Oscar&Martina

Maverick - I am so happy for u guy - I was so worried about you

Good luck to everyone - and to all the people who come here after us - I think most of the people that were stuck in AP and are out will remain here on this forum for long time as is still much to go though - these are just small baby steps in this process

But if you find yourself stuck in AP - and want to talk or cry or whatever - just send message - you r never alone

Wow haven't been here for a while, but great news Maverick! Oh yeah pop the champagne to take away the NVCPAIN!

Crazymazy is a girl? Haha im reading too fast, i thought you are Crazyman, which would have been appropriate for this painful thread.

I got a letter from my Congressman saying NVC told him they sent our petition to Manila on 9/22. I knew that already but it's good to read it again. So i tell my fiancee about it and say "You have to vote for the guy now, cause he paid attention". Don't know 100% if he did rattle some cages, but i can say that when i get legislative inquiries where i work we do pay more attention to the matter.

ty mari joe ... I am starting to feel like I won an Oscar or something ..lol

I am NOT calling this morning to verify my call last night

I hope you are all soon with me on this great feeling of being released - keeping fingers crossed for all of you !

Crazyman! Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Congrats. Good feeling huh? May you have many more pleasant experiences.

The fact is, we've been lied to, in writing even. I called them this morning and insisted on talking to a supervisor. I asked her politely, but firmly and repeatedly, "Why do you put something in writing that is not true? Why don't you change that letter if indeed it's a form letter?" Who else in this country can get away with putting false information in writing? They would be held accountable in a court of law. It's the basic premise of our legal system. Why put that in writing if it's not true? and not only to do it once, but to repeat the same indiscretion over and over and over? It makes no sense. The supervisor told me to put my complaint in a written letter. I said I would, but she shouldn't think doing so would be an exercise in letting off steam, because I was not just angry but incensed by the incompetence and insensitivity of this practice. They told me to call back in 15 business days. I replied I would write a letter and send it by registered mail, and call back in 2 days, and I would continue calling back every day until I got an acceptable answer. They should not be allowed to perpetuate such behavior with impunity. If I don't have some resolution to this matter, I'll contact my congressional representatives. None of you should accept this situation. They should stop sending us misleading and blatantly false letters, and they should either process our petitions efficiently or give us a reasonable explanation as to why they are being held.

Totally agree. I've sent an e-mail 4x now and have yet to get a reply. On one of the e-mails I expressed my concern regarding the misleading notification letter. Which is an outright lie for those of us in AP.

It took them 12 days to respond to my email. I only sent one. It gives pause for thought to the expression "Snail Mail".

By the way Im from Texas too.

lol crazy! I read your words with interest and amusement! I feel so much the same sentiments... frustration with this process and annoyance with stupidity and inefficiency and lack of empathy I feel when I contact the agencies. I know they have to discover whether we are terrorists or criminals or lepers or indigents, but is it really so hard to discover these things? And here is the basic issue: Let's say my petition (or yours) is the only one they have to process ... then it wouldn't take very long, just a few days. But they are behind because there are so many to process. Then they obviously need to improve efficiency or hire more workers, because if they are 4 months behind due to volume, then they will surely only become more and more behind as time goes on. If I can only pick 20 apples each day, but I need to pick 40 apples to keep current, then what? each day that goes by, I'm 20 apples more away from my objective. Of course I'll never catch up, but only become angry and inefficient and tired.

Ladonna makes a good point. I work for the State of Texas (not a fed employee). We are also behind in processing welfare benefits. Workers are overworked, underpaid and verbally assaulted. One lady last week was attacked by a guy jumping over the counter. It's currently a system set up for long delays and marginal customer service (no competition). Becoming angry, inefficient and tired is the natural reaction to being put in a broken system. Imagine repeating the same dribble over and over "Beneficiaries name, Date of Birth, Petitioners name, Date of birth, your email is blah@yahoo.com and your number is 123-456-7890. How can i help you" no less that oh 100 times a day? Then some guy/gal yells at them? I can repeat that in my sleep. They really don't have anything to do with delays and their supervisors couldn't care less that they get blown ####### 8 hours a days.

I was stuck in AP for over a month. It sucked big time, my fiancee was in tears when we were on YM video cam. I just kept calling NVC and tried to compose myself. Even asked how the weather was over there after getting the "Still in AP line again". Do be polite to the workers.

I guess I'll never know for sure whether it made a difference, but...

• I faxed my letter to the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs on Friday afternoon;
• Was told Monday afternoon that the AP reviews of our case were complete; and
• Was told today that NVC had sent out the file to Seoul.

Things that make you go hmm....

BTW - Did you get any notification at all email or phone call? I know you checked by calling but I'm wondering if they also call or e-mail if they have the information on file.

No, they didn't contact me.

I'm out too. Called today at noon while on my lunch break, I could barely swallow when she told me, "The petition has been sent today to Manila." I asked her if it gone from NVC or is it still there? She just repeats in a gruff voice the same thing. I thanked her and hung up. I haven't changed my time line because Martina reads our VJ homepage and I want to break the good news to her.

I work in an Ombudsmans office for the State Department in Health Services. I can truthfullly say that when we get a congressional inquiry (State Reps) we move it. I did fax my Washington Representative and called his office, two days later I'm out of NVC. Can't say if that was the cause for sure. Come to think of it at my office constituents don't know if the congressman was helpful or not.

I checked my email and still NVC has not emailed me. I would recommend to keep calling NVC since the email notification lagged (at least for me)

Crazyman,mavrick64,dhc,chrismel, and sweetgurl you are all in my prayers. I want you all to feel the joy i felt when i heard the news that Martina and myself closed the book on NVC. Thanks Allie for your encouragement for me to be patient.

Ok week 4 is starting so lets keep fingers and toes crossed and pray for miracle - I am so tired of trying to analyze what may be going on w my application - just really ready for it to move to the embassy, and move forward w all things.

good luck people and may this be the week for us.

Yes may this be that special week for us that will lift up our tired hearts. God willing we will be leaving NVC and move on to the next thread together! Good luck to all :thumbs:

Day 17, still in AP. Was feeling ornery when I called so I asked to speak to a supervisor. Didn't have any additional info, but offered to send a note to "the unit that has your case" (she didn't tell me which unit that is) asking them to see if they can speed it up or at least give us some idea how much longer it's going to take. She gave me her name (Leila) and told me to call back Monday or Tuesday and ask for her.

I called today at 9:30pm. Remained calm and collected. Some guy Caleb answered. I asked for additional info and he transferred me to a Supervisor named Sophia (probably his coworker in the next cube).

I asked "Why am I in AP, was it a random pick?" She says she dose not know.

Then I ask if they have my petition there in NVC, she says yes they do.

I then asked if she has any additional information on the case that she could tell me. She just gives me the pat answer.

This is worse that waiting five months at the Vermont Center! Why? Because i see all these petitions fly out of NVC like a hot potatos while others sit and ferment in some desk drawer for some mysterious reason.

Am I the only one who is afraid to call NVC too much??

I certainly don't want them to put my file in a drawer somewhere cause I pissed them off calling every day

I just keep calling. I can't take this any more. Today I found out that my case has been in the NVC 26 days instead of 21 days for AP. I initially calculated NVC receiving my I-129 petition on August 24, which was the date of the letter NVC sent me. After reviewing wiki VJ I realized they have had by petition for way longer. They got it on August 19th! Here's the code if you are curious. Arrrrgh!

EXAMPLE FROM WIKI VJ

EEEYYYYOOOSSS

E = 3 digit embassy code (example TKY for Tokyo)

Y = 4 digit code for year (example 2008)

O= 3 digit code for Ordinal date plus 500

Example I. Aug 28 = 241st ordinal day ADD 500 = 741

Example II. 741 SUBTRACT 500 = 241st ordinal day (Aug. 28)

S = Sequence number of the day (if you were the second approval scanned, your code would be 002)

Full Example of NVC case number = TKY2008741002

So I'm not waiting for 30, 40 or 50 days. I've been calling NVC all day and the line is busy all the time. Used Skype and my cell phone for good measure. Forget it

I went to my Congressman's website and clicked on “constituents services”. Mine is Congressman McCaul. I realized I had to sign a “Privacy Authorization Form”. Grooooan! More red tape. I checked other congressman in Texas and it's pretty much the same. Printed it and filled it out.

It may be different for you but for me....

What you can expect:

Once you complete the Privacy Authorization Form, sign it and return it to the district office nearest you. Please include any documentation that will help clarify your issue or support your position.

You will receive confirmation from me that an inquiry has been initiated on your behalf. You can expect a response from the agency within 30-45 days. This is a general guideline, and actual time may vary with each individual case.

As soon as the agency's response is received, my office will notify you by phone or letter.

During ongoing claims, agencies often request additional information. I will facilitate the transfer of your information, documents, or forms in response to an agency's request.

While I am monitoring the progress of your claim, appeal, or application, I will provide you with periodic status updates.

Yes, so if it crossed your mind to write your congressman, do it now and don't wait for some arbitrary day when your blood pressure is off the charts.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Service Center : Vermont Service Center

Consulate : Manila, Philippines

2009-03-21 I-129F Sent

2009-03-24 I-129 Rec'd

2009-03-24 I-129F NOA1 Issued

2009-03-26 Check Cashed

2009-03-27 Return Receipt Rec'd

2009-03-28 NOA1 Rec'd

2009-08-17 NOA2 Rec'd

2009-08-19 NVC Rec'd

2009-09-14 Still waiting, have called NVC several times, our petition is on administrative processing.

Hello all. Just about to get all our ducks in live for the interview. Which will be sometime later this month or early October. I am woundering if the proof I have snet is ample to prove suport. yes I make more than double what is required. I have sent 3 years of tax returns and w-2s from my work place and as well as retirement from the military. sent a signed bank letter showing annual deposits, an employment letter showing my position as well as lengh of employment. have a friend that says I need to add account information as well as bank statements for the past year also. Is that really needed or is what I have supplyed allready ample to show my ability to suport. And yes I know more is always beter. but really isn't the requirement proven with what I have allready given? Thanks in advance for your replys.

Don't go overboard with the I-134 evidence if your income is comfortably high enough. The packet 3 instructions from the embassy in Manila only specifically asks for the most recent year's tax return and W2's. A recent employment letter is good to show you are still employed. Recent pay stubs can serve the same purpose. Letters from your bank and bank statements aren't really necessary unless you're self-employed, and need those to prove income.

The axiom that "more is always better" only really applies in situations where there is no such thing as clear and conclusive proof, like evidence of a bona fide relationship. Sometimes, more evidence just serves to add confusion where there otherwise might not have been any. In my case, for example, my bank statements might only confuse the CO, since they would see my bi-weekly pay directly deposited, followed the next day by large transfers from my account. The reality is that I have several banks accounts to simplify record keeping, and I distribute money to the accounts as needed from my primary account. In addition to my salaried job, I also have a home-based business, and I sometimes draw profits from my business back into my personal funds. The only way a CO could make any sense of this would be to see statements from ALL of my accounts, and then try to balance them "general ledger style". That would be pointless, since my tax transcripts alone tell them all they want to know, and in a more clear and direct fashion.

Yes, I see in the instructions from the Embassy of the Untied States of America from Manila that it does say "A copy of the sponsor's U.S. federal income tax return (Form 1040) and wage statements (Form W-2's) for the most recent year..."

So on the I-134 do you recommend we include bank deposit and real estate value money amounts without documents to back it up?

I am putting everything together today to get it to the California station. Just a couple of in general questions......with the passport photos is says put in a baggie and attach it to a piece of paper...should you staple the bag to it or glue it and then put it after the 325? also do you do the same thing with the pictures of us together? and would you send pictures of just us together or me with her family also? How many should i send ? Also with the declaration do I need to attach another sheet of paper when I can fit it into the box on the paper? I am going right off the list from this site which is great!!!Thanks VJr's

Placed it in zip lock bag, used two staples on top of zip lock bag to attach to blank sheet of white paper, wrote "Photo of (your fiancee's name)" on zip lock bag in black non erasable marker. Your good to go!

Twenty days for us so far in the NVC We are in AP too. If we reach day 30 Im contacting my Congressman for inquiry!