scudderb56

Just now, scudderb56 said:

I created an account for my wife, and I can see her status. Thanks. Now another question. Beside the form number I-551 it says null, ie. I-551 null. What does that mean?

I also called and only was able to get a recorded message that stated rather than the typical 90 days, it's now 120 days. So, I still have another month of waiting.

I created an account for my wife, and I can see her status. Thanks. Now another question. Beside the form number I-551 it says null, ie. I-551 null. What does that mean?

I have a USCIS account. I don’t know where to go on the website to check the status of her card. All I see is how to check the status of the I-130 application.

Yes, immigration fee paid before arriving to the US

My wife and I have been in the US since January 6, 2021 and my wife still has not received her permanent green card. The CBP at the airport upon arrival said due to the virus it could take 2-3 months. It has now been about 85 days and my wife still has not received her permanent green card. Has anyone else had this issue? 

My wife is Chinese. The current passport is valid for her to get her Visa to go to the US. The current passport expires November 2022. My wife wants to get a new passport so that she will have a valid passport when the current passport expires. Will her current passport be invalidated by getting a  new passport? 

On 9/7/2020 at 10:22 PM, Constantinople said:

Hi ,

I have  a few questions for anyone who have gone through the CR I/IR interview  process in Guangzhou. My spouse (beneficiary) is a foreign resident living in China. We just got an interview date for October 13, 2020. 

1 ) Does anyone know, how long does the medical  take to be completed. She lives far from from Guanzghou. So we are thinking of arriving a few days prior to the interview and completing the medical at Health Care Center of Guangdong International Travel. Is this a wise idea, and how long before should we arrive ?

2) Currently, there are a number of restrictions on foreigners staying at hotels in China. Any recommendations on hotels which might accept foreign travellers. There are also quarantine measures that vary from province. any advice on this might be helpful.

3) If we are approved , there is a requirement to leave the passport with US consulate. However, my spouse needs the passport to go back to his province as foreigner residents  have to show their passports while travelling from province to province. Any advice on this will also be helpful. 

4) Final question, after receiving email from NVC with interview date, is there a separate email that is sent by the Guangzhou consulate ?

 

First thing you want to do before anything is go to ustraveldocs.com and register. This is the only website authorized by the Consulate when dealing with them concerning your Visa.

1.)Medical. First, schedule your medical online through the website indicated or google Health Care Center of Guangzhou International Travel and there may be a link on their website to schedule an appointment. My wife's son helped her with scheduling the appointment, so I don't know how they found the online appointment to get it scheduled. The medical clinic will schedule your medical appointment according to your interview. You will need to be in Guangzhou about one week ahead of your interview. It takes about three hours for the exam. Once the exam is finished you will receive a paper when to come back to pickup the medical report. It takes about 4-5 days to get the report back. If you go on Monday and your Visa interview is on Monday you will get the medical report on Friday. You will receive two medical reports, one for the Consulate in an envelop and one for you(not in an envelop). The one in the envelop is the one you take to the Consulate. Be aware your spouse cannot go into the exam with you. A coffee shop is downstairs on the first floor where your spouse can wait. 

2.)Hotels. My wife searched through an app that she has. I think when she called a particular hotel she asked if Americans can stay at the hotel. We are members of Home Inn in China and they allowed Americans to stay. I don't know the Nationality of your spouse, but Home Inn would be a start. This particular Home Inn is also near the Embassy(about a 15 minute taxi ride).

3.)Approval and passports. You may want to stay in Guangzhou and wait for your visa to be processed. I would choose to pick up the visa at a CITIC bank. There is a CITIC bank near the Embassy where you can pick it up. The CITIC bank near the Embassy is about a 10-15 minute walk.

4.)The email from the NVC is the only email you will receive concerning your interview date and time. You will need to print the email and take it with you to the interview appointment. Be aware the medical clinic asks for two copies of the interview appointment email.

If you submitted all of your documents through the ceac.state.gov website you will need to print the application confirmation and take that with you. The medical clinic will need a copy of that as well. In this email there should be a link for interview prep. Follow the instructions from that link. It is in the NVC website. I think the link is NVC.state.gov/prep.

I hope all of this helps. Sometimes dealing with NVC and the Embassy can be frustrating at times. Just remember they are Government agencies and work on their(US government timeframe) and not yours. With the US Government it's always "hurry up and wait." They want you to hurry up and send them what they need and then it's wait on them(to take their time) to process it.

Anybody know if the Consulate in Guangzhou China is making interview appointments? 

10 hours ago, dwheels76 said:

Welcome to the Case Complete to Interview Monthly thread

 

 

You can view my spreadsheet Case Complete to Interview Spreadsheet

 

To update your interview date go here. Case Complete to Interview Form

 

For New people to the thread please go Case Complete to Interview Form and input your information in the form and it will be added to the form.

 

Everyone should be clicking on the Portal tab to visit the information for their country. If nothing is there or information needs updating. Update or add.

Its up to all of us to keep this information current, relevant and helpful to others.

Special Note: Different consulates or embassies have strict guidelines as to what type of bags/purses/cellphones etc can be carried in. And whether they provide any lockers (or not) for temp storage. As many travel from far away (by air/train/cars, one needs to specially know what they will not be able to take inside the consulate and where to store their personal belongings.

 

Here are some FAQ and other tidbits that may be useful to you. Be sure to visit your countries portal and click on the Consular Information and also Consular reviews.

 

FAQ

I just called and got Case Complete how long does it take to get the email as confirmation?
Well it has been taking 5 to 7 days to get case complete email from the date they Case Complete.

How long after Case Complete will I get an interview?
Okay this is the BIG mystery of NVC. How it usually goes is end of the month and first week of month they start scheduling for interviews for the that upcoming month. Since January they have been pretty consistent starting about the last 2 days of the month and finishing that following first week of next month

Do I have to call for my interview date?
NVC has improved greatly since March. The interview letter now comes day of schedule. So call if you want its up to you.

I know someone who got interview in the middle of the month. How is that possible?
Usually when you see someone pop up with an interview outside the bunch its usually the result of a cancellation or the embassy opening up a slot. Just because scheduling stops doesn't mean they filled up all slots. They may have more slots than appointments which is good. So someone gets case complete and immediately they get an interview. It happens.

Remember every embassy has its own slots and schedule. Some like Mexico, Ghana are very busy with a long waiting list. Some like Yemen, well it may be a few months to get in. Iceland you get interview immediately scheduled after case Complete.

I need to change our interview date what do I do?
Once you receive your interview date track your casefile. Call NVC ask when your casefile left than you can follow the DHL instructions to embassy. The contact your embassy (email is best) and ask to be rescheduled later, earlier just ask. 

What do I need to bring to interview?
When you receive your P4 Letter (Interview letter) it will have your personalized checklist of things to bring or not. It has been suggested because things have been lost between NVC and embassy to bring everything (Originals) to the interview so if they don't have at embassy you aren't delayed.It's up to you. It doesn't happen much but it does happen.

 

How to expedite at NVC?

Go to this link has good information how to go about it.

http://boureypeatnut...m/expedite.html

Just to remind everyone to revisit the NVC Process Wiki, NVC Process Wiki

*******************************

 

Thanks to Fabian&Ross for spelling this all out. Once you get the interview letter reference this.

 

 

You must bring the following items to the visa interview:

1. Any original documents the NVC requested that you did not submit (refer to the document list below)
2. If the physician gives you your medical exam results, bring them to your interview in the envelope sealed by the medical office.
3. Two passport photographs measuring 2 inches by 2 inches (5 cm by 5 cm) with a white background
4. A valid unexpired passport
5. Photocopies of all civil documents
6. A new police certificate from your current country of residence, if you obtained the police certificate more than one year ago.
7. Any additional documents listed in the U.S. Embassy or Consulate specific interview guidelines

 

********************************************************

For those who want to request an earlier interview date here is a template written up by our own TeaCup.
Thank you TeaCup for the Template on how to notify the embassy
********************************************************
Petitioners Name
Petitioners Date of birth
Beneficiary's Name
Beneficiary's Date of birth

NVC Case #

To whom it may concern,

My name is *********
I am writing to you in order to request an earlier interview. I have originally been scheduled for an Immigrant interview at (name of embassy and give date)
I have completed the required medical exam and I have all the necessary documents necessary for the interview and I am ready.
If it is at all possible for an earlier interview date to be scheduled for me it would be much appreciated.
Thank you for your time

Sincerely.

****************

Address & Phone Number

 

**************************************************************

CEAC.state.gov Check My Visa Application Status: Status Wiki Thank you, SoerenHelmer,

 

https://docs.google....Min35W08WU/edit

 

**************************************************************

How to pay the Green Card Production fee of $220 on the Elis system.

NO NEED FOR ACCESS CODE, that is for other procedures like getting a copy of a green card, etc.

1. Create the ELIS account here: https://myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov/

2. Go here to pay fee: https://www.uscis.go...g-online-filing

3. Click to pay the USCIS immigrant fee icon.

4.Click "continue" at the bottom.

5.Enter the Alien Number and the NVC or DOS case. Use the same email you used on the ELIS account.

This is critical to enable your created ELIS account to receive your payment information.

6. You will get an email confirming your payment.

7. When you log again on the ELIS account, you will see your case number. (It is added automatically).

8. Login into your ELIS account to track or check the status of your Green Card.

Note: Green Card process starts when immigrant enters USA and is processed at POE.

 

******************Tips about your getting your SSN******************

If you don't have your SSN card within 21 days of your POE,  go IN PERSON to your local SSA office and see if your  application was forwarded by the Immigration officer.   It only works about 50% of the time when you tick  the box on the DS-260. As soon as you have your SSN you  may work.  Your passport visa and the immigration stamp  is the equivalent of your green card. Thank you Sukie in NY

My case has been complete since May 20, 2020. Our consulate is Guangzhou, China. Any suggestions on what I can do to get NVC to schedule an interview? We are in queue for an interview. My wife has a friend(Chinese) who has an interview appointment July 30.

We are CR1. We were documentarily qualified May 20, 2020. We have been in queue for an interview appointment since May 20. 

I heard on China Global Television that the Wuhan Consulate was opening to the public June 22. Any truth to this? I'm also hoping if Wuhan opens up that the Consulate in Guangzhou will also open to the public. I also read an article from CNN, I believe, that 23 Visa Application Centers were opening June 22 and Guangzhou was on that list. Does anybody know for sure.

21 hours ago, ihaveablackcloud said:

I won’t have to work on this for some time, but I just want to know for the future. I’ve had seriously ill parents for some years now who I’ve been taking care of, and I have very limited work experience and am not currently employed. I will be searching for employment soon (if there is anything available since everything is shut down). I just want to know how much time I will have to provide sufficient proof of income after getting married. Do I provide it after he comes here and applies for adjustment of status? Or is it submitted before he comes to the states? I’m really confused lol. 

You know you can ask others to help with income support and can file an affidavit of support based on their income until you have your own income support. When you have your own support, if it meets their poverty guidelines you can use your own income support or if your income doesn’t meet their poverty guidelines you still have to use other people to help with income support. 

On 4/29/2020 at 11:56 PM, ghostfoxgoddess said:

Hey @scudderb56 - where did you read about international offices? I have heard about USCIS offices, however - at least in Germany - the embassy and consulates have so far not strayed from saying they don't know when they'll be reopening yet

I get email updates from the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China and it stated they were preparing to open for full operations June 4.

On 4/30/2020 at 7:56 AM, Paul & Mary said:

Embassies / Consulates are part of the Deparement of State.  USCIS is part of Department of Homeland Secutiry.  They do not need to open together.

 

Most USCIS International offices are permanently closed.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-immigration-offices

 

Fortunately the Guangzhou, China office is only temporarily closed and I think Embassies are preparing to open June 4.

On 3/23/2020 at 9:43 PM, Paul & Mary said:

It is decided by the US Department of State.

I think you can request your case to be transferred to another Embassy. But I also think that would be a big hassle to do that. Call NVC ask or go to ASK NVC.

On 4/17/2020 at 7:07 PM, ghostfoxgoddess said:

@Ryceryce believe me, I fully understand feeling anxious and uncertain - we’re all in the same boat here.

Just seeing how swamped my own work is right now, I - while hoping for an interview reschedule 74736462726368272 times a day - understand their issues with basically being understaffed and not being able to meet everyone’s expections/wishes/need for reassurances/whateverkindofrequest, even if they wanted to. The other people you’ve talked to may have just already heard something because of the specific moment in time their case came in, coincidentally having the file land on someone’s desk/in someone’s inbox who - at that very moment in time - had the capacity to do what it took for their system to trigger a notification/status change. 
I know it’s way easier said than done, but all we can do is our best to be patient, reminding ourselves that they may only have (random numbers here) 2 employees currently working for every 10 they would otherwise have, with those 2/10 prioritizing what meets time critical/emergency criteria 99% of their workday, using the other 1% to reply to requests/regular or administrative work items as much as they can, with the rest of routine processing matters unfortunately having to wait until at least part of the other 8/10 can return to work

The last update I received USCIS field offices and international offices are preparing to go to full operations June 4. I am assuming that also means the Embassies as well.

9 hours ago, ag8720 said:

Hello, 

• On the ceac page it is asking for me to upload photos , are these supposed to be newer passport photos and if so, do I scan them being placed dead center of the scanner or can the be placed elsewhere? 
• Do I submit some of the same documents that I did for the DS-260 for the AOS such as marriage certificate? I don't want to be repetitive and annoy the NVC by repeating the same documents.
• Lastly I have my wife's police record and it is two pages then a translation. I put them all together and the file size is around 5 mb, I tried to compress it but it is still over 2 mb. Would it be okay to separate the document and just add a note in the comments why I did that or would create a problem?

Thanks for any help that is given

I just scanned the current passport photos I had. If you have newer passport photos scan them. I think mostly they want to see photos of the two of you together. As for the documents for the AOS, I am assuming you mean Adjustment of Status. Google NVC Adjustment of Status documents or if you know where to go on the NVC website, do what it says to do there. In most cases, yes some documents may be repetitive. If AOS is Affidavit of Support, those documents are your financial statements, ie. IRS transcripts, W-2's, 1099's, any other proof of income. The ceac page is pretty much self explanatory. You can also go to ASK NVC or call NVC and they will answer your questions there. NVC will tell you what documents you need on the summary page of the ceac page at the top right where it says to view messages(if you have any). Also you will get an email telling you to log in to ceac and view your messages. As for the compression issue go to wecompress.com it's free. And no, I would not separate the documents. Be aware that due to COVID-19, offices dealing with immigration are operating with limited staff.

On 4/15/2020 at 4:52 AM, H_530 said:

I am applying for my spouse over seas and using my income to fill out form I-864EZ. If I have the tax transcripts printed from online, do I need to include my W2 tax form as well? 

I submitted all my tax papers(transcripts) in February because I had not yet received my W-2 nor 1099’s. Everything got accepted April 7. I also received an email from NVC stating they needed all my W-2’s and 1099’s. The next day I submitted the W-2’s and 1099’s. So apparently, they realized I should have had my W-2 and 1099’s by April 7 so they asked me to submit those documents as well. Now I am waiting for those to get accepted. 

14 hours ago, baze92 said:

Hey all.

 

My Fiance and are I planning to get legally married late this year (we will have the wedding with guests probably 2021). For those of you who have been in this situation, can i file jointly for 2020 taxes next year? What are the laws regarding filing jointly when marrying a foreigner? Is it not possible until they get the green card?

 

Additionally, if I am able to file jointly before she gets her green card, do we have to be married for majority of the year (we wouldn't get married until sep/oct).

 

Thanks!

I had the same question, only we were married February 2019. In order to file jointly I had fill out a form W-7(a form requesting a temporary tax identification number), submit a document stating why your spouse needs a temporary tax identification number, and send all of your tax papers to the IRS Austin Service Center as they are the office that handles temporary tax identification numbers. You can google IRS Austin Service Center to get the address. 
You can go to IRS.gov and find what you need.

6 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

NVC is located in the United States, so its operations are unaffected by the CoVid virus.  
 

Best source for most up to date info on operations of a particular US Embassy is  the embassy’s website.  
 

Best source for domestic travel info for within China would probably be the website for China’s state-run news.

I understand NVC is in the United States. However, NVC processes packets for Guangzhou and those packets are taken into consideration because of the virus. So, again are the packets being processed by NVC for Guangzhou being suspended because of the virus? My other question was about travel to Guangzhou from Jiangyuan, Jilin Province being restricted due to the virus, especially flights to Guangzhou?
I go to the US Embassy’s website in Guangzhou every day and I cannot find specific information on hours of operation due to the virus. I know they are running limited operations but it doesn’t specify what departments and hours for the limited operations. 

Does anybody have any information about when the US Embassy in Guangzhou will be back to full operations? I know they are running partial operations at this time. Our I-130 packet is currently at NVC. I am wondering if NVC is processing packets now or if processing packets have been suspended due to the virus? I am also wondering about traveling to Guangzhou when the time comes to go to Guangzhou for my wife's interview appointment. Are there currently any travel restrictions to Guangzhou as far as flying is concerned. We are in Jiangyuan, Jilin Province and would have to fly to Guangzhou from Shenyang. Driving is out of the question.