xxxBananaManxxx

Everyone...  this is a short note to advise that Federal Police Clearance Certificates are now valid for 2 years.  

I attended my interview at the Melbourne Consulate.  Given the delays in getting to interview (I had first got my police clearance certificate in March 2021 - I am intending to move in April 2022), I thought I would need a new Police clearance.  I applied for a new certificate in January 2022.  When I attended interview I was advised that the validity of the Police clearance certificates had been changed to 2 years because of delays due to Covid.

Just thought I would let others know.

3 hours ago, Kelc said:

Just got DQ'ed today. How long did it take to get an interview date recently from DQ for you recent people? Also are appointments for interviews still happening in Melbourne or are they back in Sydney? 

Interviews are still happening in Melbourne.  I went for mine today.  In terms of the timeframe from DQ to interview, I believe it is quite variable atm depending on the type of Visa you are applying for and whether an expedite is provided.  Expect it to take up to 4 months or more as I believe they have around 6-7 months of backlog atm.

1 hour ago, quinnscribe said:

 

 

Yeah, you'd think that if they promise a December start they'd let people make travel arrangement... I wonder if they'll be booking people in the order they were document qualified ; in the order of their NOA2 ; in the order they got on the Sydney waitlist. Maybe they are going to also do it geographically? Give the people who live in Melbourne first assignments because they're closest to get in, then move out to other areas?

This approach makes you think that interviews may kick off in December, but it probably won't be until later in December.  Given the month of December is cut short my the Christmas Period, I don't expect many interviews will be held prior to 2022.  Certainly unlikley that the significant backlog gets cleared any time soon.

In reality, the actions appear to be focused on stopping criticism of the inability of the Sydney Consulate to continue services following the end of the NSW shutdown period rather than clearing the backlog of immigrants that are waiting for interviews.  

1 minute ago, Sharmarine said:

No, not as yet unfortunately.

Pretty interesting reply....  Given the time taken to confirm Melbourne for immigration interviews you would have expected them to be in a position to move quickly and at least schedule these.  We are only 2 weeks away from December and it would be reasonable to assume that interviewees would require some notice in order to prepare.

Just seems like they have moved people from one line-up to another line-up.  This provides a glimmer of hope and placates people (and also distracts from the underlying issue that the Sydney Consulate has initiated by failing to coordiante a transition of premises in an effective manner)...  Of particular note is the fact that progress on the reestablishment of services out of the Sydney Consulate is no longer even a point of discussion.

Has anyone recieved a booking confirmation for interview at the Melbourne Consulate.  These were supposed to commence at the start of December, and it would be interesting to hear form anyone that has actually recieved a booking appointment/confirmation.  

Repost of information provided through a Facebook post....  Hopefully this sees things start to move again.

4 minutes ago, Sharmarine said:

An update from the Sydney Consulate a few minutes ago. 

Let’s hope the update next week brings some good news 🤞 

1 hour ago, yvonme said:

I saw on Facebook comments a user reported the Sydney consulate will not open until April.

There has been no official announcement as far as I am aware. Would rather stick to facts than listen to rumours…. Hopefully everything will be confirmed shortly (fingers crossed)

Aussie immigrants - I have created this topic to capture information regarding the following:

• News regarding the Relocation of the Sydney Consulate;
• Information concerning the Sydney Consulate reopening in North Sydney;
• Updates on the scheduling of Immigrant Interviews (either new interviews or the rescheduling of previously cancelled interviews); and
• News regarding other Australian Consulates (other than Sydney) being engaged to conduct immigrant interviews.

Feel free to provide any information you have on these topics.  Hopefully through sharing we will all be better informed. 

Ok...  So I submitted everything to NVC on 31 July 2021 and just received my DQ notification (21 October 2021)...  Best of luck to everyone.

My submission for the NVC was actually 31 July (not August), however I thought I would post in this topic to let everyone know that I got DQ 8 hours ago (21 October).  This will hopefully give everyone some idea of the progress at the NVC.  Wishing everyone the best of luck.

58 minutes ago, Divinepath said:

Someone with 3rd August has received a DQ. How is NVC reviewing 

That is life.  I am happy for everyone that is getting through the process.  I realise that things don't always occur directly in sequence and must accept that this is how things work.  Sometimes you are assessed early, and sometimes you might have to wait longer than you would like.  Ultimately, NVC are processing applications in a systematic way that generally sees the oldest applications assessed first.  

Wishing everyone the best and hope that NVC can start to close the gap and get rid of the backlog...  I also hope that when everyone get's their application assessed that they get a positivie response.

No news yet from NVC...  Needless to say things are moving very slowly. Submission date for us was 31 July so hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer.

5 hours ago, KKOS said:

 

Do you usually get a change in status if NVC is currently reviewing your documents or does it just change to DQ'd?

I believe that you might notice a change if you login to CEAC however I don't imagine that a lot of time is spent undertaking a single review.  As a result, the only change you are likely to see is a status change when the review is complete (and the corresponding notification provided - DQ or RFE or similar).

We submitted everything to NVC on 31 July...  Will provide an update if I hear anything back from NVC and hopefully this should be a strong indicator that August submissions are either commencing or about to get processed....  Good luck everyone - thinking of you all and wishing you a speedy response and positive outcome to your submissions.

Our NVC submission date was 31 July....  Feeling optimistic that we will get some news shortly (hopefully good news rather than an RFE). Analysing information provided through this forum seems to show that it is possible that we might get a response sometime this week...  Fingers crossed and wishing everyone else a speedy response and positive outcome.

3 hours ago, Nate Ander said:

My partner (in Sydney) and I (in US) are deciding between applying for CR-1 or K-1. We've always heard that CR-1 is preferred, but our lawyer just told us that consular processing times are like ~2 years now because the consulates were closed for so long, so K-1 may be better despite having to wait for work/travel authorization.
Any answers on the processing times will be helpful.

Nate...  I have looked to progress an application for CR-1 and am based in Australia.  My timeline isn't particularly old and as such should give you some indication of what to expect.  I note that until recently NVC seemed to be able to get document qualification complete in around 4 weeks.  Recently this has blown out a little and is closer to 8 weeks.  There are obviously delays atm due to the Sydney consulate being closed (for lockdown and relocation) however this will likely be resolved and as such getting final interview usually takes around 1-2 months.

In any case, I sent my I-130 in mid December and had it approved by the start of March.  By the end of March I had recieved everything from NVC and paid the usual fees.  I then delayed submitting my application (to fit in with my own timetable) with the AOS, IV and support documents finalised at the start of August.  This was a delay of around 4 months.  In any case, I expect over the next 1-3 weeks we will be identified as Document Qualified by the NVC and will be waiting on final interview in Sydney (which hopefully won't be delayed too much longer given that Sydney appears to be coming out of lockdown soon).

In all, the US immigration process is a lot faster than the process we have in Australia....  There are also enough resources and support forums to help you navigate the process that you probably don't really need a lawyer (just my personal opinion) - Although we did use Boundless.com to assist in assembling the required documentation.

Hope this helps and good luck with whatever path you choose to pursue. 

On 9/11/2021 at 6:41 PM, erezhazan1 said:

You're absolutely right, we submitted on Jul 14, and yesterday we finally got reviewed! after almost 3 month of waiting! now the wait starts for the interview..

How do you get three months....?   July 14 to September 11 is not even 2 months.

This sounds straight forward however I wouldn't say that the standard in the USA seems lower than Australia...  my wife (a US Citizen) got her Australian Driver's License by showing her US Drivers License and paying the relevant fee.  There was no written test and no driving test.  You certainly don't get any easier than that.

Mine was approved the following day.

We got our case lodged on 4 January 2021 and approval came on 3 March 2021 - Total of 59 Days.  Super fast.  We lodged a paper-based application through the Locked Box and our case was assigned to Nebraska.

Once I secure my "Green Card" approval, I am looking to travel to the USA to collect it and make plans for our migration to the USA (from Australia).  We are thinking of doing this as part of a holiday/vacation, with a view to returning to Australia and arranging for shipping of our stuff and tying up loose ends prior to permanent departure from Australia.  We imagine that this will take around 4- 6 months.

So the question is - Does anyone have any idea whether it is possible (given Covid and all the complexity that comes with it), to travel to the USA for a short period and return to Australia - noting that we will then look to depart permanently some 4 - 6 months later.  Welcome any information concerning issues in travelling from/to Australia, as well as any challenges that we may face on the USA front (although I am led to believe that after receiving our Green Card we are permitted to depart the country temporarily).

All information welcome and appreciated.

Hi Everyone,

I have two questions to ask and cannot think of a more suitable group to pose these questions to, than fellow VJers that are from Australia.  Questions are:

• Once the DS-260 and AOS are uploaded to the Department of State (NVC) - How long have you found the NVC takes to review the content provided (and assuming no omissions or clarifications are required), get to a point where they identify the application as Document Qualified;
• Once NVC has an application identified as Document Qualified - How long do you wait for an interview to be scheduled at the Sydney Consulate (excluding delays that occurred when offices were shut due to Covid).

I was married in October of 2019 and want to ensure that prior to arriving in the USA (and collecting our "Green Card") that we have been married more than 2 years.  I also want to try and ensure that we get to enter the USA to collect the "Green Card" in 2021 if possible and am aware that entry must be transacted within 6 months of approval.  As a result, I am trying to ensure that we don't rush things through and get approved too early (whereby we might need to travel to the USA prior to our anniversary), however do not want to inadvertently delay our migration unnecessarily.  The information requested above will greatly help our planning.

Thankyou in advance for your assistance.

Hey Everyone,

I sent my I-130 application in on 12/15/2020.  It was received by the Texas Locked Box on 12/18/2020.

It was assigned to the Nebraska for processing and was receipted on 01/04/2021.

NOA1 was received on 01/09/2021.

03/03/2021 the status was updated to "Actively Processing".

03/04/2021 my I-130 application was approved (as shown through USCIS Status Check).

03/07/2021 case was transferred to NVC for processing.

03/09/2021 NOA2 was received stating that my I-130 application was approved.

Exciting times...  Wishing everyone the best in getting through the immigration process.

I am relatively new to this...  so I definitely don't wish to claim myself an expert or indicate that I have insider knowledge relating to the immigration process.

I would however note the following -

• Assuming there is no Visa waiting period (because you have a Priority Date that is current - As would be the case for the spouse of a US Citizen) - It would generally take between 1 day and 12 months to secure a decision from the USCIS on your I-130 application.  I note however that research indicates that it usually takes around 6-7 months.
• Following on from this your case (if approved) will be sent to the National Visa Center for processing.  It will normally take between 2 and 6 weeks for your case to be registered by the NVC and for them to send a "Welcome Letter".
• You will then need to pay fees and assuming you do this on receipt of your "Welcome Letter", it can take around a week for this to be registered by the NVC such that you can access required online forms.
• You will then need to complete your Visa application forms with the NVC.  For me this is the DS-260 form, and I-864 along with providing the requested supporting documentation.  The time for this to be done will be dependant on how quickly you can provide response to all the questions asked, and how quickly you can assemble and upload the required documentation to the NVC.
• The NVC will then need to process your application documents and review supporting information provided.  I am led to believe that there are substantial backlogs at the moment and review of the NVC website tends to indicate that this process is taking around 3-4 months from when you submit your response.
• Assuming your application is deemed acceptable it will be marked as "Document Qualified" and the NVC will commence liaison with your local consulate to schedule your interview.
• Depending on the workload and capacity of the relevant consulate the time delay associated with coordinating an interview may vary quite a lot.  For me - I am in Australia and will need to attend interview in Sydney.  I am led to believe that the NVC is able to schedule an interview in around 4-6 weeks at the moment however with the impact of Covid I imagine this can change.
• You will then attend the interview at your local consulate, and assuming that your interview is appraised positively, you will be formally notified (and provided the required stamp in your passport) in 1 - 14 days (generally).
• You will then be able to make plans to travel to the USA and when entering the country your Green Card will be released for delivery to the USA address you have nominated/specified.  Note your Green Card will generally take 10 - 30 days to arrive.

This sums up the process as I understand things.  On a positive note, I have only just received my approval for my I-130 from the USCIS (Nebraska) and this took 59 days from the date that Nebraska received and registered my I-130 application.  I say this to make it clear that things can happen quicker than you expect as well.  I realise that it is very easy to become disenchanted by how long and complex the process of immigration seems, however timeframes and experiences vary and whilst it is possible that things take longer than you want, it is also possible that things happen more quickly as well.

Wishing you all the best and hope you have a positive story to share about your Visa Journey.