cloclo2

I am not good in test / exam situations, never was and never will. Still asking myself how I passed school LOL

Yes, I know, Germany should be fine but not letting my husband attend make me thinking again

Oh well, at least he comes with me and can wait outsite.

You'll be great! The Senegal embassy is like this too, no one allowed in except for the person interviewing. I'm the USC, so I waited outside (1.5 hours). We just did a bunch of extra practice sessions ahead of time since my husband wasn't very familiar with how I had organized the paperwork and his culture is not big on memorizing important dates! And he brought in my passport to show that I was waiting outside which I think was nice and showed the CO that I was really there in person and really live abroad with him.

You just have to keep hanging up and redailing. I usually called either right when they open or very late in the evening. It usually only took me 2-10 tries to get through. Then wait times were usually 20-45 minutes. Just keep trying!

Visas in hand!! It took us 17 months from NOA-1 to receiving the visas. Thanks to everyone for your support and advice through this difficult process.

So sorry to hear that.. it feels so hard when you're very close to your destination and they just push you away. Well but don't worry just keep your eyes on CEAC site and call them back after a week if they don't call or respond. Good luck and remember you're all in my prayers.

Thanks diyap. It's a very frustrating position to be in but I am going to keep faith that the CO was giving us an honest time estimate.

Had our interview this morning. My husband said that it went well (they wouldn't let me in) and that the CO said that everything looked fine but they need to verify his juvenile criminal record from the US (the report we sent NVC was not very official looking so I'm wondering if that's why they want to verify or maybe they verify all criminal records). So we are now in Administrative Processing

The CO told my husband that they would be calling us next week. It makes me feel hopeful that they gave such a specific time frame, however, I have read so many horror stories about people being in AP forever and I just hope this doesn't turn into a long thing.

dear Cloclo,

i have received Code (V) can you tell me the meaning of Code (V).

For Code V, my letter says this:

Are you from Cuba?

I believe that you are looking at the wrong part of the interview letter. On the first page, it talks about code V at the bottom, but that only applies for Cubans. You need to look at page 4. On Page 4, it lists maybe 10-15 documents and each one has a different code letter next to them.

If you are still confused, here is an example of page 4 of an interview letter I found on google images: http://image.slidesharecdn.com/12020580-120315104958-phpapp02/95/mrv2010721001-p4-for-neopost-ds1200-4-728.jpg?cb=1331827131

I am bringing literally every single document I've ever sent in plus some added proof of relationship and proof of assets. The Interview Letter is very clear about what to bring. Look at the list of documents on the 3rd or 4th page. There is a letter next to each document and a code on the previous page saying which documents have already been received and which documents you need to bring.

This is just not true. You can, in fact, be denied entry to a US Embassy if you do not have business to conduct there. Most Embassies require you to have an appointment in order to enter for consular services (even American citizen services like renewal of your US passport). This is for both crowd control (to ensure there are not too many people for the inside space) and security (so they know who is supposed to be inside the Embassy). Demanding entry from a guard who is not authorized to grant it will get you nowhere. At most, they would have to pull an American officer away from the cases there with appointments in order to decide whether you have an emergency for which you need to enter. Not a way to win points.....

Even if successful, you would gain entry into the American citizen services area, not the visa area. They will not be able to discuss your visa case with you. Better that you study the Embassy website carefully, make sure you both understand all the points available on the process, your fiancee is as familiar as possible with all of your paperwork and informatin, and know that there will be lots of people inside the Embassy who will be able to explain things in the local language. You can, as others indicate, be outside the Embassy, waiting, in case they want to call you in to clarify something.

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I'm best off just prepping my husband as much as possible and then wait outside during the interview!

The embassies and consulates are U.S. soil, so they can't deny you entry. If anyone tries, play the "American" card: "Are you a U.S. citizen? No? Well, I am. You will kindly let me enter my own embassy."

Even if you're not allowed in the interview itself, surely there's a waiting area. The above advice, of handing your passport to the beneficiary to show to the consul, is outstanding, and it might result in your being invited in to the interview. Even if it doesn't, it scores points beyond belief.

That's interesting. I never thought about demanding to enter- I guess I'm worried about getting on someone's bad side haha. The embassy explicitly states on the website that even USCs can only go in with an appointment. I'll have to decide how far I want to push it.

And I agree, giving my husband my passport to show is an excellent idea and one I never would thought of!

That's a really good idea, bunny&ninja.

Does anyone else have any thoughts about the USC visiting the embassy before the interview just to check it out?

I was wondering if anyone has done this. We have our interview coming up in 1 and a half weeks. I am the USC (living abroad) and I am petitioning for my husband and step-daughter. According to several people I've talked to, I will NOT be allowed into the embassy for the interview. This makes me so nervous since I'm the one who is more organized and knows all of our paperwork by heart (although we are doing daily practice sessions )

So I had this idea that I could make an appointment at the embassy this week and just go in and ask a few simple questions about my case. Then I would know all of the embassy procedures and what not so my husband can be more prepared.

Is this a good idea or am I overthinking this whole thing?

Its been a week since the last VJ member got an interview scheduled. Is this normal ?

Yes, if you look at the spreadsheet, they tend to schedule the last few days of the month and then the first 2 weeks of the month. So there may not be anymore scheduled until the last few days of March.

It took me 9 months from USCIS approval (NOA2) to NVC case complete. Not quite a year, but it was a much longer process than I originally anticipated. We got stuck in the NVC backlog and received a checklist. I'm guessing you've had a few checklists? I'm really sorry- I know how awful it is to feel like you have no control. I hope you get a CC soon!

Hi All! Just want to make sure I'm right about this- there is no fee to pay on interview day at the embassy, correct? All the reviews for my embassy are pretty old but they talk about paying a fee at the interview. From what I understand, it's now a fee paid online AFTER the interview.

Could someone confirm this for me?

Lol just few months I got my visa from there , are you in k1 visa , just let me know

CR1- sent you a PM

Has anyone had any experiences with being interviewed in Dakar, Senegal?

We have our interview in a few weeks and I'm really nervous and would love to ask some questions. Let me know and I'll PM you! Thanks!

Are these 3 the only pages you received? When I got a checklist, it was 5 pages. The first 3 pages looked similar to what you have but it was on the 5th page that actual specific items were listed with "x"s by them that I needed to correct.

If you don't have another page like that, I would think this is a false checklist.

Also, did you send the supporting evidence for your assets to NVC? We are using assets only and we sent the supporting evidence along with the I-864 and we'll be bringing updated evidence (more recent bank statements) to the interview. So maybe they want you to send evidence of the assets?

We got our case complete email 8 days after getting case complete via phone. Interview scheduling depends on your embassy. You may need to wait a few weeks to find out. They'll email you with an interview date.

Just got my interview date (via email): April 2nd!!!

Where is the child's mother? I ask because obviously she has rights to the child and must give up those rights to allow the child to move to the US.

if the mother is deceased I can see it possible that a DNA test might be required

good luck

The mother is not involved. My husband has full custody and we have the court papers (sent in to NVC and brining to interview).

How old is the child? Is the mother still in the picture? In your petition package did you submit pictures of your husband and the child through out the childs life (this helps establishes that he has been there for her and a staple in her life). If not you need to get those together for interview and hope CO looks at them.

Quite possibly yes they will be asked for DNA. Especially with a father/child immigration situation. So just prepare for a delay or 2 to 3 months. If you don't get asked well Hallelujah. But just be prepared. Will cost about $400 to $600 for the lab work. Just so you know.

The child is 6. And, like I said above, the mother is not involved. My husband has full custody. I submitted tons of pictures of all 3 of us throughout the years. I can add in even more of just him and her together.

Thanks!

ps. Dwheels, random side question, my stepdaughter will obviously be at the interview but I was wondering if it's beneficial to bring our other daughter too? She has a CRBA so no need for visa interview and I was going to leave her home since I have no idea how long the wait it. But if it's beneficial to show up as a family unit, we could do that. (She's 1 and a half)

We received our CCs last week at the NVC and are now waiting to have an interview date assigned and a question has come up. How often do embassies ask for DNA tests? I am the USC (living abroad) and have petitioned for my husband and step-daughter. How likely is it that the embassy will ask us to do DNA testing to confirm my husband's relationship with his daughter?

I so badly do not want another 2-3 months added onto this process. I just want to go home.

30 Dec and still waiting. What time of the day does Paid change to N/A usually? Or is it random?

I think it's pretty random. My step-daughter's changed at around 8 am (NVC time) and my husband's changed around 5 pm (NVC time) on the same day. Also, I called in between those times and found out they were both "CC" so they don't always automatically change to N/A.

The problem is that the criminal report expires 3 months after you get it. Even do you sent the original you will need to get a new one to take on the time of the interview. Just call them to confirm. I have to take mine husband at the time of the interview and my interview is in Dominican Republic. Good luck.

This actually depends on the country. From what I understand, most expire after 6 months or 1 year.

Congratulations. Welcome to the Group. I have added you to the Spreadsheet.

Nothing is a sure thing. There is no way of knowing since we have no idea where in the queue you are. All you can do is call NVC or wait to see if you get a P4 letter.

So Mali interviews in Dakar/Senegal embassy?

Thanks. I'll probably call NVC later this week.

Yeah, the Mali embassy doesn't do K1 or CR1 interviews. The Dakar embassy processes those for 5 neighboring countries.

Just got my CC yesterday - March 2nd. Does anyone know if it a sure thing that I'll be scheduled for an April interview? Or is it possible I would have to wait until May?