Jennymc11

So I called the 603-334-0888 number today, and I got a nice agent to talk to. I asked him about the CEAC website problems, and he said there is no timeline of when they will be fixed right now. So I asked him what my best options were. He said that If someone pays by mail, and the NVC agents can see that it is paid on their end, they can open a ticket for the tech support team to look at the specific case's DS-260 being opened, individually and manually if necessary, to keep the process moving along.

Then again, it can take up to 21 days upon receipt of the mailed IV fee to get put into the system as paid, and then you have to hope that a nice agent will open a support ticket for you, and then that they fix your case and enable the DS-260 in a timely fashion. I'm not exactly holding my breath waiting for that to happen.

Has anyone here paid by mail, called in to get a support ticket opened about their case, and gotten the DS-260 to show up that way? How long did it take? It sounds like an urban legend to me at this point. It's been two weeks since I received the IV fee invoice, and it is still not enabled in the system, but I think I am going to wait until they have these problems fully sorted out and the website is fixed. If everyone is having the same problem, they have to accommodate us all somehow since the problem was on their end this whole time. At least I hope so?

We paid the IV fees via mail. It was delivered to St Louis over a month ago. NVC confirms that they've received payment and we received the email receipts, but we still can't access the DS-260. We've called the 603-334-0888 number twice, and we've been told twice that our case was added to a spreadsheet and forwarded to IT to manually fix the system so we do the DS-260. So far, nothing has happened. We are contemplating paying the IV fees again online and requesting a refund. This is a complete joke and incredibly frustrating.

Finally I see $325 when I log in. it says not paid. I also sent cashier check but I haven't received an email from NVC.

Same situation here. We sent cashiers checks and it arrived in St. Louis two weeks ago today. Still not showing "paid" online.

congrats! at least you are moving forward!

Are you unable to access Form DS-260 to complete your Immigrant Visa Application?

• CEAC software programmers are working to give access to all users who have previously tried to log into the system but received an error message. Due to the volume of users who need access, this may take up to 10 days. We suggest that you wait 10 days and then try to complete the DS-260 online. Please visit this page often for instructions on any actions that may be required on your part and for other updates.

• If after 10 days you are still unable to complete a DS-260 form online, please call the NVC at 603-334-0888 and press option “2.” Customer service representatives will provide your information to the CEAC software programmers for case-specific assistance.

I saw this on http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/general/assistance-for-applicants-experiencing-technical-difficulties.html

it's been 10 business days since we got the email from NVC confirming they got our IV fee,

my husband will surely call them soon and see what sorts of assistance they can offer this time

fingers crossing!!!

Please let us know if they are able to help your husband over the phone since it's been 10 days! Did you mail your IV fee to St. Louis? If so, how long after you mailed it did you get the email stating they received payment? Ours arrived in St. Louis on Friday 5/22 and we haven't heard anything yet. Sigh.

I also just asked on their Facebook page under some story about National Parks (There is no way to post on the wall). More people should go comment about this!

https://www.facebook.com/travelgov#!/travelgov/timeline

I urge you to tell your spouses in the USA to contact their representatives. We need to somehow bring attention to this issue, more than just repeatedly calling the NVC. I'm so sorry! We are waiting for my in-laws, I can't imagine being separated from my husband

I just sent a message to Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado regarding this CEAC nonsense. I am not sure if it will do anything, but maybe other people can do the same with their state representatives/Senators. I cannot understand how the Department of State of the United States of America is not able to fix a website in over a month. Unreal.

Is there anything else that we can do to push for answers and get moving again? My heart goes out to all the people stuck in the same frustrating and hopeless seeming situation we are with my in-laws.

Hi everyone,

I have a couple of questions about the I-864 EZ.

In section 19 of the instructions for this form, it states "You must provide either an IRS transcript or a photocopy from your own records of your Federal individual income tax return for the most recent tax year". But, the check list at the end of the instructions states that for ALL sponsors, we must submit a copy of your individual federal income tax return, including W-2's for the most recent tax year..." This is contradictory. Does anyone know which it is?

To make things even more confusing, when you fill out the actual I-864 EZ, under section 19 where you fill in your income information, it automatically checks both boxes - one that says we are attaching the photocopy or transcript for only the most recent tax year, and the box marked "optional" that says we are attaching three years worth of information.

So which is it? What do they want us to send?

Thank you for your help!

Did you get an email from them?

Yes, we got an email stating that they have processed the agent form. We just aren't able to move to the next step of paying IV fees and filling out the DS-260. It should not take 2 months from the time you choose an agent to be able to move forward. My poor in-laws are stressed to the max and so are we.

I went through all of this 8 years ago with my husband and dare I say, the process is worse now than it was back then.

What is the scan date?

You are not alone! We are so frustrated. My in-laws chose an agent on April 3rd and we have not been able to move forward at all since then. Unbelieveable. We finally sent our checks to St. Louis last week. Hang in there

You can't send a personal check. It has to be a cashiers check or money order.

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/immigrant-process/approved/step_2_pay_fees.html

We decided to send the cashier's checks yesterday. The lady I spoke to at the NVC yesterday said 15 business days to process after after they arrive in St. Louis, but I'm guessing it won't happen that quick, because nothing does when it comes to this process!

We have been trying for weeks to pay the IV fees and we finally decided to send in the fees via snail mail yesterday. I called the NVC yesterday and the lady I spoke with said it would take 15 business days to process the fees after they arrive in St. Louis. I guess we'll see. They had no ETA on when the website would be fixed.

I called the NVC this morning and they have no information on when it will be fixed and offer no sympathy or solutions. It's really awful and frustrating.

We have been waiting about 5 weeks to pay the IV fees for my in-laws. We are now considering just sending in the payment via snail mail but are concerned that it might cause an even greater delay. Does anyone have experience with payment via mail? How long does it take them to actually cash the check?

Incredibly frustrating! We've been waiting about 4 weeks to be able to pay fees. Unbelievable and unacceptable.

J&ana, thank you! I think I will try to call back and speak to an agent that will review for us. I really appreciate your reply.

Thank you all for your help.

We called the NVC on Friday night because we are still unable to pay the IV fees for either my mother in law or my father in law, and the person I spoke to stated that it's now taking 42 days for the Choice of Agent form to be reviewed. This is very frustrating.

I thought I read somewhere that people are sending in the packet of financial information and all other documents before they are able to pay the IV fee online. Is this a good idea? Have others done this? I am worried that if we send in the packet now, it will not be linked properly to our case since we are not yet allowed to move to the next step online.

Thanks again.

Thank you both for your replies.

We have to send all documents to the NVC via regular mail, not email. Does anyone know if the documents that we send have to be originals or can they be photocopies? I am hoping they can be photocopies and then my in-laws can bring originals to their interview.

Thanks again!

Does anyone have any information they can provide on this? We did receive case numbers from the NVC and paid the affidavit of support fee, but we are still confused about the actual form I-864ez. The instructions say we must wait for it to be mailed to us, but I've read elsewhere that we should fill it out online so it will create the barcode, then print it and give it to the immigrant. Any ideas?

Thank you very much!

Does anyone know - When the NVC receives the case from the service center, who is notified of the NVC case number? The petitioner or the beneficiary? And is it done via email or snail mail? Thank you!

Hi everyone,

My in-laws case was sent to the NVC on 3/19. I know the next steps are for them to log in to the Consular Electronic Application Center, but do they need to wait for new case numbers from the NVC or do they log in using the LIN numbers from the I-130?

Also, I noticed on the instructions for I-864EZ that we are to fill it out when it is mailed to us, but the FAQ's on the dept of state's website say to fill it out on a computer, then print it and mail it. Which is correct?

Thanks for your help!

Happy for you akpman! This is just so frustrating as our priority date is 9/22/14, before yours, and we haven't heard anything. 5 months should not be posted as the processing times because that's just not accurate. Hope the rest of your journey is smooth!

I forgot to mention that they just visited for 3 weeks over Christmas and had no issues entering the US, and the I-130 has been active since September...

Thanks for the info. Yes, we've submitted the I-130's back in September so we're hopeful to get the NOA2 in February. We are prepared for a long wait but want to avoid them being assigned an interview date when they are here in the states for 3 weeks or a month.

Yes, they'd come over on the visa waiver program. As far as any difficulty getting in the US, are passports flagged? How will the officers at the POE be aware of the active I-130?

Thank you.