NVC Filers - September 2012

[kpatel 3]

Im also waiting. When did nvc got ur IV packet? Goodluck to us.

The corrected DS-230 form was delivered at NVC on 21st sep.. Please see my signature

When was ur packet IV delivered at NVC?

[Jamaican Luv 13]

Uuuuugggghhhhh... next week cant come soon nuff! I want my case complete already!

[l j m 3]

I'm getting an error on the payment portal!

[Jamaican Luv 13]

OMG!!!!!! Database error on payment site! Means case complete? Paid both fees! Omg!!!

[Vega&Jana 0]

Called today an no interview date yet What exactly should I be saying to them to push for an Interview date???

[winnie george 67]

Called today an no interview date yet What exactly should I be saying to them to push for an Interview date???

well ummmm NOTHING........ They will schedule a date for you if there are available dates from your embassy

[JerryShaw 6]

Called today an no interview date yet What exactly should I be saying to them to push for an Interview date???

All you can really do is say you are checking to see if your interview date has been assigned yet. Be friendly and jovial, and they will (usually) reciprocate.

Since you are on a CR1, they won't be scheduling for November interviews until either Oct 8 or Oct 15... most likely starts the 8th.

Good Luck to you both

Edited September 28, 2012 by JerryShaw

[Vega&Jana 0]

Thank youuuu

[Mr. Borkström 63]

See yinz on the other side.

Try to run, try to hide - break on through to the other side!

"Your visa application has been approved. Congratulations."

I think that was what the lady told me. When she got to that part, I kinda blacked out. I was in disbelief. "What did she say?" I thought to myself. I was tearing up. She said something like "you'll have your passport back in the mail within two weeks". I almost wanted to go back and ask her "Approved? Are you sure?" I wasn't sure I'd heard it right. But I thought to myself that she probably wouldn't have said "congratulations" if she'd denied me.

So... Yeah. There it is. It still hasn't sunk in yet. I think it will take at least a couple of days before I realize that it wasn't just a dream. When I was riding on the bus back into downtown Stockholm I thought something like "That was it? It's over?" It felt surreal.

I'm going to try to sum up my experience, but I only got home about an hour ago after a long day and a long afternoon/evening/night yesterday, so I need to gather my thoughts, so I will get back to you on that a little later.

[winnie george 67]

Try to run, try to hide - break on through to the other side!

"Your visa application has been approved. Congratulations."

I think that was what the lady told me. When she got to that part, I kinda blacked out. I was in disbelief. "What did she say?" I thought to myself. I was tearing up. She said something like "you'll have your passport back in the mail within two weeks". I almost wanted to go back and ask her "Approved? Are you sure?" I wasn't sure I'd heard it right. But I thought to myself that she probably wouldn't have said "congratulations" if she'd denied me.

So... Yeah. There it is. It still hasn't sunk in yet. I think it will take at least a couple of days before I realize that it wasn't just a dream. When I was riding on the bus back into downtown Stockholm I thought something like "That was it? It's over?" It felt surreal.

I'm going to try to sum up my experience, but I only got home about an hour ago after a long day and a long afternoon/evening/night yesterday, so I need to gather my thoughts, so I will get back to you on that a little later.

CONGRATULATIONS MR B

[pgmsc 3]

Try to run, try to hide - break on through to the other side!

"Your visa application has been approved. Congratulations."

I think that was what the lady told me. When she got to that part, I kinda blacked out. I was in disbelief. "What did she say?" I thought to myself. I was tearing up. She said something like "you'll have your passport back in the mail within two weeks". I almost wanted to go back and ask her "Approved? Are you sure?" I wasn't sure I'd heard it right. But I thought to myself that she probably wouldn't have said "congratulations" if she'd denied me.

So... Yeah. There it is. It still hasn't sunk in yet. I think it will take at least a couple of days before I realize that it wasn't just a dream. When I was riding on the bus back into downtown Stockholm I thought something like "That was it? It's over?" It felt surreal.

I'm going to try to sum up my experience, but I only got home about an hour ago after a long day and a long afternoon/evening/night yesterday, so I need to gather my thoughts, so I will get back to you on that a little later.

So happy for you! Yay!

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

[dwheels76 5,468]

Try to run, try to hide - break on through to the other side!

"Your visa application has been approved. Congratulations."

I think that was what the lady told me. When she got to that part, I kinda blacked out. I was in disbelief. "What did she say?" I thought to myself. I was tearing up. She said something like "you'll have your passport back in the mail within two weeks". I almost wanted to go back and ask her "Approved? Are you sure?" I wasn't sure I'd heard it right. But I thought to myself that she probably wouldn't have said "congratulations" if she'd denied me.

So... Yeah. There it is. It still hasn't sunk in yet. I think it will take at least a couple of days before I realize that it wasn't just a dream. When I was riding on the bus back into downtown Stockholm I thought something like "That was it? It's over?" It felt surreal.

I'm going to try to sum up my experience, but I only got home about an hour ago after a long day and a long afternoon/evening/night yesterday, so I need to gather my thoughts, so I will get back to you on that a little later.

You have been on my mind all day and I am in tears at work. Now of course I really had no doubts. For One it's Sweden for goodness sake and well you are Mr. Borkstrom.

But I am sure you are so relieved nonetheless all the stress and worry over what question, evidence probably never came to pass.

So Happy for you Dear. Now I pray for a quick buyer for your place so you can get the heck out oif there and home to your wife. Rest and hurry and write a review. I love reviews.

Did I say Congratulations!!

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Thank you so much. That means a lot to me.

[Mr. Borkström 63]

OK, let's see.

At 3:50 Thursday afternoon (Sep. 27), ten minutes before I was going to leave to catch the bus and then catch the train to go to Stockholm, the mailman delivered the mail. In the mail I got an envelope from the embassy. It was a couple of papers informing me that my visa interview was scheduled at 9:00 AM, Friday September 28. There was also information about what I needed to bring (copies of documents I had previously sent to the National Visa Center, passport style photos, the result of the medical examination, stamps etc.). I probably would have been OK even if I hadn't gotten the letter, but still. That was a close call. Anyway, I left the house, went downtown, picked up photos and stamps along the way and then caught the train to Stockholm.

Once there I got on the subway and met up with my brother. He lives in the southern parts of Stocktown so I figured it'd be much smarter to stay the night at his place, rather than get up super early and trust the trains to run on time. I spent a nice evening with him, his g/f and his daughter, my adorable little niece, who is literally a 5-month bundle of joy. Cute as a frikken button. I slept on the couch, and I slept better than I thought I would, I didn't actually spend the whole night thinking about the interview. I woke up a bunch of times tho, but oh well. The last attempt to go back to sleep was at like 5:40. My brother and I hopped on the subway at 8:05. I got to the central hub station and got on a bus to go to the embassy.

If memory serves me right, the embassy website says they open at 8: AM. My appointment was at 9:00 AM.

It was only when I got to the bus stop before my stop that I got nervous. I was like "OK, this ###### is real. There's no going back now." I got off the bus at maybe 8:30. The bus stop was right across the street from the US embassy, so that was very convenient. The Stockholm embassy is famously ugly. Concrete, chain link fences and barb wire galore. There was a security checkpoint and I was asked to wait outside (it was raining, of course) and stand in line. There were two lines and I obviously went to stand in the wrong one.On the plus side, next to me was an older couple, turned out they were from El Salvador and had lived in Sweden for 25ish years. They were very chatty, so that was nice. Behind me there was a whole bunch of middle aged guys, the members of an orchestra as it turned out.

After a while I noticed I was in the wrong line, though, so I went over to the correct line. There was one person ahead of me in the much shorter immigrant visa applicants line. When it was my turn, a security guard took my passport, ask me to wait behind the line right outside the entrance and show him the soles of my shoes. I was let in and a second guard took over. It was funny cause I thought he sounded Australian. "Just like at the airport" he said. I scanned all my belongings and turned in all electronic devices (cell phone, iPod, memory card for the camera etc). I was then asked to proceed outside, follow the yellow line and into the main building and a waiting room. I got a receipt so I could get my stuff back once I was done.

I got in the main building and the waiting room. It was probably around 9:25 when I got in. Another security guard told me (in Swedish) to go to Window F. Another Swedish guy asked to see my passport, looked at a list and then asked me to go to Window G (for immigrant visas). A third Swedish guy took my passport, looked through my documents (forms and such) and gave me a large envelope to write my address on and put the stamps on it. When we were done he asked me to sit down and wait and they would call my name later.

It was hard to tell how quickly time passed cause there was no clock, only a television set and a vending machine. I passed the time by starring at the vending machine and eaves dropping on the old dudes in the orchestra. After an unknown period of time had passed, a speaker voice told me to go to Window something-or-other (I forget). It was an American woman, probably in her early 40's or so. She started looking through all the papers and forms that my wife and I have sent in the the US authorities since we started this process back in November. I had to swear an oath that all the information I had given and was about to give was true. I left my finger prints in a little scanner they had. She then started asking me questions. How long have you known your wife? Where did you meet? When was she born? Has she lived her whole life in Pittsburgh? Have you ever applied for an immigrant visa before? What are her parents' names? Have you met her parents? Do you have children? Has she been to Sweden? Oh you got married here in Sweden? Why did you decide to get married in Sweden? Were her children there for the marriage? They were not? Why not? Did any of your friends and family attend? There may have been more questions but those are the ones I can remember for now.

The whole thing didn't take very long. I'd say between five and ten minutes. At that point, she said: "Your visa application has been approved. Congratulations. You will have your passport back in the mail within two weeks." It felt like it came at an unexpected time. I was stunned. Everything turned hazy. I started tearing up. I wasn't sure I heard her right, I almost wanted to go back and ask her "Approved? Are you sure?" But I thought to myself that she wouldn't have congratulated me if she'd denied the application. So I gathered all my things, went back outside, claimed my electronics at the guard station and went on my merry way. I was outside again by maybe 10:10 in the morning. I called my dad and texted my mom. I got on the bus back to downtown Stockholm (and then spent the remainder of the day with my brother, his g/f, my niece and my nephew, before my nephew and I got on the train to go to Västerås). It felt surreal. It's funny how you wait for something for so long, and then all of a sudden it is over. It's going to take a while for it to sink in I imagine.

So, yeah. I think that is basically it. My wife called me when she got up. That was one cool, emotional phone call. I'm exhausted now, writing this. It's been a long day, it's been an emotional day, but it has also been a good day. A very good day indeed.