Just Turkish

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Congratulations Isil

I am so happy it was easy for you both ...Please give me a call when you get here and maybe I can come up to see you would love that Also so sorry I have not responded to your email...I will so soon.

Hoşçakal!

Peace,

debbie

[internetkafe 0]

It depends on your service center..how quick it processes your petition and also how quick you send the documents/forms/money they require to NVC once your case was approved and sent to NVC. And then provided you do not get any RFEs your case will be forwarded to the consulate.

You do not have to wait for the consulate to notify you/your spouse. You can e-mail them after confirming from the NVC (by calling NVC) that they forwarded it to the consulate.

Is it possible to arrange your own interview date? To a degree, yes you can. If you have compelling reasons -medical reasons for example (and of course proof) for a quicker appointment date and e-mail them you might get it. Also if you want to postpone your appointment date for a later date you can do that too. But in this case you should make sure that your spouse's security checks will not expire by that time.

Hope this helps...

Can someone tell me what the typical amount of time it takes from when you send your I-130 in the USA , to the time you have your actual interview in Ankara is?

For example, I sent my I-130 on behalf of my wife, approximately 2 months ago. (end of May). When can I expect the interview date in Ankara to be? Also, how much time was given to your spouse to make arrangements, meaning......did they notify you days....weeks....a month......in advance?

Lastly, is it possible to arrange your own interview date (once everything clears obviously:)........or are they inflexible in Ankara as far as that goes?

Thanks

[Michele&Omer 0]

GREAT NEWS!!!!

Just received our approval for our K3 visa in the mail. It was approved on August 14th. Will call the NVC on Monday to see if we have a visa number generated yet.

Our Cr1 visa is in the works also, our DS-230 forms have been generated but not received yet, so most likely now the K3 will beat this one to the embassy. But will have to see which one gets the interview first.

I have made tenative time off arrangements at work for the middle of Sept. to the first week in Oct. I have not made any plane reservations hoping that we hear about an interview date first. My husband and I have worked on the papers 156 and 157 forms when I was in Turkey in Feburary, so he should be ready to copy that information on the forms he gets from the embassy and send them back the next day. He has his police certificate, certified birth record and our certifed marriage document, and he is working on them translating them to english, he also has an expemtion from being in the military and I told him to have that translated too, just incase they need to see why he did not serve.

I was wondering if anyone used Dr. Mehmet Ungan in Ankara or the American Hospital in Istanbul for their physical?? Either of them are covered by our health insurance so we might get some money back on his exam, lab work, vaccainations, and x-ray is he uses their services. He has no documents on any vaccinations and really does not remember getting any besides the small pox vaccination which is visible on his arm. Do they do the TB test that is read 48-72 hours later, or do they use some other method to test for that? My husband has family in Istanbul so he could stay with them if he has to stay a couple of days to get the results of his physical, while in Ankara he would have to find a hotel to stay at.

I was also wondering if any one had hotel suggestions for me, as I am planning to go to his interview and stay the day before and maybe that night after in Ankara. Is there any reasonly priced hotels near the embassy so that we could walk there and back from his interview?? If not, any other hotel suggestions??

I know I am asking this information without even knowing when the interview will be, but I am so excited about getting the K3 approval all I can think of is going there and bringing my husband home.

We will spending about a week after his interview (provided he gets visa approved) in Turkey to see his family before he leaves then we will leave for the USA. I was hoping to get a flight to JFK so he can maybe get a temporary EAD, and then fly to Milwaukee so he can meet my three daughters (one son-in-law), our granddaughter, my sister and my step-parents for a few days and then fly home to Georgia and still have a couple of days to get situated before I have to go back to work. If his visa is approved but still have to wait for a security check to finish, I have to decide whether to go and visit with his family or come back home and wait for the news and go back when he has his visa in hand and visit with them. I really want to fly back with him even if it means a 10-12 flight there and turn around and fly back home with my husband the next day......so much to think about....

B) I also wanted to let everyone know we had a fabulous time in Aruba for our Honeymoon....the resort was great, the weather was wonderful but the 10 days there was too short. We had a kitchen in our room and he made every meal except the night we went out for his birthday and the one meal he let me cook. He also grilled out a couple times, he made some very good meals for us. He also shocked me when he pulled out the iron and ironing board after we washed our clothes....he is a man of many talents and i appreciate them all. B)

Flying High with our approval.....good luck everyone on completing their journeys!

Michele

[internetkafe 0]

Hello Michele&Omer,

I had my medicals done by Ungan. He will most probably try to get your spouse have as many vaccinations as possible...to make money. He is a nice person to talk to. But you say your insurance covers this...How?

Your spouse will not need to book a room at a hotel because he can get the results the same day (in the evening).

If you do a google search I am sure you will find hotels near the embassy. Some days ago I came accross with prices like 70-80 dollars at a 5 star (luxury) hotel room. (for August). There are of course cheaper ones but not as close ..However in Ankara you can take the taxicab and it does not cost much.

Congratulations on your approval!

[Michele&Omer 0]

Hello Michele&Omer,

I had my medicals done by Ungan. He will most probably try to get your spouse have as many vaccinations as possible...to make money. He is a nice person to talk to. But you say your insurance covers this...How?

Your spouse will not need to book a room at a hotel because he can get the results the same day (in the evening).

If you do a google search I am sure you will find hotels near the embassy. Some days ago I came accross with prices like 70-80 dollars at a 5 star (luxury) hotel room. (for August). There are of course cheaper ones but not as close ..However in Ankara you can take the taxicab and it does not cost much.

Congratulations on your approval!

Thanks!!!!

I will google the hotels and have ideas of where to go when we are notified of his interview.

I added my husband to my insurance when we married and the insurance covers overseas as well as in the USA. It should only end up costing us $15 for the visit and maybe some extra for the vaccines most of the lab work and x-ray should be covered too. He may have to prepay and get a refund from the insurance but he has an insurance card as well as the forms needed by the insurance carrier for the doctor. I noticed some of the doctors took credit cards which would be nice cause I hate to have carry too much cash around. The last time he went to Istanbul someone tried to steal his wallet so he is worried about being in a big city with cash.

Can he wait and get the vaccinations done here or do they need to done before the visa is approved?

Michele

[MPGGPM 0]

But you say your insurance covers this...How?

As she mentioned, there are some insurers (mine for example...which is Blue Cross/Blue Shield), that offer some coverage overseas. It depends on the hospital. I actually became a bit ill over the summer in Istanbul, and when I called Blue Cross.....there were several hospitals they mentioned in Istanbul which would use that insurance (The American Hospital was one).

I don't think for an exam that wasn't an emergency, it would be "full" coverage, but I am pretty sure they'd at least give partial coverage.

p.s. thanks for the previous reply and info regarding the embassy question.

[internetkafe 0]

The Embassy wants the result of the medical exam on the day of interview. Mr Ungan's clinic does not accept credit cards. I wanted to pay using my CC but the receptionist lady did not accept payment through CC. However Sistem Labs which is in the same building with Mr Ungan's clinic accepts CCs for payment for lab tests.

I am sure all hotels would accept credit cards. By the way if I see a good deal on hotels I will let you know.

[Deb_Res 0]

GREAT NEWS!!!!

Just received our approval for our K3 visa in the mail. It was approved on August 14th. Will call the NVC on Monday to see if we have a visa number generated yet.

Our Cr1 visa is in the works also, our DS-230 forms have been generated but not received yet, so most likely now the K3 will beat this one to the embassy. But will have to see which one gets the interview first.

I have made tenative time off arrangements at work for the middle of Sept. to the first week in Oct. I have not made any plane reservations hoping that we hear about an interview date first. My husband and I have worked on the papers 156 and 157 forms when I was in Turkey in Feburary, so he should be ready to copy that information on the forms he gets from the embassy and send them back the next day. He has his police certificate, certified birth record and our certifed marriage document, and he is working on them translating them to english, he also has an expemtion from being in the military and I told him to have that translated too, just incase they need to see why he did not serve.

I was wondering if anyone used Dr. Mehmet Ungan in Ankara or the American Hospital in Istanbul for their physical?? Either of them are covered by our health insurance so we might get some money back on his exam, lab work, vaccainations, and x-ray is he uses their services. He has no documents on any vaccinations and really does not remember getting any besides the small pox vaccination which is visible on his arm. Do they do the TB test that is read 48-72 hours later, or do they use some other method to test for that? My husband has family in Istanbul so he could stay with them if he has to stay a couple of days to get the results of his physical, while in Ankara he would have to find a hotel to stay at.

I was also wondering if any one had hotel suggestions for me, as I am planning to go to his interview and stay the day before and maybe that night after in Ankara. Is there any reasonly priced hotels near the embassy so that we could walk there and back from his interview?? If not, any other hotel suggestions??

I know I am asking this information without even knowing when the interview will be, but I am so excited about getting the K3 approval all I can think of is going there and bringing my husband home.

We will spending about a week after his interview (provided he gets visa approved) in Turkey to see his family before he leaves then we will leave for the USA. I was hoping to get a flight to JFK so he can maybe get a temporary EAD, and then fly to Milwaukee so he can meet my three daughters (one son-in-law), our granddaughter, my sister and my step-parents for a few days and then fly home to Georgia and still have a couple of days to get situated before I have to go back to work. If his visa is approved but still have to wait for a security check to finish, I have to decide whether to go and visit with his family or come back home and wait for the news and go back when he has his visa in hand and visit with them. I really want to fly back with him even if it means a 10-12 flight there and turn around and fly back home with my husband the next day......so much to think about....

B) I also wanted to let everyone know we had a fabulous time in Aruba for our Honeymoon....the resort was great, the weather was wonderful but the 10 days there was too short. We had a kitchen in our room and he made every meal except the night we went out for his birthday and the one meal he let me cook. He also grilled out a couple times, he made some very good meals for us. He also shocked me when he pulled out the iron and ironing board after we washed our clothes....he is a man of many talents and i appreciate them all. B)

Flying High with our approval.....good luck everyone on completing their journeys!

Michele

CONGRATULATIONS Michele and Omer!!! I'm so happy for the both of you!!! Good luck on the interview and keep us posted!!!

~Debbie

[internetkafe 0]

Hello,

I am in Turkey now to get my CR1 at long last.

How long do you think it will take for the embassy to mail the visa on the passport once you take the interview? I would like to hear your personal experiences.

Thank you.

:-)

[Michele&Omer 0]

Hello,

I am in Turkey now to get my CR1 at long last.

How long do you think it will take for the embassy to mail the visa on the passport once you take the interview? I would like to hear your personal experiences.

Thank you.

:-)

This is from the embassy website, as we are not that far along yet:

Issuance of an immigrant visa is NOT guaranteed. Making specific travel plans to the U.S. is strongly discouraged. Eligible applicants are not issued a visa the same day of the interview; it is sent to the applicant’s address in Turkey via UPS within two to three working days. Please also note that some Turkish and most Iranian applicants require security clearances. Every effort is made to obtain the proper security clearance prior to a visa interview, but if the proper clearance has not been received, the visa cannot be issued.

But hopefully some of the recently interveiwed people can give a better answer.

Wish you well on the Interview!!!!!

Michele

Edited August 31, 2006 by Michele&Omer

[internetkafe 0]

Thank you for your reply 'Michele&Omer' .

I found the answer to my question in one of your previous posts. You say your husband received his visa via UPS in 7 days. All I wanted to find out was the time it takes from the day the package is mailed via UPS to the day you receive it.

Anyway thanks also for that old message of yours.

[MPGGPM 0]

My I-130 on behalf of my wife was just approved. I received notice by mail yesterday that it will now go to the NVC.

Can someone tell me what happens next? What will be the next steps? What is the typical amount of time that it takes from this point (letter signifying I-130 approval and sent to NVC), to the time my wife will have an actual interview in Ankara ?

I assume she will eventually recieve some packet directing her to get a physical , etc?........

Thanks

P.s......Trying to get hold of ANYONE by phone at the embassy (I have questions in regards to another issue).......is a lesson in frustration! I have to keep getting up at 4:40 (eastern time)each morning lately, only to keep calling....and calling...and calling....AND calling.......

No one answers the phone there.....and to make matters worse, they only have a 90 minute window when you can call.

Our government at work..........

[internetkafe 0]

Hello MPGGPM,

It might take for your case a month even to 'reach' NVC..or for the NVC to 'admit' they received it.

And then choice of address and agent form is sent to your spouse...she makes her choice either making you her agent or herself or a lawyer and sends it back. In that form she also states the address sh wants correspondence to be sent from then on.

Then the iv fee letter and then affidavit of support fee letter are sent to the agent. You send the fees in money order as fast as you can..and to the right place.

When the forms arrive you should correctly fill it out...preapre the i864 form correctly..prepare it with the addition of W2s and everything. Not forget adding anything that might be asked for later. And then send it back as fast as you can.

Different from most other nations Turkish applicants are asked to send all their paperwork (criminal record paper, nüfus kayit örnegi, papers like that) to the NVC. They process these documents instead of embassies doing it.

Once you sent everything they asked for your case will be 'complete' (usually one week or 10 days after they received everything). If it is in the first 10 days or so of the month then they send it to the embassy on 15th to 20th of that month. If it is later then they send it the following month.

Once NVC receives your case and if you send everything they ask for as fast as you can without making any mistakes then it takes +/- 2 months or so for your case to be complete.

And the agent receives the appointment letter. It is usually 45 days after you receive the appointment letter sent by the NVC.

I called NVC to find out what happened to my application. So you can call too..and/or send e-mails about the appointment date. Some of them are flexible thinking people so they might help you/your spouse by quickening the appointment date for you.

These are all too general answers. I hope it helps.

Why do not you try sending e-mails to the embassy instead of calling them?

If it is a very important matter you can contact your congresspeople to have them contact the embassy on your behalf.

BY THE WAY Congratulations on your petition's approval! I hope he waiting period for your spouse is going to be short and without problems/worries.

Edited September 14, 2006 by internetkafe

[MPGGPM 0]

Hello MPGGPM,

It might take for your case a month even to 'reach' NVC..or for the NVC to 'admit' they received it.

And then choice of address and agent form is sent to your spouse...she makes her choice either making you her agent or herself or a lawyer and sends it back. In that form she also states the address sh wants correspondence to be sent from then on.

Then the iv fee letter and then affidavit of support fee letter are sent to the agent. You send the fees in money order as fast as you can..and to the right place.

When the forms arrive you should correctly fill it out...preapre the i864 form correctly..prepare it with the addition of W2s and everything. Not forget adding anything that might be asked for later. And then send it back as fast as you can.

Different from most other nations Turkish applicants are asked to send all their paperwork (criminal record paper, nüfus kayit örnegi, papers like that) to the NVC. They process these documents instead of embassies doing it.

Once you sent everything they asked for your case will be 'complete' (usually one week or 10 days after they received everything). If it is in the first 10 days or so of the month then they send it to the embassy on 15th to 20th of that month. If it is later then they send it the following month.

Once NVC receives your case and if you send everything they ask for as fast as you can without making any mistakes then it takes +/- 2 months or so for your case to be complete.

And the agent receives the appointment letter. It is usually 45 days after you receive the appointment letter sent by the NVC.

I called NVC to find out what happened to my application. So you can call too..and/or send e-mails about the appointment date. Some of them are flexible thinking people so they might help you/your spouse by quickening the appointment date for you.

These are all too general answers. I hope it helps.

Why do not you try sending e-mails to the embassy instead of calling them?

If it is a very important matter you can contact your congresspeople to have them contact the embassy on your behalf.

BY THE WAY Congratulations on your petition's approval! I hope he waiting period for your spouse is going to be short and without problems/worries.

Thank you for your reply. It had a lot of information in it and I thank you for your time.

I didn't realize all of that paperwork would still be done from here, and had thought that they would just send my I-130 packet to Ankara, and everything would be done from there. As I see ............that obviously is not the case. I apparently still have a bit to do from here in the USA.

I was finally able to get hold of someone at the embassy.......on the 3rd day of trying, and they were able to answer that other question I had.

So....it is just a matter of time now.

Thanks again.

[Michele&Omer 0]

DEB & RES.....I see in your timeline that you are here together!!!

Joyeann I see your fiancee got here earlier this month too!!!

Wish you all the best!!!!

Omer was told last week his packet 3 for our K3 is on the way to him from the embassy, we filled out most of the forms earlier just waiting for the packet to arrive so he can send it back and hopefully get an interview date!!!

Michele