Bethicas

Finally got NOA on EAD & AP. Did an online inquiry once eligible and the online info changed two days before the date the inquiry promised a response by. Now to await the card and to pray the AOS gets scheduled within the year so we don’t have to go through the renewal process. (I’m less optimistic about this one, but fingers crossed). 

I though my Peace Corps experience taught me patience...😂 not compared to this!

20 hours ago, Gigi2017 said:

What’s your field office? I’m in SoCal. Mine is Santa Ana. The minimum waiting time is 13 months here 😓

We are up in Santa Barbara but have to go to San Fernando for the interview. It's 16-19.5 months...So, maybe this time next year?

The date moved to March 25th for inquiries for the EAS, so guess who's calling today!

3 minutes ago, Nicola and Jordan said:

Get your inquiry in as soon as you can if it comes to it. I did that on Wednesday last week and my EAD/AP is due to arrive on Friday. I’m in NYC so I’ll be with you here still for AOS as it’s swamped here too. Chin up our month is getting worked on ♥️

I’m waiting, our date is Mar 24th, so inquiry will be happening soon! Thanks for the hope ☺️  

On 8/14/2019 at 1:27 PM, Nicola and Jordan said:

I feel like I’ll be left alone in this thread 😢😢 come on EAD!!! 

You’re not alone! I’m just too busy to type much. 

We are waiting on EAD still and not really optimistic about the GC interview happening before 2020 since we are in California and the local offices are swamped. 😥

On 12/7/2018 at 6:28 AM, madameMaison said:

I read the medical appointment instructions and it states that immunization records are one of the  things required when attending the medical examination....

 

 

I'm guessing immunization records from when we were born ? I asked my parents if they know where those documents are and they said they aren't sure..

 

 

What happens if I can't find the immunization records? Will the doctor just re-inject and will I be allowed to continue the medical assessment? Thanx and hope you guys are well. 🌼

If you’re applying for the K1 visa, the immunizations are optional for entry into the US but mandated for AOS to a Green Card. 

My fiance doesnt have immunization records and was given the option to do it then or in the US. He is doing them in the US and not having them didn’t negatively impact his visa approval. 

I’m excited to report my fiancé got approved at his interview last Thursday!

His interview was, in his words, easy. They asked when he’d last seen me, how we met, and a few other straightforward questions and otherwise just made sure that every piece of paperwork was there. 

He was apparently one of two K-1 interviews that day and the other guy also got approved. 

On 10/13/2018 at 12:06 PM, LuFlolady said:

Can someone please tell me what dates are open for interviews in Joburg? Pls thank you in advance

It’s been two or three weeks since I saw the schedule, but there were three open Thursdays in October and every Thursday in November except for Thanksgiving. 

They didn’t have December dates posted yet. 

On 10/2/2018 at 4:40 AM, zakir52002 said:

Hi vintage good luck on your travels and I would say you are lucky to be in Florida. I'm in Chicago and we are about to start the bittter freezing cold. Thank you for your response and your help. I check the website frequently and call NVC once in a while to get an update on my case. I called yesterday and they told me we put your case in on sept 18 ( this is when the case number was created). And they are still processing my case, the good news is they didnt tell me my case is AP (Advance processing) which from what i heard they select randomly and could take months to get through. 

I wanted to know when would it be the best time for my fiance to start the ds160 form and go for medical. I already have the case and invoice number from NVC. The agent I spoke to advice me to wait for an email or letter from the embassy but since my wedding date is on Dec 15 I dont want to cut it close especially if their is a long wait for interview date. I could tell my fiance to call and find out how long the wait for the interview is. But what do you recommend on when should she start filling out the form and schedule the medical and intereview date. Thank you in advance for all your help.

 

As of last week, there are still open interview dates for nearly every Thursday in October and November. The December dates haven’t opened up yet, but I think you’ll be able to find a date easily once your case arrives in Joberg. 

@Mozam

We got our NOA2 via mail only, dated Aug 8. It was well over a month later that we got an email notification that our status had changed to approved. After that, the website finally updated! 

From getting the NOA2, it was only 6 or 7 weeks until we got passed the NVC and our email from the consulate. Good luck!! 

@Vintage girl CONGRATULATIONS!!! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

We we have made progress but I’ve been so busy I haven’t logged on. 

We got our email from the consular office about 2 weeks after the NVC forwarded our case on. Completed the DS-160 and are scheduled for interview the 8th of November. 

At at the moment, every Thursday in Oct and Nov except holidays has openings. 😊. We still need to get medical scheduled, which is harder since apparently the doctor’s office doesn’t reply to email and neither of us live in South Africa. My fiancé will call on Monday though to schedule. 

How is everyone else doing? I’m thinking of you all even as I’m silent over here in California. 

9 hours ago, LuFlolady said:

I called USCIS today and they called me back in 131min which was 8pm CST and they told me they would be mailing out an RFE I am sure it is an easy fix

I hope it is the simplest and quickest fix! Good luck!

Woohoo!! We got our NOA2 by mail today (with no updates to the website yet) with a date of 8 August. 

Since I just moved and updated my address with USCIS at the beginning of the month, I opened it assuming it was confirmation of my address change. What a wonderful surprise to Notice of Action across the top! 

@kemm360 Congrats! I'm a bit late as I haven't had a chance to login in a few days but huge congrats! 

3 hours ago, kemm360 said:

Big Congratulations @Vintage girl 16th, 28th and 30th of August is available right now on the US Consulate website as i type this. I’m sure you’ll get one of those @LuFlolady Priority date is valid totally for 12 months. Initially valid for 4 months when Noa2 is issued. Another 4 months can be extended by the embassy twice to make it total of 12 months if applicant is not ready or something comes up. Search on this forum to understand how it works...

Thanks @kemm360 for the clarity. We're expecting our NOA2 in August which would make four months land during festive. From what I've heard, the Joberg Consulate doesn't offer many interviews in late December so I was nervous. 

Congrats @Vintage girl on getting through NVC!!! Your almost there!!

Congratulations!!!!!!! Hopefully the NVC transfer and process will be quick for you! 

On 6/18/2018 at 8:24 PM, Vintage girl said:

186 days still waiting for NOA2. Hope soon. 14th December. All we can do is hope. And have faith. 

I've been quiet but am following your case. My NOA 1 was Feb 7th, so I figure if neither of us get RFEs, I am two months behind you! 

Good luck and keep us posted :-) 

18 hours ago, HOORAY7 said:

Hi everyone in South Africa!  My fiancé and I are almost done in our process, she lives in South Africa and I live in the Seattle Washington area.  It took us 5 months to get our NOA2, so be prepared for a wait and don't lose the faith!!  Go on this and search for your month and K1 visa and you will probably pop into a forum, we had one for us in the May 2017 forum.  Help me out a lot to know we were not alone.  We have a lawyer, so I wasn't too concerned about the process, but the waiting is to die for!

Best thing for you all to do is get your police certificates BUT they cannot be older than 6 months.  If you were 16 and older and lived in another country besides S.A., then you will need a police certificate from there as well, so be prepared. 

Start gathering documents, originals of birth certificates, divorce decree's, pictures and other evidence of your relationship that was not included in your original package (since it will take some time, they still want to see you are still an active couple).  Any passport photo's cannot be older than 6 months old. 

When you get your NOA2, give it about 10 days before you call NVC and asking status of your case.  You can always call USCIS for your status, but they are not the friendliest and I wouldn't even but them until at least 90 days minimum, I highly doubt they have caught up with the backlog, especially with all the immigration and DACA stuff going on.  The NVC is much friendlier, when you get there and will help you with no problem with any update you are asking.  But normally when you get your NOA2, like I said give it at least 10 days before you call them.  They didn't get our package for at least 14 days.

After you get your NOA2 and your package goes to NVC, it goes pretty quick, so use this time wisely to gather all your documents.  The petitioner needs to provide pay stubs (3 months), I-134 Aff. of Support, Employment verification letter, VA eligibility letter, if applicable, to show as part of income and last 3 years of tax records.

Then once NVC processes your package, a medical appointment can be made, you only have 2 options, one in Joburg and one in Cape Town.  My fiancé went to Joburg.   It's a 2 day process, but spread between 3 days.  You go one day for bloodwork and xrays and the next for shots and discussion with the dr., so plan on that.

Your finance, not the petitioner, will need to fill out the Visa app online, DS-160 and pay the fee.

Make sure you set up your online account correctly and schedule the interview, she finished her phyicals (her and her boys) in November, but we missed the interview's for Dec/Jan/Feb, due to holiday schedules.  They only do K1 visa interviews there at the consulate the last 2 weeks of the month and only on Tues and Thursdays.  So our interview is 20 March, we scheduled it 26 Dec, because they kept telling her there were no appointments, then we call and it jumped 3 months!  So plan wisely.

Hope this helps some.  Any questions let me know, i'll try to help.

 

Good luck to you all!!

This was so helpful! Thank you! 

We are trying to figure out our budget, can you share how much the medical cost you in Joberg and what vaccinations they pushed?