nandojourney

Here is what I found on the USCIS site: https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-1-part-a-chapter-8 . Each facility also may have stricter rules. I do know from others that some facilities do not even let you take your devices out while others will as long as it follows the standard rules below.

A. Privacy in USCIS Offices

When communicating about personal or case specific information, both USCIS employees and the public should note the importance of protecting privacy.^[1] Whenever possible, both USCIS employees and the public should take common sense steps to make communications as private as possible. For example, USCIS employees should:

• Avoid projecting so that others in the room can clearly hear conversations that involve personal information; and

• For in-person encounters about case-specific inquiries, ensure that inquirers are given sufficient space so that documents presented are not on display for others to see.

USCIS must strike a balance between quickly and accurately assisting large groups of benefit requestors on the one hand, and protecting the privacy of all persons on the other. USCIS employees and benefit requestors must work together to strike this balance as best as possible. Persons contacting USCIS regarding a matter with heightened privacy considerations should work with USCIS employees to ensure that their privacy is protected.

B. Electronic Devices

Visitors must abide by applicable policies established by the facility in which they are seeking services. Depending on the facility’s policies, visitors may be permitted to possess cell phones, personal digital assistants, tablets, laptops, and other electronic devices.

No one may photograph or record at a USCIS office except when observing naturalization or citizenship ceremonies. In addition, phones should be silenced while in the waiting area and any conversations should be kept to a low level so as not to disrupt others. Phones should be turned off during interviews or while being served by USCIS staff at the information counter.

To ensure successful implementation of this guidance, USCIS field offices are encouraged to:

• Ensure all USCIS federal and contract employees are aware of the cell phone usage policies;

• Ensure all visitors are informed of the cell phone usage policies; and

• Display posters and signage regarding this guidance in common areas.

Footnote

[^ 1] See Chapter 7, Privacy and Confidentiality [1 USCIS-PM A.7].

Thanks everyone for their feedback. We were a bit lucky since the office we were assigned is in the middle of "nowhere" lol and not the city. It was all straight forward:

1. Not entering the building any earlier than 15 minutes, as stated on the letter

2. Bringing a valid ID, as stated in the letter

3. If the name on the ID does not match what the letter,  bring supporting documentation (in our case my wife is not using my last name until AFTER the process because it can be a bit more work), as stated in the letter

4. Bringing the form filled out (double check everything)

The appointment was last week at 2:00 and she got out of the car at 1:44 and started to walk to the entrance and the guard came out to greet her, looked at her ID and form  to ensure her appointment time. She was then directed to go in. We saw a few of people being asked to go back to their cars to wait because a) too early b) other appointments were still in process.

They took her prints, photos, and stamped her form and she was out the door by 1:56. I can only imaging the wait in the city.

The only other note was you are not allowed to bring someone in with you and your phone off. If you need an interpreter or have other valid reasons its states on the form to call ahead (way ahead).

Thanks!

- Nando

Thanks! Luckily name has not changed and is the same on  passport. Based on the Biometrics letter, it actually does a good job of making sure there are no "gotchas", for once and do provide some direction for name changes etc.

All,

Looking for some feedback on those out there who have gone to a Biometrics appointment and there feedback. It seems straight forward:

1. Take your finger prints

2. Take your photo

3. Confirm your identity (in our case my wife's passport, not expired)

4. Provide filled form (height, weight, eye color, hair color)

Anything else to look for?

Thank you in advance!

- Nando

9 hours ago, Sterai79 said:

Also ..what's a priority date..

I saw priority date May 1st at the top of step kids profile page on NVC site..

 

Please am confused

This explains everything pretty much with resources for any questions you have:

Greetings from NVC:

You were recently notified that we are now ready for you to begin filing your application with the National Visa Center. Our role is to collect fees, administratively prepare you for your visa appointment, and schedule your interview. Some people can find these steps to be difficult, so we would like to provide a few helpful reminders as you prepare your application.

The most important resource you have for this is our website: https://nvc.state.gov/. You must read this website in its entirety throughout your application process. Failure to follow the instructions on this site will delay the processing of your case.

Although the website has complete instructions on all the required fees, forms, and documents you need to submit, we want to point out a few areas where we typically have to request corrections on cases:

1. Incorrect applicant civil documents and police certificates. There are very specific criteria for what documents are acceptable and the issuing authorities who provide documents for immigration purposes. Failure to submit the correct version of your documents will delay your case. Review https://nvc.state.gov/find and review the requirements for the issuing country of your documents.
2. Supporting Financial Documents. In most cases, the petitioner will need to submit an Affidavit of Support and supporting financial documents. If using a Joint Sponsor or Household Member, they will also need to submit some supporting documents. We routinely reject cases that do not submit documents such as:
                a. Tax transcripts/tax returns,
                b. W-2/1099s, and/or;
                c. Proof of income.
Failure to submit these documents will delay your case. Review the chart on https://nvc.state.gov/fin and determine which supporting documents you will need to submit.
3. Missing petitioner civil documents. There are cases where the petitioner must submit civil documents for immigration purposes. CEAC will not request every document that is required.
a. Example: The petitioner is applying for an IR1, CR1, or F2A (spouse of a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident) visa and the spouse was previously married. The petitioner must obtain evidence of the termination of EVERY prior marriage the petitioner has had.
Failure to submit these documents with your initial submission will delay your case. Review https://nvc.state.gov/documents to identify which documents you will need to submit to NVC.

These are some of the common reasons we request corrections on cases. Since there are other reasons, be sure to review http://nvc.state.gov/ in its entirety to prevent delays in the processing of your case.

Regards,
National Visa Center,
U.S. Department of State

45 minutes ago, Sterai79 said:

We made more than enough together.. but just me NO..so should he filed i854a as a joint sponsor

OK cool. Yes, as a couple would be the way to go :).

10 hours ago, Sterai79 said:

Hello guys,

My 2 step kids just got approved few days ago...

Got an update to that case has been transferred to department of state...

What's the next step..

Also Am an USC but my husband make more money than last due to the virus,I read we can submit our tax transcript even if we file together but my w2 and1099 might not be enough to cover the poverty level..can my husband b a joint sponsor..

Please advice 🙏

Hi there. Thanks for posting ... to my knowledge, regardless of who is petitioning, you would both provide your financial info. So if you filed JOINT MARRIED  (and I assume you have, since you are married) that would work. So i guess I am not clear on what the concern is :)? You don't make enough together? You don't make enough (you would be providing both and it does not go by what you just make unless the other person is not working).

Hang in there!

Her are the steps:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition.html

First letter was I-130 Petition received . . . next was I-130 Petition Approved ... then update for I-824 application and following steps are explained above in the State Department Site. I am sure someone can provide a friendlier timeline with each steps My wife is now at the I-184 step since here case was delayed ( 9 months ) due to a clerical error by our attorney and both my daughter and wife should have been all set at the same time, and was just fixed to expedite the I-184 process TODAY . At least my (step)daughter is here :).

Thanks for the post. The best way I can answer is  . . . that it really depends. In my opinion due to experience and others that I know going through the process from multiple countries, that its anywhere from 8months if you are lucky, to 18 months. In my case it was about 15 months (priority date Sep 8, 2018). Original embassy appointment that was canceled March of 2020 3 days before because of COVID and then rescheduled to October of lat year when the embassy finally opened up ). I believe there is a number you can call and I am embarrassed to say i need to look that up. you can speak to an agent (always see this referenced in many posts on here).

Thank you for the feedback. Hopefully it will come within the next month if not I will reach out to the SSA to get an appointment. When I called they said offices were closed and they were not doing appointment for the office unless it was an emergency and she would not know if my situation would fall under that but I may be able to convince them :). Definitely can easily file for an extension without a problem but it sucks that the timeline is inconsistent.

Thanks!

nando

Thanks for the feedback. I'll wait another 30 days and go from there. Our green card came about 30 days so hopefully the SS Card will arrive soon :).

All,

Hope this message finds everyone well. I am looking for feedback by recent arrivals to the USA regarding the receipt of their social security card. My stepdaughter arrived on October 5th 2020. Based on older posts back on June 2020, it look like it took 3 months to receive for most people after they entered the country. I was hoping to know if anyone is also still waiting for one to arrive and about how long it took during this time frame of arrival around October 2020?

Things I did just to make sure:

1. Made sure the option was checked on the DS-260

2. Greek card arrived a month later

3. Called the SS# office and they could not find a match with name to see if pending

I am sure with COVID there is a delay and just wanted some feedback on this. Tax season is upon us :).

Thank you,

Nando

For our case it took about 30 days for the I-130 to be approved but that was before COVID. It can take up to 90 which is what we expected. It is VERY tough to get a timeline down though faster if the child is under 21 and not married. After that it depends on what time line you are looking for. Our process COULD have taken 18 months but instead took 25 month because of COVID (her embassy appointment was cancelled 3 day before the interview because the country went into red alert) until the embassy's finally reopened in Honduras.

Which timeline in the process were you looking for?

Nando

Great question . . . since I used and attorney they recommended sending all originals.This included MARRIAGE certificate, BIRTH certificates of my stepdaughter and wife that the family got locally there,, my birth certificate (a new one one from City Hall since it was close by). That is all from the top of my head (and confirmed with my wife). I also made sure we brought copies of those docs as they will give back the originals and take a copy, in most cases.

Everything else was copies, for example tax transcripts provided for the case.

Hope this helps and not confusing

Nando

On 11/17/2020 at 4:42 PM, Southern_Belle07 said:

I wonder what were the questions during interview. My son is only 8 years old and he will just be accompanied by grandparents. My priority date is October 9th, husband is the USC. 

Sorry for the late response! As for the questions asked it really truly depends on a lot of factors. In our case they only asked my stepdaughter her name. However, they did ask questions to my wife' cousin who accompanied her. Things such as where is she going, with who, etc. Due to her age MOST of the time there are simple questions.

What I do suggest is that WHOEVER does go (they typically will only allow one person with the child) that that person NOT provide any more extra information than asked. Just simple YES and NO. Provide direct answers without "stories" behind an answer. Of course lying is not going to fly :). The persons that are asking questions typically have all the answers provided as part of the case and should be the answered the way they were in the application.

For example another family we knew had an aunt bring their 7 year old child. They asked the child their name and where they were going, why, with who. When they started speaking to the aunt they were having a conversation about a better life here etc when the aunt brought up the stepmother losing her job and due to the pandemic and its been tough. The interview tone changed and focused on that. The interview then asked then how will they provide for the stepchild. The aunt said "oh its ok she found a new job today". Lets just say there was a LOOOOONG pause and eventually approved (she knew right away what she had done wrong and was horrified).

Hope all went well!

I have seen online this a few times now and glad this was a quick approval. The reason I have been reading is "simple" ... with COVID19 this gives USCIS plenty of time to process other things like applications etc since most embassies and other immigration and non-immigration processes are on hold (interviews, travel visas, etc etc).

Super!

UPDATE: We are all still patiently waiting for the Embassy to open up as they are still closed (pen for Emergency US Services Only). However, Honduras is close to getting to opening up "soon" (I am GUESSING within 4 weeks based on steps they have taken and COVID trends there). Once that happens I imagine appointments that were cancelled will be rescheduled in order they were canceled and by priority, for example the type of visa. We can only wait like everyone else in the world who were thrown for a loop because of COVID19 and be thankful we are healthy. To be continued . . .

Thanks for the feedback. Yes each country can drastically be different when it comes to rescheduling . In Honduras they cancelled all appointments until the end of May (this was done Monday March 16). For Honduras they did not offer new dates which is understandable since no one knows when things would open up. Hopefully once they open up those whose  appointments were cancelled will be "first in line" but we will see. I imagine that since the US imposed the latest "60 Day hold" maybe there are openings since this is immediate family.

We can only wait :).

Thanks! - Nando

Hi all. Like many others, the Coronavirus impacted my stepdaughters (7 yrs old) appointment at the Embassy in Honduras. We were 3 days away before it was cancelled and we received the email stating that it was cancelled and we would be contacted once it has been declared safe. As of today it appears that Honduras is soon to drop the Red Alert and slowly get things up and running. So my questions is if anyone has any experience where an appointment had to be canceled BY THE EMBASSY and later rescheduled? My thinking is once the Red Alert has been dropped and the Embassy catches up and its safe they will resume (we hope). I know of individual rescheduling ON THEIR OWN and then it being months later. However, since this was cancelled by the Embassy, I am optimistic it will be weeks not months once things are back up.

A good example was when there is a demonstration like there was earlier this year and individuals threw burning ties at the entrance of the embassy, it had to shut down. My thought the people who had appointments would be rescheduled ASAP since the event.

Whether weeks or months, we have set expectations but would good to hear of ACTUAL experiences and not theories .

Thank you in advance!

45 minutes ago, Shawn_Lock said:

Hello Everyone,

 

I am a US citizen in the process of bringing my 2 stepsons (18 & 19) from Ecuador. Their interview is scheduled for March 2nd. For this process,  it was required that I get permission from the estranged parent to take the youngest to the US. I filed the I-130 for them last May. I did end up requesting an expedited interview date on Feb 6th which was granted. The timing has been perfect as my wife’s AOS interview was on February 12th and was approved that afternoon. This has taken out most of the concern on whether the kids would be denied or delayed. I will be flying down to attend their interview and hopefully bring them home when I leave. 
 

Thanks to everyone in this forum for sharing your experiences and providing valuable information. I will keep you posted !

 

Shawn 

This is great news! Since I am also going through the process with my wife and my stepdaughters process was held up, it should work out that my wife and I go together back (for her interview) and return with my stepdaughter, who in theory should be approved within the next two months. Worse case I go myself if if any delays and get her as Honduras has laws favoring the mother (especially if the father is not on the BC and not in the picture . . . no need for permission).

Many prayers on safe return!

- Nando

Sorry for the delay in updates! Latest update:

Dear XXXXXX XXXXX,

The National Visa Center (NVC) updated the status of your immigrant visa application. Please go to the Department of State's Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) at https://nvc.state.gov/ceac. You will need your NVC case number and invoice ID number to log into your account.

Once you have logged into CEAC, please look in your message box or on the Status Chart at the bottom of the page. If NVC has feedback on any items you submitted, there will be a new message with details. If not, please simply follow the updated instructions on your Status Chart to complete your case. If any column says "Pay Now", "Invalid Doc", "Incomplete", or "Re-Opened", that means you must take action by paying a fee, submitting a form, or uploading a corrected/missing document.

Regards,
National Visa Center,
U.S. Department of State
https://nvc.state.gov/ask

**** To all new to the thread the "wait" was not typical since we had challenges obtaining the required birth certificate for my step daughter. During the process there was a change in what was accepted. We basically did not press the issue and let things happen as they came and my stepdaughter was starting school soon so we slowed down. Initially we were very optimistic that for things to wrap up between October to November 2019 but we all know how life can throw a wrench in things :) . . . So far we are 17 months into the process that "usually" takes 12-15 but every case is different  (I always add 2-4 month either way to set expectations).

1 hour ago, RamonGomez said:

I don't believe it's necessary, but we did it just to be safe. 

In my case, NO, since the father is not on the birth certificate (and not in the picture) AND the laws in Honduras give the mother many rights (even if the father came out of the woodwork).

22 hours ago, RamonGomez said:

My stepdaughter has her interview next week in China. Our process:

 

1. Filed the I-130 in August 2018

2. I-130 approved at my wife's AOS interview in May 2019 (threw us for a loop)

3. Case created at NVC Oct 2019 after a lengthy 3 month delay

4. Submitted docs, approved, and interview scheduled all within a two-week period in Nov 2019 (also threw us for a loop)

5. Interview in December 2019

 

So about 16 months. It would've been 13-14 months if USCIS hadn't taken forever to send the approved I-130 to NVC. I'll report back on the interview.

 

My wife has sole custody of her daughter, and the father (who has been MIA since she was born) had no issue signing an affidavit that she can immigrate to the US. I've heard the interviews are usually pretty easy. Assuming no hiccups next week, my wife will fly out again 2-3 weeks later to pick her up and bring her here.

Thanks! We expected also to be a year then there was an issue with the Birth Certificate. There was a change from a "short form" to "long form" acceptance in by the NVC, so we just took our time. So far we are about month 14 and expect another few months since we are now just taking it slow to coincide with my wife case (this way we can all go back together for both cases in one shot).

Thanks again!