hhN400

Took nine days for my NOA1 to arrive (see timeline below).

I have a more general question: How does one actually know that the case has been transferred to the service center? Does one get an email, a letter, or is this information available online? (I know, its probably a trivial question, but much of this business is still a bit of a mystery to me.)

Thanks.

[bump]

Anyone?

If not, I would guess that the K1 procedure is very similar. Perhaps there is someone with K1 experience?

Thanks.

Could somebody please explain what the exact vaccination requirements are at the Frankfurt Consulate for a K3? The postings I read here have me a bit confused. My wife cannot find her "Impfpass". Does this mean she has to go to her "Hausarzt" in advance to determine her vaccination status and, if necessary, get re-vaccinated? Or is this all done at the medical?

Also, what's the gneral procedure for the medical? Since there only seem to be a few approved physicians on the Consulate's list, is it difficult to get an appointment on short notice? How long in advance does one need to make arrangements? (Someone suggested that it would be possible to have the interview in the morning and do the medical later that day as a walk-in. Is this realistic?)

Thank you.

--hh

I actually got the NOA1 for the I-129F today and it turns out that the case number in that notice is different from one on the check by one digit, i.e., the last digit is 8 instead of 7 as on the check. And the new case number is available online already. So, it seems that everything is well on its way. Don't know, though, why they would write a different case number on the check, but I found looking around the postings that this has also been reported by other people.

Check out post# 8 by AnnaF in this thread http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=62688

The same thing happened to her and she called USCIS to have them fix the error. Maybe you should look into it as well.

Yes, I had seen that posting, thank you, Mononoke28. However, I'm not worried, really, since the case number on the NOA1 I received, which I take to be the 'real' case number, works fine as far as online access to the status information is concerned. (Or do you suggest I should be worried, and, if yes, why?)

I actually got the NOA1 for the I-129F today and it turns out that the case number in that notice is different from one on the check by one digit, i.e., the last digit is 8 instead of 7 as on the check. And the new case number is available online already. So, it seems that everything is well on its way. Don't know, though, why they would write a different case number on the check, but I found looking around the postings that this has also been reported by other people.

People have said that it takes about a week for the case # to be put in the system.

Okay. Thanks.

With the I-130 check sent to VSC, the corresponding case number was accessible online immediately, as soon as the check cleared. I guess it's just a reflection of the different speeds for different service centers.

Okay, now there's another problem: When I try to add this case number to the online portfolio, the system tells me that this case number does not exist. With the exception of the first letter, the number is fairly well readable and I'm sure I have correctly put it into the system. I thought the number should be known to the system at the very instant the case number is created, or does it take a few days?

Thanks.

--hh

The check I sent with the K3 application to the Chicago lockbox has been cashed, but I haven't received the NOA1 yet. I'm trying to decipher the case number on the back of the check, but I cannot read the first letter. The rest of the number is okay. The number reads xSCn, where x is illegible and n is a ten-digit number. Could somebody please tell me what x is for K3 applications sent to Chicago?

Thanks.

--hh

M

Wow, that was quick. Thanks a lot.

--hh

The check I sent with the K3 application to the Chicago lockbox has been cashed, but I haven't received the NOA1 yet. I'm trying to decipher the case number on the back of the check, but I cannot read the first letter. The rest of the number is okay. The number reads xSCn, where x is illegible and n is a ten-digit number. Could somebody please tell me what x is for K3 applications sent to Chicago?

Thanks.

--hh

... How much time, effort, and confusion would be eliminated? A much simpler process would be better for everyone.

Undoubtedly, anybody who has his wits about him/her could easily design a much better system starting from the ground up. The problem is that there is a legacy to be maintained, that this is a big country, that there are many immigration petitions, and that the system is still largely paper-based. The latter fact, in particular, makes it easier at each step to request yet another paper copy of the same document that has been submitted already umpteen times before at previous steps instead of retrieving it from some central federal document repository. This also means, of course, that the validity of the paper documents submitted has to be established over and over again, at a huge expense of time and effort.

I understand that USCIS is in the process of converting everything to an electronic document platform. I would imagine that once this is completed one could simply quote the electronic reference number for a previously submitted document and that there would be no need to resubmit and, in particular, to revalidate it. This conceivably might reduce many applications to one simple form and the processing time to a matter of days (I know, now I am dreaming).

Of course, other than anecdotal information, I have no real knowledge how this future system would work, but we can all hope that it would work better, easier, and -- most of all -- quicker than the present system. In the meantime, unfortunately, we have to work with what we have. That's life.

• We did not translate the police certificate - the instructions ask for certified original.
  
• Birth Certificate; we ordered International ones (requires no translation) this is the best option for the long-term also - very easy to get from the Standesbeamte.
  
• No other documents were required (by Frankfurt) to be translated (including medical) for our K1.
  

Thanks, K&O. I knew about the International Birth Certificate, but not needing translations of other documents certainly makes things much easier.

Good luck with your upcoming interview!

--hh

I'm in the process of getting a K3 visa for my German wife. Does anybody have any experience whether the consulate in Frankfurt requires translations of German documents (for example, Polizeiliches Fuehrungszeugnis, etc.) to be done by professional translators, or can I simply translate the documents myself? In the past, in other dealings with US government agencies, I've always done all translations myself certifying that I am fluent in English and German (which I am) and there has never been a problem. I'm just wondering what the Frankfurt Consulate's procedure is in such matters.

Thanks.

--hh

Thanks, everybody, for your quick response.

Much appreciated. Great forum!

-hh

Hi, I'm new to this forum, so please indulge my ignorance.

I've recently filed an I-130 with VSC and today I sent off the I-129F petition to the Chicago lockbox, both on behalf of my wife who is currently in Germany. I have been looking around the postings and I think (or rather, I hope) that I understand the basic procedure. One thing I'm not clear about is this business of one's application being 'touched'. I presume it means that somebody at USCIS has changed the 'last updated' entry in the online status. Is this correct? Does it mean that I have to monitor that status everyday to see whether the application has been touched? Is there any real significance to this, or is it mostly psychological?

Thanks.

-hh

I'm a US citizen and I am about to go through the K3 visa process to bring my wife from Germany to the US.

At this stage, I have a simple question regarding the G-325A form (Biographic Information) for myself that I need to submit with the I-130 petition. The instructions say "Except for your name and signature you do not have to repeat on the Form G-325A the information given on your Form I-130 petition". Does this mean I need to supply only my name and signature on this form, and nothing else (which would seem to make the form rather useless), or can I skip filling in only those items which correspond exactly to what is already given on the I-130 form (which would suggest to fill in everything just to be on the safe side)?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, and thanks for your help.