Electronic Processing

[FireRay 1]

Hey - if yer using the toolsets I've mentioned on the wiki -

you can SKIP printing the I-864 instruction pages

and

reduce the output DPI on the PDF files to 75 DPI.

Most people have found that any collection of file attachments larger than 10 megabytes gets BOUNCED by NVC email server. But - is absolutely OK to send off multiple emails, you betcha !

Good Luck !

Thanks, I ment the whole I-864 Package letter of employment, tax returns, etc..

[Musi 0]

Data Error back at NVC. Don't sweat it - absolutely a programming problem @ NVC.

Darnell: Thanks for the reassurance!

[zenaxe 22]

Enrolling in EP, and paying online via the payment portal -

are two seperate things. They are not directly linked.

Later, 'status of payment' can be used to PUSH things into the NVC email box - but

when you have 'paid notice' - it is 'safe' to submit your email 'with stuff' .

There are two distinct 'things' with the payment portal - AOS for I-864, and IV for DS-230.

Since you are Canadien EP person, no need to 'wait' on any 'EP acceptance' at all. Just send in a set after the payment portal marks it 'paid'.

The 'thing' that gets you INTO the payment portal, from that stream of 3 emails, is the AOS feel bill - the IIN is there, along with the payment portal link. HAVING THIS EMAIL is clear indication that the IIN has been set up, and the payment portal is READY to accept yer monies.

Good Luck !

Data Error back at NVC. Don't sweat it - absolutely a programming problem @ NVC.

Yup - keep monitoring the payment portal for status. When the AOS is marked 'paid' on the portal, is 'safe' to send in the I-864 set.

Good Luck !

Those are the exact three emails we got too. In fact, despite seeing cannot find applicant's name etc, I can actually log in as the applicant, plus the receipt and information on the online site clearly shows me as applicant. I think it's just a glitch.

Darnell, to answer your question, yes I had called NVC to inquire if our case had arrived from California and when I got confirmation, I obtained our case number plus I gave the operator mine and my wife's email addresses. The next day we received the AOS bill and those three emails. We paid after seeing the bills.

I called NVC and the AVR system says NVC has received our payment but the online system shows as 'in process' still and our bank account hasn't been processed. I anticipate early next week. Once that shows as paid, we'll fire off the I 864 package and pay the IV bill that should be there. Then do the same for the IV bill.

I see Musi got their AOS bill Apr 3rd and I was surprised they would be working on the Sat.

Happy Easter everyone.

[zenaxe 22]

Did you call NVC at all, prior to sending off the OPT IN email? was a 'ds-3032 kit' sent to either of you, via email? I ask, because if you've stumbled into a process change (or got lucky) - hey - I'd love to know about it.

This EP thing has some variances to it, you betcha... There was massive processing lag during March 2010, but - if they've got 'caught up' or the process was 'refactored' back at NVC - I'm betting you got some speed on this because of NVC EP 'fixing themselves' this week. But that's just a hunch, at this point.

Warmest Regards...

Hey there, yes I called NVC and inquired about our case; they confirmed it was at NVC and I got our casenumber; plus gave NVC our email addresses. Later that evening I sent in the OPTIN email and attached the DS3032 in pdf format to the OPTIN email. The next day, to our total surprise, we received 3 emails including the AOS bill and also the DS3032 but as someone had mentioned, the DS302 NVC sends via email shows an expiry date of 2006...the one we sent with the OPTIN email expires 2012. I haven't submitted a second DS3032 at all, given that we seem to be set up electronically.

Is this a change in the processing compared to what you had experienced?

Later...

[Musi 0]

I see Musi got their AOS bill Apr 3rd and I was surprised they would be working on the Sat.

Happy Easter everyone.

We got the three e-mails late on Friday, April 2, and my husband paid the bill the next day, April 3.

Happy Easter to you, too!

[FireRay 1]

The petitioners name couldnt be found e-mails only showed up for me when i sent myself the reciept of my AOS bill, Other then that everything was fine. Though I did get three e-mails. Two at one time..then 5 hours later or so I got another (It was a duplicate of one I recieved earlier.) And the day after I payed my AOS bill, it showed as payed.

I sent out the I-864 e-mails last night, I will let you know when I get a response to them

Happy Easter!

Edited April 4, 2010 by FireRay

[bwoo 1]

For even further reassurance, I also received three emails for the AOS fee bill and DS-3032 as well. All just a little different from each other. If you are doing EP, only thing you need from those emails is the Invoice Identification Number (IIN) so you can log into the invoice payment center. They could do a lot better job making it easier to understand - ie. one email with all the information instead of three and sending a DS-3032 form that isn't 4 years expired!

When I paid the AOS fee on 3/25 the email said "PRINCIPAL APPLICANT NOT FOUND" as well but the attached PDF receipt had the correct information as well as in the payment center - definitely a programming error that doesn't pull the name correctly from the account information. Nothing to worry about except again something else the NVC needs to fix so they don't send people into panic mode.

Still waiting for "PAID" status here though. I wonder if the government is working today or if it's a holiday again for them.. Still waiting for EP acceptance email as well.

[zenaxe 22]

For even further reassurance, I also received three emails for the AOS fee bill and DS-3032 as well. All just a little different from each other. If you are doing EP, only thing you need from those emails is the Invoice Identification Number (IIN) so you can log into the invoice payment center. They could do a lot better job making it easier to understand - ie. one email with all the information instead of three and sending a DS-3032 form that isn't 4 years expired!

When I paid the AOS fee on 3/25 the email said "PRINCIPAL APPLICANT NOT FOUND" as well but the attached PDF receipt had the correct information as well as in the payment center - definitely a programming error that doesn't pull the name correctly from the account information. Nothing to worry about except again something else the NVC needs to fix so they don't send people into panic mode.

Still waiting for "PAID" status here though. I wonder if the government is working today or if it's a holiday again for them.. Still waiting for EP acceptance email as well.

Good day....well this morning we checked the NVC online site to find the 'in process' status intact. The phone line is busy as usual. However, our bank account has been charged the AOS bill and it shows as paid effective Apr 2nd. I wish the DOS site would refresh and show us as paid. Hopefully today so we can send the first batch of documents and await the IV bill.

Later ....

[zenaxe 22]

Good day....well this morning we checked the NVC online site to find the 'in process' status intact. The phone line is busy as usual. However, our bank account has been charged the AOS bill and it shows as paid effective Apr 2nd. I wish the DOS site would refresh and show us as paid. Hopefully today so we can send the first batch of documents and await the IV bill.

Later ....

Forgot to add, everyone here in the USA is saying Easter Monday isn't a stat holiday so the Fed gov't is working today. It's a holiday in Canada (for me too haha)...we get a few more holidays in Canada than our hardworking counterparts in the USA.

[bwoo 1]

Forgot to add, everyone here in the USA is saying Easter Monday isn't a stat holiday so the Fed gov't is working today. It's a holiday in Canada (for me too haha)...we get a few more holidays in Canada than our hardworking counterparts in the USA.

Haha, yeah, my wife keeps reminding me about all these extra holidays in Canada (Family Day, Easter Monday, Victoria's Day, etc.) in hopes that I will want to move up there and work. Maybe in a few years after she gets her US citizenship to not go through this painful process again.

To answer a question you asked a few days ago, my wife is from the Hamilton, Ontario area, and I live in Denver. I've been to Vancouver once when I was a kid, would love to go back some day.

The AOS payment cleared my bank on Friday as well, still waiting for PAID status.. I have both packets completed and ready to go in PDF format.

Did you ever receive the official EP acceptance email from NVC (that usually takes 10 or so days to get) not just an auto response? An example of the email is on Darnell's wiki page for Electronic Processing. I'm still waiting for ours.

[Darnell 8,478]

For even further reassurance, I also received three emails for the AOS fee bill and DS-3032 as well. All just a little different from each other. If you are doing EP, only thing you need from those emails is the Invoice Identification Number (IIN) so you can log into the invoice payment center. They could do a lot better job making it easier to understand - ie. one email with all the information instead of three and sending a DS-3032 form that isn't 4 years expired!

When I paid the AOS fee on 3/25 the email said "PRINCIPAL APPLICANT NOT FOUND" as well but the attached PDF receipt had the correct information as well as in the payment center - definitely a programming error that doesn't pull the name correctly from the account information. Nothing to worry about except again something else the NVC needs to fix so they don't send people into panic mode.

Still waiting for "PAID" status here though. I wonder if the government is working today or if it's a holiday again for them.. Still waiting for EP acceptance email as well.

These 3 emails, sent seperately, USED TO COMPRISE the 'ds-3032 kit' that I referenced in the wiki page - this kit was emailed to both beneficiary and petitioner AFTER the petitioner called up NVC, for the first time, and exchanged info with a human at NVC.

Smells like a process change, for now. But - IMO, this is a computer PROGRAM change, back at NVC - some one 'changed the source code' for the program that sends out this 'ds-3032 kit'. IMO, this is stupid - as is waste of CPU cycles to send 3 seperate emails. Also, I smell a 'source code change' for another reason - the 'applicant name not found' tag is really wonky - it smells like the 'program' doesn't have access to a 'data store' when the code is run to generate the emails. Which makes no sense, really, as the email address also got captured into a database when YOU talked to an NVC operator.

To be clear about this DS-3032 that is sent out from NVC via email -

It's not the right one to use to OPT IN - I list the right one to use on the wiki page, because the state.gov website 'said' to use a particular one . This DS-3032 that's listed is totally fillable with a PDF reader, btw. The DS-3032 form that is emailed from NVC IS NOT fillable, at all.

The DS-3032 kit was useful, in that it contained the IIN and the online payment portal info.

Also, IMO, if you received a 'DS-3032 kit' - was a CLEAR SIGN that the online payment portal system had an entry in it, about you or the beneficiary, and was READY to accept a payment electronically.

So, to be clear(er) - one needs the IIN in order to be able to pay the bills online at the payment portal web site. 'How to get' an IIN, is in flux (and thats ok).

Whew !

Edited April 5, 2010 by Darnell

[Darnell 8,478]

I sent out the I-864 e-mails last night, I will let you know when I get a response to them

Don't expect a 'response' at all.

Monitor the online payment portal, check for the 'next thing' - which in your case, I believe, is the IV bill 'ready to be paid'.

If you did get a response back, IMO, it'd be a bad thing, an RFE for the I-864 set that you just sent.

There are other email types coming up, after the DS-230 is received - covering a 'checklist' of documents - usually is sent after 'login fail' at the online payment portal.

[bwoo 1]

Payment status changed to PAID on the portal so I sent in the I-864 PDF package with Coversheet and Receipt from Payment Portal. Wasn't sure on the format of the email so I mimicked the OPTIN email except WITHOUT the OPTIN subject line - instead used subject "MTLXXXXXXXXXX - Affidavit of Support I-864 Documents" to NVCElectronic@state.gov. I also added the same BIO information to the email body: Name, email addresses, date of births of both petitioner and beneficiary like you have to give them when you call them on the phone. Does that sound correct (email address, subject line and contents)?

Zenaxe you might want to check your status - should show PAID today since we are on a very similar timeline.

Now to watch the payment portal page for IV bill to show up as TO BE PAID - that will determine if they received the I-864 documents okay.

Edited April 5, 2010 by bwoo

[FireRay 1]

Don't expect a 'response' at all.

Monitor the online payment portal, check for the 'next thing' - which in your case, I believe, is the IV bill 'ready to be paid'.

If you did get a response back, IMO, it'd be a bad thing, an RFE for the I-864 set that you just sent.

There are other email types coming up, after the DS-230 is received - covering a 'checklist' of documents - usually is sent after 'login fail' at the online payment portal.

Ok, then lets pray for no response! No RFE's. I read over the ways to fill the form...did the wiki EP way (btw thanks, made it alot less e-mails. I only had to send 5 e-mails) And read over the "Stupid RFE" Thread. And read the actual instructions. So I am feeling confident!

And to those that asked, Easter Monday is not concidered a holiday here in the states. Even for government Employees....though I must admit..it would be nice (in a money selfish way) as the holiday pay would be great.

[coraliesolms 47]

I have a question, I wonder if EP can be done AFTER the interview... example: they asked for my joint-sponsors 2008 tax transcripts.. the IRS faxed it to us, there is no "official seal" on it or anything, I was wondering If, since we did the OPTIN before our interview, if we could scan the 2008's and send them to MTL?? Anyone have any clue? Or is this waay outside the box for backasswards montreal?