JF_CIC

I just got back from Montreal where my wife had her interview for her CR-1 yesterday. The good news is, she got approved!

We arrived at the consulate at 7:30 AM, and the guards were letting people in. After we went through security, there were just 2 couples in the waiting room where you wait for the elevator up to the 19th floor. We snagged the two seats closest to the elevator. At 8:00, another guard came down in the elevator and asked everyone who was applying for an immigrant visa to go up in the elevator. We got in the elevator, went to the back, and were the first ones to come out on the consulate's floor because the back door opens when the elevator gets up to the consulate.

We followed the staff to the place where you line up to get your number, and got called up to the window right away. But, there was a problem! Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday, but their systems didn't know that DST starts earlier in the year than it used to. For some reason, their system doesn't let them give out numbers until after 8:00 am. So, if any other VJers were there and wondering why we were slowing things down, now you know! After 10 minutes, they finally just gave us a post-it note with our number and sent us to the waiting area.

Our number got called at the next waiting area right away. Everything was in order, except that they didn't have a DS-230 from us (we'd done a DS-260 right from the start). He told us we would have to fill out a DS-230 by hand because they're still transitioning to the DS-260, even though we had a printout of the DS-260 with us. I think they just like looking at the DS-230 better while asking questions. He checked through our documents and asked us a few questions about how we met, where we were born, etc. I was a bit nervous and slipped up and said I was born in the US, which caused all kinds of confusion until we sorted that out!

Anyway, after we were done with the first agent, we went to the waiting room and filled out the DS-230. The worst thing was that, right as she finished copying all of the info from the DS-260, my wife remembered that we had originally filled out a DS-230, and I remembered that I didn't send it in and just put it in the immigration folder that I had with me. Grrrrrr!!!! We gave the form back to the first agent, he checked a few more things, took my wife's fingerprints, and then sent us back to the waiting room again.

The DS-230 thing ended up costing us a bunch of time. The two couples who were right behind us in line to get numbers finished up around 9:30. We ended up waiting until almost 11:00 to see the next immigration officer. We went into the booth, raised our right hands and swore to tell the truth, and then answered a few questions where he basically checked a few things from our forms. He looked at his computer for a bit, and then gave us the approval letter!

So, just like the title says, Jacques's guide to Montreal IR-1/CR-1 interviews is:

• Get to the consulate right around 7:30
  
• Sit near the elevator in the downstairs interview and then go to the back of the elevator so you're first in line to get a number at 8:00 am
  
• Make sure to bring a copy of a filled-out DS-230 with you
  

Our interview is on March 14. It was hilarious because we both opened the email from the NVC at the exact same time, so I got a call just as I was about to call her saying "Have you checked your email!!???" It only took us 59 days from the NVC getting our case until the interview date, which is crazy fast compared to the stories I'd been following on VJ.

I got a sign in failed a week ago and still no case complete email from the NVC. Is that normal?

When I called the NVC, they gave me the usual line about "We schedule interviews in the second week of the month, so check back in the second half of February." I'm hoping that because they're caught up now, they're actually scheduling interviews during the second week of the month like they always used to say...

Do you remeber how long S260 took to porcess after you submitted it?

I just got my SIF today (no case complete email yet). So, that's about 29 days after I submitted the DS-260 electronically and 19 days after they received my civil documents in the mail.

But it looks like you already have your interview, so you're probably not worried at all!

Still call and follow up. Think about it. Would you rather hire someone who just sits around waiting for stuff to come to them, or would you want someone who has a "can-do" attitude and makes sure to follow up so things don't slip through the cracks? Of course, I wouldn't want to hire someone who called me twice a day to check in, but calling the day after you were told to expect a follow-up is perfectly reasonable. If you have his email, I'd send him an email the day after you call as well.

Um you can't be MOVING the WEEKEND before your interview. Border guards are gonna kick your #### and might report ya..and it might affect your interview. You can't ASSUME you're going to be approved until they approve you. I wouldn't try the move.

Calm down, calm down! Her husband is moving from one US address to the other. She's the immigrant. Everything is cool!!! (I think)

I just got a sign in failed today, so I'm pretty pumped. Hopefully they continue the pattern of sending interview dates along with the case complete letter.

My wife's moving from Winnipeg to the Boston area. So, we get to see each other every 4-6 weeks, but it looks like we'll be done with that pretty soon.

Awesome. I hope that agent was right about the timing, because it means I should be getting my case complete real soon too!

Did your IV packet include the DS-230, or was it just the civil documents that are needed with the DS-260? If you didn't send in a DS-230, chances are their system is kicking out an automatic message even though you don't need the DS-230 for Montreal. I called up and ended up talking to a supervisor to get confirmation that it was just an error (the first agent didn't know the difference between the old EP system and the DS-260).

If you did send in the DS-230, then I'm not so sure. But, it's clear that the NVC is still working their way through figuring out how to process the DS-260. It's probably worth calling and talking to a supervisor. I did a lot of, "so just so we're clear, what you just said is ..." type questions to make sure there wasn't any miscommunication.

Do I need to file joint with my UK hubby on taxes.. He and I both have only unemployment.

You don't have to file joint. It usually makes sense to file joint financially, because the tax rates and standard deduction for married filing separately suck. But, if your income is low enough that you won't owe income taxes under married filing separately, then just do that as it means he doesn't have to file anything.

I'd suggest using an online tax filing website like taxact.com. You can put in all of your info and see if you'll owe taxes as married filing separately. You only pay when you actually file the taxes, but your income is probably low enough to qualify for free e-filing anyway.

NO because CR-1 and IR-1 are GIVEN interview dates they do not book their own. The date you are looking at is for k-1s to book on.

I thought I read in the Canada forums that Montreal is now letting IR-1/CR-1 interviewees REschedule their appointments online. As in, you have to wait for them to schedule an interview for you, but once they schedule it, you're free to go online and change the date. I did some searching and couldn't find any of the posts I thought I read, so now I'm not sure.

Can anyone who's gone through the process in the past few months confirm?

thanks for the heads up! I wasn't sure about that!

Question for anyone: so do your W4s or 2s whatever one you use for your taxes do they have to say married to file for married on the income taxes. Cause I didn't think about putting my status as married on those when I started my two jobs last year.

No, you're fine. It just means that you probably had income tax withheld as if you're paying taxes using the higher single people tax brackets instead of the lower married tax brackets. So, chances are you'll have a big refund coming (if you do married filing jointly).

Just filling in some details from my case here because it might help with the confusion.

I sent in my I-864EZ by snail mail right around the middle of December. I completed the DS-260 online just after Christmas (December 27 or December 28, not sure) and then sent the civil documents by snail mail right before the new year. They arrived at the NVC on January 3.

On January 4, I got an email with a checklist cover letter saying basically "We got your I-864EZ, but we still need a DS-230 from you before you can process the case."

I just called the NVC to get some clarification. The agent I talked to kept on confusing electronic processing with the DS-260. After trying to explain a few things that electronic processing isn't the DS-260 (he kept on quoting the EP announcement from July 2009 and wouldn't listen when I explained the DS-260 didn't even exist then), I finally asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor told me "That email was sent by mistake. Because you're going through Montreal, we need a DS-260". I said, "Ok, just to be clear, since I've mailed in my I-864, filled out the DS-260 online, and mailed in the birth certificate and everything, you have everything needed to process my case. I don't need to send in a DS-230. At this point the only thing I need to do is wait for you to get to my case." The supervisor said "Yes, that's correct. You've sent in everything that's required".

So, I'm guessing their systems don't know enough yet to not send out DS-230 checklists to Montreal applicants. If you're going through Montreal and get something about sending in a DS-230, you can probably ignore it. If you're unsure, call the NVC, but make sure that the agent understands the difference between the old electronic processing and the new DS-260. If the agent doesn't, talk to a supervisor.

It was a few months ago, but at one point USCIS was rejecting a lot of I-130s for "Part C Address" incorrectly. Definitely check everything carefully and make sure all your N/As and Nones are filled out, but in my case sending back the same application was all it took to get it accepted!

I would re-file the application, but also email Lockboxsupport@dhs.gov to see if you can get a better understanding of why you were rejected.

It was a few months ago, but at one point USCIS was rejecting a lot of I-130s for "Part C Address" incorrectly. Definitely check everything carefully and make sure all your N/As and Nones are filled out, but in my case sending back the same application was all it took to get it accepted!

I would re-file the application, but also email Lockboxsupport@dhs.gov to see if you can get a better understanding of why you were rejected.

And, just to be clear, I sent back the same application with the numbers and signatures without a problem. So, if you need to make a few hand edits, go ahead and make them on the copy you got back. It didn't seem to make a difference for me.

Do you remeber how long S260 took to porcess after you submitted it?

I haven't submitted it yet. Still need to get my wife to check it over and then actually "sign" it. We'll probably do that right after Christmas.

Thanks for everything. There definitely do appear to be a few differences between the DS-230 and the DS-260. You mentioned it wasn't really 72 pages long, it's just showing possible questions depending how you answer. When you filled it out, do you remember how many pages it was for you? I'd like to just get a rough estimate. And how long did it take to fill out?

It was like 20 or so pages, but some were pretty quick, others took a while. I'd already filled out a DS-230 on paper, so it took me an hour to find the additional information I needed for the DS-260 and fill it out.

I added a few more differences below.

DS-260 differences from the DS-230:

Here's what I've found based on starting to fill out the form and looking through the screenshots of the form (don't worry the form isn't 72 pages long, they just show you all the different questions that might be asked depending on if you have kids/no kids, former spouse/no former spouse, etc). Anyone notice any other differences?

• Asks for passport info, including passport number
  
• Only asks for previous 5 visits to the US
  
• Asks for more info on previous jobs (supervisor's name/title/phone number)
  
• Asks questions about if you've ever been part of or contributed to a professional, social, or charitable organization, and do you have "specialized skills" like how to make bombs
  
• The questions about illegal groups and activities are way more detailed than before
  

• You need all of the benficiary's addresses with street number and zip/postal code since they were 16. Not just the city and country like on the DS-230.
  
• You need middle names for the beneficiary's parents
  
• You only need to give the beneficiary's current employer, but you do need full address with zip/postal code. Also, when I filled out the form I didn't see the questions about supervisors I saw in the screenshots.
  
• If the beneficiary isn't in school, it doesn't ask you about educational institutions
  

I haven't gotten anything in the mail from the NVC yet about the DS-260. I started filling it out based on stuff I read here about them starting to require it and then calling the NVC and having an agent tell me I should fill it out. I actually got a mail with my invoice ID number like 3 or 4 days after I got my invoice ID number from an NVC agent, but it included a copy of the DS-3032.

And I'm the petitioner, just so it's clear. My wife planned the wedding and I get to do the immigration paperwork. I think I still got the good side of the deal . I got a letter from the NVC, but she hasn't received anything in Canada yet.

And you mention instructions that you got, would you be able to copy and paste the instructions here? I'd like to give it a read while I'm waiting for the NVC stage.

I haven't gotten anything in the mail from the NVC yet about the DS-260. I started filling it out based on stuff I read here about them starting to require it and then calling the NVC and having an agent tell me I should fill it out. I actually got a mail with my invoice ID number like 3 or 4 days after I got my invoice ID number from an NVC agent, but it included a copy of the DS-3032.

So, most of the instructions are in the screenshots I linked to in my last reply. The first page of instructions are slightly different, so here they are:

DS-260 differences from the DS-230:

Here's what I've found based on starting to fill out the form and looking through the screenshots of the form (don't worry the form isn't 72 pages long, they just show you all the different questions that might be asked depending on if you have kids/no kids, former spouse/no former spouse, etc). Anyone notice any other differences?

• Asks for passport info, including passport number
  
• Only asks for previous 5 visits to the US
  
• Asks for more info on previous jobs (supervisor's name/title/phone number)
  
• Asks questions about if you've ever been part of or contributed to a professional, social, or charitable organization, and do you have "specialized skills" like how to make bombs
  
• The questions about illegal groups and activities are way more detailed than before
  

I haven't reached NVC yet, so I have a few questions on this DS-260 business and hope you can answer. With this DS-261 (CoA form), you fill it out online and submit it, correct? There's now no need to opt in for EP and attach a DS-3032?

If that's correct, would this be the track to get through NVC?:

1-NVC receives case

2-Call up and give email addresses, ask for IIN and beneficiary ID

3-Submit DS-261

4-Pay AoS bill when it appears

5-When shown as PAID, submit the I-864 package as a PDF to NVCelectronic email

6-Pay IV bill when it appears

7-When shown as PAID, submit the DS-260 online form and submit the DS-230 docs as a PDF to NVCelectronic email

8-Wait for case complete

Am I understanding that correctly?

I'm basically between steps 6 and 7 right now. I sent the I-864 via express snail mail. My plan was also to snail mail the birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc. Maybe I was assuming too much, but based on the way the instructions are worded, I didn't think they want you sending PDFs like you used to do for the old electronic processing stuff. But, I realized that was a total assumption on my part. I never actually confirmed it with an agent at NVC.

One thing to note is that the DS-260 asks for some info that wasn't required on the DS-230. I'm going to put up a separate reply with that info.

Now I'm wondering... how can I check to see if the I-864 was received and processed.... Hopefully I did the right thing.

Anyone else out there been through the DS-260 process yet? Did you do snail mail or email for the supporting documents?

Thanks for responding so quickly. I got through to NVC tonight. As it turns out, I panicked for nothing as the original documents still need to be mailed to Portsmouth, NH, once the DS-260 is filled out and submitted online. I hope the agent knew what she was talking about. I'm going to go back online, finish filling out the DS-260 form, press submit and see what I'm told to do next. Will keep you posted.

I just started filling out my DS-260. The first page of instructions after you start the aplication says:

So, I think the agent was on the right track. Hopefully they can somehow track down your DS-230 and match it up with your DS-260!

I posted this on that other thread too, but for the benefit of people finding out they should fill out the DS-260 (like everyone in Canada filing for an IR-1/CR-1), when you call the NVC to get your invoice ID number, make sure to also ask for your beneficiary ID number. You'll need the beneficiary ID to be able to fill out the DS-261 (online choice of agent form).

Thank you so much for posting this. Can you tell me what I'm supposed to submit for "beneficiary ID number" on the DS-260 form? I tried to post my NVC case number and it said this was invalid/incorrect.

The beneficiary ID number is supposedly printed on the letter they send you telling you to fill out the DS-260. Of course, since none of us wait to get that form, we don't realize that we need it. You can get your beneficiary ID by calling the NVC and asking for it. At least, that worked for me. The operator had to put me on hold for a few minutes, but then she was able to give it to me.

I've seen people elsewhere saying the beneficiary ID is just the NVC case number without the MTL or GZO or whatever. That is definitely not the case!!

To summarize: If you're in one of the areas that uses the DS-260 and you're calling the NVC to get your invoice ID, do yourself a favor and ask for the beneficiary ID at the same time!

Just got a very nice Thanksgiving present from VSC... NOA2 just 89 days after our NOA1!!! I hope everyone else gets speedy approvals before December comes!