Aussiewoife

How awful! I hope that they expedite your case once the check arrives--I have seen them do that in other cases I have read online. The first part is the worst part of the process. To speed things up once you do get your NOA1, get everything organized (double check everything, even ther smallest details) and use James' Shortcuts (latest version) on eveyrthing that you dare. I used them for everything but the Affidavit of Support, but others have used them even for that successfully.If you Express mail everything (or use FedEx or some such thing) and use the shortucts, you can hasten the process by about two months. It's worth the small amount of money for the Express Mailing.

Good luck!

Congratulations to those of you have just received your NOA1s or checks cashed.

Unfortunately for us it has been a roller coaster ride the past 24 hours.

Yesterday Kim opened her mailbox to find a big envelope from USCIS. She thought it was a bit big for a NOA1 and on opening it turned out to be a rejection letter. In her excitement back in October she had mistakenly dated the check October 2008 so they rejected the application.

It has gone back in the post today with a correctly dated check and a letter requesting that they honor the original filing date. Hopefully they will look favorably on us and we can stay as October filers. When I first read Kim's email I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Having waited 3 months for the NOA1 and then to be hit by this. Even if we end up at the back of the queue and become January filers I will eventually get that elusive green card. In the mean time back to watching the NFL playoffs on Channel Five.

Hi HD--I hope you get this. My husband got his visa approved and they sent it immediatley in the overnight mail package. He couldn't remember if they had taken his passport when they interviewed him; I assumed the passport was taken and then mailed back to him with the visa, but, of course, he is not supposed to open the package. is this how it works, or should we be in a panic that he has lost his passport somewhere?

Thanks!

Aussiewoife

Hi all,

I have a question regarding my visa..

I received my visa about 1.5 weeks ago now, the consulate sent it to me by mail a few days after I had my interview. The visa was correct but the sheet covering the visa packet had a spelling error on it (my maiden name was spelled incorrectly). I emailed them and asked them if this would be an issue and they asked me to return my passport and packet back to the consulate so it could be corrected.

I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue ans if so did it take long for them to correct the error and return your passort back to you!

I have already booked my flight to the US for a few weeks time so I'm a little worried!

Thanks for your replies.

I have followed your case most closely because it is the closest in time to ours, and yes your comments have been very helpful. Less than two weeks now--the countdown begins!! We just don't want anything to go wrong at ths point in the game. I don't think it will, since everything has been smooth sailing thus far, but you never know.

Cheers!

Congrats--and thanks for giving the details of your interview. We are up soon--Feb. 8--and hope that all goes smoothly.

HOORAY!! My visa arrived in the mail today! Such an exciting day!

Only thing is, on the cover sheet that's stuck to the top of the packet I am to hand over to border protection at my first POA, they mispelled my maiden name!! Do you think this is an issue? No issues with the actual visa inside my passport..

Well anyway................. I am so happy and called hubby to give him the delightful news. It was kind of like an "it's official" call.. he's gone out for a celebration drink with the boys from his ship!

Take care and thanks again to all of you lovely people for your help and encouragement.. HD.

Hi Aussiewoife - thanks we are really excited! I hope the info I posted was helpful.. if you want to know anything else, just drop me a line. Probably one of the most important pieces of advice that was given to me was to RELAX and BREATHE (thanks Kath ;-). The interview is really no big deal and I got myself all worried about it for no good reason. Also the part about getting there 45 mins early is also good advice (thanks Alex!).. just to give you time to find the lift and get through the security check points..

The people at the consulate are really nice! Good luck!

Take care..

Congrats--and thanks for giving the details of your interview. We are up soon--Feb. 8--and hope that all goes smoothly.

HOORAY!! My visa arrived in the mail today! Such an exciting day!

Only thing is, on the cover sheet that's stuck to the top of the packet I am to hand over to border protection at my first POA, they mispelled my maiden name!! Do you think this is an issue? No issues with the actual visa inside my passport..

Well anyway................. I am so happy and called hubby to give him the delightful news. It was kind of like an "it's official" call.. he's gone out for a celebration drink with the boys from his ship!

Take care and thanks again to all of you lovely people for your help and encouragement.. HD.

We had affidavits drawn up by solicitors in Australia and they came up with very formal language to show that we had a long-term relationship, and submitted those in addtion to our marriage certificate. I don't think it's necessary but we just wanted to cross every t and dot every i.

Hi all,

I am going to have a few family members write letters about my marrige to my husband, vouching for our trips back and forth, meetings with him etc; I'm planning on taking these to our interview next week.

I know such a letter would need to be signed infront of and by a justice of the peace. Anyone got an ideas on the correct statement that should be on the letter? i.e. "I hereby certify that the above information is factual and correct".. (sign) or something to that effect?

Thanks for your help - had a look through the gallery but couldn't find any examples in there..

Do you know if your case has actually been forwarded yet? We learned that they forward the case electronically, and then physically send the hard copy later (in our case 10 days after the date they stated in the letter, which I guess was the date of the electronic transaction). I used the tracking method for DHL and it works!! They also seem to send the documents in big clumps all over the world within a few days.

I do know how you feel. No matter how much people tell you a watched pot never boils, one's instinct is to check at least once a day for progress.

may be it depends on the country because the operator told me that they will be scheduling this week (the second week of the month) but to find out the date of the interview I should call the 3rd week ....

anyway, let's keep together

and let us know as soon as possible if we will get any news

GOOD LUCK to all of us

Trailmix--didn't realize you were married to an Aussie too. We just got our interview date today--hooray!!! :dance:

WOW

Awesome news Trailmix. And here I was thinking YOU were the "away" spouse.

:star:

February what??

I'm the dual citizen, Husband is the Australian, with Canadian PR

I'm too paranoid to put the date out here, do you think that is strange?

There is no waiting list. A number is available for your spouse right away. What confused us is that "no waiting list" is not the same as "no wait." From what we have observed, the process of getting the CR-1 can take anywhere from 6 months to a year and more. I think the length of the wait depends in part on how clogged the consulate in your country is. If Direct consular filing is an option for you, you should do that.

Hi, I'm new to this forum and to this whole immigration thing. So far the only thing that I find confusing is the waiting list for the I-130. At http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/A1.pdf it states twice that there is no waiting list for spouses of US citizens, but when I go to other sites, it states that it could take years for your spouse to get to the U.S. Which one is true?

Thanx,

**Mika

Just curious--how did youknow the consulate received the NVC's documents? Did you call and ask, and, if so, whom do you call? Our case was sent out the day before and we would like to know where it is...

Thanks!

Some foreign U.S. consulates require a 2nd affidavit of support which is called "sponsor's financial responsibility

under the social security act." It is a simple form and easily filled out and signed. The Hong Kong consulate does

require this form, as does the Sydney (Australia) consulate.

Uhm... I feel silly saying this, but I don't really understand what that means. Or how to get a copy of such a form. Could someone kindly explain to me what exactly it is?

Thanks.

Thanks, Trailmix, et al. I have tried to do as explained, but I must have to try other configurations. You know how it is--any scrap of information seems to make things better, at least for a minute or so....

Off to call NVC.

Can you explain how to track the packages by reference then? I am having no luck following the instructions given. And, would you know whether they send things regularly or only on an intermittent basis?

Thanks for your help.

Hi Aussie,

From the main DHL page, at the top there is a header called "Track". Hover your mouse over this and you will see a selection called "Track by Reference". Click on this.

Once you are on the reference page, enter the reference as given in the first post in this thread, like: EXP 26 NOV 2007A - change the date range below that to ensure it starts before Nov 26th - once you try this you should get the hang of it.

You will need to call NVC to find out when they shipped your actual file - and change the reference date and date ranges accordingly - good luck!

Also, as Derrel&lai mentioned, you might have to try using a B or C at the end of the reference number as well.

Can you explain how to track the packages by reference then? I am having no luck following the instructions given. And, would you know whether they send things regularly or only on an intermittent basis?

Thanks for your help.

The only anomoly I found was there were packages shipped with 'EXPEDITE IV SECTION' as a reference. You can see an example by looking up shipment #8177298920. I found this one by doing a search by number and feeding in blocks of 25 shipment numbers, starting with the highest from the most recent day of shipment, based on the reference sequence. It appears that the shipment numbers are in order, but NOT sequential.

Actually... (I'm an IT professional from a competitor of DHL)... tracking numbers ARE sequential... You just have to remember NOT to look at the last number since it is a check digit. That means, 9329627075, 9329627086, and 9329627090 ARE sequential (see the last 4 numbers? 7075, 7086, 7090 would be 707 708 709.... )

And of course this has LITTLE to do with the discussion of the topic, but thought I would let you know that they are NOT using handwritten airway bills, they are using an automated device to ship the items...

Trailmix--thought you might be interested to know that we got "Case Complete" this morning. Now we just wait for it to be sent to Sydney--hopefully before Christmas. You were right that we got no RFEs--thank goodness!

Thanks for your helpful comments!

Thanks guys, yes, not sure if my RFE shortcut tripped them up or not, I tend to think not, I think my file was just getting moved around on a desk

Anyway, yahoooo!

I feel for you. We are in the same place, but have not been waiting as long as you. The limbo is awful, and they must instruct them to say nothing. Hang in there!

On a related point, why has it become so difficult for Canadians?

Ok well I spoke with the slightly grouchy operator and she said 'it is under review' and I said is there any way to tell if they are actually looking at it now or if it is still just sitting there.

She said 'there is no way to tell if it is physically in their hands right now'.

That was sarcastic - but not helpful

So, I could still get an RFE? I was hoping this meant that everything was ok, but I guess I was reading too much into it...

Yes, that is the one you get when they have received 'something' - from your timeline I would say they are acknowledging the I-864, since that seems to be the last thing you sent

Has anyone gotten the following recorded message, and know what it means?

The NVC has received your documents on X date. Pls. allow 6-8 weeks for the NVC to review your documents and notify you of the outcome of this case.

Thanks!

No, we are still waiting for Case Complete. Hopefully it will be completed this week. Who gets the Packet 3--the Petitioner or Beneficiary? Things seemed to be moving along, but now it seems to have slowed down a bit. Frustrating when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel...

Any word yet? I think we are close behind you....

I am currently waiting for packet 3.. when was your case transferred and do you have your packet 3 yet?

Any word yet? I think we are close behind you....

Can you please tell me where this statement is? I don't recall anything like it on the documents I have seen thus far. thanks!

quote name='trailmix' date='Dec 3 2007, 01:36 PM' post='1379175']

I already started a topic about this in the IR1 forum but wanted to put a quick note in here.

Just for all of you that have all of your DS-230 forms and documents ready to drop in the mail - Dave mentioned in another thread that NVC is now requiring that you send a photocopy of each document as well:

Document Requirements

The applicant and each family member who will accompany the applicant to the United States will need to submit the following original documents or certified copies of the documents listed in this section from an appropriate authority (the issuing entity). In addition to sending the original documents or certified copies of the documents to the NVC, the applicant and each accompanying family member must submit a photocopy of the original documents or certified copies of the documents.

Where are you seeing these instructions? I don't see anything like that on my forms. Thanks!

Thank you all for you input. Should I take it that I should indeed send duplicates (one original or cerified and one photocopy) of the documents to NVC, per website request or I am still totally reading it wrong?

Check this link out--it's under "Guides" in the Visa Journey website. It is an interview with a former USCIS employee.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...dicator-q-and-a

I have a question. What exactly did the USCIS do for 160 days with my petition? Did they verify my marriage with the country I got married in? Did they verify my divorce? Did they call my job? What do they do with this file for over 160 days exactly... I would kind of like to know if anyone knows EXACTLY what USCIS does with a cr1? Do they look at evidence? If they do, why does your spouse have to bring MORE evidence. I am lost...

I actually got the DS-230 in before my AOS because I generated the former. Still have not received it by snail mail, so am glad I did. The AOS arrived late, but at least it arrived! They have been pretty fast in processing things once they get them, so I am crossing my fingers.

I have read various posts that say people have gotten Hep. B shots, but my husband was told that he did not need that because of his age...What do people know about this?

Also, do the automatic messages at NVC that tell you they have received the DS-230, etc. mean that the forms are problem-free, or could there still be issues?

Thanks!

When the DS-230 is OK the message will say that your case is complete.

I see--thanks! He told me that he told the quack that he didn't have records of the vacc. I don't know what they are doing exactly...still, the doc. seemed satisfied. We'll see...

Congrats, by the way, on makng some progress.

I have read various posts that say people have gotten Hep. B shots, but my husband was told that he did not need that because of his age...What do people know about this?

Also, do the automatic messages at NVC that tell you they have received the DS-230, etc. mean that the forms are problem-free, or could there still be issues?

Thanks!

Hi Aussie,

Basically they are:

Tetanus

Diphtheria

Mumps

Measles

German Measles (Rubella)

Chickenpox

Only people 19 yrs of age and younger require the H-B vaccine. You can see the vaccination chart here.

I posted this in the Canada forum the other day for confirmation.

And yes, even though they say they have received the documents it doesn't mean that anyone has actually looked at them. You can always call and speak with an operator though to see if it looks like they have everything they need.

Out of curiosity where did your Husband get his vaccination records from (just wondering as my Husband is Australian and we were unable to get any).

I have read various posts that say people have gotten Hep. B shots, but my husband was told that he did not need that because of his age...What do people know about this?

Also, do the automatic messages at NVC that tell you they have received the DS-230, etc. mean that the forms are problem-free, or could there still be issues?

Thanks!

Any word on your interview in Sydney? Just wondering how long it takes once case is complete...

Thanks!

I agree to all of the above.. I was also keep to gte my medical and police certificates organised.. so I actually called the NVC to ask them if i could go ahead with any of it.

They said I should wait until packet 3 arrives to read the specific instructions and also that they like the medical and police records dated as close to the interview as possible.. I guess that makes sense.

I am only slightly further forward in the process than you and personally, I am going to take their advice and wait until I receive packet 3.

Good luck.

Happy for you!!!!!I have been following your path--could you put your interview date in your timeline? Thanks!!

geeez ohhhhhhhh peeeeeeeeeks....it should of been in sydney by now and you be contacted mate..

send um an email and see what is going on chookie...sorry to hear ya been on pins and needles over all this waiting ...

i do hope you hear something soon mate..

take care

kath

Thanks darling; you're always so sweet - I spoke a few hours too soon!

I came home to a letter in the mail with MY INTERVIEW DATE..!!!

I'll 'see' you in the aussie string..!