Chris & Lina

Try Seven Corners. They offer COVID-19 coverage on their traveler's insurance policies. You can be covered whether or not you are in the US and for up to one year.

7 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

 

Congratulations.

 

Do not sell your house, car, or property, resign from your job, or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa and you have checked over the visa to be sure there isn't any spelling errors. If there are any errors, contact the Embassy for further instructions. Keep the "do not open" pouch in the plastic and stowed away in her carryon luggage. Luggage does get lost and without the "do not open" packet it will be a difficult problem for her at immigration once she arrives at her POE. Safe travels to both of you.

She arrived two weeks ago 😊. Arrival was very smooth... too smooth... The customs officer in Chicago stamped her passport and let her through without ever taking or checking her K-1 packet. We knew they needed it, so we found another customs officer to give the packet to. He said, "Good that you brought this! I'll take care of it. I don't know why he didn't take it when he checked your passport." 🤣 Regardless, we got her I-94 online within a couple of days, got our marriage license, will marry in February, and apply for her SSN and AoS.

The fees will be valid for one year or until December 31, 2021 (whichever is later) so you should be safe to pay the fees.

2 minutes ago, HRQX said:

As already mentioned, there are 2 nonstop options:

• Casablanca to JFK
• Casablanca to Washington DC (Dulles International Airport)

He's already in Morocco. The last day he touched Spanish soil was Dec. 15th.

Ok cool. For some reason, this thread just showed up in my email today.

Once he gets back to Morocco, he'll need to wait 14 days (because he's now been in Spain within 14 days of entering the US). Try a flight from Morocco to either Mexico or Turkey. From the, you can get a direct to the US.

3 hours ago, sl1pstream said:

There have been some people in Dublin who have been getting letters, but it's just Dublin. Just like the only one that was processing earlier this year was Switzerland. General DOS policy is still to not process K1 cases. Which we know because the government has told us so. Officially. In a courtroom. And while interviewing at the actual embassy. Not because of some random "findings".

My fiancee has her interview in Moldova tomorrow. They were permitted to resume processing in December.

1 hour ago, pooj97 said:

Finally saw movement with our case on Tuesday too and now it’s In Transit! I am a non plaintiff from non banned country. Anyone here whose cases already reached the consulate and is now in Ready status?

Yes! And she had her medical this past Monday and interview this coming Thursday!

1 hour ago, Greenbaum said:

From U.S. Visas (state.gov) link it states that Inia is still closed to processing visas. If your query returns 999 it signifies that they are not processing visas.  So, there is a conflict that needs your further attention and that is, IS the embassy processing K-1 visas. Check their website for further details. Also, you should become part of the conversation in your sub-forum for your country/regions. Go to the blue ribbon above, select "forums" then scroll about three-fourths of the page down and select the region that most represents where your country is located.  This is where others from your country and opining about the process with real "boots" on the ground information. Good luck and stay engaged in the process. 

 

A few weeks ago, you said that you don't have a P3 example from Moldova. I noticed the one on here is from 2016. Do you want a copy of ours? The one from 2016 is significantly outdated - for example, it says to bring documents to the embassy the week before the interview. The current one says no such thing: bring them *to* the interview.

3 minutes ago, imsan said:

Congrats!! Did the NVC give you the date or you had to pick your own?

We did schedule our own. We got packet 3 within a week of the "Ready" status, hoped into the website, and grabbed a slot. She had her medical this past Monday and picks up her results packet this coming Monday. Interview Thursday!

After all of these months, her interview is scheduled for a week from today! We are not plaintiffs in the Milligan vs. Pompeo case. Despite what their website says, Moldova has resumed K-1 processing.

5 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

The embassy letter is sent via email. Do they have your correct email address?

I have been in touch with the Embassy today. They said they have resumed K-1 visas, that they expect our paper documents this week (the DHL trick shows them currently on hold in Chișinau where the embassy is). They also said that, since they expect the papers this week, to go ahead and have her medical exam as scheduled! Yes, they have our correct email addresses.

"Dear Mr. Bianchi,

Thank you for your message.

Please be informed that Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau resumed processing K1 visa cases and we have asked NVC to send us all K1 visa cases awaiting processing. As soon as we receive them, we will follow-up with an e-mail with instructions for the interview. Please do not take any steps before you receive an e-mail from us.

Please also note that form DS-160 is valid for one year so it should be OK.

Best Regards,

Consular Section Staff

Embassy of the United States of America

Chisinau, Moldova"

"Dear Mr. Bianchi,

Your fiancée can undergo her medical examination...as scheduled. We anticipate to receive the files from NVC within one week."

17 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

You cannot determine what phase of ready you're in unless you follow your CEAC conditions closely, to include following the date changes of which there will be two in the "ready" condition. I talk about this in my PDF file that can be found on the first page of any NOA2 monthly thread. [Month] NOA2 to NVC to Embassy. In there you will also find a DHL hack which will enable you to see when your case was shipped and when the paper copy was received. CEAC and DHL are the only tools that we have found to come close to "guessing" the condition that the file is in.

 

The link you refer to in your replied post above, is for the immigrant process which tells you to complete the DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Application [K-1's complete the DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application] and how to pay your fee to NVC which K-1's pay their fee to the embassy using the embassy's instructions. Further, you schedule your appointment date and not NVC which was promulgated from your link. 

 

Until you receive the NVC letter that has your case number, and you receive your letter from the embassy which will have the P3 instructions you can only complete the DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application and schedule your interview. You won't be able to complete the medical without the letter from the embassy. Be careful with scheduling the interview if you have no idea if and when you can complete the medical. On the day of your interview if you do not have the medical completed then your case will sit till that information is made available to the CO in charge of your case.

I have the NVC case number since April, and we completed the DS-160 back in July. We also scheduled her medical, but the instructions from the medical didn't say anything about bringing the letter from the embassy. Only that she should bring identification, her police certificate, photos, and vaccination records. From my understanding, she should receive the medical packet at the end of her exam but the only P3 instructions we could find (from 2016) say to schedule the medical early because "it takes a long time to get the results." She is going to call the medical provider on Monday to understand if there really is a delay or if she will receive them the day of the exam. Right now, her exam is scheduled a few days before the interview.

The biggest problem is that she lives 250 km from Chișinau and doesn't have a car. With the embassy already wanting some documents the week before the interview, three trips back and forth from Chișinau really isn't feasible in such a short period of time. It's better if she can just stay there for a week or so and do it all.

I did write to the embassy to ask if all of this will be ok, so I'm just pending an answer from them.

Will the embassy letter arrive via email? The postal system is still shut down in the villages in Moldova.

1 hour ago, Greenbaum said:

Your plan for your financial information is a very sound decision. One that I would take if I were in "your shoes". In this process there are two "ready" conditions; one is when the electronic version arrives at the embassy and then the second "ready" condition indicates that the paper file has arrived. Good luck and stay engaged. 

How do I know which condition we might be in? I see this:

"Your case is ready for your interview when scheduled at the U.S. Consular section. If you have already scheduled an appointment for an interview, please prepare your documents as directed in your appointment letter and appear at the consulate on the appointed date and time. Otherwise, please wait until you have been notified of your interview appointment. Additional information about how Immigrant Visa interview appointments are scheduled can be found at: http://nvc.state.gov/interview"

4 hours ago, Greenbaum said:

I see on their website that they are not processing K-`1's. I'm wondering why you have a "ready" condition, but the embassy states they aren't processing visa except for a select class of visa's which the K-1 is not list as one. Simply curious. Good luck and stay engaged. 

Thank you! I plan to provide my W-2/Earnings transcript and 1040 in lieu of the TT if it's still not available. When I contacted the Embassy a few months ago, they stated that they will start accepting K-1s as soon as they work through a backlog (my estimate was that they would complete that around December - seems like it was a pretty accurate estimate). All of this was just as of last week and they're pretty slow to update their website. When we logged into CEAC, we found appointment times available in December so we went ahead and booked one a few weeks from now. I got the notice just this past Tuesday that it was sent from the NVC and by Friday (yesterday), it was 'Ready.' I'm wondering if they're not piloting the electronic filing/documentation system.

36 minutes ago, payxibka said:

What do the instructions from the consulate indicate 

We haven't gotten them yet. The status just went Ready yesterday. Were trying to be prepared, and I'm getting ready to send her a parcel of additional documentation that she may need (printed photos, more evidence, the letter that we need to present since the petition expired, etc.). It can take a few weeks to get parcels to her country, so I'm sending it Monday. She doesn't have a printer, so if I need to include something, I'm trying to get a jump on it.

After 7 months of being stuck at the NVC, our case is finally in "Ready" status at the embassy! I am the American petitioner. Regarding income requirements, I filed my tax returns back in July but my transcripts are still not available. I've called the IRS multiple times and they told me not to refile and they're still working through the backlog of mail. If her interview comes up and I'm still in this position, can I substitute an explanation, 1040, letter of non-filling, and an IRS wage & earning (W2/1099) transcript at her K-1 interview?

Thanks!

On 7/20/2020 at 2:38 PM, Greenbaum said:

You shouldn't have a concern for the expiration date on your NOA2. Your current NOA2 is valid for four months but can be extended by the discretion of the embassy in four month increments to a one-year total. With the current situation, I see no problem with you being able to proceed to receiving a visa in the NOA2 period of one year. Nothing must be done by you for the extension. When your embassy opens again, they will address this.

And what happens after a year? If there is truly a 'second wave' and the Embassies are already dealing with backlog and work visas reopening after the expiration of the Presidental Proclamation at the end of the year, I can easily see us April NOA2 at NVC folks waiting at least until after April 2021.

I have seen a lot of threads indicating that NOA2 expiration will be extended by the US Embassy or Consulate in 4 month increments up to one year. While I'm hopeful, I'm also realistic. Our NOA2 was approved in April. Between the potential for a 'second wave' over the winter, backlogs at the the US Embassies for spousal, student, and work visas (after 2021), I could easily see this process taking well into the summer of 2021. Is the "up to one year" a hard and fast rule? What happens if an interview can't be scheduled until after a year? Are we starting all over again?

On 7/10/2020 at 7:13 PM, Paul & Mary said:

Your petition will be extended for up to a year by the Department of State.   You do not need to do anything.

And what happens if this goes longer than a year? If we truly get the 'second wave' globally over the winter that people are projecting, then I could easily see this going into next summer, at least.

Just got here and found the thread! Our petition was approved in April. To date, though, not a word, welcome email, etc. Just the text message and I called for the case number.

7 hours ago, Hassan Raza said:

I've been waiting for my case to be "created" at NVC. They sent over the petition from USCIS on 4/14 but I still haven't heard from NVC. I sent an inquiry and they said the application is still undergoing "administrative processing" and they will let me know when it's forwarded to the US Embassy. It's taking quite longer than I thought, but I guess this is just because COVID?

 

And what I fear the most is that on their processing time frames they're saying they're still processing documents from February!

From my understanding, NVC is not forwarding petitions to embassies right now. That's why.

4 hours ago, Greenbaum said:

Keep checking your embassy's website and complete the DS-160, pay your fee and then see if your embassy has opened their interview schedule. Some have for J, J and AG. They do say you may experience a termination if the world doesn't start opening. 

What do you mean "you may experience a termination?" That they just cancel your application even after USCIS approval?

The approvals are great, but now everything is getting hung up in the NVC phase, and the Embassies aren't scheduling interviews. I would have almost preferred a delay so that the NOA2 expirations don't come into question.