appleblossom

Yes, it changes you from category F3 to F1 so will speed things up. You need to inform NVC and submit your divorce cert once you have it, so they can change your category. No way of expediting it as you can't get a visa by law until your PD is current. Be absolutely sure you definitely want to divorce before you do so - you won't be able to re-marry your spouse and petition him/her further down the line. And keep an eye on the visa ban, at the moment Nigeria is on the banned country list, so you'll need to hope that ban is lifted. Good luck.

I already gave you an example and explained how CPSA will be calculated above. As I said, until the I-130 is approved none of us can work it out as that is crucial information. In your scenario then yes, he’d be eligible under F2A, but we’re all just guessing at this point.

I'm hoping that 'now tell me' is just Google translate not including the word please. 😂 But essentially you take off the I-130 processing time once it's approved from his actual age when his PD becomes current. So say (just as an example) that the I-130 is approved on 8th April. Which gives you a 2 year processing time. Then assume that his PD becomes current on 1st May 2026 (we have no idea when it will be - this is only an illustration). So his age on that date is ~22 years, 5 months, 28 days - which when you take off the 2 year processing time, means his CPSA age is ~20 years, 5 months, 28 days. So he's still eligible for a visa under F2A. But if the I-130 was approved on 8th April and then his PD doesn't become current until 1st January 2027, his CPSA age on that date would be ~21 years, 1 month, 29 days. So he'd have aged out in to F2B. Once the I-130 has been approved you'll be able to work out what date you need his PD to be current by, but at the moment you can't do that. So just keep watching and waiting, hope that the I-130 isn't approved anytime soon, and hope that his PD becomes current asap. Good luck.

CPSA and F2A/F2B will depend on his date of birth, and the date the I-130 is approved - you want it to take as long as possible.

What response did your congressman/woman get?

Right, but that isn't valid grounds for DCF. If it was, everybody would do it! @Crazy Cat has given you the info above, if your application doesn't come under one of those criteria then just marry and file the I-130 asap.

What’s the reason for DCF?

Have you had your DCF case request accepted by the consulate? They will send you a full document checklist. What’s the reason for DCF? The docs will vary depending on that too.

Possible yes, guaranteed no.

You can get your IV, but unless you're ok with risking having to live apart, it may be easier to postpone for both of you. Have you been DQ'ed? It would be super helpful if you filled your timeline in. Hopefully the ban will be lifted long before your wife becomes eligible for Canadian citizenship.

From 1st April, yes, but it's March now. Bottom line is you haven't been skipped, your application isn't being 'held'. It's being processed as usual, in line with the law. You're really not helping by not filling in your timeline btw, you make it very difficult for anybody to help you.

Not on VJ, this is the best thread - ask any questions here and somebody will always try and help. You've not filled your timeline in, that would help you and others, if you could take 5 mins to do that.

You'll just complete that info in the DS-160 when the time comes to fill that out. But as said above, they'll likely be interviewing in China anyway, as a tourist visa in Canada wouldn't make them resident there.

What evidence can they show that they intended to return home if asked? Job with written proof of a leave of absence for example. I'd only risk it if I could prove it was definitely an impromptu decision, as a Nigerian it's risky without that. And what exactly were they asked upon entry? They need to make sure they didn't misrepresent themselves then either.

It sounds as though your I-130 will be approved any day now, and Paris is one of the quickest consulates out there, so I don't actually think you'd save any time by going down the DCF route anyway. I'm guessing the 24 month 'horror stories' will be those with complicated circumstances, or they're in countries with a big wait for an interview, or they're from a country on the visa ban list. You can't do DCF if you've already filed an I-130, so pretty sure you'd have to cancel the existing application. When you're almost at the point of the I-130 being approved, I wouldn't risk cancelling it personally. What if DCF is refused? And then you have to start all over again!

Yep, it’s the final fee. As Boiler said, most pay after they’ve received the immigrant visa but before they enter the US, but you can pay anytime. The green card will arrive within approx 90 days after you’ve paid the fee or entered the US (whichever of those two dates is the latest).

Where are you getting 4 years from? They’re immediate family members, so shouldn’t be anywhere near that long. NBC isn’t relevant, are you thinking of NVC maybe? That’s the next step after the I-130 is approved. What’s the reason for DCF, job offer? What email address did you send the request to?

The ban is for immigrant visas. What status are you adjusting from and who is petitioning you?

Yep, it's just a standard thing whilst they do the last checks before the visa is printed and placed in your passport. You've not said where you are from? That may be relevant. Or it may just be something as simple as you sharing a name/DOB with a known terrorist and they need to do extra background checks. No way of knowing the reason for it unfortunately. I hope you hear soon - it may be worth posting in the main forums about not being able to access your case status, in case somebody has a suggestion that could help with that. Best of luck.

When it says 'available from October 2025', that could be a date before your DQ date i.e. they're up to 7th October for example. So I wouldn't worry at all yet, I'm sure you'll hear soon. Good luck.

It’s not that long ago that some immigrant visa categories had a 2 year wait for an interview at Montreal. It was one of the worst consulates worldwide for processing times. They’ve actually done an amazing job at clearing their backlog, so hopefully it’l keep getting quicker and you’ll nab an appointment soon. Just keep checking, including early mornings/late nights when more slots might be released. Good luck.

@Joe Bear are you saying it's just one person on the application, no derivatives? If so, contact London asap as it sounds like they made a mistake.

The IV scheduling tool isn't relevant to you until her PD is current, she won't be added to the line for an interview until that point. If you petitioned her, that possibly may still beat the current application even if you applied now. No need to withdraw the F2A app though, she could have two different relatives petitioning her at the same time. But do bear in mind that Thailand is on the list of banned countries, so she couldn't get a visa at the moment even if her PD was current. Just something else to factor in, as you may just want to wait until the ban is lifted rather than petition her again - it could end up being a waste of money if there's no visa at the end of it anyway. Good luck.

ok, so not a banned country. But AP can take an awful lot longer so you do need to be prepared for that - do you have a friend that could rehome him/her maybe?

No such thing I'm afraid. As said above, B visas can be extended in extreme circumstances. ESTA can't. I'm sorry, sounds like it's a really tough situation. Who has the brain cancer, the ESTA holder or a relative?