16 hours ago, rainbow-skies said:

We are currently at the NVC stage for our CR1/I130 Visa. On the ceac.state.gov website they have a “Visa Status Check”, when we enter our information we see “action required: submit requested documents.” We have already submitted all of our applications, money, and financial and civil documents, so we were wondering if this is just outdated/normal and it is going to say this until we have the "documentarily qualified email" or if something is wrong?

 

We submitted everything via NVC on March 26th.

 

Thanks!!

 

Melissa

I would call NVC just to make sure. Imagine waiting a few months then finding out there was something missing. Call early - right before they open - or right before they close. Those are the shortest waiting times.

8 hours ago, Katelyn_Wray said:

I'm so frustrated - our embassy is doing things that make absolutely no sense, and I thought to rant here because maybe other people are seeing the same thing after cases are complete with the NVC. 

Has anyone else seen this at their embassies? Any insight as to why they are doing things like this? Honestly, is what they're doing even legal?

I was DQ'd back in May 2020 and am waiting anxiously. I very much hear your frustrations. The Rio de Janeiro consulate is moving VERY slowly. I have heard chatter that that they were catching up to March 2020 interviews. But honestly, the only interviews I have seen recently have been expedites.

For the past 2 months I thought: "this is definitely the month where I finally get my interview letter". But lately I have very little hope.

15 hours ago, csh2020 said:

How do you know that they were scheduling interviews for DQ cases in April and May? Where can I find updated information as to where they are on the timeline? Thanks for your help.

 

CH

Go to PORTALS on top left of this page. You will see people from the same country as you

On 4/7/2021 at 10:34 PM, CAP waiting said:

I was DQ’ed May 2020 also. Waiting 

I´m also DQ May 2020 and waiting for interview letter.

21 minutes ago, Flavio said:

That's good news to hear... Is there any way to see how many people are in the backlog (in the line to be scheduled)? Thanks

Other than stalking other VJ timelines who have the same embassy and visa category as you do, there isn´t a specific place to look. 

However, this news came out today - so maybe we´ll have a better idea of the backlog soon:

The Department is committed to transparently sharing the current status of our worldwide visa operations and will continue to provide regular updates. Information about the backlog in immigrant visa processing will be publicly available in the future.
 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/visa-services-operating-status-update.html

Does anyone know what DQ date they are calling for interviews? (Non-expedited cases) 

Thanks!

8 hours ago, Zoisdem said:

Hello,

my wife (US-citizen) and I are planning to move back to the States after 4 years abroad.

We are both working currently, and we have income. My wife also filed with the IRS, where she has shown this income,

 

When it comes to I-864, it asks for the current annual income. Should we fill the income per IRS filling?

But obviously from the moment we are coming back to the US, we are going to leave our current jobs and we will have no income, so it will not be applicable.

 

Anyone else, with similar experience, that has gone through the process?

 

thanks in advance!

 

I am in the same situation. We both live in Brazil and went through NVC. They accepted my documents, but suggested a co-sponsor. So I got a co-sponsor.

Does anyone know how often the embassies send out interview letters? I had read somewhere here on VJ that it´s 2x a month and I was hoping to find out if it is the same for every embassy. Thanks!

2 hours ago, colin&tina said:

What exact standard do you mean? We aren't living in the US at the moment, that's why we're asking these questions..... because we're trying to decide where we should go. We understand the processing times fluctuate, especially during this pandemic, but we still want to complete the process as soon as possible. Obviously the local office interviews us, but the actual forms are still processed at the five processing centers, which have estimated waiting times. It's not a priority, but please only comment if you have information that is relevant. Thanks.

Not sure if I follow. But the immigrant cannot go to the US on a non-immigrant visa having the intent to immigrate.

Either way, these wait times change. When I applied (2 yrs ago) California and Nebraska had the longest wait times. I, of course, got Nebraska... and now that I am passed that stage, Nebraska is flying... all of this to say that the wait times in these centers are very fluid.

22 hours ago, Mike and Nicole said:

No, i dont believe it. Im part of the Facebook group and i havent heard of anyone with DQ may-now getting any interview dates.

i did check the non immigrant visa issuances by the bogota post. Over 300 B1/B2 visas issued in February. I just don’t understand what the heck they are doing and it’s frustrating 

Bogota and Rio de Janeiro seem to be in very similar situations... very much hoping that this will change and they'll get to their family based visas soon!

Looks like they officially announced the phased resumption of routine visa services - based on how local conditions are going... some places (hello South America) are pretty terrible right now. So it is still a waiting game. But news nonetheless...

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/phased-resumption-routine-visa-services.html

Also looks like they will resume non-immigrant visa interviews - and I sincerely hope that does not get priority over immigration visas:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/update-on-presidential-proclamation-10052.html

Looks like they officially announced the phased resumption of routine visa services - based on how local conditions are going... Rio de Janeiro conditions are pretty terrible right now. So it´s still a waiting game. But news nonetheless...

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/phased-resumption-routine-visa-services.html

Also looks like they will resume non-immigrant visa interviews - and I sincerely hope that does not get priority over immigration visas:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/update-on-presidential-proclamation-10052.html

2 hours ago, Jho369 said:

I know it’s far from over but if you live here, it’s like pandemic was over. Nothing is different than before COVID. Restaurants opened up months ago, 6’ distancing only at fewer restaurants. People are

back to work and on the road for the most part...the numbers are climbing but we are back to normal for the most part. We go out to eat daily and we are in Tampa area. Our business is required to go shopping and all the stores are opened at pretty much at full capacity. Wear a mask and you’re good to go. That’s why I said I forgot that we (the world) is still in a pandemic.

Count your blessings but don't get overly confident in Florida... or anywhere for that matter

In Brazil passports generally expire before the visa does, so people always get a new passport and carry the old passport with the valid visa (tourist visa). This might be a similar situation.  But I would still email the embassy and ask.

19 hours ago, Ultra Mega said:

So my spouse finally got interview date letter from NVC, the time is really short, 2 weeks. It says in link to (see below) gather all required documents required for interview but there is no list on website for step 10. What does all civil documents mean? I would have to mail everything to spouse since I have some of the originals,  obviously the pandemic made it so I couldn't travel there to give to her because of their bans on foreigners. Is it just everything I uploaded to NVC website? I thought so but then it said DO NOT need to bring affidavit of support or financial evidence so I got confused. Thank you to anyone that could help or link to a clear list. I swore there was a list on these forums pinned somewhere, now I can't find it. (F2A category, spouse of LPR, spouse coming to America). Thank you.

 

 

3. Gather Documents Required for the Interview

Every visa applicant, no matter their age, must bring certain documents to the interview, including photographs, and the original or certified copy version of all civil documents submitted to NVC. You do not need to bring your Affidavit of Support or financial evidence you submitted to NVC.

What happens if you forget to bring something on this list? The consular officer will not be able to complete the processing of your visa. You will have to gather the missing items and provide them to the embassy or consulate, and may have to come for additional interviews. Failure to bring all items on the above list can delay visa issuance.

Best to fill out your timeline, as answer might get embassy-specific replies

1 hour ago, Timdo72 said:

Hello everyone, I have waited 11 months so far and now got a RFE a few days ago. I am filing a CR-1 for my wife from Vietnam.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this RFE? Thank you so much in advance!

I would suggest you look at Vietnam embassy specific instructions. Maybe there is information there for you:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/VietNam.html

Marriage

Non-Vietnamese nationals married in Vietnam and now seeking a record of the marriage should write to the provincial Justice Department (So Tu Phap)where the marriage/divorce took place. The request should include the date and location of the marriage. The Department will usually respond, but without friends or relatives to follow up, the process may be lengthy.

Common Law Marriages and Marriage of Relatives

Vietnamese law does not recognize common law marriages. Authorities do issue certificates verifying cohabitation but these do not constitute legal marriages. Vietnamese law prohibits marriage between blood siblings, half siblings, first cousins or any two persons related closer than three degrees of separation. The legal age for marriage is 20 for men and 18 for women.

These are the numbers for CR1 and IR1 visas issued in Brazil. There are 2 PDFs available on the website. But each document has different numbers: 

February 2021 - IV Issuances by FSC and Visa Class: CR1: 4  / IR1: 24

February 2021 - IV Issuances by Post and Visa Class: CR1: 2 / IR1: 20

Does it make sense for there to be different totals?

(Note: The only place in Brazil that does interviews is Rio de Janeiro)

May: CR1: 3 / IR1: 5

June: CR1: 1 / IR1: 3 

July: CR1: 1 / IR1: 3 

August: CR1: 1 / IR1: 4

September: CR1: 1 / IR1: 5

October: CR1: 2 / IR1: 6
November: CR1: 3 / IR1: 7
December: CR1: 6 / IR1: 7

January 2021: CR1: 6 / IR1: 16 

February 2021:

First PDF: FSC and Visa Class: CR1: 4  / IR1: 24

Second PDF: by Post and Visa Class: CR1: 2 / IR1: 20

Not sure which one of the documents we should be going by... but I see an upward trend here...

15 hours ago, sirius said:

Hi,

I wanted to get some information.

I petitioned for my parents IR-5(priority date 12/31/2018). I did the whole process myself using VJ guide.

Anyway, on the NVC CEAC status check website it says your case is currently at NVC. Seems it hasnt moved from there, the last notification I received was on 06/08/2020 saying all documents have been received and approved, since then we have heard nothing. All the fees are paid. The consulate assigned is Montreal.  I presumed there was a backlog due to COVID-19, but its been almost 9 months now without any movement in the case. 

Just wanted to know if Im missing something or if I should do anything additional? I hope I havent missed out on a step, but I imagine I would have received a communication by now. 

Will appreciate your thoughts.

 

P.S Before this, about 8 years ago, my wife & I completed my VJ  thanks entirely to guidance from the kind people on this website. It went super smooth. 

 

Kind Regards,

This seems normal. Just for perspective... I have been waiting since May 2020 for the interview letter. Consulates are very backed up bc of the pandemic. It all depends on the specific consulate. Check on PORTALS (top of page) to see how long others from your country have been waiting.  

Alert: As explained below, beginning on March 9, 2021, applicants should not file Form I-944, Declaration of Self-Sufficiency, or any evidence or documentation required on that form with their Form I-485. The Form I-944 has been discontinued.

https://www.uscis.gov/i-944

8 hours ago, Destin said:

Anyone else heard this? Thinking I may need to call them back as the Vietnam embassy isn't closed, so I'm not sure if we should do the DS-160 now or continue to bug the NVC or something else.

Help please! Thanks!

This is standard. There is a huge backlog because most embassies closed/stopped interviews in 2020 due to the pandemic. I for one, have been waiting for an interview letter since May 2020.

Your best bet is look for others who are processing in your same embassy and see what their waitlist is like. Every country is different... Look in PORTALS at the top of the page, to see others from your same spot.

Visa applicants are otherwise not requested to take any additional steps at this time and should attend their visa interviews as scheduled.  Applicants are not required to complete, nor should they present, the DS-5540, Public Charge Questionnaire.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/update-on-public-charge.html

2 hours ago, Hannah711 said:

My husband and I own a house together with a relative of mine. If I want to use my house as part of an asset of ours for AOS are we only allowed to use a certain portion of it or can we use the entire home?

Financial sponsors can only include assets that are convertible into cash within one year and without considerable hardship or financial loss to the sponsor and his/her family. Examples of assets easily convertible to cash are savings, stocks, bonds and property. Sponsors may include the value of their home. They may not include the value of their automobile, unless they can show they have more than one and the primary automobile is not included as an asset.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/i-864-affidavit-faqs.html

4 minutes ago, SalvadorBahia said:

This is a very brief synopsis of the event but just wanted to give everyone a heads up and I will be happy to answer as many questions as I can.  I have just heard now that people with interviews for next week have been canceled unfortunately due to Rio anticipating holidays in order to try and slow the new covid wave - I cannot begin to imagine that feeling!  Hang in there - it will come soon enough!  

Thanks for your feedback. Sad to hear about even further cancellations. OOf!

6 hours ago, aviicii said:

Hi, getting our paperworks in order to file for I-485/I-130. My spouse (beneficiary ) has overstayed her visa and used a fake green card to try to get a job. She has a social security number but invalid now since her visa expired years ago. I know that only false claim to us citizenship is inadmissible, but will her use of fake green card when she filled out an I9 to try to get that job result in a denial of her AoS ? Im at my wits’ end. Should we hire a lawyer for our case instead ? 

It all depends how much work you're willing to put in this case.

It's not 100% straightforward case bc a) the greencard issue b) overstay H2B

That being said, you're going to need to make sure you check and double check everything that the lawyer does. We see too many stories here that lawyers sometimes get things wrong (more often than I could ever imagine). 

Good luck!