appleblossom

The instructions you were given are pretty clear - "We will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage." Regardless, I don't see any option but to ask for your passport back and return to the UK to get this sorted. You'll have to explain that an error was made and you never received the packet you should have had. Good luck.

Don't know where you're reading that, but it's wrong. Your spouse will be a permanent resident ('green card holder') upon entry on the immigrant visa, exactly the same as you. The stamp on the visa when you enter acts as your temp green card for 1 year until you get the plastic ones that turn up in the mail. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/temporary-i-551-stamps-and-mrivs

No, EB visas still get a physical packet. @Sparrow01, the packet should have been couriered along with your passport/visa. Did you definitely only receive your passport back and nothing else in the envelope?

About 12-14 months for I-130 approval going on current timescales. And the process after that is set out step by step here - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/step-2-begin-nvc-processing.html Good luck.

Yes, you can. No need to wait, the stamp is proof of your LPR status for a year and you only need the SSN to get paid, not to work. But I’d suggest you give yourself at least a week before starting work, to settle in and do all of the things like getting a bank account, driving licence etc.

London/Singapore?! Which one? Where do they live? They have to be resident there.

OK. Then I don't see any way she won't age out of F2A I'm afraid, her PD would need to be current in a month or so and we already know that's not the case in October. So as a rough guide, maybe another 6-7 years? But just keep an eye on the Visas Bulletin and see how it progresses. Good luck.

No, you haven't applied for a visa for her yet, you've just petitioned her. The visa application is the second step that comes after the I-130 is approved (once her Priority Date is current on the Visa Bulletin). 2 years is about the normal time for a spouse visa (actually, it's quicker than it is currently taking for Kenyan applicants!). So if you applied in February 2022, your step-daughter was only a month or so off turning 21 at the time?

Ah, thank you. @Mtoto Visa Kenya , so you need to watch the Visa Bulletin. As you can see from that, only those with Priority Dates of 15 November 2021 or earlier are now eligible to apply for visas. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-for-september-2024.html It's not linear though, as you can see from October's bulletin those who applied prior to 21 November 2021 can get visas, so it's moved forward 6 days in one month. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-for-october-2024.html It may suddenly speed up or slow down, or can even go backwards. All you can do is keep an eye on it and see when your step-daughter becomes eligible to apply for a visa. One complication you do have is that she may age out in to F2B category, and as you can see from the above bulletins, that has a much longer wait. That will depend on exactly how old she is - I know you say 23, but is she just turned 23, or nearly 24? Under the CPSA she can subtract the amount of time her I-130 took to be approved from her actual age, and that may protect her and keep her in F2A.

No, they're preference category F2A. So a couple of years for Dad to get his green card (roughly - quite possibly longer with his history as I suspect that might complicate things). Then he can petition for the child, currently those in F2A who applied prior to Nov 2021 are able to get visas, so approx 3 years wait. Obviously that wait may well shorten or lengthen between now and the Dad being able to petition for the child, but using that as a guide means 7-8 years before the child can move to the US.

What's the Priority Date (date your wife submitted the I-130)?

What visa are you applying for? I just don't see it mentioned in your post, is your partner a US citizen?

Depends on the type of visa you're applying for - which is why we need your timeline filled in!

What about being supercilious, do they look favourably on that as well? Asking for a friend.

I've tried that twice but they've both said they can't update it for me. It just makes no sense at all as my work visa was cancelled months before I even applied for GE, and I the only document they've ever seen from me is my green card, so no idea why they've ignored that and used an old long cancelled visa instead. 😂

Once you're DQ'ed, NVC will schedule your interview for you and inform you of when it is. Your case will then be passed over to the consulate. The whole process is set out on the NVC website, you should be using this for each step. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-8-scan-collected-documents/step-9-upload-and-submit-scanned-documents.html Wait time for the interview letter (which actually comes by email) varies hugely depending on consulate, it could be just a couple of months if it's one of the quicker consulates, or a couple of years, or anywhere in-between. Please fill in your timeline so that people know which visa process and consulate you're asking about, thanks.

Ah, I see. In that case, I'd try for a reschedule. Good luck.

Rather than try to change the interview, wouldn't it be easier to just change your flight?

I wouldn't expect anything this early, they're usually 12-14 months. Who have you petitioned?

It's about 14 months for I-130's for immediate relatives at the moment. Good luck.

Just to add to the above, he can petition his son, but as he'll only be a green card holder, his son won't be an immediate relative - so it'll take much longer. He just needs to be prepared for that. If his son is 14 now then he'll probably be an adult by the time he gets a visa.

Does it say 'at NVC' or 'In Transit' or 'Ready' though? That tells you where it actually is. Is your friend also EB1? Transferring is a factor, you've got to allow time for your file to get from the old consulate and sometimes they're not as quick to send them as they could be!

Ah, that'll be it then - extra background checks needed because Pakistani record keeping is so bad, coupled with a higher risk of fraud as well. Hope she gets a result soon.

Not brother or a man actually. 😂 It could be anything, generally it's just background checks but that can be for all sorts of reasons. Where is your wife from?

Yes, it can take even longer but depends on the reason for it. Recently WOM's have been dismissed if filed too early, a search of the forum will give more info on that. Also, there is a risk that in forcing a decision to be made before the checks they are doing can be completed, may mean denial is more likely. So personally it's not something I'd contemplate for quite some time.