etapia

It's total days. To confusing to break it down into working days. But, don't hold ur breath if u go past 14 days. I had to wait 21 days myself

Congradulations🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊
 
personally i I don't think u will make it before dec 15th. Ur case won't be sent to embassy till after u have nvc number. Which will be about a week if not 2 weeks out. Ur best hope is that u can get nvc number quickly and be sent to embassy with mid November batch. Tbh u may not be sent till early December.
 
hope I'm wrong but wouldn't set any plans for December if I were u.
we won't have medical and interview till 51 days passed approval date. We could of done it a bit sooner. Maybe 2 weeks total.

Just got the update on the USCIS Tracker APP... I didn't believe it so I logged in and saw it....

WE GOT APPROVED! 
 
 
literally was about to fall asleep while on the phone with my fiancé, and my fiancé said he's on the way to his mailbox ,"said baby ?" And I woke up from my slight sleep and he said he said " We got Approved" ...
 
😭❤🙏
Reciept date : 14.Feb.2018
RFE: 12.Oct.2018
Approved Letter Recieved : 30 October 2018.
 
 
 
I don't know how the hell to feel now.
 
 
This process has been hard.
 
Good luck to everyone going through this and eagerly waiting.. 🙏❤
 

Received my RFE request on September 25
 Tracking showed it was received in their Dropbox wherever that may be at the California service center on September 28th no updates online and I went to Japan from October 2nd 2 October 14th to see my fiance with no updates the entire time when I came home on October 15 I called them to see if there was any update but they could see and they told me that my orofea was not in the file and that they did not see it there I asked if it was lost and how I can send them another one and they said that is not how it is handled I would have to wait 60 days for them to research it and that they could open up an inquiry to look for the RFI apparently my inquiry has been completed on October 19th but I have not received a letter of any sort giving me any news and when I call and I ask for tear to they tell me I just have to wait and that they have 90 days now since the inquiry is complete to respond this system completely sucks and this organization is the most unorganized organization I've ever heard of McDonald's has a better system than our country at this point O plans of a wedding for January have to be put off and possibly maybe we can get married sometime in March or April at our next opportunity. I am sorry for sounding so negative and sharing my frustration with you all because this has seemed to work out for all of you and I am usually the optimist in my relationship with my fiance but now I have no other choice. This waiting has caused so much stress on our relationship I this point I don't know if we will even make it until March

Welcome to the group. We are glad you have found us and that you are moving along with the attainment of your visa. We like to offer some tips, so if you go to the first page of this thread you'll be able enlighten yourself with those tips. Also, I recommend that you read the tabs 5-10 as they contain a lot of questions that you will have and we have already answered them. After you read and you have questions please ask.  Good luck and welcome.

I received an email from NVC this morning since I signed up there to update our email in their system - no case # yet but at least I know it works and if 3 weeks is the average, we should get our new case # next week, our NOA2 was dated 10/10. 

Additional screening and background checks based on country of birth, citizenship, or residency in the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” (T-7) list: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria; or from the “List of 26”: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Yemen. This is a mandatory stop list and allegedly takes 2 to 4 days, thanks in part to the partially rolled out PATRIOT (Pre-Adjudicated Threat Recognition and Intelligence Operations Team) system managed by ICE, but often take 3 to 6 weeks and if there is a hit who knows how long.
 
Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) or Washington Special Clearance,[1] commonly called security clearance, administrative clearance, or administrative processing,[2] is a process the United States Department of State and the diplomatic missions of the United States use in deciding to grant or deny a United States visa to certain visa applicants. The process involves sending a request from the visa issuing post to the Department of State's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to investigate an individual's case for possible espionage, terrorism, and illegal export of technology out of the United States
 
There are background checks at USCIS.
 
As part of its benefits adjudication process and as required by law, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducts background checks on petitioners and applicants who seek certain immigration benefits. These background checks consist of four separate checks against systems within Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In order to facilitate the collection and transmission of information necessary to complete background check processes, USCIS maintains five information technology electronic systems: the Fingerprint Masthead Notification System (FMNS), the Customer Identity Capture System (CICS), the FD-258 Tracking System - Mainframe (FD-258 MF), the Benefits Biometrics Support System (BBSS), and the Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS) Manifest. USCIS is conducting this privacy impact assessment (PIA) because FMNS, CICS, FD-258 MF, BBSS, and IBIS Manifest collect, use, and share personally identifiable information (PII). This PIA replaces the previously published USCIS PIA for the "Background Check Service (BCS)" which describes planned background check-related systems that were never implemented. Upon publication of this PIA, the BCS PIA will be retired.
 
There are checks at NVC.
 
When they receive the approved 129f from USCIS, The check to ensure that it’s been stamped. He said they occasionally receive a petition from USCIS and it does not have the appropriate approval stamp in the upper left-hand corner. They are also checking to make sure that the three criminal questions have been answered. He noted that there are times when the petitioner will forget to complete those questions and those questions are subsequently missed by the adjudicator.  In both of these instances the case will then be sent back to USCIS. He said if one of these things occur NVC would know within the first week of receiving the case.
 
And there are checks at the Embassy.
 
Embassy will take a biometric (fingerprints) from the beneficiary at the time of the interview. During post interview processing the fingerprint card is scanned and checked against a number of interagency data bases to ensure the true integrity of the individual who is migrating.  

Oh my! Three weeks have passed and I’m here like... come on NVC receive and check NOA2s from Oct 5th! Hopefully next week we’ll be ours! 

The leave the NVC every other week. Next batch of cases leaves on T/W of next week.
 
Have some fun and play with this to track your DHL to your embassy.
 
DHL Shipping
Go to www.dhl.com click Express then Tracking, then Track by Shipper's Reference, and on this page you add your search information. You change the day and month to what you think your package might have left NVC or call NVC to get the date your package had left NVC in route to Manila then go to the DHL website and enter the following information:
 
EXAMPLE:
* Shipper´s Reference : EXP 24 MAR 2011A  (This is the date you think it left NVC, just substitute the date leave everything else as is)
* Date range for shipment - From: 23 - 03 - 2011
* Date range for shipment - To: 26 - 03 - 2011
Account Number - Leave this blank
Shipment Destination: Manila / Works for any Country Just add the city where the Embassy is located
 
Please complete your profile
Many of our answers are predicated on the information you supply in your profile. When we look at the left column and can't determine your timeline or your Embassy it's hard for us to give you a factual answer. If you look at the profile of others here, they have a flag for their country, so it makes it easy for us to reply as we can quickly determine your Embassy. Our answers will sometimes be tailored to a specific Embassy hence the reason for you to complete your profile.
 
So, if you could help yourself out and complete your profile that sure would help us out when we want to reply to your question with factual information.
 
Go to the top right of this page select your name (it's on the upper right-hand corner)>my profile>[below your picture on the right column] edit my profile. Scroll to the bottom and fill in "Immigration Info". There now we can better serve you.
 
Thanks

You can vent and stomp your feet as much as the next guy or gal. But in the end it does not add any value to the conversation. We all have one goal and that is to get you educated so that you can pass your visa interview without any problems. Now if you want something else so be it. I have put out there exactly why it takes so long for everyone to read and understand what goes into this process. I will once again add it to our conversation. All the best to you in your journey because you are going to need it.
 
Now here is why security checks are needed and why they take so long.
 
Routine Criminal Checks are performed by immigration officials by using the Consular Lookout and Support System (also known as “CLASS”). This system contains information on criminal convictions, FBI records, and terrorist watch lists. The system is updated very regularly, and is a valuable tool of national security to immigration officials.
 
How Can a Lengthy Delay be Prevented?
 
Although the initiation of certain security checks on the part of consular officers is entirely discretionary, some checks can be prevented if all necessary information is provided to the officers during the application process, thus speeding up the overall process. Special attention must be given to the information submitted on visa forms and in supplemental documents. All post-specific directions must be followed carefully and all manner of supporting documentation must be included.
 
Because many names are common to many people (e.g. “Maria Gonzalez” or “Jin Wang”), false hits sometimes occur. Special care must be given to such cases so that the proper documents are obtained for presentation to immigration authorities. In the instance of a criminal hit, court dispositions, arrest records, and legal briefs can be submitted to immigration authorities for clarification.
 
The Department of State’s Visa Office will field public inquiries in regards to long-pending checks of over 90 days. However, due to security concerns, little information is usually forthcoming. Contrary to popular belief, congressional offices are unable to help expedite visa issuance. The Department of State considers security checks to be a matter of national security and is not willing allow applicants to bypass the clearance process.
 
Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) or Washington Special Clearance,[1] commonly called security clearance, administrative clearance, or administrative processing,[2] is a process the United States Department of State and the diplomatic missions of the United States use in deciding to grant or deny a United States visa to certain visa applicants. The process involves sending a request from the visa issuing post to the Department of State's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to investigate an individual's case for possible espionage, terrorism, and illegal export of technology out of the United States
 
Additional screening and background checks based on country of birth, citizenship, or residency in the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” (T-7) list: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria; or from the “List of 26”: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Yemen. This is a mandatory stop list and allegedly takes 2 to 4 days, thanks in part to the partially rolled out PATRIOT (Pre-Adjudicated Threat Recognition and Intelligence Operations Team) system managed by ICE, but often take 3 to 6 weeks and if there is a hit who knows how long.

Hi guys! 
I'm an old February filer and I found myself lurking back to this forum today.
I had my interview in Montreal, Canada yesterday, and we got approved! I wanted to thank you guys for the support and advice the past few months. I don't know that I'd do without VJ! Shoutout to @Greenbaum, @BJ & Christine - I truly appreciate all your help!
 
To those who are still waiting, your time is coming. I'm rooting for each of you! ❤️
And if there are any Canadians here, please don't hesitate to reach out via DM. I'd love to help!

It's rare to see that condition but it has NO baring on your visa approval or application. "01" is that you are the first and if there are any K2's involved then you'll see 02 for the second and 03 for the third and so on and so forth till your "family group" is exhausted. BMB is the 3 digit signifier for the Mumbai US Embassy.
 
Does your case number start with BMBXXXXXXXXX?
 
Greenbaum's Tips:
 
How to Find Out WHEN Your Case Number was Assigned
 
For those that don't call every single day and want to know exactly what date their case number was assigned, there's an easy way to find out that simply involves looking at your case number. The first three letters are the three-letter consulate/embassy code. The next four numbers are the year the case number was assigned. The next three numbers are the Julian date it was assigned, plus 500. And finally, the last three numbers are the sequential order of when it was assigned that date. You can find a chart with Julian dates here [10].
 
For example: MTL2014815162. Let's put some lines in to divide it up. So: MTL|2014|815|162. This means that this case is going through Montreal and the number was assigned on November 11th, 2014, and it was the 162nd case that day to be assigned a number.
  

So, I got my NOA2 on 10/1!!! Yay!!! I am here! Who’s gonna wait with me?)

I created this thread for those who are waiting for their NOA2 K-1 and the case assignment from NVC.
 
These are items that everyone ask for so I thought I just post them here for you to refer to when it's necessary.
 
1. How do I update my email address with NVC  Once you receive your NOA2 approval then contact NVC via https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html to update your email address as well as your beneficiary's email address. This will give you an email alert when your file arrives at NVC, your case is assigned and when the file leaves for your Embassy.
 
2. Checking on your embassy case number from NVC:
It will take 7 - 10 business days for NVC to receive your file from USCIS after you receive the NOA2, then another 2 - 5 business days for NVC to get your file in there system and produce your case number.  Call 7:00 am eastern time for shorter wait times.
 
1-603-334-0700 or 603-334-0888. Operator assistance is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 12:00 AM (Eastern Time)
 
1 for English, then 7 (or 5, but I would go 7 as they would tell you if you should call 5 instead after they receive your case.)
 
Best time to call:
Right after they open which is around 7:00am US Eastern Time, Mon-Fri. Most have had luck getting the phone answered after the first ring if they called right at 7am.
 
3. How long to assign a Case # from NOA2
 
Currently it's been taking about 2 weeks for USCIS to send the file to NVC. Then it's been taking about 2-3 weeks for NVC to assign the case number. Then it's taking another 2-3 week depending on the Embassy to receive your case. Your mileage may vary!
 
4. Follow Similar VJ members timelines.  Use the tools here in VJ to answer "when I am going to get etc. etc." question. Near your picture there is a link for your timeline. Select it and once you're on the next page near your picture  you will see "follow similar timelines" and it will populate 12 other couples who are near your dates. Scroll down and you will see a "spreadsheet" style page showing all the variables for measurement for when others from your Embassy are getting the same notice of approval or action.  Try it. It really works!
 
5. Follow similar VJ members timelines from other countries. And if you want to follow those from other countries that have similar timelines as yours there are several tools available to you. Go up to Immigration Timelines on the blue ribbon above and select it. Once you are on the next page looked to your left and you will see a box that states, "find similar timelines" and select it. A list will populate with those who are processing close to your timeline. When they start to change you will soon be behind them.
 
I followed those that were in my group to give me an idea where they were in processing so I could judge if I was ahead or behind.  It's pretty accurate, maybe within a day or so.
 
If you choose to follow those twelve members then you will get an email every time their status updates.
 
I hope these tips help you along your Journey. So lets share our experiences, our tips and ask questions.
 

I can`t believe I am finally saying this but WE GOT APPROVED. wow. 
Good luck to everyone who is still waiting for their NOA2. 
 
For the info: NOA1: Feb 22; REF received Oct 1, NOA2: Oct 11

Wow this is amazing! Congrats. Can’t believe you are done and we have only just been approved (haven’t even gotten our hardcopy it NOA2 yet). Was your interview in Frankfurt? I’m actually in Frankfurt right now for work. Just had lunch with my fiancé and showed him all the documents. He needs to start completing the online form (whatever that is) and gather his docs and get his medical done (he has an appointment in the morning to see if the doctor can find out what vaccines he has as he has no records). But we probably won’t even get our case number for weeks so no great rush. We honestly thought this was not even going to happen because it was taking so long that he did nothing. Now he has a lot to do lol. Anyway, any advice you have for him on the german side would be great. And great news about the job! 

All, just want to let everyone know that it appears USCIS is moving pretty steadily now as I think they are trying to get the approvals done before the holidays so we can see our loved ones.  I sent my paperwork in last week on October 4th, and found out this morning through an email that action had been taken on our case and we got approved.  Thank you all for your posts and guidance, God speed everyone. 

Sent ours last week too, and found out this morning we got approved. 

Sent ours last week too, and found out this morning we got approved. 

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/685632-october-2018-k-1-noa2-nvc/?page=5

We have the same date, and praise God we got approved today. I just happen to check the old site and says we got approved. We haven't received the hard copy yet, but I'm literally crying right now. I'm so glad it's over. I'm praying for everyone that hasn't been approved yet. Never lose hope guys. God bless 

After reading all the post about approval and being depressed about not getting our approval i just opened the new website to see if there was any changes . I couldn't believe my eyes when seeing the magic word.  I didn't get any email or text, the cast tracker still said  RFE was sent. 
 
RFE  dated : sep 15.
Receive on : Sept 18
Sent on : Sept 22 (overnight)
Notice on received: Sept 26 
Approved: October 9
 
Thank you VJ community. 

All, just want to let everyone know that it appears USCIS is moving pretty steadily now as I think they are trying to get the approvals done before the holidays so we can see our loved ones.  I sent my paperwork in last week on October 4th, and found out this morning through an email that action had been taken on our case and we got approved.  Thank you all for your posts and guidance, God speed everyone. 

Sent ours last week too, and found out this morning we got approved.