BL&A

Is it possible for a child awaiting approval for an IR-2 (F1) visa to come to the US on a tourist visa? If so, how badly does it complicate matters? Also, if so, is it possible to change the location of the immigration interview from the embassy to the local USCIS office in the States, or would she have to go back to her country for the interview at the embassy?

If you're not sure if your case is "electronic only" or not, you may want to read below:

Back story: I am brining my step-daughter to the US on an immigrant visa. I am a US citizen. We started the process in September 2013 in hopes that she would be able to immigrate this summer to start school here in the fall. Everything was going smoothly, within the stated timelines for each step of the process, until I received a letter from NVC at the end of June. Inside was my AOS paperwork and a letter informing me that "these original forms and/or documents will not be reviewed because they were not submitted electronically." I was shocked that this was the first I'd been informed that my case was electronic only. I had submitted every other document via snail mail, except for the obviously electronic only DS-260 (Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application) which was signed electronically and sent straight from the Consular Electronic Application Center – Immigrant/Diversity Visa portal (Immigrant Visa - Sign In). The AOS forms were in PDF format, and the Cover Letter read as if I could send it either through email or snail mail. I repeat, I had not been informed prior to receiving my paperwork back that our case was electronic only, and when I spoke to a representative on the phone, she initially said our case shouldn't be electronic only, but after she conferred with a supervisor, she confirmed that, indeed, it was electronic only. That set our case back by about 60 days. I was originally told the delay would be 30 days on the phone, but when I sent an email inquiry, I was quickly informed that the NVC had received an large number of applications, pushing the timeframe further back. BTW, the agent also informed me that they stopped sending confirmations to the receipt of email because their system couldn't handle the influx. (I'd received confirmations up until June for any correspondence, and it was so reassuring.) The good news: After about 45 days, I received notification our case has been reviewed and a request for further documentation. The bad: they need another 30 days to review those documents. I'm not sure how long it will take to get approval and then an interview date after that, but I'm guessing we'll be into October before that happens. That is the reason for the above questions, and I share the paperwork snafu just in case some fellow applicants are still not being informed that their cases are being handled electronically (until it's too late!). Please find out before you send if you're not sure one way or the other! It could save you 30-60 days of processing.

Thanks for any information or experiences you can provide to my questions!

Lydia

My husband's Conditional Green Card expired in October. We have the NOA stating "Your conditional resident status is extended for...one year. During...the extension you are authorized employment and travel." We are planning to go to Turkmenistan, his native country, in December.

Based on my understanding of the NOA and what I could glean from this site and the USCIS site, the short answers are yes to the first question and no to the second. However, the idea of traveling with just a piece of paper and an expired GC is a bit disconcerting. If any of you have done so, please let me know how it went. Did you get through emigration (i.e., the airline accepted your paperwork, the officials didn't have doubts) in your country and immigration in the US without any problems?

Thanks in advance.

Lydia