). There was even a map on how to walk from the x-ray clinic to the doctor. Very thorough

I called the doctor's office, they asked for my visa-interview date and then scheduled me in a week prior. All in about 30 seconds

Ahhh, that's interesting. So once you get the case completed and forwarded, the embassy sends medical info AND an interview date. I have to check with how the Australian embassy works. I recall them sending information on getting a medical and other items such as the marriage certificate, police certificate, etc. After that the foreign spouse would contact them and let them know they are ready for an interview.

Thanks for the info Erica!

Good luck! You're almost there!

-Alex

Well I received mine today! (you were right Vylex) I was surprised because I thought for sure I'd be receiving it next week, but hey the sooner the better! KayArt I hope you receive yours very soon and whoever else is out there waiting for it I hope it comes very soon for you too!

*And onto the next step as well as more waiting...*

Thank you Megdan. My husband received the IV Bill (27 or 28)not sure coz he was out of town for business since thursday and was'nt able to check the mailbox until today. He was wondering why he did'nt get the I-864 while the NVC personel told him that it will be sent together with the IV Bill the last time he made a follow-up call last week. Did you get yours(I-864)? Thank you.

KayArt

KayArt,

I didn't receive the I-864 with the IV Bill either. I didn't expect it to come together (in the same mailing that is) but I did expect it to come within a few days of each other.

I am going to wait until tomorrow or Tuesday before I go ahead and mail in my own I-864 package with self generated coversheet. I have to wait for them to process the IV Bill payment anway. I don't foresee any issues with my I-864 so I am waiting it out a little longer.

-Alex

I should have read the entire thread before I posted, and my edit timed out. Oi.

Anyway ...

Alan, if London is anything like Amsterdam (and I don't see why it shouldn't) there's no 'packet' 3, there's just the appointment letter with an extra page on what you'll need to bring.

Hi Erica,

I suspect Australia is the same as well (Standard Processing). How did you go about scheduling the medical. Was this included in appointment letter package?

Thanks!

-Alex

Nice to hear that you received it. Congrats and thanks for the info.

Megdan,hope ours will be in the mailbox soon too.

KayArt :

Thanks! You should be getting your soon too given the timeline. Good Luck!

Geist, I am totally with you on DCF! That was our original plan. However, they did re-instate it but with stricter rules. The USC has to live abroad for at least 6 months if I remember correctly.

Wow! Congrats Moonie! Congrats again Loke and Rings!

Everyone has wonderful wedding pics and romantic shots!

I can't wait for my (second) wedding next month now LOL!

Hi MegDan, I think you'll have it tomorrow (Sat mail).

I received my IV Bill finally!

I noticed that although the generation date was listed as Monday the 16th, the actual bill date is 7/14/2007. Interesting.

Also, the postmark date is 7/25 so it took a grand total of 2 days to actually get to me once it was sent. I'll be off to the post office to get the $380 money order Saturday morning.

Finally, I compared the barcode cover sheets of the AoS Fee Bill and IV Fee Bill. I compared them to the DS-230 version 2.2 form and see that the Immigration and Address are in blue like the graphic of the Statue of Liberty (also confirmed by Mononoke). I also noticed that the address font size is 12 and the date was off more to the right.

Being a bit too #######, I tweaked my address fonts (and capitalized all letters) as well as shift the date. The barcode lines up perfectly now that I increased the address font size.

Woo Woo! I just need to have this bill processed by the NVC and the rest I have ready to mail.

I am still waiting for the actual snail mail instructions for the AoS just out of curiosity. If I don't get it by Monday, I'll be sending in the AoS paperwork in with my own coversheet.

-Alex

Without further *I do* I present, my marriage photos Enjoy all Aussie-American VJ-ers

CONGRATS!!!!!!!! You guys look great together!!!!!

I wish you two the BEST!

AAARRGGHHH get a grip because - it gets worse !!!!! actually waiting for the visa fee bill is a real pain and it goes on and on and on...

Everybody delays you from the NVC to postal service on strike to courier foul ups etc etc

I am hoping for case complete end of next week (despite fedex fouling up) then its on to delays with London and booked up medical centre and then interview lines etc etc...

it goes on forever so please buy my book called 'how to put yourself in a trance and wake up as you leave the customs area in the US'

Until that day you will never be free to relax

Then you receive a green card in the Name of 'A Sample' and that takes 3 months to fix

then you get a perfect one and somebody mugs you and takes your wallet with the GC in it

Hey, I am a half full sort of guy as well !

ps nearly 3 weeks from noa2 to logging on NVC system and yes some do get lost as they blow off the truck on the way from California

So your relief at being finally logged just means you are onto the next set of worries

gin and tonic worked for me

good eh ?

Ahhhh, your extreme positive nature is so uplifting and refreshing.

Yep the barcodes and everything else look exactly the same as it does in the shortcuts. And yes, I'm 99.9% sure the date is the Monday of the week they say they're going to mail you the instructions for the DS-230.

Ok thanx. Have you heard of someone having their barcode rejected? And my barcodes are just a bit larger. Do you think it will work?

I sent my AOS fee Bill using the self generated barcode cover sheet and realized it was tad bit larger (or smaller...I forget). I had no problems getting it accepted into the system. I believe the key is that the correct encoding scheme is used. I am pretty confident that a slight deviation in size should not matter provided the scale is maintained.

Worst case is the barcode reader scans an error and they manually plug in the NVC case number which is plastered on each document anyway. I can see them doing it like the supermarket cashiers when they can't scan an item. They just plug in the serial number of the product LOL.

hi ya pris and vylex .. no movements on your pettitions??? not long before you fly off vylex.. safe journey if we dont see ya before hand...

take care

kath

Hi Kath!

Crazy crazy! I want the petition to speed up but the wedding planning to slow down! LOL! I'll still be posting now and then hee hee. I foresee myself being up a lot and I am an internet freak. Thanks for the well wish!

I am waiting for the IV Bill which should arrive any day now. It supposedly takes 10 to 15 days after generation. It's Day 10 now so I hope it's sitting in my mailbox.

I am also waiting for the I-864 instructions although I have James' shortcuts already prepared. I was told my payment was already entered into the system a while back so I can send it in anytime. However, with me waiting for the IV Bill which in turn generates the DS-230 form, I can afford to wait it out a bit for the I-864 package.

The only key item I need is the IV Bill since I can't self-generate the barcode coversheet (it's random). Once I get that and pay it, I can control my destiny (somewhat) on mailing the other items in.

The NVC stage is far more exciting for me than the USCIS waiting game. However, I guess wedding planning that is happening in parallel is making time fly! My wife and I actually split up the task with her owning 60% of the load. I get a whopping 40% hee hee. I am actually into this whole wedding thing (our second wedding within a year span LOL) since it will be a huge family reunion as well. A plane load of my family and hers from the US is coming along for the ride. Get ready as the US invades Oz LOL.

I am racing against time because I want to get the IV Bill paid and processed so I get that DS-230 phone generation email. Before I leave. It's cutting it close but there is a chance I can make it happen. Any case, I can either have the paperwork ready and have my close friend here in the US mail it once I get the message or I can mail from Oz.

I am keeping my fingers crossed I can make this all happen within the next few weeks LOL.

So many things making time go by! It's fast and slow at the same time.

-Alex

PS. Good luck on your next pass at the driving test!

Yes we got our 864 letter yesterday - 3 weeks after they said they had generated it ! no form in there - just the link on the website to download it

also they send a cover sheet - I compared it to the one i did with james shortcuts and it is totally identical

that email doesnt refer to the cover sheet - weird - so weird- if you do James SC I would not send it without a cover sheet

Interesting, yes, I was wondering about the cover sheet. I am tempted to send it without a cover sheet, just to see what happens haha

Hee hee! I tell you what, did you see what is said at the bottom of the link on Step 9?

Mail the form and any required supporting documents to the NVC. Be sure to include the bar code sheet for the applicant’s case.

I guess this speeds up the process as far as filling it out ahead of time. It seems that the peitioner still needs to wait for that piece of info.

Alan,

Thanks for confirming the AoS coversheet. I am tempted to mail out my AoS package this weekend if I don't get the I-864 snail mail by tomorrow since everything is already filled out.

Maybe everyone has seen this, gets this email - but it's new to me and I did a search and didn't find anything similar.

Some background: I sent the choice of agent via email - didn't hear anything for 10 days so sent it again and received a reply the next day - thanks, we got it we accepted it - all good.

Yesterday, a couple of weeks later - I get this email as well -

Good afternoon,

Your inquiry has been received at the National Visa Center (NVC).

A packet containing the Immigrant Visa Processing Fee Bill has been sent to

the designated agent or attorney of record. The payment due amount listed on

the fee bill must be paid according to the instructions before the DS-230

will be accepted.

The NVC is waiting for form I-864 (Affidavit of Support) to be completed by

the petitioner. The petitioner must complete a Form I-864, regardless of the

petitioner's income level. Please have the petitioner complete this form and

return it according to the instructions so that we may continue processing

this file.

Please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1335.html to

download a copy of the I-864 and/or the instructions. If you do not have

access to the internet, you may wish to visit your local library or an

internet café.

Regards,

National Visa Center

So does everyone receive instructions to download the I-864 (I'm sending ours today, I haven't been too concerned about rushing to get it in).

Interesting...I have never seen that type of email before in the archives either.

I wonder if this is part of the "Trial" that the NVC is implementing.

One question though, did the petitioner send in the AoS Bill fee already?

Thanks Diana,

I will definitely ring them if I get that funky message. I do know how to word things and confirm that it was sent out a certain week. Once I know, I am dating it for the monday of that week and shipping it out.

So I agree that just doing A and B above is all that is needed- having said that, as James says, if there had been a problem with the I-864 then we would have had time to sort it without holding the whole thing up and in retrospect, the I-864 is therefore worth doing with James SC

Alan,

I definitely agree with that reasoning. That's why I was initially going to send the I-864 right away but seeing that the DS-230 generation and I-864EZ form reception will be around the same time, I still suspect that there will be enough time to address any discrepancies should it arise (hopefully none).

If I lose a week, it really won't matter at this point because I'll be away for a month visiting the wifey starting mid August. I'll take whatever I might need with me but at that point it's really a waiting game for us. The key is for me to get these items (especially the IV Bill) mailed out before I go which is still a good possibility. If I get the DS-230 generation message while I am in Oz, I will just send the package from there or maybe have my close friend mail out the pre-packaged items for me from the US (with the different possible dated cover sheets LOL).

It's all a timing game for me now. Tick tock tick tock...

Hi!

Our IV bill was generated yesterday.

Tomorrow my husband is coming to visit me for three weeks, so im extatic! But it will cause a delay since he wont be able to pay it till hes back in the States. But at least for a good reason! i hope it goes fast for you!

Vylex, i just wanted to thank you for your hilarious link to the elevator video, we laughed like crazy and it cheered us up big time! Thank you!

HEE HEE, I get so frustrated with this process at times that all I can do is laugh. This particular video summed up the thoughts in my head of what happens behind closed doors. I know there are dedicated people working really hard in those offices too so no knock on them...just the slackers.

Glad I could spread some cheer! It's such a painstaking process for many of us that it's nice to step back and poke a little fun.

Hope everyone is hanging in there! If you are here in the NVC forum, then it probably means you moved on to stage 2! We're getting there folks!

Hi Vylex,

We have the same timeline. Hope we both receive the IV Bill soon. I have a question.

Will your wife use James' shortcuts to fill out and send DS230 or just wait for the NVC's letter?

Thanks for reply.

KayArt

I'll toast to that! Any day now I hope...

As for the DS-230 / I-864(EZ) forms, this is my strategy:

1) Pay the IV Bill and send via Overnight mail.

2) Wait for the automated message on the phone and then send the pre-filled DS-230 and SELF-GENERATED DS-230 barcode cover sheet using Overnight mail.

In parallel, dealing with the I-864 AoS Package

1) Wait for the I-864 package (should arrive around the same time as the IV Bill).

2) Send in the ORIGINAL I-864 barcode cover sheet via Priority Mail with sig confirmation (if possible).

Based on Mononoke's experience, I will overnight the IV Bill so it gets into the system first and send the I-864 AoS package around the same time but just priority mail so there is a slight lag in receipt.

I don't want to go through the hassle of guessing games with the NVC operators if possible. My thought is once the IV Bill is processed I will get the message saying the DS-230 is generated vs. the "Missing Documents" message. Once I know the generation date, off the pre-filled DS-230 goes.

Anyway, that's my plan. Whether or not it works out...I'll just have to wait and see.

Good Luck on your journey!

-Alex

Hi,

our IV bill (for a CR-1/IR-1 visa) was just generated yesterday. I was wondering how long will it take in general to receive it? By looking at timelines it seems to be around 10-15 days but some wait a lot longer? I'm also wondering how much it costs? I remember reading somewhere that the price was 380$ but I can't find it . Thanks for replies !

I'm new here. My IV Bill was generated July 16, 2007 but not received it yet. Waiting.

Yes, need to pay $380.

Goodluck for both of us.

My timeline:

2-28-07 I-130 sent to CSC

3-06-07 Received NOA 1

5-24-07 I-130 Approved

6-25-07 DS3032 & AOS Bill generated

7-03-07 DS3032 & AOS received by mail

7-03-07 AOS sent to (overnight) St. Louis

7-04-07 DS3032 sent to NVC

7-05-07 DS3032 & AOS Bill received by NVC

7-16-07 IV Bill generated

KayArt

Yep. Same here. Waiting to get that IV Bill. I hope we get it any day now.

CONGRATS SHARYNA!!!!

Jeepers! there is always something to worry about !

I think most superceding forms say the old one is valid for x months after

Good for you keeping your eye on it and I am sure you will figure it....perhaps an email to NVC to say have they any plans to replace the form when it expires might put your mind at rest - they are not quick at responding just now but might be worth it...

Future folk need to watch the fees too and make sure they don't miss any changes... I emailed nvc a while since on that and they confirmed nothing was imminent

Yes they are really cagey about the 'generation word' so 'when will the ds-230 letter be sent out' seems to work... and as you say 'this week' means yesterday if you call on a tuesday...

LOL, you are totally correct in that there is always something to worry about! I think you're right about it having some extension. Also, if the only thing that changes is the expiration date, they would have to be pretty cruel people to screw me on that. I'll be sure to contact them come DS-230 generation or "produced" time.

I would love to get my hands on their system and sort it out for them ...all events would have a message and press 4 to hear the previous message...press 5 to hear the next message..then you could hear all the past messages with non being covered over like the i-864 monster...

actually it should all be on line and accessed by a case password....oh don't let me get started on it !

LOL!!! I am totally picturing Kramer on the other end of phone asking, "Please SAY the form you'd like to see!!!" (Sorry...Seinfeld MoviePhone episode reference).

anyway at 8am today UK time I was in serious despair and now I am elated and the last form to the US has GONE !!!! We have done it all from the UK and it was tough... but not as tough as some and I feel so sorry for those who's cases go on ice for weeks and months and nobody knows where the file is or what is happening...

Great to hear your final form has set sail. Now just wait for that automated response to give that coveted "Case Complete!" message.

It must be almost unbearable....thank goodness for VJ.. I will certainly stay on VJ after its all over and try and help out - pay my dues the best way that anyone can...

Toast to that! I also plan on staying here afterwards to try and help others out based on my learning and experience. It's such a perplexing process at times. If it wasn't for the VJ guides and it's members, I would be pulling my hair out trying to figure some of these items out.

Good Luck to everyone on their journeys!

Alan,

I'm so glad you got someone to tell you that they will mail you the DS-230. The people I talked to wouldn't confirm that with me at all so that's why I was really confused. If they said they're going to mail it out this week it means you can put yesterday's date on the DS-230 coversheet. The only difference I saw between the real coversheet and the one from James' shortcuts is that the letters that go on the very top (U.S. Department of State) and the IMMIGRATION word under the Statue of Liberty are dark blue. Everything else looks exactly the same so no big deal.

Also, the automated message has not changed at all. It's been saying that they're missing documents for almost a month. Very annoying actually, so I'm glad Erica just said it will change as soon as the case is completed. Thanks girl!

We're almost there Alan!!!

Diana

Thanks for the confirmation Diana! Good Luck to you and Alan! You're almost there!

I am hoping the IV Bill and I-864 packet is in my mailbox when I get home today. *CROSSES FINGERS*.

In retrospect, I do think that the DS-230 generation message was trumped by the "Missing Documents" message. Anyway, I know what to expect now. The only variable for me is the DS-230 online form which expires at the end of this month. I hope they delay the update. I know people here have stated that it will most likely be accepted. I hope so because I don't want to have my wife fill out another form and then wait again for the mail.