I-130 December 2016 Filers

[Adam & Dina 29]

Any more texas service center Dec approvals? 

[Sharif Shakhshir 5]

 

Curious... Could someone who has been approved take a picture of the envelope (covering your personal details, of course).  

 

I am sure I am note alone in knowing what this much anticipated envelope looks like :-)

[Catherine 2]

Has anyone with a PD date 12/27 been approved ? We are still waiting....😭

[RudelCraig 12]

4 hours ago, Catherine said:

Has anyone with a PD date 12/27 been approved ? We are still waiting....😭

Hi. We have a NOA1 date of 28 Dec 2016 - no approval of NOA2 yet... Holding thumbs though that it'll happen soon.  

[Doug and Silke 0]

Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa

We were the first to go through the electronic filing process at this Consulate..

As in anything, there are kinks in the process as they fine tune it. There was some mild confusion with regards to how they verify the documents in the system with the originals that you MUST bring with you because they will need to verify them. They only wanted to see Silke's notarized birth certificate and divorce decree to compare to what was on the screen. They asked nothing of me the petitioner as far as documentation. But obviously bring everything.

Our appointment was for 07:40 but that really only is to get you in line I believe at the consulate. Once you are in, you go to the cashier's window to pay any fees needing to be paid. We had none as we were all paid up.

We then got a ticket with a number and waited to be called. We then got a very nice woman who did the document verification with he documents I noted above. She explained he process very clearly to us.

We needed no receipts of relationship items. We needed no photos though we brought our wedding album.
Is it good to bring such things? Sure... I mean why not? If there were any doubts in the interview, then you would have evidence to support your case.

So the first process with the verification took about 15 minutes and that was only because we are the first to go through this process in Frankfurt.

We then took a seat to wait till we were called to another window for the interview with a consulate officer. The wait was about 30 minutes as he was the only officer and 3 people went before us.

He was very pleasant and very professional. He asked not hint of me only to ask "I assume you are the petitioner for Silke". I said yes and stated my name. He later towards the end asked what I did for a living.
There were very few questions he asked Silke. No gotcha questions. No telephone numbers or social security,birthdays, etc questions asked. Is that to say they never will again with this process? No. 

I view it like this, these people have done this many years. They are a good judge when it comes to such things. 
Based upon the overwhelming data provided with regards to my assets and seeing two people who matched, they have a good gut feeling.

He did ask us how we came to meet... How the relationship progressed afterward. How often we met because of the long distance relationship.. He only asked and did not ask for proof and again, it does no mean they never will.

I want to give all of you some common sense advice. I've been on the planet awhile and understand a few things.. Remember this is a US Government building and an official situation you are in. A smart person treats this somewhat like a job interview. How you dress in my opinion, makes a huge difference. It says much about you in this moment. I hate wearing a suit and tie.... guess what I wore? Yep... a suit and tie. Silke wore a lovely Conservative dress WITH sleeves. Get the picture?

Not that it should matter but she (as she always does) wore her cross necklace. I saw woman who's asses were falling out of "daisy duke" shorts, blue jeans and t shirts and just shook my head. I have to wonder sometimes how people can be so stuck on stupid.

So, have some respect or reverence in the situation. It tells the people behind the glass you have a clue about life..

So all told, we were in the building for about an hour. Most of that was waiting for the cashier window to open at 7:30 and then the window for documentation to open at 07:45, 15 minutes there, wait for the consulate officer for about 20 minutes and then our turn.

We stayed at the Best Western. If you stay, heck out the 1400 building across the street from the main hotel entrance. I think the hotel owns it? Cheap food and cheap beer. We sat outside in the inner courtyard.

The consulate is a short 8 minute walk.. Come out of the main entranceway of the hotel, walk to the right down that Main Street keeping the center train tracks to your LEFT. Down just about 500 meters you see a blue rectangular sign indicating a walkway with all beige paver stones. Take that all the way to the end... go right, pass the delivery entrance for the consulate and just about 200 meters beyond that is the entrance.

Hopefully.... you left you cellphone at the hotel..... It is the first thing you are asked by the nice German gentleman at the security check. 

For visas, you will be in the line to the right. It is well identified. You will then be called to window #1 when it is your turn. You will present your passport. I the petitioner did as well. You then go through security and remove all contents from your pockets as well as a belt if wearing one. You will place it in a clear plastic bag and at the end of the check after you walk through a series of doors, put everything back on or in your person and lave the plastic bag in a bin. You then exit the security building and walk a short distance to the consulate building. You will see security personnel standing outside of the entrance. You go in and there will b a podium for check in Derry they will direct you from there which is likely as I said way upabove, is the cashier's window.

It was reiterated to us a couple times with the document verifier and the consulate officer that this new process is designed to shorten the process for petitioners and immigrants which is something the new President wanted. We were looking at Oct, Nov or Dec for our interview and were shocked when we got our date 1 day after completing the document upload process? 

Remember this... More is less.. I gave them 4 years of tax returns, 4 W2's, 4 payroll stubs, my social security statement as I already have enough credits, my pension info as well as 401k info. It assured the Govt Silke would NEVER be a burden to the US taxpayer. 

So now it is a matter of Silke giving notice to her employer which unfortunately will be a few month because of the length of time she's been there. German law but it works both ways.... she has compensatory time to sell back so maybe sooner..  

The wait was worth it because I found a diamond in the rough. She is a beautiful human being.
I was not nervous at all through this last step as I knew I was prepared and I believe having the financial wherewithal can make a difference. Being on the margins more than likely opens you up to possibly more scrutiny.

Best of luck to all of of you in this Visa Journey... 




 

[Doug and Silke 0]

On 6/1/2017 at 7:22 PM, Sharif Shakhshir said:

Not recommended by US Customs and Border Patrol.. further, it can jeopardize the whole process.... 

 

We're all in the same boat and want to be with our loved ones but when the immigration officer says they don't recommend since they will question intent, it is not worth the risk.

This is false advice. My wife came on a tourist visa. She brought her NOA2 approval letter with her as well as the submitted I 130 and asked what was the purpose of her visit she said to visit her husband. Then asked when she was returning home..

 

please do not discourage people from visiting their spouses based upon a false premise.

 

We were approved on the 20th. See my lengthy post in this thread and Frankfurt review.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sharif Shakhshir 5]

2 minutes ago, Doug and Silke said:

This is false advice. My wife came on a tourist visa. She brought her NOA2 approval letter with her as well as the submitted I 130 and asked what was the purpose of her visit she said to visit her husband. Then asked when she was returning home..

 

please do not discourage people from visiting their spouses based upon a false premise.

 

We were approved on the 20th. See my lengthy post in this thread and Frankfurt review.

 

 

 

 

 

I am definitely not trying to discourage anyone and, like I said, we are all in the same boat and wishing to be with our loved ones. Only sharing the facts  from my interviews with immigration officers at Los Angeles Airport.  

 

While I wait my wife's approval, I am weighing the risks and evidence of succes that I keep on reading on Visa Journey. I think we will take that risk so that she can visit this summer. I wish everyone the best of luck.

[Doug and Silke 0]

2 minutes ago, Sharif Shakhshir said:

I am definitely not trying to discourage anyone and, like I said, we are all in the same boat and wishing to be with our loved ones. Only sharing the facts  from my interviews with immigration officers at Los Angeles Airport.  

 

While I wait my wife's approval, I am weighing the risks and evidence of succes that I keep on reading on Visa Journey. I think we will take that risk so that she can visit this summer. I wish everyone the best of luck.

I think you will be fine. Odd that of all places, LA claiming to be a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants gives someone a difficult time coming through the process the legal way and open about it. The things that boggle the mind. Best of luck in your journey.

[Sharif Shakhshir 5]

20 minutes ago, Doug and Silke said:

Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa

We were the first to go through the electronic filing process at this Consulate..

As in anything, there are kinks in the process as they fine tune it. There was some mild confusion with regards to how they verify the documents in the system with the originals that you MUST bring with you because they will need to verify them. They only wanted to see Silke's notarized birth certificate and divorce decree to compare to what was on the screen. They asked nothing of me the petitioner as far as documentation. But obviously bring everything.

Our appointment was for 07:40 but that really only is to get you in line I believe at the consulate. Once you are in, you go to the cashier's window to pay any fees needing to be paid. We had none as we were all paid up.

We then got a ticket with a number and waited to be called. We then got a very nice woman who did the document verification with he documents I noted above. She explained he process very clearly to us.

We needed no receipts of relationship items. We needed no photos though we brought our wedding album.
Is it good to bring such things? Sure... I mean why not? If there were any doubts in the interview, then you would have evidence to support your case.

So the first process with the verification took about 15 minutes and that was only because we are the first to go through this process in Frankfurt.

We then took a seat to wait till we were called to another window for the interview with a consulate officer. The wait was about 30 minutes as he was the only officer and 3 people went before us.

He was very pleasant and very professional. He asked not hint of me only to ask "I assume you are the petitioner for Silke". I said yes and stated my name. He later towards the end asked what I did for a living.
There were very few questions he asked Silke. No gotcha questions. No telephone numbers or social security,birthdays, etc questions asked. Is that to say they never will again with this process? No. 

I view it like this, these people have done this many years. They are a good judge when it comes to such things. 
Based upon the overwhelming data provided with regards to my assets and seeing two people who matched, they have a good gut feeling.

He did ask us how we came to meet... How the relationship progressed afterward. How often we met because of the long distance relationship.. He only asked and did not ask for proof and again, it does no mean they never will.

I want to give all of you some common sense advice. I've been on the planet awhile and understand a few things.. Remember this is a US Government building and an official situation you are in. A smart person treats this somewhat like a job interview. How you dress in my opinion, makes a huge difference. It says much about you in this moment. I hate wearing a suit and tie.... guess what I wore? Yep... a suit and tie. Silke wore a lovely Conservative dress WITH sleeves. Get the picture?

Not that it should matter but she (as she always does) wore her cross necklace. I saw woman who's asses were falling out of "daisy duke" shorts, blue jeans and t shirts and just shook my head. I have to wonder sometimes how people can be so stuck on stupid.

So, have some respect or reverence in the situation. It tells the people behind the glass you have a clue about life..

So all told, we were in the building for about an hour. Most of that was waiting for the cashier window to open at 7:30 and then the window for documentation to open at 07:45, 15 minutes there, wait for the consulate officer for about 20 minutes and then our turn.

We stayed at the Best Western. If you stay, heck out the 1400 building across the street from the main hotel entrance. I think the hotel owns it? Cheap food and cheap beer. We sat outside in the inner courtyard.

The consulate is a short 8 minute walk.. Come out of the main entranceway of the hotel, walk to the right down that Main Street keeping the center train tracks to your LEFT. Down just about 500 meters you see a blue rectangular sign indicating a walkway with all beige paver stones. Take that all the way to the end... go right, pass the delivery entrance for the consulate and just about 200 meters beyond that is the entrance.

Hopefully.... you left you cellphone at the hotel..... It is the first thing you are asked by the nice German gentleman at the security check. 

For visas, you will be in the line to the right. It is well identified. You will then be called to window #1 when it is your turn. You will present your passport. I the petitioner did as well. You then go through security and remove all contents from your pockets as well as a belt if wearing one. You will place it in a clear plastic bag and at the end of the check after you walk through a series of doors, put everything back on or in your person and lave the plastic bag in a bin. You then exit the security building and walk a short distance to the consulate building. You will see security personnel standing outside of the entrance. You go in and there will b a podium for check in Derry they will direct you from there which is likely as I said way upabove, is the cashier's window.

It was reiterated to us a couple times with the document verifier and the consulate officer that this new process is designed to shorten the process for petitioners and immigrants which is something the new President wanted. We were looking at Oct, Nov or Dec for our interview and were shocked when we got our date 1 day after completing the document upload process? 

Remember this... More is less.. I gave them 4 years of tax returns, 4 W2's, 4 payroll stubs, my social security statement as I already have enough credits, my pension info as well as 401k info. It assured the Govt Silke would NEVER be a burden to the US taxpayer. 

So now it is a matter of Silke giving notice to her employer which unfortunately will be a few month because of the length of time she's been there. German law but it works both ways.... she has compensatory time to sell back so maybe sooner..  

The wait was worth it because I found a diamond in the rough. She is a beautiful human being.
I was not nervous at all through this last step as I knew I was prepared and I believe having the financial wherewithal can make a difference. Being on the margins more than likely opens you up to possibly more scrutiny.

Best of luck to all of of you in this Visa Journey... 




 

GREAT tips and advice. Thank you for sharing all this detail and common sense wisdom.

[From Tx 6]

16 hours ago, Catherine said:

Has anyone with a PD date 12/27 been approved ? We are still waiting....😭

Our Pd is December 14/2016 at Nebraska Center nothing yet.

Edited June 21, 2017 by From Tx

[arsalk 22]

PD DEC 8th, nothing yet either.

 

I have been following the Nebraska Service Center progress and its somewhere in the middle of November at the moment based on the updates on time lines people have put in So we are looking at sometime end of next month to maybe see any approvals for December. 

 

You also have to take into account that October and November might have been the heaviest months where people filed their petitions. So that could also become a factor in the approvals going into late July 

Edited June 21, 2017 by arsalk

[Doug and Silke 0]

Admins.. you should take note of these new procedures to inform the members.. This post should be placed in a thread we're all can see as this process has been totally revamped and for the good of the people applying.

 

I forgot something important with our interview. Because we are the first couple to go through this new process at the NVC/Consulate, The only thing you will get back in the mail is your passport. Her medical exam results were sent directly to the Frankfurt consulate as well.

 

she received an email two days after our approval telling her to notify them via email which Port of entry she will be using so they will be prepared to process her Visa.

 

Below is my original post fixing my grammatical mistakes...

 

Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa

We were the first to go through the electronic filing process at this Consulate..

As in anything, there are kinks in the process as they fine tune it. There was some mild confusion with regards to how they verify the documents in the system with the originals that you MUST bring with you because they will need to verify them. They only wanted to see Silke's notarized birth certificate and divorce decree to compare to what was on the screen. They asked nothing of me the petitioner as far as documentation. But obviously bring everything.

Our appointment was for 07:40 but that really only is to get you in line I believe at the consulate early. As long as you're there on your day, I think you are ok. So don't stress if you are late getting there on the day of your interview. 

Once you are in, you go to the cashier's window to pay any fees needing to be paid. We had none as we were all paid up.

We then got a ticket with a number and waited to be called. We then got a very nice woman who did the document verification with the documents I noted above. She explained the process very clearly to us.

We needed no receipts of relationship items. We needed no photos though we brought our wedding album.
Is it good to bring such things? Sure... I mean why not? If there were any doubts in the interview, then you would have evidence to support your case.

So the first process with the verification took about 15 minutes and that was only because we are the first to go through this new process in Frankfurt.

We then took a seat to wait till we were called to another window for the interview with a consulate officer. The wait was about 30 minutes as he was the only officer and 3 people went before us.

He was very pleasant and very professional. He asked nothing of me only to ask "I assume you are the petitioner for Silke". I said yes and stated my name. He asked towards the end asked what I did for a living.
There were very few questions he asked Silke. No gotcha questions. No telephone numbers or social security,birthdays, etc questions asked. Is that to say they never will again with this process? No. 

I view it like this, these people have done this many years. They are a good judge when it comes to such things. 
Based upon the overwhelming data provided with regards to my assets and seeing two people who matched, they have a good gut feeling.

He did ask us how we came to meet... How the relationship progressed afterward. How often we met because of the long distance relationship.. He only asked and did not ask for proof and again, it does no mean they never will.

I want to give all of you some common sense advice. I've been on the planet awhile and understand a few things.. Remember this is a US Government building and an official situation you are in. A smart person treats this somewhat like a job interview. How you dress in my opinion, makes a huge difference. It says much about you in this moment. I hate wearing a suit and tie.... guess what I wore? Yep... a suit and tie. Silke wore a lovely Conservative dress WITH sleeves. Get the picture?

Not that it should matter but she (as she always does) wore her cross necklace. I saw women who's asses were falling out of "daisy duke" shorts, blue jeans and t shirts and just shook my head. I have to wonder sometimes how people can be so stuck on stupid.

So, have some respect or reverence in the situation. It tells the people behind the glass you have a clue about life..

So all told, we were in the building for about an hour. Most of that was waiting for the cashier window to open at 7:30 and then the window for documentation to open at 07:45, 15 minutes there, wait for the consulate officer for about 30 minutes and then our turn.

We stayed at the Best Western. If you stay, check out the 1400 era building across the street from the main hotel entrance. I think the hotel owns it? Cheap food and cheap beer. We sat outside in the inner courtyard.

The consulate is a short 8 minute walk.. Come out of the main entranceway of the hotel, walk to the right down that Main Street keeping the center train tracks to your LEFT. Down just about 500 meters you see a blue rectangular sign indicating a walkway with all beige paver stones. Take that all the way to the end... go right, pass the delivery entrance on the right. The consulate entrance is just about 200 meters beyond that.

Hopefully.... you left you cellphone at the hotel or in your car. It is the first thing you are asked by the nice German gentleman at the security check. 

For visas, you will be in the line to the right. It is well identified. You will then be called to window #1 when it is your turn. You will present your passport. I the petitioner did as well. You then go through security and remove all contents from your pockets as well as a belt if wearing one. You will place it in a clear plastic bag and at the end of the check after you walk through a series of doors, put everything back on or in your person and leave the plastic bag in a bin. You then exit the security building and walk a short distance to the consulate building. You will see security personnel standing outside of the entrance. You go in and there will be a podium for check in. They will direct you from there which is likely as I said way upabove, to the cashier's window.

It was reiterated to us a couple times with the document verifier and the consulate officer that this new process is designed to shorten the process for petitioners and immigrants which is something the new President wanted. We were looking at Oct, Nov or Dec for our interview and were shocked when we got our date 1 day after completing the document upload process? 

Remember this... More is less.. I gave them 4 years of tax returns, 4 W2's, 4 payroll stubs, my social security statement as I already have enough credits, my pension info as well as 401k info. It assured the Govt Silke would NEVER be a burden to the US taxpayer. 

So now it is a matter of Silke giving notice to her employer which unfortunately will be a few month because of the length of time she's been there. German law but it works both ways.... she has compensatory time to sell back so maybe sooner.. 

The wait was worth it because I found a diamond in the rough. She is a beautiful human being.
I was not nervous at all through this last step as I knew I was prepared and I believe having the financial wherewithal can make a difference. Being on the margins more than likely opens you up to possibly more scrutiny.

Best of luck to all of of you in this Visa Journey... 


 

[JBMG 890]

Hello!! 

 

Most of April scan dates have received a Case Complete (CC) from the NVC.. Even a few May scan dates have CC's!! 

 

Have you had a chance to look at our spreadsheet? Open to all NVC scan dates in 2017 (mail, email, CEAC upload)

NVC Case Status Spread Sheet -  2017 (save this link in your browser) 

 

Please visit the following, this will update the spreadsheet with your info. 

NVC Case Status Questionnaire -  2017

 

VERY IMPORTANT: please keep your confirmation email from "google forms" to edit your status as your case moves along.. Yes, You CAN bookmark the questionnaire link but only after opening it up via email. I have no access to resend your original questionnaire to you. Here are instructions on how to edit/save the questionnaire. 

 

Thank you, JBMG

[JBMG 890]

VERY Important!! Please read this post. Could save you 11 weeks!! 

 

Hello, for those of you who are about to start the NVC process or already have.. Please make sure you bookmark the following. I've created this because 1/3rd of our cases that are represented on our spreadsheet have received a checklist (like a RFE but for the NVC). Hopefully if you read this, it will reduce the chances of any of you from receiving one. Receiving a checklist can delay your case for 11 weeks (current processing time quoted by the NVC)..  Good luck!!

 

 

[sherick 0]

hello,any body here on potomac service center that's still waiting for their approval? my husband filed the i-130 for me and my daughter last dec.22 ,they received it on dec.28 2016,and we haven't heard anything until now??