Peach_

Hello, everyone! 

I hope everyone's doing well.

Just wondering, our case is with NVC already. When we filled out application for K1, we didn't put my middle name(my mom's last name before marriage). My middle name isn't on my passport and certificate of citizenship in Canada. But it's on my birth certificate. Will this cause any problems? If so, who do I speak to or clarify this with?

Thank you.

On 8/25/2020 at 3:32 PM, Bray666 said:

We have been approved, and I'm not sure where the case is sitting at the moment. We got our 2nd NOA and are waiting for the letter to inform us when I can call to book the interview. It's at the Nvc and waiting to move to the consulate in Canada (the Montréal location)

I emailed them asking for my case number and ID so I can follow it better.

I see. We have the same situation. 😢 I hope it gets process soon. 

4 hours ago, Bray666 said:

Me and my fiancé got our 2nd NOA roughly 8 weeks ago, they said they would send me a letter in the mail informing me of when to call to book the interview, documents I need to bring, etc. 2-4 weeks after receiving that letter.. It's been over 8 weeks since then. I'm in Canada, she's in Chicago.

Also, at this point I'm going to be going to stay with her for the max 6 months I'm allowed on the Canadian visa passport until we were back about getting an interview date. Is that something frowned upon and will it affect our paperwork?

 

Is your application with NVC already? (Just asking, curious. Our timeline is pretty similar, that's why)

On 8/7/2020 at 8:49 AM, Babu Frik said:

Are you saying you haven't received NOA1, or you expected to hear something regarding approval?

based on her timeline, it looks like she received her NOA1 on June 15, 2020. I think she's waiting for her NOA2.  As for me, it took about 4 months to get my NOA2. I hope this helps you to feel a little better! @Camille Gaudier

3 hours ago, Zaraliaya said:

If 'Blue Ribbon' Isnt helping, its the menu bar, or navigation bar if you know it that way.  Its literally the only blue horizontal bar on your screen with a bunch of words. --Well besides the one thats a darker blue, but that just says number of posts.

thank you! 

8 hours ago, Greenbaum said:

It the blue ribbon just below the VJ Logo and American Flag.

Thank you! 

2 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

You may need to back of this thread to the main thread to see the ribbon.

is it anywhere here?? Or am I able to search it instead?

2 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

R U on a phone or PC/laptop?

laptop  

On 7/8/2020 at 7:52 AM, Greenbaum said:

Q1. The DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application is about the beneficiary and must be submitted by them. In my PDF I outline some of the tools to use and the process for the DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. Download a copy of the PDF from the first page the first post in this thread.

 

Q2. Yes, you can save a copy of the DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application to when you upload your photo. Keep in mind that the saved copy is only going to be accessible for 30 days, so if you don't reopen and save you will lose your "saved" copy.

 

Get the Canadian K1 P3 letter at http://photos.state.gov/libraries/canada/303578/montreal/Packet3-K1-MTL.pdf as this is your bible needed to complete and receive your visa. The required documents are included and use the P3 as a check list. Once you have completed or gathered the required documents, you'll be ready for your interview. If it is not on the Embassy letter, it is not needed.

 

Finally, read the pages on the US Embassy website for your country so that you are up to speed.

 

http://canada.usembassy.gov/

https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca/iv

 

Also, there is a sub-forum for your country. Go to the blue ribbon above, select "forums" then scroll about 3/4 of the page down and select the region that most represents where your country is located.  

Thank you! I can't seem to find the blue ribbon? 😧  

59 minutes ago, Zaraliaya said:

Beneficiary does the ds-160.

Not sure about picture, but you can save the ds160 before submitting, so I don't see why not?

 

I believe since you're Canadian you're supposed to wait to submit until you get p3.

 

Did I ever give you the Canada FB group for K1/spouses? They're super helpful regarding Canadian things.

Thanks a million! Yes, you did! I'm on it. I already asked question number 2 but I forgot lol 

Thank you, though!! 

Hello, again!

I hope everyone has been well  

Just 2 quick questions:

1.  Who fills out the the DS160? The petitioner or the beneficiary? Or both?
2. Can the DS160 be started without uploading a digital photo? (picture will be uploaded later on, when taken)

Thank you in advance!

19 hours ago, Greenbaum said:

Canceling your K-1 at this stage fool's gold. You go to the back of the line, you have new fees to pay, you have background checks to do over, you have additional wait time for adjudication and interview results, some as long as a year or two depending on country. It's not a good plan. It sounds like many of you are doing this as an emotional decision and not a decision made on research and thoughtful consideration. Here, I did the homework for you.

 

K-1 vs CR-1 Full Analysis

 

K-1

More expensive than CR-1    

Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)    

Spouse cannot leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (about 5-6 months)    

Spouse cannot work until she/he receives EAD (about 5-6 months)    

Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period    

Spouse will not receive Green Card for 10 to 12 months after Adjustment of Status is filed.

If you have red flags this may be the best place to start in case of denial.

Estimated timeline is approximately 8 to 10 months (NOA1 to Interview) This is officially qquoted as 6 to 12 months.

 

K-1 Fees

$535 - USCIS Filing Fee

$265 per person - DS-160 (Visa Application)

$200 to $400 - Medical Fee

$1,225 per person - AOS Fee (Includes EAD/AP if filed together)

$750 per child under 14

$680 per person - ROC Fee

 

 

$2,705 plus medical (K-1)

$2,170 plus medical (K-2 over 14 years old)

$1,695 plus medical (K-2 14 years old and younger)

 

 

CR-1    

Less expensive than K-1    

No Adjustment of Status (I-485, I-131, I-765) required.

No I-944, Declaration of Self-Sufficiency to complete

Spouse can immediately travel outside the US    

Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival.    

Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US    

Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.

Spouse has Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to the United States

If denied, a K-1 has no practical options other than to start over from scratch. A denied CR-1 can be reaffirmed. So, if there are red flags and one is concerned about being denied, I would suggest steering away from the K-1.

 

Estimated timeline is 10 to 12 months (NOA1 to Interview) This is officially quoted at 12 to 14 months.

 

CR-1 Fees

$535 - USCIS Filing Fee

$120 - Affidavit of Support Fee

$325 - DS-260 (Visa Application) 

$200 to $400 - Medical Fee

$220 - USCIS Immigrant Fee

$680 - ROC (if married less than 2 years at POE)

 

$1,200 plus medical (per person if married more than 2 years when filing)

$1,880 plus medical (per person if married less than 2 years at POE)

I know it would mean starting all over again  we're just gonna wait it out. Thank you!

6 minutes ago, H and G said:

It's crossed my mind... the only thing about that is that we're SO CLOSE to the end (NVC->Embassy) and getting married overseas and filing for the spouse visa would start things all over again... My fiancé has a friend who's married to her US spouse and has been waiting for 2+ years for her visa, and one time they almost didn't let her cross the border on a B1/B2 visa because she mentioned she wanted to see her husband and they thought she was going to stay there... she was pulled aside and grilled like crazy. Finally she said "look, I just want to see my husband, I'm not immigrating, I just want to see him". Finally they let her in.

 

That aside, it's crossed my mind because I want us to be considered family for legal purposes... that 2+ year wait that my fiancé's friend has been through scares me though...

Thank you for sharing your thought! 😊  I'm just getting a little impatient since we're barely provided with any updates/news regarding when they'll start sending applications to the embassies   But yes, the thought of starting all over again is kind of stressful already lol 

Has anyone considered doing the spouse visa instead and just cancel the K1 visa?

11 hours ago, Greenbaum said:

Q-1 You'll get the result of your inquiry and it will have a date. The next time you check, or subsequent checks should reveal another date and the one that shows a different date is the "second" date. But you'll have to be checking CEAC to see this.

 

Q-2 You can wait for the welcome letter but keep in mind you will lose about 30 - 45 days in which you will be waiting when you could be moving your case to a visa. It's always your choice on how fast you want to move forward at this stage as you are now in control. 

Thank you so much! Your help is greatly appreciated  

12 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

Do you have a copy of the PDF from the first page of this thread? From their I have read that if you ask Greenbaum he can supply a copy. 

 

P3 is a letter that you receive from the embassy or it is sometimes found on their website. It lists all the next steps and the required documents.

 

You can't hurry it along at all. You must wait till you see your date on CEAC change to ready two times. The second change you can send in your P3. A copy of the P3 is linked below. Comply with what they ask for in P3 (the actual one they send you) by sending them a copy of the signed P3 checklist, your DS-160 confirmation and your Passport Bio. Then they send you P4. Then they tell you to register to schedule and you'll wait some more for interviews to open up, which only happens once a month during the last week of the month for two months ahead UNLESS you are lucky and you scoop up a cancellation. Get your medical appointment first so you can schedule the interview shortly afterward.

 

Packet 3: https://ca.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/07/Packet3Instructions-K1.pdf  And Packet 4 for reference also: https://ca.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/Packet4-MTL.pdf

 

For all things dealing with the US Consulate in Canada head on over to the sub-forum for Canada where they will answer your questions for the processing of your visa from their personal experience. Link:

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/93-canada/

 

Birth Certificate and Police Certificate information

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aa5iWVtFniXGWavXN0zs-94dewD2Fdfy/view?usp=sharing

 

 

Here is some additional information. As was stated in the Canadian sub-forum there is an "emergency order" application in Ontario. You need the birth cert that is CERTIFIED COPY OF BIRTH REGISTRATION that has the parent's name. You don't want the "parental cert" that is a wallet-sized one with parents' names but no place of birth, doctors who attended birth etc. The parental one is for parents traveling with kids to prove custody in an easy to use/travel with the format. I hope this clears up your question. CALL the registrar and tell them you need to do an emergency application otherwise you will be waiting 15+ weeks. Absolutely the long-form is a required LIVE document needed at the interview or you'll get rejected.  I hope this info is helpful and best of luck.

 

In case you're doing the medical in Vancouver: Dr. Cheema requires you to schedule the interview first in order to book the medical.

 

 

Routine vaccinations such as MMR, Tetanus, Flu Shots, etc are offered free of charge in the province of Ontario. Patients can walk into any health care clinical or family physician office and receive these immunizations for free.  it would be better to go and get your vaccinations free of charge rather than pay any additional fees at these the medical exams. 

 

Also, there is a discussion about the new requirements for PC and fingerprints found here

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/683334-urgent-new-police-certificate-requirement/#comments

 

If you find anything not up to date or the information is wrong, please share your findings. Please compare the date of the P3 of mine with the date from your copy, once you receive yours from your embassy. Keep in mind that I try and be factual with my information, but I can't do it on my own and that's where you come in and can give back to the community those who come behind you. Without others ahead of you I would not be able to provide this to you. 

Yes, I do have it. I apologize, my mind's all over the place. 

You mentioned, "wait till you see your date on CEAC change to ready two times." where will I see that? Would it make much more sense if I had the welcome letter?

Thank you in advance!

3 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

Yes, the DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application can be completed once you have your case number. Canada is a different breed unto itself. It has different procedures in place that are not of the norm so you can't move forward with scheduling your interview even though they are not open as of yet. The P3 explains everything. 

So, I cannot schedule yet since they're closed still. Totes fine   What's P3? Where can I find that? I'm sorry and thank you

I hope everyone's been well!

Just out of curiousty, and to clarify, nothing can be done until we receive the welcome letter, is that correct? Except maybe for the DS-160.

2 hours ago, Mexilaysian said:

Just wanted to do an update here, to give some hope.

NOA2 date: 26/03 

We called on our 6th week last week and there were no record, was told to email them.

Got a reply today (13/05) by email that they received our petition.

 

We will give them a call by end of this week to get the number, just for them to have a little buffer in assigning the petition to a case number

 

It'll come soon for those who are still waiting!

Thank you so much!! I sincerely appreciate this!! I feel more hopeful now  

17 hours ago, Rob Beri said:

No, Pristina is still under lockdown with a few restrictions being lifted. Hopefully, by the end of this month, or early June things will ease up and embassies will reopen. That is when we should expect for our petitions to be mailed. 

 

Hang in there. I would suggest that you keep calling at least once a week. I received news that my petition was received last week. I am sure you will hear similar news soon.

Thank you! Will do!

On 5/6/2020 at 12:37 PM, Rob Beri said:

Week 4.5/6 still nothing. Getting concerned. 

We called today and today’s the 6th week. So now we have to email them. 😢

Just now, CnE2019 said:

UGH...I'm sorry...Keep calling! You'll get it. Everyone's dates vary, but you're on the same track we are. This whole process makes me anxious😵

Thank you! Yeah, no choice but to be patient. I guess we're actually just gonna wait for that 6th week lol have a great day!! 

2 hours ago, CnE2019 said:

After 51 minutes on hold, I got our case number today! Have you been able to call them? Maybe they'll have yours too now!

we didn't get ours yet  apparently they haven't received it  i'm getting anxious 

1 hour ago, CnE2019 said:

Woo hoo! We have a case number! We were approved April 1, and I called the NVC almost daily for the first couple weeks. I work in 9-1-1 healthcare here in the States so I've been a little busy/overwhelmed/stressed with work these days and haven't been keeping up with calling for well over a week now. But finally today I was able to call and wait on hold for an hour and to my great relief the wonderful woman at the NVC had a case and invoice number for me!! She told me that they WILL be shipping our packet and WILL be sending our case to the Embassy in Santiago, Chile, but that the Embassy is not doing interviews at the moment. I asked if she knows if they are on schedule for their "ship out" dates and she wan't able to give me a for sure date/answer. But they are still sending cases out to embassies which is such a relief to hear. I need to go back to the PDF from this thread and follow the instructions now that I have our number. But just wanted to post for everyone who is still waiting because we all need hope and answers from all the day to day craziness we're tackling lately 🙂🙃

We called and they apparently didn't receive it yet  

5 hours ago, CnE2019 said:

Thank you! Maybe it's a delayed "April Fools!"...😶

LOL i hope not!!