waiting and getting Packet 3 from consulate

[pgbeau1 2]

Hi All,

Thanks for this wonderful site and all the great people.

Ok, NVC sent our I-129F petition to Santo Domingo consulate on June 4th. But my fiancee has not gotten Packet 3 or anything from the consulate.

Is it being sent by Inposdom??? How do we find out if they sent it to her already? Is there a direct consualte phone number (not the Mexico 877-804-5402 number) she or I can call in Santo Domingo to get status update on our case number?? I know there is a link to look up consulate appointments/interview date by case number, but is there a different link that we can use to look at the progress/get info of our case by submitting the case number?? Will she have to go in person to consulate in Santo Domingo to get packet 3???

Thanks.

Paul

[MrTee12 64]

Congrats on your NOA2. The consulate in Santo Domingo only sends Packet 4 (there is no Packet 3).

They will send the Packet 4 soon (with instructions on what to do before the interview). The instructions will be very similar to the Instructions posted on the site.

http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/k1-k2_instructions.html

After you receive your NOA2 (approving your I-129f petition), you will receive a letter from the NVC telling you that they are processing your case and it will mailed to the appropriate Embassy. During this time your case is examined then repackaged and mailed to the Embassy handling your case.

To get valid information just wait 1-2 weeks and call (toll-free) the Visa Specialist (Department of State) in Washington D.C. Call 202 663 1225. Press Option 1 then Option 0 to speak to a visa specialist. (Do not waste your money calling the Embassy). They will tell you when your case was mailed and when your interview date is.

Also keep checking the Interview list to see when your interview is. Just type in the Case # that was printed on your NVC Notice (SDO2010...)

http://santodomingo....pointments.html

Your packet will be mailed by the mail service in Dominican Republic (Inposdom). Which may take forever. Just keep calling and checking the interview list. So people never receive it, so be proactive. If you have not received anything around 2 weeks before your interview, call the Embassy and schedule a day to pick it up before your interview. The medical cannot be done if you do not receive your appointment letter that comes inside of Packet 4. Also, there is no way to track your case online at this point. So calling and checking the interview list is your best options.

I hope this helps...feel free to post more questions. I wish you guys the best on your journey.

[pgbeau1 2]

Ok, thanks for all the extremely helpful information.

As I mentioned, I did receive the letter from NVC and I called them and they said they sent the petition on to SD on June 4th. So there IS no packet 3. Wow, then my fiancee needs to get moving on getting stuff for interview.

But the two big ones are medical, in this case for her and her daughter; and the police reports.

You mention if we have seen that we got an appointment date posted but NOT received Packet 4 to wait until 2 weeks before the appointment date and "call the embassy and schedule a day to pick it up before your interview." And you mention the need for the Packet 4 letter to get the medical.

This seems extrememly difficult for a time schedule: if we wait until 2 weeks to try to contact the embassy to get Packet 4 it will be impossible to receive the packet by Inposdom and have time to go for medical and get medical results available (all in less than 2 weeks). Plus she has to get medical for her child, also, and that is restricted by certain days AND they have to go back a few days after that for child's TB results--and what if the child has a positive result for some reason??, so more days are needed there. Plus she lives across the country from Santo Domingo. Waiting until last 2 weeks before interview to contact embassy to get packet 4/letter doesn't seem like it will make it possible to be ready for the interview 2 weeks later??

I'm sorry, and two more questions about the police certificate(s): it is unclear to me from everything I have read--is it REQUIRED to also have police certificates translated into English? And I have read different things about the timing of the date of the police certificate(s). Does the police certificate HAVE TO BE dated within 30 days of the interview at the embassy to be valid? Or can the police certificate(s) be gotten right now, maybe 2 or 3 or 4 (?) months ahead of our interview?

Thanks.

Paul

Congrats on your NOA2. The consulate in Santo Domingo only sends Packet 4 (there is no Packet 3).

They will send the Packet 4 soon (with instructions on what to do before the interview). The instructions will be very similar to the Instructions posted on the site.

http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/k1-k2_instructions.html

After you receive your NOA2 (approving your I-129f petition), you will receive a letter from the NVC telling you that they are processing your case and it will mailed to the appropriate Embassy. During this time your case is examined then repackaged and mailed to the Embassy handling your case.

To get valid information just wait 1-2 weeks and call (toll-free) the Visa Specialist (Department of State) in Washington D.C. Call 202 663 1225. Press Option 1 then Option 0 to speak to a visa specialist. (Do not waste your money calling the Embassy). They will tell you when your case was mailed and when your interview date is.

Also keep checking the Interview list to see when your interview is. Just type in the Case # that was printed on your NVC Notice (SDO2010...)

http://santodomingo....pointments.html

Your packet will be mailed by the mail service in Dominican Republic (Inposdom). Which may take forever. Just keep calling and checking the interview list. So people never receive it, so be proactive. If you have not received anything around 2 weeks before your interview, call the Embassy and schedule a day to pick it up before your interview. The medical cannot be done if you do not receive your appointment letter that comes inside of Packet 4. Also, there is no way to track your case online at this point. So calling and checking the interview list is your best options.

I hope this helps...feel free to post more questions. I wish you guys the best on your journey.

[pgbeau1 2]

Ok, followup to your advice which I followed, thank you.

I did call state dept. at 202-663-1225, as you suggested, and I got a real live person within a couple minutes, amazing.

But contrary to what you said about packet 3, they did tell me that Packet 3 was sent on June 14. My fiance has not received it in the mail. And I did not receive it in email, the woman on the phone kept saying it was done by email. The only email I had given them on the I-129F petition was mine, and I have NOT gotten anything.

So then she told me to check with Santo Domingo consulate, and I said I'd love to but didn't know a good number to reach them directly.

So then she said I should talk to NVC and she would transfer me. I begged her NO, because I had already talked to them this morning after a long wait and they gave me less information than she did, they didn't tell me anything at all, while she told me date that Packet 3 was sent.

She insisted I should talk to NVC and transferred me. Got through surprisingly quickly, now that person told me she didn't know anything, but then she gave me phone number of SD consulate to call. So now I will try to call them and find out how to get packet 3.

So as soon as I get some free time at work for the umpteenth time I will try calling consulate in Santo Domingo at number she gave me, 809-221-2171.

Paul

Ok, thanks for all the extremely helpful information.

As I mentioned, I did receive the letter from NVC and I called them and they said they sent the petition on to SD on June 4th. So there IS no packet 3. Wow, then my fiancee needs to get moving on getting stuff for interview.

But the two big ones are medical, in this case for her and her daughter; and the police reports.

You mention if we have seen that we got an appointment date posted but NOT received Packet 4 to wait until 2 weeks before the appointment date and "call the embassy and schedule a day to pick it up before your interview." And you mention the need for the Packet 4 letter to get the medical.

This seems extrememly difficult for a time schedule: if we wait until 2 weeks to try to contact the embassy to get Packet 4 it will be impossible to receive the packet by Inposdom and have time to go for medical and get medical results available (all in less than 2 weeks). Plus she has to get medical for her child, also, and that is restricted by certain days AND they have to go back a few days after that for child's TB results--and what if the child has a positive result for some reason??, so more days are needed there. Plus she lives across the country from Santo Domingo. Waiting until last 2 weeks before interview to contact embassy to get packet 4/letter doesn't seem like it will make it possible to be ready for the interview 2 weeks later??

I'm sorry, and two more questions about the police certificate(s): it is unclear to me from everything I have read--is it REQUIRED to also have police certificates translated into English? And I have read different things about the timing of the date of the police certificate(s). Does the police certificate HAVE TO BE dated within 30 days of the interview at the embassy to be valid? Or can the police certificate(s) be gotten right now, maybe 2 or 3 or 4 (?) months ahead of our interview?

Thanks.

Paul

[pgbeau1 2]

Ok, and further update, I was supspicious of the embassy phone number the NVC gave me, seemed I'd seen that phone number mentioned by others as being useless.

And it was useless, I called and it's just automated information, most of it about getting ready for interview date, getting a PIN from Banco Popular etc.

I must say also, at some point I will need that info and I hope I can get same info elsewhere, preferably in writing, because I could not hear half of the info the message speaks, it is inaudible, maybe it was because I was on my cell phone; so I'd hear half of a web address and not the rest, also spoken pretty quickly and not repeated so you have to be quick to write it down even if you do hear it.

[MrTee12 64]

I see you've been busy. This process will keep you busy and your mind will be going 1000mph. Try to be patient right now. This is a frustrating period because you don't really know what's going on. The woman you talked to is misinformed because the Embassy in Santo Domingo does not issue a packet3. Many embassies issue both a P3 and P4 but we don't have to worry about that.

The email she said you received must have been the I-129f petition approval (NOA2); this is the only email you would have received. USCIS sends case updates through email/text before then send your NOA2 hard copy in the mail.

I wouldn't call the Embassy just yet. Just try to be patient, your case is being processed. Look at my timeline below and other Dom Rep. members and compare. It took about 5-6 weeks for my fiancee to receive her Interview date from the time the NVC mailed us our letter.

During this time, just begin getting all the documents you need for the interview. You need to get your bank/employment records, pay stubs, tax info, etc ready. Your fiancee needs to begin completing the forms (you can practice at this point and finalize later; they are available online), get her birth certificate, passport photos, etc.

My fiancee and I did all of these things while waiting. Try not to drive yourself crazy. Just use this to prepare. Also gather all the evidence you will need for your interview (phone records, email, pics, travel documents, etc). The last thing my fiancee and I did was update our forms. She got her police report (30 days within interview date), reprinted visa forms, and I updated my income/employment documents.

Your fiancee has a little bit more to do because of her child. So if you guys don't get your P4 in the mail. You need to find a way to pick it up and get the medical exams done before the interview. I know this is stressful, but sometimes the mail never arrives where it should. But my fiancee's P4 arrived at her home 1 month before the interview. We were nearly done everything, she just need to get the Appointment letter to use for her medical exam and get her police cert. Also the police cert. does not need to translated, Spanish is fine.

Again, try to process the info I just told you and talk with you fiancee about the next few steps. I know this stressful but its worth it in the end. Trust me!!!

Keep reading the Embassy's webpage for any updates/changes:

http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visas.html

Edited June 30, 2010 by MrTee12

[pgbeau1 2]

Thank you Mr Tee, thanks for your full and thoughtful and helpful information and advice.

While person from State Dept. may be wrong on what she told me, she did tell me that "a package was sent on June 14th." If indeed she was wrong, and it was not the Package 3/4 sent to my fiancee from the embassy, maybe it was the I-129F package going to Santo Domingo, maybe that was what the date she mentioned was for.

But that was NOT how she worded it, she said "the embassy sent a package 3 out on June 14th."

Thank you for clarifying the timing on the police certificates, that's what I thought but I'd seen conflicting info, and you have provided that answer--get the police certificates no more than 30 days before the interview. And thanks also for the information that the police certificates DO NOT need to be translated.

No, I did not receive NOA2 via email. So she was not referring to that, I did receive all my NOA's in hard copy, and the date she gave me does not correspond with any of the NOA dates, the NOA dates were all earlier than the June 14th date she told me.

Yes, I am working on all those things you mentioned, and also driving my fiancee nuts with reminders and loving, gentle promptings of reminders of all the things she needs to do. Yes, there are more things to do of course with child(ren) involved. She still has to go to a lawyer and get drawn up and get the father of the child to show up and sign the 2 necessary documents for the child, the permission for visa, and the permission to travel/leave the country. And those I DO need to get translated to English. This of course assuming that the father of the child shows up at the lawyer's to provide copies of his passport and cedula and birth certificte, and shows up again to sign these documents once the lawyer has prepared them. He said he would, we'll see if he does, and in a timely fashion.

Plenty of things to do, unfortunately many of them for my fiancee to do, and she has to run all around the country to do them by public transportation and slow tedious agencies or lawyers, and I can't be there to help her with any of it. All I can do is cajole her sweetly from afar to get them all done ASAP so that we are ready and don't have to sweat it at the last minute.

Thanks for your exellent help and feedback and kindly encouragement.

[MrTee12 64]

Ok, so they told you the Embassy sent a package on June 14th. Then your fiancée should be receiving it soon. Allow 3-4 weeks from the date it was sent. You are doing everything you are supposed to right now...just stay active and create a checklist so you can stay on top of things. If you need me to send you the one I used let me know.

[Chavonia 4]

Hello there!

MrTee12 has advised you very well and told you many of the things I would have told you. I was in the same boat as you waiting on this non-existent packet 3. Your best bet for answers without having to pay the consulate (yet...) is the Dept. of State. When was the last time you called? Did you get an interview date yet? Don't wait around for packet 4 for an interview date. You need to find out when that is so your fiancee has time to get everything done and also, if you plan to be there with her. The Dept. of State can tell you your interview date. I too thought that my fiance wouldn't have enough time to gather the documents and get the medical if we received packet 4 too close to the interview date. As it turns out, he did get everything together. However, I am not sure what your fiancee's schedule is like and being on public transportation here with her child is no walk in the park. About three weeks after the embassy received everything from the NVC, we had an intervew date. We did not receive packet 4 in the mail. My fiance called the mail company and they told him they receive all those things at a certain time. We waited, and nothing came. We called again and waited. They gave us a date of when to expect it. We waited for that date and still nothing. We then had to spend money to call the embassy. They too gave us a date of expected delivery and surprise surprise, we didn't receive anything. Evenutally he had to go and pick it up at a designated time from the embassy. That is very inconvenient but necessary. On the USA embassy website for Santo Domingo, they have a list of scheduled appointments. You can look for yours with your case number on that website. Also, make sure your fiancee has all the necessary money to pay for everything.

I am in the Dominican now! Our interview is tomorrow. I will be sure to write a thorough review. Pray for us, lol! I hope all goes well with you. Keep us posted! Best wishes!

[pgbeau1 2]

Hi Chavonia,

Wow, best of luck with your cita!!!!!!!!!!!! I will say a prayer for you guys.

Yes, I know to keep looking at State Department web site for latest interview dates. I see last case number for July citas is only "201062xxxx" and our number is "201065xxxx" so nothing yet. I have a feeling we will not be on August list, I think it will be September, but of course I will keep checking. And making preparations now.

As per your advice, I will start calling the state department more regularly to ask them if we have a cita date.

Thanks again for sharing your information, it is all very helpful, and I pray tomorrow I am saying congratulations for you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello there!

MrTee12 has advised you very well and told you many of the things I would have told you. I was in the same boat as you waiting on this non-existent packet 3. Your best bet for answers without having to pay the consulate (yet...) is the Dept. of State. When was the last time you called? Did you get an interview date yet? Don't wait around for packet 4 for an interview date. You need to find out when that is so your fiancee has time to get everything done and also, if you plan to be there with her. The Dept. of State can tell you your interview date. I too thought that my fiance wouldn't have enough time to gather the documents and get the medical if we received packet 4 too close to the interview date. As it turns out, he did get everything together. However, I am not sure what your fiancee's schedule is like and being on public transportation here with her child is no walk in the park. About three weeks after the embassy received everything from the NVC, we had an intervew date. We did not receive packet 4 in the mail. My fiance called the mail company and they told him they receive all those things at a certain time. We waited, and nothing came. We called again and waited. They gave us a date of when to expect it. We waited for that date and still nothing. We then had to spend money to call the embassy. They too gave us a date of expected delivery and surprise surprise, we didn't receive anything. Evenutally he had to go and pick it up at a designated time from the embassy. That is very inconvenient but necessary. On the USA embassy website for Santo Domingo, they have a list of scheduled appointments. You can look for yours with your case number on that website. Also, make sure your fiancee has all the necessary money to pay for everything.

I am in the Dominican now! Our interview is tomorrow. I will be sure to write a thorough review. Pray for us, lol! I hope all goes well with you. Keep us posted! Best wishes!