NVC Filers - April 2014

[Soloenta 2,218]

Thank you! The immigration process is a looooong ride but I'm sure you can make it, just hang in there. It's a test of patience lol Good luck!

Thank you I'll so my very best to keep positive, one just hears such horror stories it's so scary. Anyway will be praying the rest is easy.

[MsGoyave 45]

I can't wait to see my wife [...]

Awwwww! What a cute little boy you have!

[Bulwara Road 5]

Hi

Having just got our NOA2 this week (and very relieved to have got it too) we now are at the NVC stage.

I have read the very thorough NVC process that Saylin has kindly provided, but still have a couple of questions that I am sure someone here can answer (well I at least hope so!)

• Do we have to call the NVC or will they contact us?
• What is a reasonable timeframe that we can expect this stage to take?
• Do the NVC schedule the medical and appointment at the consulate (in our case this will be in Australia)?
• Do both the petitioner and the beneficiary get contacted by the NVC?
• Is the process easy to follow, or should we get a lawyer involved?
• Is Electronic Processing available to citizens of Australia (I'm the beneficiary and am from Australia)

We had no issue with the I-130 stage, and think we should be able to follow the NVC stage - am just having a bit of trouble seeing the forest for the trees at the moment!

[essysita 24]

Hi

Having just got our NOA2 this week (and very relieved to have got it too) we now are at the NVC stage.

I have read the very thorough NVC process that Saylin has kindly provided, but still have a couple of questions that I am sure someone here can answer (well I at least hope so!)

• Do we have to call the NVC or will they contact us?
• What is a reasonable timeframe that we can expect this stage to take?
• Do the NVC schedule the medical and appointment at the consulate (in our case this will be in Australia)?
• Do both the petitioner and the beneficiary get contacted by the NVC?
• Is the process easy to follow, or should we get a lawyer involved?
• Is Electronic Processing available to citizens of Australia (I'm the beneficiary and am from Australia)

We had no issue with the I-130 stage, and think we should be able to follow the NVC stage - am just having a bit of trouble seeing the forest for the trees at the moment!

Hi! Congratulations on your approval. I read Ms. Saylin's wiki whenever I have a free time just so I won't miss anything but still I could not still fully understand all of it. But thanks to everyone it's a lot more clearer now. I'll try to answer some of your question.

• Yes you do have to call NVC, but give it at least a week from your NOA2 date.
• Average time at NVC right now is 59 days.
• I don't know the answer to this one, Help anyone?
• If you provide both of your emails when you get the case number, then both of you will.
• You can do the process all by yourself without need from a lawyer. Lovemytico is better than her lawyer.
• I'm not sure but I think only Canada and China are entitled to do electronic processing.

Wish you the best! And welcome to the NVC process!

Edited April 11, 2014 by essysita

[meehan 43]

Hi

Having just got our NOA2 this week (and very relieved to have got it too) we now are at the NVC stage.

I have read the very thorough NVC process that Saylin has kindly provided, but still have a couple of questions that I am sure someone here can answer (well I at least hope so!)

• Do we have to call the NVC or will they contact us?
• What is a reasonable timeframe that we can expect this stage to take?
• Do the NVC schedule the medical and appointment at the consulate (in our case this will be in Australia)?
• Do both the petitioner and the beneficiary get contacted by the NVC?
• Is the process easy to follow, or should we get a lawyer involved?
• Is Electronic Processing available to citizens of Australia (I'm the beneficiary and am from Australia)

We had no issue with the I-130 stage, and think we should be able to follow the NVC stage - am just having a bit of trouble seeing the forest for the trees at the moment!

To answer the point essysita couldn't - NVC will schedule the interview at the consulate in Sydney. That is the only consulate/embassy in Australia which does interviews for the CR1. As for the medical, you book that yourself once you have a case number. The US consulate website has a list of approved GPs, mostly in Sydney and Melbourne but I think there may be a couple elsewhere

[Sukie 1,463]

Hi

Having just got our NOA2 this week (and very relieved to have got it too) we now are at the NVC stage.

I have read the very thorough NVC process that Saylin has kindly provided, but still have a couple of questions that I am sure someone here can answer (well I at least hope so!)

• Do we have to call the NVC or will they contact us?
• What is a reasonable timeframe that we can expect this stage to take?
• Do the NVC schedule the medical and appointment at the consulate (in our case this will be in Australia)?
• Do both the petitioner and the beneficiary get contacted by the NVC?
• Is the process easy to follow, or should we get a lawyer involved?
• Is Electronic Processing available to citizens of Australia (I'm the beneficiary and am from Australia)

We had no issue with the I-130 stage, and think we should be able to follow the NVC stage - am just having a bit of trouble seeing the forest for the trees at the moment!

Hi Bulwara Road. My spouse is a Queenslander. Some of these answers are state-dependent - check the Australia forum for good info, too.

1. NVC does not initially contact you on a timely basis. Since you do not have an attorney, you MIGHT get a snail mail letter from them with your case number, but it will take forever. Most of the people on this list are very proactive in calling the NVC. Some call every day - multiple times. I, myself, call when I think I'll get answers! It can take from 6 days to 4 weeks for your service center (I was at Texas, and it seemed to take forever) to ship your NOA2 info to the NVC. A week after your NOA2 date, try calling the NVC to see if they have received the file. If they have not, call the USCIS service center where your file was and see if they can confirm they have SHIPPED it. After the NVC has received your file, it is averaging 20-30 BUSINESS days for a case number to be assigned. I waited 20 business days before I started calling them about my case number. In my case, it took 23 days. When you get them on the line, and they give you your case number, be sure to give them your email address, your spouse's email address and ask for your IIN (Invoice) number. You need your case number and your IIN to be able to sign into the CEAC site.

2. Nothing is reasonable. The average time, according to Saylin's wonderful spreadsheet, is 58 days from case number to case complete. And, I'm assuming that means no glitches. From this forum, I've learned that appointments at embassies/consulates are usually scheduled during the first week of the month - so after case complete, it could be 4-8 weeks for you (Australia is not that busy - and, from what I can tell, schedules interviews fairly quickly)

3. Here is where it gets very state-dependent...The NVC will schedule your interview date, but YOU must make your own medical appointment, and have your results ready before your interview. If you are from NSW or QLD, you must also get your police report during this time - as the NSW and QLD police send your Police Clearance DIRECTLY to the Consulate. I believe WA has a slightly different process too.

4. If you give both emails to NVC, you will both get emails. However, in the case of our DS-260 confirmation, only the applicant (my Aussie spouse) got the email. I (the USC) did not. Quite frankly, this is the ONLY email we've received from the NVC. All other info I've gotten, I've gotten when I've called.

5. The process is easy to follow. Unless one of you has a police record, or a messy divorce, or child-custody problems, you probably don't need a lawyer. VisaJourney is FABULOUS. Some of us who are using attorneys have been teaching the attorneys what to do.

6. Sorry - no EP for Australia.

If you have other Australia-related questions, you can PM me.

Sukie

[Soloenta 2,218]

Hi Bulwara Road. My spouse is a Queenslander. Some of these answers are state-dependent - check the Australia forum for good info, too.

1. NVC does not initially contact you on a timely basis. Since you do not have an attorney, you MIGHT get a snail mail letter from them with your case number, but it will take forever. Most of the people on this list are very proactive in calling the NVC. Some call every day - multiple times. I, myself, call when I think I'll get answers! It can take from 6 days to 4 weeks for your service center (I was at Texas, and it seemed to take forever) to ship your NOA2 info to the NVC. A week after your NOA2 date, try calling the NVC to see if they have received the file. If they have not, call the USCIS service center where your file was and see if they can confirm they have SHIPPED it. After the NVC has received your file, it is averaging 20-30 BUSINESS days for a case number to be assigned. I waited 20 business days before I started calling them about my case number. In my case, it took 23 days. When you get them on the line, and they give you your case number, be sure to give them your email address, your spouse's email address and ask for your IIN (Invoice) number. You need your case number and your IIN to be able to sign into the CEAC site.

2. Nothing is reasonable. The average time, according to Saylin's wonderful spreadsheet, is 58 days from case number to case complete. And, I'm assuming that means no glitches. From this forum, I've learned that appointments at embassies/consulates are usually scheduled during the first week of the month - so after case complete, it could be 4-8 weeks for you (Australia is not that busy - and, from what I can tell, schedules interviews fairly quickly)

3. Here is where it gets very state-dependent...The NVC will schedule your interview date, but YOU must make your own medical appointment, and have your results ready before your interview. If you are from NSW or QLD, you must also get your police report during this time - as the NSW and QLD police send your Police Clearance DIRECTLY to the Consulate. I believe WA has a slightly different process too.

4. If you give both emails to NVC, you will both get emails. However, in the case of our DS-260 confirmation, only the applicant (my Aussie spouse) got the email. I (the USC) did not. Quite frankly, this is the ONLY email we've received from the NVC. All other info I've gotten, I've gotten when I've called.

5. The process is easy to follow. Unless one of you has a police record, or a messy divorce, or child-custody problems, you probably don't need a lawyer. VisaJourney is FABULOUS. Some of us who are using attorneys have been teaching the attorneys what to do.

6. Sorry - no EP for Australia.

If you have other Australia-related questions, you can PM me.

Sukie

WOW thank you Sukie this will help so many including me, I truly appreciate your time and help you have given so many including myself.

It has been suggested to have the medical portion done after we get the case and IV numbers but how long is the medical exam good for are we not jumping the gun if we do this? Also how long is the Police report/clearance good for?

I'm confused on the constant calling we will have to do. I am presuming they will send us the packets after we pay the fee? If so do they tell us to pay the fee or do we have to become psychic and just go for it?

Almost forgot what does NSW and QLD stand for?

Thank you again for any help you can give me or anyone else who would like to chime in. Hope I'm not being to annoying just trying to prepare myself for what is to come and not get to depressed as I did at USCIS.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Soloenta

[friendlyusa 37]

Yesterday i called nvc

Me: good evening, my receipt no is MSCxx, can i get my IIN number please.

Operator: what is iin number ??

Me: smiling, IIN number is ........ ( explained)

Operator: oh, ok. It is xxxxx

[BOS_LHR 829]

Yesterday i called nvc

Me: good evening, my receipt no is MSCxx, can i get my IIN number please.

Operator: what is iin number ??

Me: smiling, IIN number is ........ ( explained)

Operator: oh, ok. It is xxxxx

I've seen recommendations on VJ to only refer to it as the invoice identification number when speaking to NVC, that's probably exactly why!

[LoveMyTico 999]

So I saw that the paralegal read my email at 7:59 pm last night.. and no response of course. I better get a tracking numberTODAY......

I sent a package to my husband on Monday the 7th and he received it yesterday in the afternoon all the way up in the mountains of Costa Rica. So if a package can make it to Costa Rica and get delivered in 4 days by priority mail, then there should be no problem sending something to New Hampshire next day or even 2nd day. I am so angry at my lawyer.

What does $3300. buy these days???? I should have done everything without a lawyer since that is how it ended up anyway. What did I pay for except a bunch of worry and anxiety. Lawyers DO NOT expedite anything ... So we bypassed the DS261..... so what. I could have done that myself anyway. GRRRRRRRRR

Done ranting now

[Sukie 1,463]

WOW thank you Sukie this will help so many including me, I truly appreciate your time and help you have given so many including myself.

It has been suggested to have the medical portion done after we get the case and IV numbers but how long is the medical exam good for are we not jumping the gun if we do this? Also how long is the Police report/clearance good for?

I'm confused on the constant calling we will have to do. I am presuming they will send us the packets after we pay the fee? If so do they tell us to pay the fee or do we have to become psychic and just go for it?

Almost forgot what does NSW and QLD stand for?

Thank you again for any help you can give me or anyone else who would like to chime in. Hope I'm not being to annoying just trying to prepare myself for what is to come and not get to depressed as I did at USCIS.

Soloenta,

The answer to all questions is "it depends" <big grin>. Regarding medical: in some countries, you must have specific instructions from your embassy/consulate to take with you to the medical exam. Same with Police Reports. In some countries, you can go ahead and schedule the exam/police report as soon as you have your Case number. It depends on YOUR country as to how long the medical and the Police report last. I suggest you search for a forum specific to your country for the answers.

NSW and QLD are the abbreviations for the Australian states New South Wales and Queensland. WA stands for Western Australia.

Sukie

[etrangais 947]

Yesterday i called nvc

Me: good evening, my receipt no is MSCxx, can i get my IIN number please.

Operator: what is iin number ??

Me: smiling, IIN number is ........ ( explained)

Operator: oh, ok. It is xxxxx

LOOOOOOOL

Case # and IIN assigned yesterday but still can't do anything in the system yet!

I can't wait to get started!

How long do we have to wait for DS261 to be available?

[Fabian&Rossy 120]

Hi,

While we are filling out the online form DS-260, we realize that under the tab "Work/Education/Training" (one of the blue tabs on the left hand side), our form only has two items: "Present" and "Additional". The item "Previous" is missing. Without the "Previous", we are not able to input any previous jobs and educations information to the form.

I called NVC about this problem. They login to our DS-260 form and they also see the item "Previous" is missing. They said that the item "Previous" should be there under that tab, but they keep telling me that NVC is not able to fix this problem and they do not know who can fix this.

Does anyone has this same problem? Anyone knows how to solve this problem?

Thank you,

I had the same issue.. Went back and forth but it wasn't there so I figured they either changed it or I also heard that It could be different bc of your country.. What country are you immigrating from?

Sooo.. I wasn't too worried about it until now.. I hope they didn't screw up and I get a checklist for it.. On the other side I printed everything out so you can see that the question was not even available

How old is the applicant completing the DS-260? I ask because I think the age you enter is what determines what questions will be available for you. My wife and I are in our 30's, so she had to answer all the normal questions: places she lived since age 16, previous employments for the last 10 years, and higher education institutions she attended. When I completed the DS-260 for my 13 year old daughter, I did not get prompted for any of those questions. Obviously my daughter wouldn't be asked something like employment for the last 10 years, etc.

[Sukie 1,463]

How old is the applicant completing the DS-260? I ask because I think the age you enter is what determines what questions will be available for you. My wife and I are in our 30's, so she had to answer all the normal questions: places she lived since age 16, previous employments for the last 10 years, and higher education institutions she attended. When I completed the DS-260 for my 13 year old daughter, I did not get prompted for any of those questions. Obviously my daughter wouldn't be asked something like employment for the last 10 years, etc.

I believe there are other age-specific or situation-specific or country-specific questions as well. On my spouse's DS-260, she did not get asked about membership in "professional organizations" - even though she had been a member of two professional nursing organizations. My attorney suspects that because my spouse is now retired, that question didn't pop up.

It's a continuing mystery - this USCIS and NVC stuff....

Sukie

[BOS_LHR 829]

Case complete was 4/3, received the email notification this morning. Just ~3 weeks to go until an interview date is scheduled