STUCK @ NVC for AP

[toddandhien 2]

WE'RE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 52 Days!!! Now, finally, on to HCMC!

cdneh, you still hold the crown...

Thanks to all for the support!!!

(seriously, though, there is something to this duration. It cannot be random that people pop out in 51, 52 or 53 days......)

Congratulations!!! Glad to hear you're out!!!

Winner and still champion

Thanks! I hope that nobody beats your record!!

[Badgerella 5]

WE'RE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 52 Days!!! Now, finally, on to HCMC!

cdneh, you still hold the crown...

Thanks to all for the support!!!

(seriously, though, there is something to this duration. It cannot be random that people pop out in 51, 52 or 53 days......)

Congratulations!

[Joe_&_Nadiya 1]

WE'RE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 52 Days!!! Now, finally, on to HCMC!

cdneh, you still hold the crown...

Thanks to all for the support!!!

(seriously, though, there is something to this duration. It cannot be random that people pop out in 51, 52 or 53 days......)

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

[GShilobod 0]

Everything was going smoothly for us, on schedule, until the NVC.....I received the letter that stated your petition will be forwarded to the consulate within one week. After speaking to an NVC official I found out this is an automated generic letter that goes out once they receive the petition from USCIS. Anyways, I stated I'm retired military and work as a contractor with an active DOD security clearance. That prompted a transfer to a supervisor. I was assured the additional background check wasn't for me but my beneficiary. Hmmmm... Now I did submit a name correction on 3 Mar because I made a typo on the original 129F (no RFE) but it was only one letter left out of her middle name. In fact, I already have my 2nd approved NOA2 from the name correction, yet the NVC didn't have that. So maybe that is why we are waiting.....Who knows!!! I was asked to email a copy of her passport to the NVC to verify the name correction so I did. I do hope that this is the cause of the review however I do feel this will trigger more scrutinizing of my finace at the consulate during her interview.

GShilobod, on your timeline, you show 2/17/09 left NVC...is this the arrive NVC date since you are in AP? Just want it to be correct because we have a member that from time to time works on the statistics of AP cases...it currently would not show up on the list. Thanks

2/17 is the date on the letter from the NVC so it is neither the arrive or left date. Since there is NO WHERE in the timeline to enter the date of the NVC letter I used it as the Left NVC date. In actuality it is neither. It is just the date on the NVC letter. Surely they did not send the letter the exact day they received it! No way is the government that efficient! The next time I talk to the NVC I will get the exact date they received it.

[GShilobod 0]

Everything was going smoothly for us, on schedule, until the NVC.....I received the letter that stated your petition will be forwarded to the consulate within one week. After speaking to an NVC official I found out this is an automated generic letter that goes out once they receive the petition from USCIS. Anyways, I stated I'm retired military and work as a contractor with an active DOD security clearance. That prompted a transfer to a supervisor. I was assured the additional background check wasn't for me but my beneficiary. Hmmmm... Now I did submit a name correction on 3 Mar because I made a typo on the original 129F (no RFE) but it was only one letter left out of her middle name. In fact, I already have my 2nd approved NOA2 from the name correction, yet the NVC didn't have that. So maybe that is why we are waiting.....Who knows!!! I was asked to email a copy of her passport to the NVC to verify the name correction so I did. I do hope that this is the cause of the review however I do feel this will trigger more scrutinizing of my finace at the consulate during her interview.

GShilobod, on your timeline, you show 2/17/09 left NVC...is this the arrive NVC date since you are in AP? Just want it to be correct because we have a member that from time to time works on the statistics of AP cases...it currently would not show up on the list. Thanks

GShilobod-

As far as we can tell, being selected for the honor of AP @ NVC is entirely random. The fact that you're military shouldn't have any positive or negative bearing on it. It probably also doesn't have anything to do with your RFE since that was cleared up by USCIS prior to your getting the NOA2.

As to how long you'll be in AP, it seems to be averaging around 50 days, so you may as well get comfortable for a bit. I called tonight - I'm still stuck at 46 days, and she said they are having an "unusually long backlog" - that was the first time I heard that particular phrasing. That's the bad news. The good news is - this thread is a nice waiting lobby, where you can swap stories with other "victims" of the system. I'm the guy who periodically posts NVC stats Todd referred to. If you can keep your timeline accurate that would be most welcome.

Welcome aboard.

If there is truly a backlog, as I have read here from someone else's post, then one would think they would suspend the random checks until they are caught up. Why create more of a backlog by conituing to pull petitions for further scrutiny??? It wasn't so much my military background but moreso my security clearance. When I initially called the NVC I did not know the background check was solely on my benficiary so I mentioned my security clearance in case the background check was on me. Mentioning that got me to a supervisor for what it's worth. I asked a lot of questions and made some statements just trying to get more info out of them. All I got was that the background check was on my beneficiary...pretty much the standard BS they give everyone else. I asked if they showed the name correction and they didn't. That is when they asked me to email a copy of my SO's passport.

[toddandhien 2]

Everything was going smoothly for us, on schedule, until the NVC.....I received the letter that stated your petition will be forwarded to the consulate within one week. After speaking to an NVC official I found out this is an automated generic letter that goes out once they receive the petition from USCIS. Anyways, I stated I'm retired military and work as a contractor with an active DOD security clearance. That prompted a transfer to a supervisor. I was assured the additional background check wasn't for me but my beneficiary. Hmmmm... Now I did submit a name correction on 3 Mar because I made a typo on the original 129F (no RFE) but it was only one letter left out of her middle name. In fact, I already have my 2nd approved NOA2 from the name correction, yet the NVC didn't have that. So maybe that is why we are waiting.....Who knows!!! I was asked to email a copy of her passport to the NVC to verify the name correction so I did. I do hope that this is the cause of the review however I do feel this will trigger more scrutinizing of my finace at the consulate during her interview.

GShilobod, on your timeline, you show 2/17/09 left NVC...is this the arrive NVC date since you are in AP? Just want it to be correct because we have a member that from time to time works on the statistics of AP cases...it currently would not show up on the list. Thanks

GShilobod-

As far as we can tell, being selected for the honor of AP @ NVC is entirely random. The fact that you're military shouldn't have any positive or negative bearing on it. It probably also doesn't have anything to do with your RFE since that was cleared up by USCIS prior to your getting the NOA2.

As to how long you'll be in AP, it seems to be averaging around 50 days, so you may as well get comfortable for a bit. I called tonight - I'm still stuck at 46 days, and she said they are having an "unusually long backlog" - that was the first time I heard that particular phrasing. That's the bad news. The good news is - this thread is a nice waiting lobby, where you can swap stories with other "victims" of the system. I'm the guy who periodically posts NVC stats Todd referred to. If you can keep your timeline accurate that would be most welcome.

Welcome aboard.

If there is truly a backlog, as I have read here from someone else's post, then one would think they would suspend the random checks until they are caught up. Why create more of a backlog by conituing to pull petitions for further scrutiny??? It wasn't so much my military background but moreso my security clearance. When I initially called the NVC I did not know the background check was solely on my benficiary so I mentioned my security clearance in case the background check was on me. Mentioning that got me to a supervisor for what it's worth. I asked a lot of questions and made some statements just trying to get more info out of them. All I got was that the background check was on my beneficiary...pretty much the standard BS they give everyone else. I asked if they showed the name correction and they didn't. That is when they asked me to email a copy of my SO's passport.

I don't know that there is actually a backlog. I was told several times when I called that "various Washington agencies were looking at it." And my congresswoman's office said that it is largely an FBI background check on the beneficiary. So, I am imagining that when one's case is selected at random, the beneficiary's name is sent to the FBI in DC. They put it through their paces as time allows and later report back to NVC if they have found anything of concern. That process seems to take about 7 weeks. And it looks (unscientifically) that it is about 10-15% of K1/K3 cases that roll through NVC.

I am a former DOD/aerospace employee myself with a non-current security clearance and my fiancee is from Vietnam. I don't think that either of those facts caused me to be selected. I am just lucky, I guess...

If you call the NVC, they will tell you exactly when they received your case.

[Joe_&_Nadiya 1]

Everything was going smoothly for us, on schedule, until the NVC.....I received the letter that stated your petition will be forwarded to the consulate within one week. After speaking to an NVC official I found out this is an automated generic letter that goes out once they receive the petition from USCIS. Anyways, I stated I'm retired military and work as a contractor with an active DOD security clearance. That prompted a transfer to a supervisor. I was assured the additional background check wasn't for me but my beneficiary. Hmmmm... Now I did submit a name correction on 3 Mar because I made a typo on the original 129F (no RFE) but it was only one letter left out of her middle name. In fact, I already have my 2nd approved NOA2 from the name correction, yet the NVC didn't have that. So maybe that is why we are waiting.....Who knows!!! I was asked to email a copy of her passport to the NVC to verify the name correction so I did. I do hope that this is the cause of the review however I do feel this will trigger more scrutinizing of my finace at the consulate during her interview.

GShilobod, on your timeline, you show 2/17/09 left NVC...is this the arrive NVC date since you are in AP? Just want it to be correct because we have a member that from time to time works on the statistics of AP cases...it currently would not show up on the list. Thanks

GShilobod-

As far as we can tell, being selected for the honor of AP @ NVC is entirely random. The fact that you're military shouldn't have any positive or negative bearing on it. It probably also doesn't have anything to do with your RFE since that was cleared up by USCIS prior to your getting the NOA2.

As to how long you'll be in AP, it seems to be averaging around 50 days, so you may as well get comfortable for a bit. I called tonight - I'm still stuck at 46 days, and she said they are having an "unusually long backlog" - that was the first time I heard that particular phrasing. That's the bad news. The good news is - this thread is a nice waiting lobby, where you can swap stories with other "victims" of the system. I'm the guy who periodically posts NVC stats Todd referred to. If you can keep your timeline accurate that would be most welcome.

Welcome aboard.

If there is truly a backlog, as I have read here from someone else's post, then one would think they would suspend the random checks until they are caught up. Why create more of a backlog by conituing to pull petitions for further scrutiny??? It wasn't so much my military background but moreso my security clearance. When I initially called the NVC I did not know the background check was solely on my benficiary so I mentioned my security clearance in case the background check was on me. Mentioning that got me to a supervisor for what it's worth. I asked a lot of questions and made some statements just trying to get more info out of them. All I got was that the background check was on my beneficiary...pretty much the standard BS they give everyone else. I asked if they showed the name correction and they didn't. That is when they asked me to email a copy of my SO's passport.

I don't know that there is actually a backlog. I was told several times when I called that "various Washington agencies were looking at it." And my congresswoman's office said that it is largely an FBI background check on the beneficiary. So, I am imagining that when one's case is selected at random, the beneficiary's name is sent to the FBI in DC. They put it through their paces as time allows and later report back to NVC if they have found anything of concern. That process seems to take about 7 weeks. And it looks (unscientifically) that it is about 10-15% of K1/K3 cases that roll through NVC.

I am a former DOD/aerospace employee myself with a non-current security clearance and my fiancee is from Vietnam. I don't think that either of those facts caused me to be selected. I am just lucky, I guess...

If you call the NVC, they will tell you exactly when they received your case.

hmm...I am a beneficiary .and I have to get a police record for my interview in Kiev. as for me, it's strange if NVC checks a beneficiary's security clearance.. then why do I have to prepare my police record on an interview if they check my name in DC, in the USA??? How I know if NVC sends a case to AP they see a "red flag" on the petitioner's name.. that's why they have to check it out.. and my Embassy checks my background here, in Ukraine.

[GShilobod 0]

Everything was going smoothly for us, on schedule, until the NVC.....I received the letter that stated your petition will be forwarded to the consulate within one week. After speaking to an NVC official I found out this is an automated generic letter that goes out once they receive the petition from USCIS. Anyways, I stated I'm retired military and work as a contractor with an active DOD security clearance. That prompted a transfer to a supervisor. I was assured the additional background check wasn't for me but my beneficiary. Hmmmm... Now I did submit a name correction on 3 Mar because I made a typo on the original 129F (no RFE) but it was only one letter left out of her middle name. In fact, I already have my 2nd approved NOA2 from the name correction, yet the NVC didn't have that. So maybe that is why we are waiting.....Who knows!!! I was asked to email a copy of her passport to the NVC to verify the name correction so I did. I do hope that this is the cause of the review however I do feel this will trigger more scrutinizing of my finace at the consulate during her interview.

GShilobod, on your timeline, you show 2/17/09 left NVC...is this the arrive NVC date since you are in AP? Just want it to be correct because we have a member that from time to time works on the statistics of AP cases...it currently would not show up on the list. Thanks

GShilobod-

As far as we can tell, being selected for the honor of AP @ NVC is entirely random. The fact that you're military shouldn't have any positive or negative bearing on it. It probably also doesn't have anything to do with your RFE since that was cleared up by USCIS prior to your getting the NOA2.

As to how long you'll be in AP, it seems to be averaging around 50 days, so you may as well get comfortable for a bit. I called tonight - I'm still stuck at 46 days, and she said they are having an "unusually long backlog" - that was the first time I heard that particular phrasing. That's the bad news. The good news is - this thread is a nice waiting lobby, where you can swap stories with other "victims" of the system. I'm the guy who periodically posts NVC stats Todd referred to. If you can keep your timeline accurate that would be most welcome.

Welcome aboard.

If there is truly a backlog, as I have read here from someone else's post, then one would think they would suspend the random checks until they are caught up. Why create more of a backlog by conituing to pull petitions for further scrutiny??? It wasn't so much my military background but moreso my security clearance. When I initially called the NVC I did not know the background check was solely on my benficiary so I mentioned my security clearance in case the background check was on me. Mentioning that got me to a supervisor for what it's worth. I asked a lot of questions and made some statements just trying to get more info out of them. All I got was that the background check was on my beneficiary...pretty much the standard BS they give everyone else. I asked if they showed the name correction and they didn't. That is when they asked me to email a copy of my SO's passport.

I don't know that there is actually a backlog. I was told several times when I called that "various Washington agencies were looking at it." And my congresswoman's office said that it is largely an FBI background check on the beneficiary. So, I am imagining that when one's case is selected at random, the beneficiary's name is sent to the FBI in DC. They put it through their paces as time allows and later report back to NVC if they have found anything of concern. That process seems to take about 7 weeks. And it looks (unscientifically) that it is about 10-15% of K1/K3 cases that roll through NVC.

I am a former DOD/aerospace employee myself with a non-current security clearance and my fiancee is from Vietnam. I don't think that either of those facts caused me to be selected. I am just lucky, I guess...

If you call the NVC, they will tell you exactly when they received your case.

Ok I just reread my posts that I typed in haste and didn't proofread. LOL. Before I knew the background check was on my SO I was thinking it may be me and if they knew I had an active security clearance that it may help things along. All that is irrelevant now. I'm stuck in AP.

Where did AP come from when the NVC calls it Administrative Review(AR)???

[Joe_&_Nadiya 1]

Everything was going smoothly for us, on schedule, until the NVC.....I received the letter that stated your petition will be forwarded to the consulate within one week. After speaking to an NVC official I found out this is an automated generic letter that goes out once they receive the petition from USCIS. Anyways, I stated I'm retired military and work as a contractor with an active DOD security clearance. That prompted a transfer to a supervisor. I was assured the additional background check wasn't for me but my beneficiary. Hmmmm... Now I did submit a name correction on 3 Mar because I made a typo on the original 129F (no RFE) but it was only one letter left out of her middle name. In fact, I already have my 2nd approved NOA2 from the name correction, yet the NVC didn't have that. So maybe that is why we are waiting.....Who knows!!! I was asked to email a copy of her passport to the NVC to verify the name correction so I did. I do hope that this is the cause of the review however I do feel this will trigger more scrutinizing of my finace at the consulate during her interview.

GShilobod, on your timeline, you show 2/17/09 left NVC...is this the arrive NVC date since you are in AP? Just want it to be correct because we have a member that from time to time works on the statistics of AP cases...it currently would not show up on the list. Thanks

GShilobod-

As far as we can tell, being selected for the honor of AP @ NVC is entirely random. The fact that you're military shouldn't have any positive or negative bearing on it. It probably also doesn't have anything to do with your RFE since that was cleared up by USCIS prior to your getting the NOA2.

As to how long you'll be in AP, it seems to be averaging around 50 days, so you may as well get comfortable for a bit. I called tonight - I'm still stuck at 46 days, and she said they are having an "unusually long backlog" - that was the first time I heard that particular phrasing. That's the bad news. The good news is - this thread is a nice waiting lobby, where you can swap stories with other "victims" of the system. I'm the guy who periodically posts NVC stats Todd referred to. If you can keep your timeline accurate that would be most welcome.

Welcome aboard.

If there is truly a backlog, as I have read here from someone else's post, then one would think they would suspend the random checks until they are caught up. Why create more of a backlog by conituing to pull petitions for further scrutiny??? It wasn't so much my military background but moreso my security clearance. When I initially called the NVC I did not know the background check was solely on my benficiary so I mentioned my security clearance in case the background check was on me. Mentioning that got me to a supervisor for what it's worth. I asked a lot of questions and made some statements just trying to get more info out of them. All I got was that the background check was on my beneficiary...pretty much the standard BS they give everyone else. I asked if they showed the name correction and they didn't. That is when they asked me to email a copy of my SO's passport.

I don't know that there is actually a backlog. I was told several times when I called that "various Washington agencies were looking at it." And my congresswoman's office said that it is largely an FBI background check on the beneficiary. So, I am imagining that when one's case is selected at random, the beneficiary's name is sent to the FBI in DC. They put it through their paces as time allows and later report back to NVC if they have found anything of concern. That process seems to take about 7 weeks. And it looks (unscientifically) that it is about 10-15% of K1/K3 cases that roll through NVC.

I am a former DOD/aerospace employee myself with a non-current security clearance and my fiancee is from Vietnam. I don't think that either of those facts caused me to be selected. I am just lucky, I guess...

If you call the NVC, they will tell you exactly when they received your case.

Ok I just reread my posts that I typed in haste and didn't proofread. LOL. Before I knew the background check was on my SO I was thinking it may be me and if they knew I had an active security clearance that it may help things along. All that is irrelevant now. I'm stuck in AP.

Where did AP come from when the NVC calls it Administrative Review(AR)???

We are in AP too.. how we were said last Friday to call again next Friday.. so, on 13th FEb will be one month since we are at NVC..

About AP or AR, I don't see difference between PROCESSING or REVIEW since the meaning is the same " we are stuck"

[toddandhien 2]

Everything was going smoothly for us, on schedule, until the NVC.....I received the letter that stated your petition will be forwarded to the consulate within one week. After speaking to an NVC official I found out this is an automated generic letter that goes out once they receive the petition from USCIS. Anyways, I stated I'm retired military and work as a contractor with an active DOD security clearance. That prompted a transfer to a supervisor. I was assured the additional background check wasn't for me but my beneficiary. Hmmmm... Now I did submit a name correction on 3 Mar because I made a typo on the original 129F (no RFE) but it was only one letter left out of her middle name. In fact, I already have my 2nd approved NOA2 from the name correction, yet the NVC didn't have that. So maybe that is why we are waiting.....Who knows!!! I was asked to email a copy of her passport to the NVC to verify the name correction so I did. I do hope that this is the cause of the review however I do feel this will trigger more scrutinizing of my finace at the consulate during her interview.

GShilobod, on your timeline, you show 2/17/09 left NVC...is this the arrive NVC date since you are in AP? Just want it to be correct because we have a member that from time to time works on the statistics of AP cases...it currently would not show up on the list. Thanks

GShilobod-

As far as we can tell, being selected for the honor of AP @ NVC is entirely random. The fact that you're military shouldn't have any positive or negative bearing on it. It probably also doesn't have anything to do with your RFE since that was cleared up by USCIS prior to your getting the NOA2.

As to how long you'll be in AP, it seems to be averaging around 50 days, so you may as well get comfortable for a bit. I called tonight - I'm still stuck at 46 days, and she said they are having an "unusually long backlog" - that was the first time I heard that particular phrasing. That's the bad news. The good news is - this thread is a nice waiting lobby, where you can swap stories with other "victims" of the system. I'm the guy who periodically posts NVC stats Todd referred to. If you can keep your timeline accurate that would be most welcome.

Welcome aboard.

If there is truly a backlog, as I have read here from someone else's post, then one would think they would suspend the random checks until they are caught up. Why create more of a backlog by conituing to pull petitions for further scrutiny??? It wasn't so much my military background but moreso my security clearance. When I initially called the NVC I did not know the background check was solely on my benficiary so I mentioned my security clearance in case the background check was on me. Mentioning that got me to a supervisor for what it's worth. I asked a lot of questions and made some statements just trying to get more info out of them. All I got was that the background check was on my beneficiary...pretty much the standard BS they give everyone else. I asked if they showed the name correction and they didn't. That is when they asked me to email a copy of my SO's passport.

I don't know that there is actually a backlog. I was told several times when I called that "various Washington agencies were looking at it." And my congresswoman's office said that it is largely an FBI background check on the beneficiary. So, I am imagining that when one's case is selected at random, the beneficiary's name is sent to the FBI in DC. They put it through their paces as time allows and later report back to NVC if they have found anything of concern. That process seems to take about 7 weeks. And it looks (unscientifically) that it is about 10-15% of K1/K3 cases that roll through NVC.

I am a former DOD/aerospace employee myself with a non-current security clearance and my fiancee is from Vietnam. I don't think that either of those facts caused me to be selected. I am just lucky, I guess...

If you call the NVC, they will tell you exactly when they received your case.

Ok I just reread my posts that I typed in haste and didn't proofread. LOL. Before I knew the background check was on my SO I was thinking it may be me and if they knew I had an active security clearance that it may help things along. All that is irrelevant now. I'm stuck in AP.

Where did AP come from when the NVC calls it Administrative Review(AR)???

When you call NVC, you will hear it referred to as many things (administrative review, administrative processing, additional procesing). This forum has taken to calling it AP, because Administrative Processing is a common immigration term that can happen at a number of stages in the process.

Good luck. I hope your wait time is not as long as some of us have experienced!

Plus, if you are in the military, you should know that telling a bureaucrat that they can deviate from the process does not compute!! MUST follow the maze whether it makes sense or not!!

[Joe_&_Nadiya 1]

YES!!! It's true and the word "bureaucrat" was correctly used here.. I think the whole process in K visas is BUREAUCRACY. You have to gather so many documents just to prove your AOS or relations and over again they do it themselves.. here you have a question : " Why do I do it??"

About words, when we call to NVC they say AP ( Administrative processing )

[cdneh 3,112]

Same here..it is what it is. They can submit your case for further review in house, at whatever time they choose, anywhere throughout the process. We were told the checks take place at NVC, using in house staff from whatever agency is looking at it, the case actually does not go anywhere else. We were told at the interview it is random.

End result is further delay whatever the person you speak to calls it. Anyone can speak to a supervisor too, we did twice a week. All we did was ask to speak to one, and they escalated the call. You don't need to have had previous clearances to do this.

I hope no one ends up there longer than we were either. It bites.

[scandal 951]

hmm...I am a beneficiary .and I have to get a police record for my interview in Kiev. as for me, it's strange if NVC checks a beneficiary's security clearance.. then why do I have to prepare my police record on an interview if they check my name in DC, in the USA??? How I know if NVC sends a case to AP they see a "red flag" on the petitioner's name.. that's why they have to check it out.. and my Embassy checks my background here, in Ukraine.

I can see how it makes sense to do both a local police clearance in country (e.g. Ukraine) as well as checks in the US (e.g. FBI, Interpol). The former will verify that you don't have any criminal record at home on domestic charges. The latter will vett that you aren't on any radar screen for international terror, drugs, etc. I'm ok with the system demanding that level of scrutiny since ultimately it does make us all safer. I'm even ok with different stages of the process (USCIS, NVC, etc.) apparently repeating checks and doing them at random - if it helps to weed out bad guys, that's fine by me. What I'm not ok with is the lack of openness and communication. Would it be so hard for them to TELL US what they're checking and how long it will take? What's with the big aura of mystery to this thing? That serves no useful purpose for national security or the integrity of the immigration process. All it does is frustrate and worry petitioners who are doing their best to play by the rules.

[Joe_&_Nadiya 1]

hmm...I am a beneficiary .and I have to get a police record for my interview in Kiev. as for me, it's strange if NVC checks a beneficiary's security clearance.. then why do I have to prepare my police record on an interview if they check my name in DC, in the USA??? How I know if NVC sends a case to AP they see a "red flag" on the petitioner's name.. that's why they have to check it out.. and my Embassy checks my background here, in Ukraine.

I can see how it makes sense to do both a local police clearance in country (e.g. Ukraine) as well as checks in the US (e.g. FBI, Interpol). The former will verify that you don't have any criminal record at home on domestic charges. The latter will vett that you aren't on any radar screen for international terror, drugs, etc. I'm ok with the system demanding that level of scrutiny since ultimately it does make us all safer. I'm even ok with different stages of the process (USCIS, NVC, etc.) apparently repeating checks and doing them at random - if it helps to weed out bad guys, that's fine by me. What I'm not ok with is the lack of openness and communication. Would it be so hard for them to TELL US what they're checking and how long it will take? What's with the big aura of mystery to this thing? That serves no useful purpose for national security or the integrity of the immigration process. All it does is frustrate and worry petitioners who are doing their best to play by the rules.

I have nothing against it too and I am ok with their processing.. I know they had started doing it after Sep 11 in NY. But how our lawyer said if USCIS approved us we don't have to be in AP.. Because we gathered all info about it what we had in the past.. We did it because we wanted to make our process shorter and faster ASAP, but the luck was on oppisite side

And they will never TELL US "how long?" " what?" "why?" "where?'

[scandal 951]

hmm...I am a beneficiary .and I have to get a police record for my interview in Kiev. as for me, it's strange if NVC checks a beneficiary's security clearance.. then why do I have to prepare my police record on an interview if they check my name in DC, in the USA??? How I know if NVC sends a case to AP they see a "red flag" on the petitioner's name.. that's why they have to check it out.. and my Embassy checks my background here, in Ukraine.

I can see how it makes sense to do both a local police clearance in country (e.g. Ukraine) as well as checks in the US (e.g. FBI, Interpol). The former will verify that you don't have any criminal record at home on domestic charges. The latter will vett that you aren't on any radar screen for international terror, drugs, etc. I'm ok with the system demanding that level of scrutiny since ultimately it does make us all safer. I'm even ok with different stages of the process (USCIS, NVC, etc.) apparently repeating checks and doing them at random - if it helps to weed out bad guys, that's fine by me. What I'm not ok with is the lack of openness and communication. Would it be so hard for them to TELL US what they're checking and how long it will take? What's with the big aura of mystery to this thing? That serves no useful purpose for national security or the integrity of the immigration process. All it does is frustrate and worry petitioners who are doing their best to play by the rules.

I have nothing against it too and I am ok with their processing.. I know they had started doing it after Sep 11 in NY. But how our lawyer said if USCIS approved us we don't have to be in AP.. Because we gathered all info about it what we had in the past.. We did it because we wanted to make our process shorter and faster ASAP, but the luck was on oppisite side

And they will never TELL US "how long?" " what?" "why?" "where?'

I see in your post 2 assumptions that are unfortunately quite common: (1) Expecting that hiring a lawyer will expedite your case (2) trusting anything a lawyer tells you, especially regarding how they'll help you speed up your case. You're quite right about one thing: "luck was on the opposite side". NVC AP really is just a matter of luck - random chance. Hiring a lawyer hasn't helped you, or hurt you in this regard.

I just made my nightly call to NVC. Still stuck. Day 47. This time she asked for something new --- my fiancee's email address.

The usual dialog goes like this:

Case Number Please? Me: "BNK........."

Name and DOB of Beneficiary? Me: "......"

Name and DOB of petitioner? Me "....."

Is your phone number still ...... ? Me: "Yes."

What was new tonight was "We have your email address on file, but not your fiancee's. Would you like to add that to the file?"

Me: "Um... sure, ok. Here it is......"

After which, the usual patter of "How can I help you today?"

Me: "I'd just like to get status on my case please".

Them "Well, I see you are still undergoing additional processing. Unfortunately there is no timeline for this processing. When it is completed your case will be forwarded to the embassy in Bangkok"

Me (under my breath): "!@#!%!" (out loud) "Thank you very much"

Just curious - have any of you had that variation before (asking for email address)?