Amazing how complicated something So easy is! (DCF IR-1)

[7Ken 15]

We filled our I-130 petition after considerable stress and countless hours of working on simple forms (mainly because of so much posted miss-information) on Feb 17th at the US embassy in Manila. It took about 30 minutes at most. We were told 30 to 90 days for a decision. On Friday Feb 26th only 6 working days later we received an email titled "IVMNL Appointments" (Interview scheduling instructions).

The email starts out,

"We received the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)-approved visa petition filed on your behalf." It goes on to inform us how to make an appointment for our interview and how to register for the delivery of passport and Visa. Next is to visit the embassy's web page for more info. Then a link to the required DS-260 form to be filled out on-line and finally the "welcome to the US page to help one settle into everyday life in the states.

My wife and I filled out the DS-260 on-line and saved it. I was frustrated I couldn't complete it because I didn't have the "State Dept #'s". I googled it, one site said use her birth-date and others offered other solutions but none worked. I thought hummm it can't hurt to try so I inserted the MNLxxxxxxxxxxx # and whala it was completed giving me both my case and conformation #'s. I tried to pay for it but the site refused to take payment stating the #'s were incorrect, haha, what kind of surprise is waiting for me next?

Not as advertised the only #'s required to finish and file the DS-260 form were the MNLxxxxxxxxxxx and my wife's passport #. I had read I probably wouldn't be able to access the site, I'd have to pay first, and finally that I had to wait at least a month to receive my "#'s" from NVC before I could access the form.

DCF IR-1 Visa... The paperwork itself is actually quite easy, the supporting documents will depend on the individual but again not so difficult.

So why is it something so easy is so hard?

I'd say because of bad information on 90% of available websites..

It's no wonder the average person will just give up and hire it done and still have to do most of the work which is getting all the supporting documents together.

On a side note does anyone know why my Timeline here insists my service center is in Texas?

I'm from NC living here in Phils. Possibly some of my documents are going to the NVC there?

Ken

[gradtaai 8]

maybe I have missed something also but I have also tried to delete "Texas" also---- Maybe some

kind of default?????

[Marrienne 113]

Wow Manila is very fast from what I've read on other topics!!
We are doing DCF in Greece, and I can totally sympathize, took me weeks to fill out the forms and gather papers!!
We got a verbal OK on our I-130s 8 days after filing... that was almost a whole month ago. Nothing since, no e-mail no paperwork.. and of course I am slightly freaking out

[7Ken 15]

The way I originally understood it was that I file the I-130 (DCF). Once approved they would transfer the case and sometime later I would receive a package by mail with forms in it. Fill them out, send them out and wait again.

BUT

When I received the email conformation the wording and instructions lead me to think otherwise. I refused to believe what I was reading on most sites including the embassy site which I've found to be incorrect several times.

I kept insisting that the email was all I was going to receive and contained the "forms" I had been lead to believe would be mailed to me.

Turns out I was right. In that email was a case number that for me started with MNL (Manila) followed by 10 numbers. I followed a link and completed and submitted the DS-260 form using that MNL # and my wife's passport #. The DS-260 is the actual Visa application, the one I was lead to believe would be mailed to me. Once completed I was given the option to save a copy of the application and the conformation. The next morning I woke to an email from US DoS (department of State) thanking me for my on-line application and giving me another conformation notice.

In that email it says "Next Step" and here comes another ???? I click on the link, it takes me to a DoS page and the instructions start with "choose an agent, pay fees, submit DS-260" wo wo wo, I've already done this. I'm assuming that this "Next" isn't aware I'm filling DCF?

I understand next is the I-864 form (the other mailed form not), all supporting documents, my wife's medical, and then make an appointment. When I looked at the appointments page the next available slot was about a week away. I'm waiting on some supporting docs from the states now so that may take some time..