NOA2 received, but now I'm confused.

[Savoie3928 0]

I received my NOA2 at the end of last week. It states my petition was approved, and is being forwarded to the consulate, which is in Ho Chi Ming, Vietnam. I thought it would have to go through NVC here in the states first and fees paid then it would get forwarded to the consulate. I've search and read on the forum but all the info seems to be a few years old and very contradicting. The whole process after the NOA2 seems to be very confusing and complex or maybe I'm just misunderstanding. Can someone please give me some guidance. As a single father, my free time to read and research online is very limited.

[Jo Së 200]

It will be sent to NVC, wait a couple of weeks and you can call NVC and get your case number. Im not sure why sometimes NOA2s say that they are forwarding it to embassy or consulate, which in fact they do send it to NVC.

[cdneh 3,112]

They all say they go to the listed consulate. They all go to NVC.

[frontgear 194]

Since yours is a K-1 visa petition, your case will go to NVC first, where they assign a case number (HCM 2014 XXX XXX), scan your case into their system, and forward it to the consulate in HCMC. The NVC does not collect any visa fees or schedule your interview appt like the other immigration cases (spousal visa, for example).

After the consulate receives your case, they will mail your fiancee Packet 3 (aka Instruction Package). The consulate actually receives the electronic file a day or 2 after NVC sends it, and the actual physical file follows a few days later, usually a week. They do not mail your fiancee Packet 3 until they have received the physical file. Packet 3 contains the letter that you will need to bring to the medical exam and vaccination in HCMC. It also contains instructions on what to do next. I am attaching a PDF document that you can review. This is the same document that the Packet 3 letter will instruct her to go to.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/231771/PDFs/K-INSTRUCTION.pdf

When your fiancee receives the Packet 3, she should follow the instructions on the Packet 3 letter to mail back the required documents (DS-160, 2 visa photos, and a copy of her valid Vietnamese passport). To fill out the DS-160 form online, go to https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/. She will need to print out the Confirmation Page of DS-160 to submit with her documents to mail back to the consulate. It is the last page of the DS-160 form where she signs it electronically. The DS-160 confirmation number is also required for the next step.

Next, she will need to go to ustraveldocs.com site (link here: https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/SiteRegister?country=&language=) and create an online account. She will need her Vietnamese passport number and the DS-160 confirmation number from the previous step for this. After she has filled in all of the required information, she will need to print a deposit slip (from the same site) to take to any HSBC branch or local Post Office to pay for her Visa fee (which is $240 for each person). Within 24 hours after she pays the Visa fee, she will get an email saying that she is ready to book her interview appointment. If, for some reason, she doesn't receive this email, she can go to the ustraveldocs.com site to schedule the interview. After she books the interview appt, make sure she prints the Appointment Confirmation letter for the next step.

Next, she will schedule her medical exam and vaccinations in HCMC. She will need to bring the Appointment Confirmation letter, the Packet 3 letter, and a few other pieces of document (see Packet 3 instructions for the list) to the medical exam and vaccination. Make sure she schedules her medical exam well in advance so she'll have enough time to pick up the completed medical exam package before the interview. She will need this medical exam package for the interview.

One thing to keep in mind that, sometimes, the Packet 3 letter will never arrive, as it happened to our case. We waited and waited and after a month it is still no where to be found. Should that happen, you might want to fill out an inquiry on the consulate website and they will email you a copy of the Packet 3 letter. Your fiancee will need this letter for her medical exam and vaccinations. Here's the link to fill out an online inquiry with the consulate.

http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/contact/ivinquiries.html

We waited for 2 weeks and decided to inquire. The consulate emailed us a copy of the letter and my fiancee took it to her medical exam & vaccinations.

It is important to note that if you have any questions for the consulate, fill out the online inquiry and they will get back to you within 24 hours, usually by 6 AM your time in the U.S. In my case, it has usually been around 2:30 A.M. ET.

We have just gone through this so send me a PM if you want to discuss it in more details. Or just post your questions in this thread and I will try to help answer as much as I can.

Oh, almost forgot. Tell your fiancee to use EMS for mailing documents to the consulate. It costs very little (about $1 USD at most) and the consulate usually gets it the next day (depends on where she lives). My fiancee lives near central Vietnam and it takes a day for the consulate to get it. A list of EMS locations is attached below.

K-INSTRUCTION.pdf

EMS Drop-Off Locations.pdf

Edited August 25, 2014 by frontgear

[Savoie3928 0]

Thank you guys so much for clearing that up for me.

Frontgear, Thank you very much for all the detailed info.

When you say the "packet 3 letter' didnt arrive, are you reffering to the whole packet 3, or a specific letter within the packet?

[frontgear 194]

Thank you guys so much for clearing that up for me.

Frontgear, Thank you very much for all the detailed info.

When you say the "packet 3 letter' didnt arrive, are you reffering to the whole packet 3, or a specific letter within the packet?

The whole Packet 3 did not arrive. I believe Packet 3 contains only the letter and nothing else. It should be worded Packet 3 envelope.

[Savoie3928 0]

Shouldn't it also contain instructions?

[frontgear 194]

Shouldn't it also contain instructions?

I don't think so. The Packet 3 letter tells you to go to the website (that I had given you in the earlier post) to view and follow the instructions there. That's what it said in our Packet 3 letter.

Edited August 26, 2014 by frontgear

[Savoie3928 0]

Oh ok, thanks so much again. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the near future,

[frontgear 194]

Sure. PM me if you need to.

You can help her fill out the DS-160 form because it's all in English. Then before she signs the last page, you just fill in your name/address as the person who fills the form for her. At the last step, it'll let you email yourself a copy of the Confirmation Page, print the Confirmation Page, exit the site, or start a new one.

Here's a copy of our Packet 3 letter.

Edited August 26, 2014 by frontgear

[natalie.le 10]

Hi frontgear, is the new case number from the consulate the same case number as NVC/CEAC? Thanks

[frontgear 194]

Hi frontgear, is the new case number from the consulate the same case number as NVC/CEAC? Thanks

It is the same. Should start with HCM 2014 XXX XXX. That case number will stay with your fiance/fiancee until he/she arrives in the U.S.

Edited September 13, 2014 by frontgear

[My&Truong 4]

Since yours is a K-1 visa petition, your case will go to NVC first, where they assign a case number (HCM 2014 XXX XXX), scan your case into their system, and forward it to the consulate in HCMC. The NVC does not collect any visa fees or schedule your interview appt like the other immigration cases (spousal visa, for example).

After the consulate receives your case, they will mail your fiancee Packet 3 (aka Instruction Package). The consulate actually receives the electronic file a day or 2 after NVC sends it, and the actual physical file follows a few days later, usually a week. They do not mail your fiancee Packet 3 until they have received the physical file. Packet 3 contains the letter that you will need to bring to the medical exam and vaccination in HCMC. It also contains instructions on what to do next. I am attaching a PDF document that you can review. This is the same document that the Packet 3 letter will instruct her to go to.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/231771/PDFs/K-INSTRUCTION.pdf

When your fiancee receives the Packet 3, she should follow the instructions on the Packet 3 letter to mail back the required documents (DS-160, 2 visa photos, and a copy of her valid Vietnamese passport). To fill out the DS-160 form online, go to https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/. She will need to print out the Confirmation Page of DS-160 to submit with her documents to mail back to the consulate. It is the last page of the DS-160 form where she signs it electronically. The DS-160 confirmation number is also required for the next step.

Next, she will need to go to ustraveldocs.com site (link here: https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/SiteRegister?country=&language=) and create an online account. She will need her Vietnamese passport number and the DS-160 confirmation number from the previous step for this. After she has filled in all of the required information, she will need to print a deposit slip (from the same site) to take to any HSBC branch or local Post Office to pay for her Visa fee (which is $240 for each person). Within 24 hours after she pays the Visa fee, she will get an email saying that she is ready to book her interview appointment. If, for some reason, she doesn't receive this email, she can go to the ustraveldocs.com site to schedule the interview. After she books the interview appt, make sure she prints the Appointment Confirmation letter for the next step.

Next, she will schedule her medical exam and vaccinations in HCMC. She will need to bring the Appointment Confirmation letter, the Packet 3 letter, and a few other pieces of document (see Packet 3 instructions for the list) to the medical exam and vaccination. Make sure she schedules her medical exam well in advance so she'll have enough time to pick up the completed medical exam package before the interview. She will need this medical exam package for the interview.

One thing to keep in mind that, sometimes, the Packet 3 letter will never arrive, as it happened to our case. We waited and waited and after a month it is still no where to be found. Should that happen, you might want to fill out an inquiry on the consulate website and they will email you a copy of the Packet 3 letter. Your fiancee will need this letter for her medical exam and vaccinations. Here's the link to fill out an online inquiry with the consulate.

http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/contact/ivinquiries.html

We waited for 2 weeks and decided to inquire. The consulate emailed us a copy of the letter and my fiancee took it to her medical exam & vaccinations.

It is important to note that if you have any questions for the consulate, fill out the online inquiry and they will get back to you within 24 hours, usually by 6 AM your time in the U.S. In my case, it has usually been around 2:30 A.M. ET.

We have just gone through this so send me a PM if you want to discuss it in more details. Or just post your questions in this thread and I will try to help answer as much as I can.

Oh, almost forgot. Tell your fiancee to use EMS for mailing documents to the consulate. It costs very little (about $1 USD at most) and the consulate usually gets it the next day (depends on where she lives). My fiancee lives near central Vietnam and it takes a day for the consulate to get it. A list of EMS locations is attached below.

I got a mistake in G325. I filled wrongly the period of living in my second house. Should I call the Embassy and ask them how to fix?

[frontgear 194]

I got a mistake in G325. I filled wrongly the period of living in my second house. Should I call the Embassy and ask them how to fix?

I think you should be fine. If you still feel uneasy about it, call USCIS and tell them you would like to correct your info on the G-325a. A few people have done this as to prevent possible RFEs wirh their petition, but I think you should be fine.