Visa Appointment Cancelled at the last minute :-(

[Meriem_DZ 37]

At least you got a response-it does appear from your noa dates that you would be affected by IMBRA. Our case on the other hand-should not be. I called & they told me to ring them back on Thurs(guess I will be getting up at 4:30 am). I also called USCIS(as I was told to do by NVC) the woman told me that IMBRA does NOT have anything to do with fiance visas-can you imagine?? I said "it specifically deals with K-1 visas" she was clueless. Very scary

she then told me if our petition was sent back in error-I would have to write a letter to VSC

I am going to call the embassy back on Thursday & see what happens. Our case shouldn't have been sent back for IMBRA & if it was I will make sure it is sent back(I will call all day everyday). I just think everyone should stay on top of their cases & make sure that even more mistakes aren't made. Good luck everyone!

I think I quoted my NOA1 date incorrectly...it's the "receipt date" that is relevant??? In our case it's Jan 11th 2006. March 13th was the date the NOA1 was issued. I tried updating that "My Timeline" link but hadn't much success. Will try it again.

Best of luck, let us know how thursday goes.

Do you mean you got your NOA2 on March 13? Your should have recieved your first notice, NOA1, two or three weeks after uscis received you petition in January. More like my timeline. We sent ours in on Jan 10th.

Meriem

[nearlythere 0]

2 month wait for NOA1 is standard enough, especially from Nebraska. We met with a lawyer before starting the process and he told us it could be a 6-12 week wait for NOA1. The 2 month wait also tallied with the Service Centre Processing Times on this web page...https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/Processtimes.jsp?SeviceCenter=Nebraska...I watched this page every day, we got our NOA1 a few days before the page covered our submission date. Why do you think there is something amiss with these dates...what's on your mind? Is it because my receipt date and notice dates bridge march 6th?

Reading between the lines from what I've read and the information from the Embassy, I'd say the following is going on....the embassy has put a halt to their processing on foot of a request from the Service Centres and sent all pending petitions back to the states. The good folks in the Visa processing centres can then pick out the petitions that the IMBRA is applicable to and return the un-affected ones (that would be their job/remit and not that of the Embassy, hence the Enbassy has to send them all back regardless).

The lady kept telling me she "thinks" I will get an interview in the next couple of weeks. This was her answer to anything I asked in relation the IMBRA and March 6th. From this I take it that the Embassy has an understanding of how the IMBRA law should be applied but because it's not in their remit to make this decision they have to wait until the Service Centre has returned the unaffected petitions.

I will contact the NVC to try get more info, thanks for the number. It looks like a painful wait and see for us all.

It's the old Mushroom Conspiracy...keep 'em in the dark and feed 'em #######.

[kitkat1 5]

2 month wait for NOA1 is standard enough, especially from Nebraska. We met with a lawyer before starting the process and he told us it could be a 6-12 week wait for NOA1. The 2 month wait also tallied with the Service Centre Processing Times on this web .

I think maybe you are confused by the abbreviations. NOA1 is your receipt - it indicates that your original application was received by the service center. 2 months is in no way standard for an NOA1. Most people receive it within 14 days. So I think you are referring to your NOA2 = your petition approval being on March 13. This makes much more sense that you got through the process in 2 months - fairly common pre-IMBRA for Nebraska. In this case, you should NOT be affected by IMBRA. In any event, it looks like you were affected, correctly or incorrectly, and hopefully they will straighten it out for you shortly.

Edited June 13, 2006 by kitkat1

[sarah and hicham 3]

This just doesn't make sense! 2 months for an NOA1 is not standard at all.... there must just be some confusion.

[nearlythere 0]

Fair enough, I hope thats the case...thanks for the info

[Billy 0]

Agree...it can not be 2 months to receive NOA1. Must be some mistake. Could be your lawyer screwed it up your petition.

Bill

[ktmmansgal 0]

Hi Kitkat1,

I don't think there is anything special about my timeline....petition submitted begining of Jan 2006. All relevant NOAs and packages received.....I've done the medicals, all paperwork gathered and appointment letter received from Embassy.

Excuse my ignorance but what's IMBRA?

it a new law that was passed(I believe it is mosty about marriage brokers-basically it requires a more extensive background check on the US citizens). I could be way off-someone here will clarify. There seems to be some confusion about dates-I have read here that it only applies to people that applied for the k-1 AFTER 3/6/06......................the guy from NVC told me it applies to all petitions that weren't approved before Jan 06.

I think Dublin is making a HUGE mistake & we need to se them straight. when did you receive your noa2?

Here is a little background --- I read of one of the cases that drove IMBRA being from Washington State where a fella who had a previous abuse record, brought a Russian Bride here and she quickly learned of his abusive behavior and moved out to protect herself -- he then arranged to have her murdered when she would not come back to him.

WHAT IS THIS NEW LAW? WHAT DROVE IT?...

Based on a very few unfortunate cases around the country of a foreign lady spouse who became a victim of domestic abuse, Congress passed a law to, understandably, offer some protection for these immigrant women. The law was passed as part of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization of 2005.

The new law is called the "International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005". It requires all U.S. gentlemen who petition for a fiancee or spousal visa to provide more personal background information to Immigration Service and the State Department than ever before. It creates more restrictions in the process such as the number of fiancee or spousal petitions one can file, and how quickly a gentleman can file some visa petitions.

The law also requires a U.S. gentleman who wishes to meet his future fiancee or spouse through an "International Marriage Broker" to first submit extensive personal background information to the broker agency. The broker must then share that information with a future lady fiancee or spouse who must consent before the couple can start a communication and relationship.

WHY IS THIS LAW IMPORTANT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

For the foreign ladies, the law is important because it tries to protect immigrant women by allowing them to review a potential gentleman suitor's background before starting a relationship. For the gentlemen, it means that they must be prepared to forego some privacy and offer some extensive background data. Perhaps, the best way to view this law is simply to acknowledge the obvious: in the long run, full disclosure is the best "relationship" policy.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE SOME OF THE PROVISIONS?

Some highlights of the new law:

1. NEW PETITION FORMS: New I-129F Fiancee and K-3 Spousal Visa petitions will require that the petitioner provide information on his criminal convictions for specified crimes, including violent offenses, domestic abuse and sexual assualt.(Interestingly, it would appear that the Petition I-130 Petition for the CR-1 legal resident visa for spouse seems to be unaffected.)

2. LIMIT ON NUMBER OF PETITIONS: Some petitioners will need to wait before they can successfully file for a fiancee visa. For example, if you filed two (2) or more fiancee visa petitions in the past, and at least one of them was approved, you must wait two (2) years from the filing date of the last approved petition before you can be successfully approved for another fiancee visa petition. (Exception: Under some circumstances, a petitioner may be able to obtain a "waiver".)

3. MULTIPLE VISA PETITION DATABASE: Any person approved for a second visa petition or filing a third visa petition will be notified by Immigration that their case has been put into a special visa petition database which will track multiple petition filers and help identify those who might be abusing the system.

4. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PAMPHLET BROCHURE: Homeland Security will develop and make available on USCIS, State Department and Embassy websites a domestic violence pamphlet brochure in 14 languages and revised every 2 years which discusses the visa process, adjustment of status, conditional residency, marriage and visa fraud, domestic violence abuse rights, where and how to get help and other warnings and notifications.

5. CONSULAR INTERVIEW: The Consular Officer at interview will provide the visa applicant with a copy of the fiancee or spousal petition, and information and documents in her native language on any past marital and divorce history, past criminal history and past domestic violence history of the petitioner. The Consular Officer will also answer any questions about the domestic violence pamphlet brochure. The Consular Officer will also ask the visa applicant if the relationship was facilitated by an International Marriage Broker and , if so, confirm that the broker provided the applicant with information or documents about the petitioner's background.

6. REGULATION OF INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKERS (IMBs): IMBs are required to check the National Sex Offender public registry and state public registry for each specific U.S. client, and to gather mandatory background information and documents on that particular U.S. client's past criminal history, including prostitution offenses, past domestic violence history, past marital and divorce history, past visa petition history, ages of any children under age 18, and all states and countries where the U.S. client lived since age 18. IMBs must then provide that information to the foreign client lady in her native language and secure a signed, written consent from her before releasing her personal contact information to that specific U.S. client. The law imposes stiff civil and criminal penalties of up to $25,000 and up to 5 years in federal prison for each broker violation.

WHEN DOES THE LAW GO INTO EFFECT? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Most of the new law's provisions go into effect in sixty (60) days after date of enactment, which is March 06, 2006. The bottom line for gentlemen and foreign ladies with an international romance and courtship is, if possible, to finalize their engagement and file their visa petitions as soon as possible.

WHAT IF I DISAGREE WITH THIS LAW? HOW DO I COMPLAIN ABOUT IT?

Many gentlemen value their rights of privacy. Many gentlemen feel that this new law might unduly impinge on their rights of free speech and free association as U.S. citizens. Perhaps, the law may also intrude on equal protection rights of U.S. citizens who are required to provide extensive background data for foreign romances but not for domestic dating. If you wish to register and voice your concerns and complaints about this law, please contact your federal Senator's or local Congressman's office.

Edited June 13, 2006 by ktmmansgal

[irishgirl73 0]

2 month wait for NOA1 is standard enough, especially from Nebraska. We met with a lawyer before starting the process and he told us it could be a 6-12 week wait for NOA1. The 2 month wait also tallied with the Service Centre Processing Times on this web page...https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/Processtimes.jsp?SeviceCenter=Nebraska...I watched this page every day, we got our NOA1 a few days before the page covered our submission date. Why do you think there is something amiss with these dates...what's on your mind? Is it because my receipt date and notice dates bridge march 6th?

Reading between the lines from what I've read and the information from the Embassy, I'd say the following is going on....the embassy has put a halt to their processing on foot of a request from the Service Centres and sent all pending petitions back to the states. The good folks in the Visa processing centres can then pick out the petitions that the IMBRA is applicable to and return the un-affected ones (that would be their job/remit and not that of the Embassy, hence the Enbassy has to send them all back regardless).

The lady kept telling me she "thinks" I will get an interview in the next couple of weeks. This was her answer to anything I asked in relation the IMBRA and March 6th. From this I take it that the Embassy has an understanding of how the IMBRA law should be applied but because it's not in their remit to make this decision they have to wait until the Service Centre has returned the unaffected petitions.

I will contact the NVC to try get more info, thanks for the number. It looks like a painful wait and see for us all.

It's the old Mushroom Conspiracy...keep 'em in the dark and feed 'em #######.

the vjer that had her interview tomorrow was just told the interview will be in a few weeks(they caled yesterday & cancelled it). My opininion-the embassy screwed up & since people have called-maybe realize their mistake. In our case-we should NOT have had our case sent back so I will ring them again. You may get your interview sooner than you think

Edited June 13, 2006 by irishgirl73

[nearlythere 0]

the vjer that had her interview tomorrow was just told the interview will be in a few weeks(they caled yesterday & cancelled it). My opininion-the embassy screwed up & since people have called-maybe realize their mistake. In our case-we should NOT have had our case sent back so I will ring them again. You may get your interview sooner than you think

I really hope so...let us know how you get on.

[irishgirl73 0]

the vjer that had her interview tomorrow was just told the interview will be in a few weeks(they caled yesterday & cancelled it). My opininion-the embassy screwed up & since people have called-maybe realize their mistake. In our case-we should NOT have had our case sent back so I will ring them again. You may get your interview sooner than you think

I really hope so...let us know how you get on.

I was wrong her interview is Thursday(her post is in the embassy forum) at least they moved quickly to correct the mistake. They rang-told her she would have to wait a few months, then told her to come in Thursday. I am impressed

fingers crossed for ya

keep everyone posted

[nearlythere 0]

The Embassy called this morning and gave me a new interview date for June 29th!! That is the best possible result from a bad situation.

I asked the lady if the cancellation/changes were due to the law passed in January and petitions received before March 6th did not have to comply with the new law...she said "yes".

I hope there are no more cancellations and will not be holding out much hope until I have the visa in hand.

Best of luck to everyone in the same predicament.

[Ladylethal 12]

Congratulations!

[kitkat1 5]

The Embassy called this morning and gave me a new interview date for June 29th!! That is the best possible result from a bad situation.

I asked the lady if the cancellation/changes were due to the law passed in January and petitions received before March 6th did not have to comply with the new law...she said "yes".

I hope there are no more cancellations and will not be holding out much hope until I have the visa in hand.

Best of luck to everyone in the same predicament.

YAY Congratulations! It was just another screw-up on their part and thank god they figured it out and were able to reschedule you fast. Best of luck!!!

[irishgirl73 0]

The Embassy called this morning and gave me a new interview date for June 29th!! That is the best possible result from a bad situation.

I asked the lady if the cancellation/changes were due to the law passed in January and petitions received before March 6th did not have to comply with the new law...she said "yes".

I hope there are no more cancellations and will not be holding out much hope until I have the visa in hand.

Best of luck to everyone in the same predicament.

YAY Congratulations! It was just another screw-up on their part and thank god they figured it out and were able to reschedule you fast. Best of luck!!!

I am glad they sorted it out-your dates were a little funny so I guess that is why they got confused(I have NO idea why they would send ours back because our noa1 date was in Dec).

I knew they screwed up I am so glad I called them, I have to call back tomorrow to speak with someone. I know we have to wait for his fingerprint clearance but since we have been waiting since Dec-I hope the interview is not too far off.

Good luck everyone

Colleen

Edited June 14, 2006 by irishgirl73

[nearlythere 0]

Hi,

Well after the Embassy called yesterday, they called again and gave me an interview date for today....so I went and I now have the Visa....Wow I can't believe it. From bitter dissapointment on Monday to a brilliant result today...unreal.

The Enbassy staff were very nice, professional. I was in there for 2 hours in all.

There were four people there for Fiance/Spouse type visas. There were a few othere people there but they seemd to be for different type visas. We were called individually to the counter, the lady asked for each individual item of paperwork. She arranged the paperwork in a file and told me to take a seat while a consulate reviewed the paperwork. That took about 40-50 mins. I was then called to the counter by the consulate. I was asked how I met my Fiance, how long we knew each other, if I had work lined up. Was asked about how long some of my trips were to the states. All very straightforward stuff. They took fingerprints and you say an "I do" with the right hand raised when asked that the information furnished is accurate etc etc....Then the consulate said all the paperwork looks fine, asked me to take a seat and said my visa will be ready in a little while. I had the visa in my hand and was walking out the door 2 hours after I entered the building!!

Thanks to everyone here for their support and help.

Best Wishes to everyone else, let us know how you go