neeuq

On 2/20/2022 at 5:37 PM, Waiting_ever said:

Hi neeuq,

 

I am in the same boat, my mother naturalised. What step did you take to retain F2B category? F1 not current for me either - PD 10 Dec 2014....& if we choose to change category to F1, will we get to the end of NVC Queue(i am Documentarily Completed)...i heard its important to inform NVC to retain you in F2B, cuz if we get interview call & at interview time visa officer finds out that we are in F1 & PD is not current yet, we will be asked to come back again when date becomes current. F1 Action Date is 1 Dec 2014 since 6-7 months, i m not too behind, just 10 days  but still.....

what step should we take?

i messaged you back, but i'll repeat here for everyone else's knowledge:

officer at the interview asked me if i wanted to go to f1 category though the queue was much longer, so i verbally told him i am opting out. i think they are legally obligated to ask. i would definitely let nvc know to retain you in f2b. do you have an interview letter?

On 1/24/2022 at 6:33 AM, jpfashizzle said:

 

 

Thanks @neeuq!

 

Sorry to keep asking questions, but what kind of evidence and statement/request did you make in your emails to justify expediting?

hi, so sorry for the late response. i did not actually get expedited but i sent letters written & signed by family members and my psychologists. i sent the same emails over and over again, but they continuously rejected me for an expedite.

i am not sure how i received my interview quicker than expected, but maybe self-advocacy like mine works, which is why i'd try if you have the capacity to.

On 1/6/2022 at 12:02 PM, jpfashizzle said:

Hi @neeuq - When you say "contact," What method did you use? I am using the Contact NVC form here https://nvc.state.gov/inquiry, but to NO success! (They don't even reply apart from the automated reply!)

 

@andy@wpg - I am in the same boat, F2B dq'd on Sep 20, 2020 - With absolutely nothing from the MTL Consulate re my Visa Interview. Let's keep in touch!

hi sorry for the late reply! i was sending emails to NVCExpedite@state.gov and montreal-iv-dv@state.gov. 

 

5 hours ago, andy@wpg said:

Good morning! 
 

My PD is Jun. 16, 2015. I thought you expedited your case.
 

I’ll contact NVC to see what’s going on with my case. Hopefully they can give me some update. 
 

All the best to your new life in California!!!  

no they kept rejecting me for the expedite.

yes contact NVC and the consulate and keep following up! i would say on a weekly basis.

and thank you so much!

1 hour ago, andy@wpg said:

Happy New Year neeuq,

 

Would you please advise if you expedited your case? My case got DQ'ed on Aug. 28, 2020 and I'm still waiting for an IL from Montreal. 

 

Thank you in advance! 

 

happy new year to you too!

nope - i got rejected for all the expedite requests i made. 

when is your PD?

On 12/29/2021 at 12:06 AM, MADE24 said:

Thank you so much as for the f1 status unlawful presence to be honest I myself don’t have much idea on it until I met this lawyer that told me the unlawful presence doesn’t count in a way the over visa status counts, then I met someone here who shared a link with me 

here it is

https://www.nafsa.org/professional-resources/browse-by-interest/accrual-unlawful-presence-and-f-j-and-m-nonimmigrants. check it out .

got it - ok i would definitely print out and bring all this type of info you can in case they ask you at the interview

16 hours ago, Mundo254 said:

I'm just glad all this is behind you now. Thanks for the details and coming back here to help others out! Live, love, be free, be happy. All the best. Hugs

this is so sweet-  thanks so much.

it's the least i can do. i know how brutal this process is and i want to give people some hope through it all.

❤️ 

6 hours ago, MADE24 said:

Twas valid until 2018 December 

dropped out 2017 May 

yes, the i485 was denied because I was out of status even though they approved my I 130. So did the consular say anything about being out of status?

thank you 

even though I-130 gets approved, it doesn't guarantee approval of I-485. i think that's because they're not checking your status at that moment of approving your I-130 - it's more so checking your relationship with the sponsor. then when they delve into your i-485 application, they look into your status. this is what i believe.  

you said that your overstay doesn't begin until USCIS declares out of status - i'm not totally sure about this, where did you get this info?

IF your overstay counts from dec 2018 (when visa expired) up until dec 2020 (up until you left) - that's a 2 year overstay that could become a 10-year ban. however, if they count it AFTER denial of I-485, like you said, then there wouldn't be a ban.

it's really hard to know because they don't make anything clear, especially if you're "in between statuses" or in a process of, because i had the same issue. i didn't truly know when/if i was even banned because my i-485 was denied april 2017 (uscis told me i was out of status) and i left july 2017. i even spoke with multiple attorneys  who didn't know when my ban would've started OR if i even triggered one because there were so many nuances and little things factoring in. it totally sucks that i didn't know because i voluntarily left and didn't even try to visit so i wouldn't trigger any bans (3 year or 10 year) and it could also be that i was fine and didn't have one at all... but it's also up to discretion of the immigration officer you'd deal with if you try to go on a visitor visa. i didn't try because i was too worried i'd have issues down the line so i waited the 4.5 years until i was approved finally last month.

that being said, have ALL documents you've ever received from uscis/nvc/consulates/etc and bring them with you to the interview. be honest that you voluntarily left and make sure to include that in your DS-260 form. when the immigration officer asks, be honest and explain the situation with enough details, but not too, too many. 

On 12/23/2021 at 9:03 PM, MADE24 said:

Okay, so I came in with an F1 student visa,

I wasn’t also ordered to leave neither did I receive any documents for court proceedings I just left cause I felt all hope was lost and it’s been a year since I left. I was contacted by the nvc that my case is with them and I should let them know if I wanted to proceed which I did and had the case transferred from my home country to Canada, 

and on my I 94 there isn’t an expiration date it just shows D/S (duration Stay), 

my parents are in the United States too with my brother I couldn’t go back home due to safety for my life and family. 

I was in school but dropped out the same year due to financial issues, I got my I 130 approved two years after then my I 485 was denied 2020 July I left 1st week December, 

out of the 180 day ban I spent 129 and according to what I read for an F1 visa unlawful presence doesn’t start until you’ve been officially declared out of status by the USCIS. 
what do you think?

do I stand a chance with the consular?

 Do I take my documents with me the one with Uscis and NVC?

got it.

so in 2017,  i handed my i-94 to the airline at the gate so that they'd put in the system that i departed. and then i printed out that digital travel history from the website.

to clarify - what year did you drop out and how long was your f1 visa valid for?

your I485 was denied, so i'm assuming they said it was because you were out of status ,right?

you should absolutely take all correspondence you've gotten over the years, and be honest about how long you stayed and the fact that you voluntarily left the U.S. and didn't attempt to visit so you could ensure this process would be legit.

On 12/22/2021 at 3:43 PM, MADE24 said:

Hello, 

I wanted to ask a few questions since your story is somewhat similar to mine

i was in the US from 2016 till 2021 December 6th

i applied for the I 130 2017 got approved 2019 and 2020 I was denied my I 485 because I was out of status from my F1 student visa , I decided to leave to another country since I couldn’t go back to my home country due to safety issues.

I suddenly got an email from the nvc to submit my documents which have done and waiting for it to be reviewed.

my question is that how did you solve your visa issue? 
and what did he say about your I94 on my own i94 it doesn’t have an expiry date it just shows D/S I’m honestly so anxious because I don’t know if I would be denied.

and what are the other questions he asked about you overstaying 

thank you.

hi! how long was your overstay? what is your visa category? and also, did they ever send you a letter saying you were banned from entering the country?

i never got a letter that banned me. I just got a denial on my I-485 because i was out of status. that is why it was confusing because i don't know how long my overstay technically was since there are many various factors. and whether or not i could have resolved the issue while still being in the U.S. but i guess i'll never know ... my gut told me to leave so i wouldn't run into bigger issues down the line: longer ban, deportation, etc.

so fast forward to my interview - he asked me protocol questions: what i do, what my father does, where i was born, if i'd ever been to US etc. and i said yes, lived there for 20 years and my entire family is there who are all citizens now. and then he asked what my status was in the US when i was there - so i explained i ost status while i was in process of AOS. when i sent paperwork for my AOS prematurely (before expiration of the visa), they sent a generic letter saying "don't make any arrangements, don't move, just wait until your PD is current." then when it was, i filed again and they sent me to get my biometrics done a month later. i thought it was best to leave and i didn't even attempt to visit for the last 4.5 years and just lived abroad to ensure i did this all properly. he acknowledged how tough  that must've been for me. i had a copy of the digital i-94 that shows i departed in July 2017 and there is no record of me entering the U.S. since.  he kept it. after we discussed all that, he approved me.

i also came with a binder full of documents including copies of all correspondence i've received from USCIS and NVC throughout the last 6 years. i was prepared for any type of question.

On 12/22/2021 at 9:30 AM, iza25 said:

Hi,

 

Would it be possible if you can give us the emails of those you have requested to have your interview schedule expedited?  I would really appreciate it.

 

Thank you! 

 

hi,

 so the emails include a lot of personal details, so i prefer to not disclose them word for word, but i can explain the gist of what i wrote:

• I explained that my family moved from Canada to US when i was 4 years old and US is all i knew as I was there my whole life -almost 20 years. 
• I left the US b/c of my unintentional overstay. Though during that "overstay" (not even sure how much it amounted to),  I was trying to adjust my status and was even sent to do biometrics, but I, being young and frankly stupid, overlooked the fact that I didn't renew my Canadian visa.
• When this came to my attention as USCIS sent me a request for evidence in 2017, I sought guidance from immigration attorneys. I talked to many and they all gave me incorrect information/advice and even ghosted me (still haven't heard from them even though I was retaining/ready to pay!). 
• Departed the U.S. in 2017 to file an extreme hardship waiver (which doesn't make sense but that is what i was advised to do), it was denied, then transferred my AOS to consular processing.  
• I didn't visit my home/family/friends for 4.5 years. I didn't touch US land in all that time, and it was impacting my mental health especially in the last stretch (2020-2021). My entire family became U.S citizens during this time.
• I also acknowledged the difficulties of processing cases during pandemic as well as previous administration stopping issues of green cards for a while. 

i basically explained this over and over again in a lot more detail along with letters of support from family and my therapists i've had over the years. They kept rejecting me  for expediting though. They never approved me for an expedite. I am not sure what worked, or if I was genuinely just next in line, but that's what I kept emailing about for months. I also emailed the same information to the USCIS, NVC, congress/senator offices, etc.

Hope that's helpful! I know it's rough and the wait really truly does suck and I really hope you get your interview soon and are able to reunite with your loved ones ❤️ 

On 12/1/2021 at 7:22 AM, jpfashizzle said:

@neeuq Congratulations!

 

It's great that you got your successful interview SO SOON! You were DQ'd on Feb 11, 2021, so I am wondering how your interview was scheduled SO quickly?

 

Can you please elaborate on "sending them some emails"? I've emailed them asking about timelines for my interview, however no response (they mention that if your question is answered through their guidelines, they will not respond to emails)!

 

FYI my (F2B) DQ date is September 2020, and I am still awaiting my Interview.

 

Thanks!

hi there! sorry for the late response.

i was sending them emails pretty frequently - every week. i included letters of support from my therapists, family members, and friends. i was constantly rejected when asking to expedite my visa. i also emailed the california congress offices, senator offices, USCIS departments, NVC, etc. honestly anyone i could think of lol.. i truly don't know if any of it helped or if i was just next in line for the appointments, but i also genuinely thought i'd have to wait 1.5-2 years  to receive my interview letter. 

which consulate/embassy have you applied with? each of them has a different backlog/scheduling. i truly don't know how anything works internally, but somehow i got booked and i'm very grateful

18 minutes ago, Waiting_ever said:

 

Mom applied for me under F2B category(adult unmarried children of LPR or green card holders)...but Mom became US Citizen on 20 December 2021. I want to change my category to F1(Adult children of US Citizens)....my Priority date is 10 Dec 2014...my case is with NVC & documentarily qualified...i cant understand if there is a point changing my category to F1 or should i opt to stay in F2B...please help me study this chart....

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2022/visa-bulletin-for-january-2022.html

hi,

so i had my interview at the Montreal consulate so i don't know if this also applies to cases in India, but they told me f1 has a longer waiting time than F2B. try and contact the embassy/consulate to see if they could tell you more information.

14 hours ago, iza25 said:

Congratulations!! I hope we also get our interview letter soon! 

Thank you!! ❤️  definitely doesn't hurt to send them some emails!

9 hours ago, Canada_F3 said:

Congratulations @ neeuq. Your visa category and DQ date?

F2B/F24

DQ: Feb 11, 2021

PD: July 2, 2015

4 minutes ago, Waiting_ever said:

My DQ is September, 2020

F2B…why haven’t I gotten invite yet…:(

r u DQ: Feb 11, 2021…or 2020…

DQ is feb 2021

i'm sorry i know the wait really sucks it could be different embassies/countries are working at a different pace.. i was honestly shocked that my interview came early. i genuinely expected it to be 2 more years.

13 minutes ago, Waiting_ever said:

Hi Dear, when u got DQ? Did they ask for latest AOS…give details please 

DQ: Feb 11, 2021

PD: July 2, 2015

they didn't ask for the affidavit of support form (i had the initial one that was signed when i submitted my documents), but they did ask for the most recent tax returns and w2 of my sponsor - so in this case, 2020. 

13 minutes ago, Waiting_ever said:

I c u are in F1 category or F2B?

F2B

hi everyone!!

just wanted to update you all on my situation.

i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.

everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 

i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.

he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.

i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family 

appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.

💜

hi everyone!!

just wanted to update you all on my situation.

i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.

everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 

i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.

he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.

i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family

appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.

💜

On 8/1/2021 at 10:09 AM, IoanaCA said:

I didn’t have my interview yet. It’s next week 🙏🏻. I will write a review once I’m done with the interview. 

hi! when was your priority date? 

3 hours ago, dcisw said:

Hi all, been following this forum for a few years and it’s been really helpful!  Thank you to everyone who shared!  I was poking around the consular website and found this in the Q&A section.  I think it’s new since I don’t recall seeing it before.

https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/consular-operations-updates/

• Q) How long will it take to schedule my immigrant visa appointment?   

• The U.S. Consulate General in Montreal is processing immigrant visas according to the Department’s tiered immigrant visa prioritization guidance, available here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/immigrant-visa-prioritization.html As Montreal processes very few Tier One cases, most new cases being scheduled are from Tier Two – spouses (IR1), children (IR2), parents (IR5), and fiancé(e)s (K) of U.S. citizens – as well as other mission critical categories such as medical professionals.  There are increased wait times for all services due to substantial backlogs.
• It is not possible to provide precise wait times for immigrant visa appointments, as facilities, staffing resources, and local conditions all affect capacity and scheduling. As of August 4, 2021, most IR1, IR2, and K visa cases scheduled for interview were documentarily qualified at the National Visa Center between in September 2020.  Most IR5 cases were documentarily qualified in December 2019.
• Montreal has rescheduled most Preference category applicants in Tiers Three and Four whose interviews were cancelled in March and April of 2020. In October 2021 we will start to schedule new Tier Three and Four cases that were documentarily qualified in approximately September 2019.

does anyone know how they schedule based on dq? will it be based on monthly DQ?  

in oct 2021, those that are sept 2019 DQs interviewed. 
nov 2021, those that are oct 2019 DQs interviewed.
dec 2021 = nov 2019 DQ and so forth..

is that how it usually works? 

22 hours ago, KRS7078 said:

https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/consular-operations-updates/
 

just saw an update now they will start scheduling new interviews for our category @ Montreal from Oct 2021 who are DQ in sept 2019 just follow the link for any updates

does anyone know how they schedule based on dq? will it be based on monthly DQ?  

in oct 2021, those that are sept 2019 DQs interviewed. 
nov 2021, those that are oct 2019 DQs interviewed.
dec 2021 = nov 2019 DQ and so forth..

is that how it usually works? 

yes they can be that old, it took a really long time for them. i have older siblings who are also there and they have their own families. i am missing out on everything.

i appreciate everyone’s help and information,and i will start preparing myself.

two attorneys advised me and helped me to file I-601 which is why i did it.

i understand, i will start preparing that work. my family has been through a lot and my parents are old and aging, it really hasn’t been easy. and i’d really like to reunite with them before i miss out on life with them.