OfficialGreenT

11 hours ago, Dyah said:

I just sent my documents for B1/B2 renewal last week (to Mikropakket), but no update or anything yet

I was in the mill for an IR1, so with B1/B2 YMMV, but here's how it went for me:

• Jan 4: Interview at Consulate
• Jan 11: Medical exam
• Jan 21: Received email asking me to send my passport, with barcode and instructions. I mailed it out with PostNL (aangetekend) to Mikropakket that same day
• Jan 27: CEAC status updated from "Refused" to "Administrative Processing"
• Jan 31: CEAC status updated from "Administrative Processing" to "Issued"
• Feb 1: Received email from Consulate stating my passport had been released to Mikropakket, with track & trace link. The same day the track & trace page indicated that the passport had arrived at their depot
• Feb 2: Picked up passport

I called Mikropakket a few times during this process. They indicated that the day after documents arrive at their depot in De Bilt (which you can track through PostNL), they send them to the Embassy in The Hague for processing. Once the Embassy releases the passport, it's available to them usually the same day, and for pickup the next day, maybe one day later.

Hope this helps, and don't hesitate to send me a PM in case you have more questions. 🙂

Just now, Dyah said:

Hi! How did it end up for you? I am a bit anxious on how this will go and can only track that the documents arrived at Mikropakket

What stage of the process are you in exactly?

On 1/24/2022 at 6:40 AM, Leon63 said:

I have my dutch police certificate to sent to NVC.

The certificate is in dutch with a section on the bottom in english.

Does any one know if this is good enough?

Or maybe I need to translate the document into english?

 

Thank you

 

Hey there,

Maybe you've already figured it out by now, but the police certificate you're describing is indeed suffient. Mine was exactly like that and it was accepted by NVC.

Cheers

4 minutes ago, kweeva21 said:

They were so great at the Senator’s office. They tried to help us back in August to expedite his visa so he could be here for her birth but the embassy refused. In fairness to Tristan (the person I was in contact with), they tried and kept in contact with me after that to see if they could help with anything.

She emailed me same day and got a response from the embassy within 24hrs. After that the embassy responded to every email I sent immediately. 
Where is your wife from ? 

 

Wow, that sounds much more effective than I had anticipated! My wife is in Fredericksburg, VA, so I'll have her look into who represents her district. Did you call or write to a generic office number/address, or did you address a letter to the actual senator (which I presume would end up on his staff's desk initially anyway)? Any tips/help/insight on that process are much appreciated!

Oh, edit to add: the email address you used for the embassy, was that similar to "AmsterdamIV@state.gov", or was it an actual embassy email address (after the '@')?

1 minute ago, kweeva21 said:

So update!

Liams medical revealed he has Sarcoidosis of the lungs (an autoimmune disease). Because of this he had to get a CT scan and bloodwork done privately to show it wasn’t TB or anything transmissible. So that set us back about €900 on top of the €650 for the medical. 

Those results were sent to the embassy and we still didn’t hear back for over a week. I got in touch with Senator Markey office here in Massachusetts who contacted the embassy for me, as I was getting no response from them. 
a previously uploaded and approved document on CEAC was “missing” so they couldn’t continue the process (no way of us knowing this without Markey’s office bugging them).

Sorted that out and got the request for his passport December 14th. Liam overnighted it and we got the email it was being returned on December 23rd. He picked it up from the courier Christmas Eve morning at 7am and got the first flight out of Ireland and landed in Boston Logan at 8pm Christmas Eve 🥰❤️
Finally finished and have him here and United with his daughter 

Gosh that's awful about the disease, although I guess lucky they came accross it! Glad to hear everything worked out in the end.

How was your experience contacting the Senator's office and them bugging the embassy? My wife and I are currently in a similar situation where the consulate just won't request my passport and isn't replying to e-mails.

Cheers,

On 1/18/2022 at 11:30 AM, Martha86 said:

Hello any updates since?🙂

On 11/17/2021 at 6:23 PM, kweeva21 said:

The hospital said they send the results electronically and they would do that same day (so this past Monday) or the following morning at the latest. They also told him that the embassy is up to date with processing from what they’ve been told. 

I would also like to know what the update is! 🙂

3 minutes ago, Redie said:

Yes it is! If your case has not been updated, I would send an email specifically asking them if they are in receipt of your medical. Generally, when you ask a specific question you will get a specific answer to that question. Put URGENT on the subject line along with your case # and beneficiary name. Good luck!

Thanks so much 🙏🏻

3 minutes ago, Redie said:

This is  the link where you can find status updates. https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx. 

Thanks! That's indeed where I've been checking. Is this also where an update shows up once they receive the medical?

On 8/12/2020 at 6:05 PM, Maria2610 said:

For people that went through the visa process in the Netherlands! 

Has anybody else gone through the process of sending your passport for issuance through Mikropakket to the consulate in Amsterdam for issuance(as directed by the embassy)? 

Just looking for some information on the timeline and how long it takes Mikropakket to hand over the passport to the embassy..

Hi, I'm currently facing this as well. Do you have an update on how it ended up going for you?

On 1/10/2022 at 12:37 AM, omega6 said:

If you need more details from me I’ll gladly help you with my experience, just send me a message. 

I've sent you a PM 🙂

12 minutes ago, Redie said:

Sorry you are going through this. Did you get a 221g?

I did, green piece of paper saying they still need the medical. Consular officer told me everything looked great and that once the medical was in they would issue the visa.

13 minutes ago, Redie said:

I have been waiting since 11/02. My medical was submitted to the consulate 11/04 and I still have  not received my visa. I am at the 10 week mark. I have only had 2 updates. One was on 11/04 when they received my medical and the last update was 12/30.

That's horrible. What a joke of a government/system, makes me feel real welcome! Anyway, where have you gone for updates? The online scheduling system provides only options to reschedule the courier delivery (home or depot) but no updates of any kind. They refer to CEAC which just says the case is "in Amsterdam".

15 minutes ago, Redie said:

Did you look to see if your case was updated or if they received your medical?

Same question I guess, where do you think I could/should look?

Thanks!

Just now, Boiler said:

Normally they keep your passport.

I'm aware, but since my medical couldn't be scheduled any earlier than the visa interview (interview was expedited) they gave it back to me until after the medical. Hence the courier thing.

Anyone else dealing with delays in the consulate's handling of their case post-interview? I had my interview two weeks ago, medical the same week (approved and transmitted to consulate immediately), was told I would be sent instructions on how to courier my passport to the consulate immediately after completion of the medical. Since then, crickets... For almost two weeks I've had no replies to email sent or calls. Anyone else going through similar stuff with their CR-1/IR-1?

Hi everyone,

This may be a long shot but here goes:

The Amsterdam consulate is doing medicals after interviews, and, per the consular officer, my visa approval is contingent only on the medical coming through (everything was a-okay). They told me that once they receive the medical they'll send me an e-mail with instructions on how to courier my passport to them. My medical was done and uploaded a while ago, but the consulate is taking it's merry time (as they seem to be with everything) to send out a simple e-mail. Are there any Dutchies who've gone through the same process and can share the courier instructions with me?

Thanks,

T

Good day all,

Not sure this post belongs in this subforum but I figured it will get moved if it doesn't.

My medical exam is in two days (1/11). I already had my visa interview on 1/4, and per the consular officer visa approval is contingent only on succeful completion of the medical exam. I've been very sick with the flu (symptoms started right after the interview when I got home) and only just recovering. I gather all that will remain by the medical exam date is a persistant cough, a very hoarse voice and general fatigue. I've been PCR tested for COVID-19 twice, both negative. According to my GP I'm no longer contagious.

I was wondering if my current state will raise any suspicion at the exam as to my medical condition. I'm otherwise completely healthy, but if I show up with barely a voice and tell them I'm completely fine, wouldn't that raise eyebrows? I'm debating postponing it, but the next available appointment date is weeks out, and I have to get back to the U.S. for family reasons ASAP. On the other hand, if the clinic thinks something must be up with me and wants to do further/extensive testing, that could also take awhile I would presume.

Thanks for your advice.

1 minute ago, JeanneAdil said:

In a nutshell (because there are exceptions), you can’t take a car into America that wasn’t built with the US market in mind – unless it’s at least 25 years old. 

Whoah, I had no clue that was the case! Thanks for mentioning it, because that pretty much settles the question for me. 😅

Thanks, people!

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

Not sure about cars but I've heard prices for freight shipping have gone up a lot due to Covid. Also there could be slower shipping times given the whole ports and general logistics disaster going on here. Whether it is "worth it" is of course a personal question and depends on your budget.

 

Alternative options for bringing your personal items over are shipping via air mail and shipping via airline. @Crazy Cat's wife had a first class ticket and she was able to bring a bunch of stuff with her via the airline.

That is indeed a major consideration for me, as is potential resale price. And just like the person you mentioned I've been flying back and forth business class a bit to bring a multitude of suitcases over. There's just some stuff (like computer displays, more fragile items) that I don't trust the airlines with. Thanks for the insight!

1 hour ago, JeanneAdil said:

but don't forget the import tax You can expect to pay 2.5% for a car   blue book price in US

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

You might be able to drive it for 6 months, can you register it in the US, did not think they were sold in the US?

 

Not old enough to be a classic.

Last I checked there is no KBB registration of my vehicle since they were never made or sold in the U.S. (I think they were discontinued after the 2008 model). Any idea how it would go in that case; how would customs determine maket value? This is also a consideration for eventual resale: does its rarity make it easy to get a good price for, or will it not sell because nobody knows about them...

Thanks again, people!

Dear people of VJ,

I own a 2015 BMW M135i xDrive with about 80k miles on it. It's quite a rare one (3 door, red leather interior, full options, and it was a BMW press vehicle). I absolutely adore it and would love to take it to the U.S. However, given current container prices and potential costs of import etc., I'm wondering if it's even close to worth it.

Does anyone here have any experience with taking their car from Europe to the U.S. for immigration? Additionally, anyone taking a considerable amount of household goods by sea freight who can share experiences?

Cheers,

T

Greetings people of VJ,

I have my visa interview at the consulate tomorrow. I received a reminder e-mail from the consulate today that contained the following statement (emphasis mine):

"Validity: The visa is valid for one entry during its validity period (6 months, from the date of the medical exam).

You can enter the United States any time within the validity of the visa.

Do not leave the U.S. until you are granted Legal Permanent Resident Status and have received your “Green Card.” Failure to follow the above instructions will delay your immigrant visa process."

Our lawyer replied as follows: "I’ve never seen this. Traditionally, after a person enters the US with an embassy/consular LPR grant, we schedule an info pass to receive a separate stamp in your passport that would confirm your LPR status. Recently, the process has changed. I have a separate case where the client wanted to travel home for Christmas. I argued with three separate Officers who refused the infopass and insisted that my client simply travel on the embassy stamp. You can leave either way but I would still try and secure an infopass and stamp.

You shouldn’t have any issues. I’ve had multiple clients leave this year. I would suggest you make the trip as quick as possible."

Our plan was as follows:

1. Enter U.S. ASAP after receiving visa, take a 4-5 week vacation.
2. Travel back to sell house, car, arrange shipping of belongings, end employment, etc. Would be out of the U.S. for about 3-5 months.
3. Enter U.S. and permanently move in with my wife.

I was under the impression that advance parole was not required for me for the CR-1 and that I would have no problems leaving and re-entering before issuance of Green Card. Lawyer informed us that it can take up to 12 months to actually receive Green Card and SSN, and it seems that leaving for an extended period of time (under 6 months though) could create issues.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Also, anyone any idea what is meant by the infopass and the LPR grant stamp? Lawyer's reply to that question was simply that it's "a USCIS appointment".

Cheers,

T

4 minutes ago, Chancy said:

You will need to contact the consulate and follow their instructions for re-scheduling.

We did contact the consulate today. They are, however, unable to find anything about us or our case... We tried case number, DOB, passport nr, A #, DS-260 number, everything. We were also told that there normally is no delay whatsoever between NVC sending us the interview date and them being able to see it in the system.

Hello all,

This post has three questions, so thank you in advance for your time! Just received an email from NVC stating that an interview has been scheduled with the consulate (Amsterdam). It is one calendar week from today, but my husband (the applicant) is currently visiting in the US on ESTA. We want to try to reschedule but the case is not showing up in the system yet. It states "Immigrant visa case number provided is not ready to schedule an appointment." The system tells us to wait 5 business days to see if the case shows up, but the interview is is 5 business days away. Does anyone know how long it usually takes for it to show online? We called (and actually got a hold of) NVC, but they said they can no longer reschedule interviews, and the Amsterdam consulate only provides an email address to contact them at.

The second question is, should we allot for any significant time between the medical exam and the interview? How long before the interview should the medical exam take place?

Third and final question, how long does it usually take between the interview and the passport to come back? (Assuming we do not have to go through administrative processing.)

Thank you all!

Thanks for the replies, people! I guess I should clarify my question a bit. I'm aware of the fact that visawhen.com uses historical data, but my thinking was that if anecdotally for a lot of people their submission date matches the date up to which NVC has processed at the time they get DQ'ed, one could use that to somewhat predict when one's own DQ is coming. This would simply mean that NVC's data is pretty accurate, contrary to (in my own experience) the USCIS processing time estimates.

Dear people of VisaJourney,

My wife and I are at the NVC stage of our IR1 visa application. I recently discovered visawhen.com, and I've been keeping an eye on NVC processing time with it. Does anyone here have any anectodal experience with using it to predict when you will be DQ'ed? Just wondering how accurate it's proven to be!

Cheers,

T