January 2017 I-129F Filers

[eastcoastgroove 329]

4 minutes ago, SkruDe said:

So guess what happened to me................... 

 

I called the NVC to check the status of my petition.  To see if it had arrived yet at the NVC and to check if a Case Number has been assigned.  Well during the security questions, my Fiance's DOB, my answer was WRONG.  I repeated it again, he said no that is not what is on file.  I pulled up her passport and birth certificate and said that I was right, that is her birthday.  He then told me that someone at the USCIS, whoever processed my petition, entered the WRONG DOB FOR MY FIANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

My god USCIS.....  /facepalm

 

Anyways, he told me I had to send the NVC an email with my fiance's passport and birth certificate and in the body of the email explain the issue, and the NVC will send that email and attachments with my petition to the Embassy.  I asked, "well don't you have access to the passport and birth certificate?  It was in my petition".  He said no, that packet is kept in a separate building.  What's on the screen in front of him is just entered in information from the USCIS that he looks at to confirm security and identity.  He said he could not fix the problem, it had to be fixed at the Embassy BEFORE they processed it.

 

So I sent an email to the address he gave me and 5 second later it gets bounced back saying UNDELIVERABLE. Bad Domain. Sigh.......................

 

So I tried again and this time it didn't get bounced back, but I don't know if it truly went thru?

 

So now I'm all worried again..... 

 

😡😡😡. I am curious, is her DOB correct on your NOA1??  Hopefully, it has gone through and this will not cause any unnecessary delays.  Just keep calling back daily until you are sure it has gone through and it is being fixed!!

[SkruDe 311]

1 minute ago, eastcoastgroove said:

😡😡😡. I am curious, is her DOB correct on your NOA1??  Hopefully, it has gone through and this will not cause any unnecessary delays.  Just keep calling back daily until you are sure it has gone through and it is being fixed!!

The NOA1 DOB is correct.

[MrMizo 144]

6 minutes ago, SkruDe said:

So guess what happened to me................... 

 

I called the NVC to check the status of my petition.  To see if it had arrived yet at the NVC and to check if a Case Number has been assigned.  Well during the security questions, my Fiance's DOB, my answer was WRONG.  I repeated it again, he said no that is not what is on file.  I pulled up her passport and birth certificate and said that I was right, that is her birthday.  He then told me that someone at the USCIS, whoever processed my petition, entered the WRONG DOB FOR MY FIANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

My god USCIS.....  /facepalm

 

Anyways, he told me I had to send the NVC an email with my fiance's passport and birth certificate and in the body of the email explain the issue, and the NVC will send that email and attachments with my petition to the Embassy.  I asked, "well don't you have access to the passport and birth certificate?  It was in my petition".  He said no, that packet is kept in a separate building.  What's on the screen in front of him is just entered in information from the USCIS that he looks at to confirm security and identity.  He said he could not fix the problem, it had to be fixed at the Embassy BEFORE they processed it.

 

So I sent an email to the address he gave me and 5 second later it gets bounced back saying UNDELIVERABLE. Bad Domain. Sigh.......................

 

So I tried again and this time it didn't get bounced back, but I don't know if it truly went thru?

 

So now I'm all worried again..... 

 

I'm sure everything will turn out okay, i would contact them just to make sure they received the email.

[smedeiros 14]

9 hours ago, smedeiros said:

sorry for asking so many questions. this is for those whose fiance is in canada,  but on my noa2 it listed the consulate as ottawa but does it get transferred to the one in Montreal? or do we need to put in the request for Montreal? my fiance put ottawa for the consulate on one of the forms, i just wanted to make sure we are good or if  we need to do something.  thank you! if this doesn't make sense please let me know

 

[TriloByte 1,818]

9 hours ago, Martin & Rona said:

Okay so I just called USCIS and after taking down my case # and name he told me my case is still being worked (Received Status).

 

I proceeded to tell him that I received NOA2 approval in the mail yesterday and his response was it takes 30-45 days for the USCIS website to be updated. When I further pressed the issue stating that until last week ppl here on vj were receiving electronic notification with NOA2 approvals prior to receiving a hard copy in the mail he said that he was only a CSR representative and suggested I speak with their support department in charge of website updates (ELIS).

 

He transferred my call to an agent with ELIS and after explaining the situation again my call was disconnected.

 

Go figure, I spent at least 45 minutes on the phone and got absolutely nowhere. I should have asked for the direct number for ELIS and I would have called them back. Not sure if my call was dropped or if I was hung up on.

 

 

 

I found this tonight. Seems like they are just making stuff up when we call.

 

From the USCIS FAQ

 

"How often is the case status information on this site updated?

The case status information on this site is updated regularly throughout the business day. If any action is taken regarding your case, the change will be reflected on this site within a few minutes of the action-taking place."

 

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/html/faq.html

Edited May 13, 2017 by dbmathis

[Buttaflyzoe 20]

5 hours ago, dbmathis said:

The mail doesn't even run here, until 7 PM, then, when it does, the mailman puts mail in the wrong boxes. Basically one of my neighbors will get it and just bin it. I hope you get it soon. 

Don't get discouraged, I waited 137 days before my case got approved on 5/8/17 ..... and to make matters wait website still showing received. Before you know it you'll be getting your NOA2 soon and will be worrying bout NVC..... keep hope alive and you'll be done soon! 

[Buttaflyzoe 20]

8 hours ago, Lenchique said:

Can anyone share instructions on what the next step is after NOA 2? What does a case number in hand do for me? Should I just sit back and do nothing or is there something else that needs to be done after NOA 2 was recieved? 

 

Im sending my fiancé my I-134. Anything. Else ?

If I was you I'd be calling NVC 1 week and a half later to get the case number .... with that you could start your ds160 ..... check with you country consulate for next step. But don't wait around for them to reach out to you because you'll be out of luck. Before you know it your 6 months will be up!! 

[Buttaflyzoe 20]

7 hours ago, mbassett said:

Only mail for me, no notifications even though I signed up for them

Approval date 05/05/17 and received in the mail yesterday

No!! 

 

Only snail mail yesterday, approved 5/8 as of today it still says RFE was received Uscis will begin working on your case again. ... I said focus on the post office instead of online email/text  etc....

[Angel&Eric 185]

I posted this a few days ago in the february forum.  

 

USCIS Completes Data Entry for Petitions Selected in H-1B Lottery; Will Start Returning Unselected Petitions

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

On May 3, 2017, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the data entry process for all H-1B cap petitions selected in the FY 2018 H-1B cap lottery had been completed. USCIS will begin returning petitions that were not selected in the lottery; however, a specific timeframe for the return of unselected petitions has not been identified. USCIS is requesting that petitioning employers refrain from inquiring into the status of cap-subject petitions until employers have received a receipt notice or the returned cap-subject petition.

In an effort to balance its workload, USCIS will transfer some H-1B cap petitions from its Vermont Service Center to its California Service Center for processing. USCIS will issue notifications via mail on cases that are being transferred.

[MapleLeaf29 247]

9 hours ago, Lenchique said:

Can anyone share instructions on what the next step is after NOA 2? What does a case number in hand do for me? Should I just sit back and do nothing or is there something else that needs to be done after NOA 2 was recieved? 

 

Im sending my fiancé my I-134. Anything. Else ?

We wondered the same thing.  Here is what we did after we got our NOA2:

 

1) Two weeks after our NOA2 was approved, I started calling the NVC every day.  It usually took between 15-30 minutes to get through.  Here is what I did:

• Phone number: 603-334-0700.
• If it goes straight to voice recording, it means that the lines are busy.  Hang up right away.
• If it rings once and then goes to a voice recording, it means they will take your call.  You will hear a voice recording with a woman.  As soon as she starts talking, press 1.
• You will be directed to a voice recording with a man.  As soon as he starts talking, press 7.
• You will be put on hold.  
• When an employee answers, they will ask you for your case number.  Tell them that you don't have a case number yet, but you have your USCIS receipt number.  This was my standard line: "My fiancé and I applied for a k-1 visa.  We received our I-797 (Notice of Action 2) from the California Service Center on February 16, 2017.  W are calling to see if the California Service Center has forwarded our case."
• The employee will enter your case number into their system.  If the case has not been forwarded, they will tell you to call back again in a few days.
• If the case has been forwarded, they will ask you for your full name and date of birth and your fiancé's full name and date of birth.  Then they will give you your case number (important) and your invoice number (which they said was important but we never used).

2) After you have your case number, you can check your case status here:

https://ceac.state.gov/ceacstattracker/status.aspx

 

3) I think the next steps vary by consulate, so take everything with a grain of salt and double-check the requirements for your country.  When our case status was set to "Ready," we submitted Packet 3 and the DS-160 electronically to the US Consulate in Montreal.

 

4) Within a few days, we received Packet 4 from Montreal.  You do not have to submit anything for Packet 4, but you do need to print it off and bring it to your visa interview.

 

5) We scheduled my fiancé's visa interview.  After the interview was scheduled, we were able to book his medical.

Edited May 13, 2017 by MapleLeaf29

[Lenchique 48]

8 minutes ago, MapleLeaf29 said:

We wondered the same thing.  Here is what we did after we got our NOA2:

 

1) Two weeks after our NOA2 was approved, I started calling the NVC every day.  It usually took between 15-30 minutes to get through.  Here is what I did:

• Phone number: 603-334-0700.
• If it goes straight to voice recording, it means that the lines are busy.  Hang up right away.
• If it rings once and then goes to a voice recording, it means they will take your call.  You will hear a voice recording with a woman.  As soon as she starts talking, press 1.
• You will be directed to a voice recording with a man.  As soon as he starts talking, press 7.
• You will be put on hold.  
• When an employee answers, they will ask you for your case number.  Tell them that you don't have a case number yet, but you have your USCIS receipt number.  This was my standard line: "My fiancé and I applied for a k-1 visa.  We received our I-797 (Notice of Action 2) from the California Service Center on February 16, 2017.  W are calling to see if the California Service Center has forwarded our case."
• The employee will enter your case number into their system.  If the case has not been forwarded, they will tell you to call back again in a few days.
• If the case has been forwarded, they will ask you for your full name and date of birth and your fiancé's full name and date of birth.  Then they will give you your case number (important) and your invoice number (which they said was important but we never used).

2) After you have your case number, you can check your case status here:

https://ceac.state.gov/ceacstattracker/status.aspx

 

3) I think the next steps vary by consulate, so take everything with a grain of salt and double-check the requirements for your country.  When our case status was set to "Ready," we submitted Packet 3 and the DS-160 electronically to the US Consulate in Montreal.

 

4) Within a few days, we received Packet 4 from Montreal.  You do not have to submit anything for Packet 4, but you do need to print it off and bring it to your visa interview.

 

5) We scheduled my fiancé's visa interview.  After the interview was scheduled, we were able to book his medical.

Thanks this info is so helpful! 😗 Can you tell me what packet 3 is? Is that sent to fiancé (in native country) or something I need to do on the State-side?

[MapleLeaf29 247]

8 minutes ago, Lenchique said:

Thanks this info is so helpful! 😗 Can you tell me what packet 3 is? Is that sent to fiancé (in native country) or something I need to do on the State-side?

Packet 3 is a checklist verifying that you have all of the documents you need for the visa interview.  We didn't look at Packet 3 until after we had our NOA2, but we wished we had looked at it earlier because there were a few things on there that we didn't have.  My fiancé was in the military reserves during university, so when I saw that Packet 3 included "military records", I asked him if he had them.  He said he didn't, so we had to scramble to get them.  The military said it could take up to 6 months for them to arrive, but thankfully, my fiancé was able to call them and explain the situation and they sent them right away.  Anyway, it all worked out in the end, but I wish we had looked at the checklist a little earlier.

 

I think the checklist varies by embassy.  Here is a link to the Montreal Packet 3 checklist:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/canada/303578/montreal/Packet3-K1-MTL.pdf

Edited May 13, 2017 by MapleLeaf29

[PR&PR 325]

14 minutes ago, Lenchique said:

Thanks this info is so helpful! 😗 Can you tell me what packet 3 is? Is that sent to fiancé (in native country) or something I need to do on the State-side?

The packet is specific to country, but you have general guidelines here: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/Supporting_documents.html

[PR&PR 325]

9 minutes ago, MapleLeaf29 said:

Packet 3 is a checklist verifying that you have all of the documents you need for the visa interview.  We didn't look at Packet 3 until after we had our NOA2, but we wished we had looked at it earlier because there were a few things on there that we didn't have.  My fiancé was in the military reserves during university, so when I saw that Packet 3 included "military records", I asked him if he had them.  He said he didn't, so we had to scramble to get them.  The military said it could take up to 6 months for them to arrive, but thankfully, my fiancé was able to call them and explain the situation and they sent them right away.  Anyway, it all worked out in the end, but I wish we had looked at the checklist a little earlier.

 

I think the checklist varies by embassy.  Here is a link to the Montreal Packet 3 checklist:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/canada/303578/montreal/Packet3-K1-MTL.pdf

Cool so by looking at your timeline. It took about two months from NOA2 until visa in hand? Not too bad  ! 

[MapleLeaf29 247]

28 minutes ago, PR&PR said:

Cool so by looking at your timeline. It took about two months from NOA2 until visa in hand? Not too bad  ! 

Yes, everything really picked up speed after NOA2.