Possible extreme blunder!

[vamos 0]

We took a long time to send back the initial forms that came with packet 3. Therefore, before doing so, I called the embassy (twice!) to make sure that we hadn't missed the window of time in which everything can be sent back within. I was told that there was no set time and that it would still be ok. I even called a week after we sent the DS-230, etc to make sure they got it and I was informed that they had (no problems mentioned).

Today, I was looking through the documents we've received over the period of the K3 process and noticed this on the NOA2:

"Notice Type: Approval Notice Valid from 09/22/2006 to 01/22/2007

Consulate : London"

!!!!!!!!!!!!! We sent back packet 3 this week and I had my medical at the end of February. Now I'm really worried that because of the expiry date on the NOA2 and our tardiness in getting things sent back we're going to be told at some point that getting the K3 is not an option.

I'm going to call the embassy tomorrow to see if I can find out for sure, but I wanted to ask on the forum to see if anyone here can provide any insight on the situation.

[mmarlo 1]

The Embassy can (but does not have to) grant an extension on the initial approval notice. When did you get Packet 3? Were there any delays in the process that weren't your fault? When were you in contact with the Embassy about your case? When did they process the DS-230? They may have automatically extended your petition.

[vamos 0]

We got packet 3 on October 13th, the delays in the process were completely our own fault, I contacted the embassy in mid to late February and they must have processed the DS-230 around the 15th of Feb. I hope they would've contacted us on receipt of the DS-230 if there was a problem however I'm a prolific worrier and I can see them being so busy as to not have the time to look that deeply into it.

Edited March 19, 2007 by vamos

[mmarlo 1]

I'm not speaking with any authority on this, but it seems to me that if there had really been a problem, they wouldn't have processed your DS-230, since that was already after the expiration date. I wouldn't count on them to have contacted you, though. Were they able to look up your case file when you talked to them, or were they just speaking in general terms? Hopefully when you get in touch with them, you'll get a sympathetic ear, or you'll find out that they automatically extended it for you. Good luck!

My petition deadline also concerns me. My deadline is the end of April, which is fast approaching, and the NVC was slow to receive my file from USCIS, and it wasn't sent to the Embassy until the end of February. The US Embassy in Kenya told me they would *not* extend the deadline, in response to an email I sent them last week, but mine doesn't expire until the end of next month.

[vamos 0]

They took my case number and gave me specific information on when the DS-230 was received. I've also had e-mail correspondence with them (where they agreed that my wife can provide her UK bank statements without filing an I-134; as her dad is the sponsor) in which I provided my case number, whether they looked it up is another matter.

Good luck with your case too! Have you sent back packet 3 yet? If so, how long does it usually take the Kenyan embassy to grant an interview after receiving it?

[mmarlo 1]

Well, it sounds like there's still a chance of the "extreme blunder", but I've got my fingers crossed for you. I've got a feeling that it'll be OK for you. I hope that feeling reflects reality!

Well, there was some confusion about Packet 3/4 at the Embassy in Kenya. My fiancee changed her address after I had submitted the I-129F petition, and the petition was approved by USCIS before she got her new address, but then there was a problem and it was sortof stuck in transit to the NVC for a long time. I tried contacting the NVC for them to update the address, but by the time I found out the NVC had actually received the petition, they had already sent it to the US Embassy in Kenya. Then I found out that my fiancee could pick up the Packet 3/4 information directly from the Embassy, so she went to do that about a week after the approved petition was sent to the NVC. As it turns out (and as I just found out), they gave her all of the Packet 3/4 forms, but they weren't forms specifically prepared for her file, and there was no "letter" that she could take to schedule the medical exam. Then she got a mysterious call on her cell phone a week or two ago from a private number that sounded like it was from the Embassy, but she was in a loud place and couldn't really understand what the lady was saying. She gave them her new address, but she hasn't gotten anything in her new or old mailbox. Anyway, I hope it all gets resolved tomorrow, when she's planning to go back to the Embassy. She's got all of the paperwork done, all the passport photos, the police certificate, the application fee--everything but the medical exam. Hopefully they can give her the letter she needs to get the exam scheduled and she can get the interview scheduled at the same time. It sounded like it could be up to 30 business days for an interview, but I think based on what the few other Kenyans who have posted on here have said, it's more like within a month and not within 6 weeks. Six weeks would be a problem with our April 25 expiry date.

Wow, that's the long version of the story. Good luck to you!

[vamos 0]

Well it sounds like with any luck you should be ok, it'll be tight though so I can understand why you're nervous.

I called the embassy this morning and was told that I would have to e-mail to be given a definite answer. I've done that, so all I can do now is wait and hope.