Time Savers for NVC, plus Knowing your Case #

[Vladimir 0]

hi, people!

who can tell me?

if I send with the form DS-230 certified copies of the necessary documents, I need to put them apostille?

or just to assure them a notary and translate into English?

thanks!!!

We called a several times and spoke to an NVC operators,they said we do not have to have our docs apostilled for NVC(none of them even knew whats an apostille is! ),but it have to be originals or certified copies (we sent duplicates of originals, obtained by RAGS/ZAGS - the issuing entity in our case,plus original of police certificate). We apostilled only originals- for use in the USA for later(going to take them to the embassy for interview-just to be on a safe side).

thank you so much!!!

[Cetin Tonya 0]

Hey need help, and hoping you can give me some direction.... If you don't mind... For the shortcuts, Does this apply to K3 too, or only the I130?

I am confused on if all these steps apply to the K3, can you help? Thanks!!!! Tonya

[Mononoke28 135]

Hello Cetin,

These steps only apply to CR1/IR1 visas since they have to go through extra processing at the NVC. K1 and K3 visas are given a case # and then are forwarded to the respective embassies without having to go through the extra steps at the NVC.

Diana

[clairern 0]

How do you know when the IV bill is generated and mailed? Thanks in advance for your

[RandyandRina 2]

You will hear a message from NVC...

IV Fee Bill Generation:

"...The Immigration Visa Fee Bill letter has been generated on ____and will be sent within the next few weeks..."

How do you know when the IV bill is generated and mailed? Thanks in advance for your

[clairern 0]

Thanks Rina;

You are a Godsend. That's what I thought. The DS-3032 was accepted into their system on 10/26 per the automated phone system, and neither Mike nor I did not receive a confirmation e-mail. I just keep checking the phone system for updates on the case. I did not petition for him but I am his agent and soon to be wife when he enters the US. I feel the same trepidition and anxiety everybody else is feeling

[RandyandRina 2]

We have pinned this thread for the NVC Automated Messages http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...30&start=30. You can check for the next messages after each process. If in any doubt, you may also speak to the live operator as not all will be noted on their autmated message.

All of us went through the same process, so all of us went through the whole ropes of waiting game. VJ is a great site, and I am grateful for being a member here.

Good luck on your journey!

Thanks Rina;

You are a Godsend. That's what I thought. The DS-3032 was accepted into their system on 10/26 per the automated phone system, and neither Mike nor I did not receive a confirmation e-mail. I just keep checking the phone system for updates on the case. I did not petition for him but I am his agent and soon to be wife when he enters the US. I feel the same trepidition and anxiety everybody else is feeling

[Credzba 0]

DS-230

...

You will need to attach the coversheet to the completed DS-230 before sending it in. ...

In the resulting window, right click on the barcode and click on Copy. Paste the image into a graphics editing program such as IrfanView (either by selecting Paste under the Edit menu or hitting Ctrl + V on the keyboard) and crop out the gray text "Powered by IDAutomation.com (i.e., draw a box around the barcode only and, e.g., in IrfanView, select Crop selection under the Edit menu). Copy the image from the graphics program either by selecting Copy under the Edit Menu or by hitting Ctrl+C on the keyboard. Then go to the MS Word copy of the DS-230 coversheet and left click on the old barcode that's already at the top, to the left of the words "INSTRUCTION PACKET AGENT." Hit the Delete key. Then click on Paste under the Edit menu (or hit Ctrl + V on the keyboard). The barcode may be underlined -- left click on it again and then de-select the "U" underline button in the MS Word Toolbar.

...

The instructions do not match the word document for the cover sheet.

The instructions say the barcode is after the words "INSTRUCTION PACKET AGENT" but those words don't exist.

The barcode on the example is much smaller than the resize specified by the instructions.

I apologize if this has already been covered, I did a search but did not see the answer.

[prg321 0]

Is there a time saver way for responding to an RFE? NVC got my DS-230 but is asking for additional documents. I've talked to a live operator and she already told me what are the missing documents. The NVC Automated Message now says: "a checklist letter was sent on November 1st..." but I am still not receiving it.

I wonder if there is a short-cut that I can send the missing documents in without waiting for the NVC checklist letter.

Thanks for advice.

[trailmix 77]

hi prg,

There is one, it was created by Chris Parker, you can do a search on his name and look for his posting of the document.

good luck!

[prg321 0]

Thanks greatly!

hi prg,

There is one, it was created by Chris Parker, you can do a search on his name and look for his posting of the document.

good luck!

[Chris Parker 11]

Is there a time saver way for responding to an RFE? NVC got my DS-230 but is asking for additional documents. I've talked to a live operator and she already told me what are the missing documents. The NVC Automated Message now says: "a checklist letter was sent on November 1st..." but I am still not receiving it.

I wonder if there is a short-cut that I can send the missing documents in without waiting for the NVC checklist letter.

Yes, we have developed such a thing, and now I'm officially posting it here in the pinned thead as a technique which has been tested and should be safe to use. Bear in mind, however, this shortcut was not at all developed by James, but it works in the very same way as his main shortcuts also provided in this thread. Basically, because I got an RFE for the I-864, I decided to do the James thing myself and create another coversheet using his grand style and rhetoric, and this shortcut has now been used by several people (including myself) and worked great for everyone. This shortcut may be used to reply early to RFE's for both I-864 and DS-230 submissions.

The RFE coversheet

When NVC reviews the I-864 Affidavit of Support or the DS-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, the person reviewing may decide you need to make a correction to the form or provide additional information. If this happens, NVC will send you what they call a "checklist" of the changes and/or additional information needed, along with a barcode coversheet to use to return this information to NVC for re-review. As soon as this happens, the IVR will indicate it, and you should speak with an operator to determine exactly what information is needed (make sure you find out everything!). In some cases, you may not be absolutely sure what was wrong or how to fix the problem, and if so, do not use this shortcut, but instead wait to receive the actual notice from NVC describing in detail what needs to be done. However, if you are sure you know what NVC needs you to do, and you've double-checked this completely with another NVC operator, then you can use this shortcut instead to re-submit the DS-230, I-864 and/or I-864A form or supply additional supporting documentation before actually receiving the notice from NVC.

Note, during I-864 Affidavit of Support review, it is common when using the James' shortcuts for an RFE to be announced for a missing Form DS-230, because NVC is still processing or just processed the IV fee bill and has not yet requested the DS-230, and if this is all that happened, the RFE is harmless and you should not send an RFE reply (that said, however, do not automatically assume this is what the RFE announcement is for, still check with an operator, because it could be a real I-864 RFE also). The operator will be able to tell you exactly what was wrong and what they want you to do. If a form needs to be corrected, it will be unstapled and detached from the supporting documentation and sent back to you alone (if you are using this shortcut in that case, you will be sending in a new copy of the form instead, and NVC will not have the original "Received CMR" date stamped on the submission anymore, if that matters to you).

First, you will need the RFE coversheet as a MS-Word file, which is attached at the bottom of this post. This same cover sheet can be used for responding to both I-864 and DS-230 RFE's. The coversheet file has two pages, both of which must be returned to NVC. Note, this MS-Word doc file contains embedded comment text on the fields that need to be changed with your specific case information, but if you do not see these comments when you open the document, select View | Comments or View | Markup in Microsoft Word to make them visible (similarly, before making a final printout of the filled out coversheet, be sure to hide the comments by re-selecting that same menu item).

Page 1: Change the BGT1234567890 in the table at the bottom of the page to your case number, enter the "Received Date" shown on both your USCIS NOA1 and NOA2 as the Priority Date (assuming Priority Date is blank on those same notices, as it should be for CR1/IR1, CR2/IR2, and IR5 cases), and replace the names and addresses as appropriate with ALL CAPS. Remember to use the Agent's name & address at the very top, remove country if USA, enter the addressee's name for the DEAR clause, and specify the Beneficiary's name at the bottom. Change CR1 to IR1 if appropriate. Then go to View | Header & Footer on the menu, click on FOOTER, and replace the date with the date NVC announced the RFE on the IVR, and also replace the case number there too. Also, change the date at the top of the letter to the date that the RFE was announced on the IVR.

Finally, you need to generate the barcode at the top of Page 1 for your case number by using http://www.idautomation.com/java/linearservlet.html. To generate the barcode and put it in at the top of page 1 of the sample coversheet, type in the case number under "Data to encode." Under "Barcode symbology," select CODE 39. Select "No" for the "Add check digit," "Add check digit to text," and "Show text below barcode" options. Change the "X dimension" (bar width) to 0.05 and the "Barcode bar height" to 0.4. Click on "Create Barcode."

In the resulting window, right click on the barcode and click on Copy. Paste the image into a graphics editing program such as IrfanView (either by selecting Paste under the Edit menu or hitting Ctrl + V on the keyboard) and crop out the gray text "Powered by IDAutomation.com (i.e., draw a box around the barcode only and, e.g., in IrfanView, select Crop selection under the Edit menu). Copy the image from the graphics program either by selecting Copy under the Edit Menu or by hitting Ctrl+C on the keyboard. Then go to the MS Word copy of the RFE coversheet and left click on the old barcode that's already at the top, to the left of the words "CHECKLIST." Hit the Delete key. Then click on Paste under the Edit menu (or hit Ctrl + V on the keyboard). The barcode may be underlined -- left click on it again and then de-select the "U" underline button in the MS Word Toolbar. You then need to further adjust the size of the barcode by double-clicking on it. Select the "Size" tab in the box that pops up. De-select "Lock Aspect ratio" if it is selected, leave the height alone, and change the width to 1.75". Click on OK.

Page 2: Now, go to page 2. Enter the case number, beneficiary's name, and change the visa category if necessary. To generate the barcode to put onto page 2, go back to http://www.idautomation.com/java/linearservlet.html. Type in the case number under "Data to encode." Under "Barcode symbology," select CODE 39. Select "No" for the "Add check digit," "Add check digit to text," and "Show text below barcode" options. Change the "X dimension" (bar width) to 0.05 and the "Barcode bar height" to 0.6. Click on "Create Barcode."

In the resulting window, right click on the barcode and click on Copy. Paste the image into a graphics editing program such as IrfanView (either by selecting Paste under the Edit menu or hitting Ctrl + V on the keyboard) and crop out the gray text "Powered by IDAutomation.com (i.e., draw a box around the barcode only and, e.g., in IrfanView, select Crop selection under the Edit menu). Copy the image from the graphics program either by selecting Copy under the Edit Menu or by hitting Ctrl+C on the keyboard. Then go to the MS Word copy of the RFE coversheet, select the old barcode that's already there and hit the Delete key. Then click on Paste under the Edit menu (or hit Ctrl + V on the keyboard). You need to further adjust the size of the barcode by right-clicking on it and clicking on "Format Picture," clicking on the "Size" tab, de-selecting "Lock aspect ratio," leave the height alone but change the width to 2.75" and click on "OK."

Final comments:

As always, remember to write your case number on the top right of any forms or documents you send to NVC. Also, be sure to turn off comment display in MS-Word before printing. Mail both the RFE coversheet and barcode pages to NVC at the address shown on the barcode sheet, with the corrected form(s) and/or any additional documents that NVC requested. Finally, it cannot be reiterated enough, "If you are going to use the RFE shortcut, you will have to be very very specific with the NVC operator to give you ALL of the information they are going to request. I actually was and they still didn't mention everything - so proceed with caution." Speak with more than one operator on separate calls if you can, as you most certainly want to avoid getting another RFE from NVC because of an incomplete RFE response when using this shortcut. If you learn when you receive the actual RFE that you did omit something, do not send in the form you received with the remaining document(s), as it will be lost! You must wait for the IVR to announce another RFE before you can send in the remaining documents, sorry. For the DS-230 only, NVC is not supposed to issue more than 2 RFE's, so if your in that kind of situation, don't be surprised if the case goes NVC Complete even though a requested supporting document for the DS-230 was still missing, the consulate will still require it at the interview. Please check the RFE documents you receive with the shortcut version used, and post to this thread any major discrepancies you might find, so that we can keep this shortcut up-to-date in the event that NVC changes the RFE coversheet in the future. The attachment at the bottom of this message will be removed and added again to another post later in this thread in the event that it needs to be revised. Be sure to read through this entire thread before using this shortcut or the James' shortcuts!

DISCLAIMER: None of this is legal advice, and you may only use this shortcut at your own sole risk!

The attached document comes without warranty of any kind!

RFE_coversheet.doc

[Bacchha 0]

It seems the phone line is backlogged last few days, no luck getting through. Any tips on this? just get a all operators are busy, transfering back to Automated system.. etc.

I also have a RFE on the system but doesnt say what its related to, I am assuming its for my I864 because tahts what I submitted last, what is the common mistake that the RFE is sent/requested for?

Edited November 28, 2007 by Bacchha

[Chris Parker 11]

It seems the phone line is backlogged last few days, no luck getting through. Any tips on this? just get a all operators are busy, transfering back to Automated system.. etc.

I also have a RFE on the system but doesnt say what its related to, I am assuming its for my I864 because tahts what I submitted last, what is the common mistake that the RFE is sent/requested for?

Call 7:30AM EST or 11:45PM EST or around those times and you'll probably get through. The rest of the day can be very difficult.

[Chris Parker 11]

Everyone has been mentioning "james shortcuts"...

But I can't even find them!!

You got real close... the current version is on PAGE 10 of this this topic!

You can jump there real fast by clicking below:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=885374

Be sure to read this whole thread (which is pinned for an important reason) to gain full understanding and the lastest updates.