Immigrant fee?

[kcrb 24]

My wife was approved for a CR-1 on 4/27. The consular officer said everything was paid. My lawyer said everything was paid. Today we got a letter from USCIS stating we needed to pay the $220 immigrant fee otherwise they cannot print her green card. I've already paid this, but I paid it in November of 2016 when it was still $165, because that's when we sent everything to the NVC. I will call the lawyer on Monday, but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else in the past and how they got out of it? I'm in between jobs and I don't have $220 to spend. Even the instructions in the letter said that the DOS consular officer should've given her instructions on how to pay this, but obviously he didn't because it showed that everything was paid, because it was. I even went back through the paperwork that was given to her and all it was was the domestic violence paper and the green slip. 

[aleful 1,905]

the fee isn't paid at the nvc stage, this is a fee to receive the physical green card

 

it is paid after you have been approved and received your packet with your passport

 

you can't pay it beforehand because you don't know if you will be approved at the interview

 

 

[JFH 12,192]

You couldn't have paid it to the NVC because you need the visa number to submit the payment (otherwise how else would they know whose green card the payment is for). The payments you made to the NVC were: AOS fee $120 and IV fee $325. NVC is not part of USCIS - separate government departments and budgets. The $220 is a USCIS fee, not an NVC or DOS fee.

[kcrb 24]

1 minute ago, JFH said:

You couldn't have paid it to the NVC because you need the visa number to submit the payment (otherwise how else would they know whose green card the payment is for). The payments you made to the NVC were: AOS fee $120 and IV fee $325. NVC is not part of USCIS - separate government departments and budgets. The $220 is a USCIS fee, not an NVC or DOS fee.

Yes, I understand they are different. But we weren't given any of the paperwork that USCIS said we should've been given + we don't have anything with her "a number". Plus, again, she was told by the CO everything was paid for and to just wait for the green card in the mail. I would've paid the stupid thing 2 months ago when I had the money. I just assumed this was grouped in with the mountain of fees I already paid. 

[JFH 12,192]

12 minutes ago, kcrb said:

Yes, I understand they are different. But we weren't given any of the paperwork that USCIS said we should've been given + we don't have anything with her "a number". Plus, again, she was told by the CO everything was paid for and to just wait for the green card in the mail. I would've paid the stupid thing 2 months ago when I had the money. I just assumed this was grouped in with the mountain of fees I already paid. 

The CO has nothing to do with the USCIS fees so when he said "everything is paid" he meant the visa fee. That's all they care about at the embassy. 

 

The invoice for the $220 is in the envelope that had her passport in that the embassy mailed back to her. Admittedly it doesn't look like an invoice - it starts out with a congratulatory message but as you read through it the page tells you how to pay the fee. 

 

She won't get her green card until it's paid. But she has the stamp in her passport which is good for a year anyway. 

Edited June 11, 2017 by JFH

[Crazy Cat 43,020]

File Online

1. Go to uscis.gov/file-online.
2. Select the “Log in” button.
3. Select “USCIS Immigrant Fee” from the chart.
4. Enter your A-Number and DOS Case ID, which can be found on your immigrant data summary, USCIS Immigrant Fee handout, or immigrant visa stamp.

[aleful 1,905]

hi

 

you can wait until she gets here, as stated she will get a stamp at customs valid for 1 year to prove that she is a resident

 

the sooner you pay for the card, the sooner it will get here

[geowrian 22,338]

Agreed with all of above. The immigrant fee is paid after the visa is approved. You don't pay for a physical green card before you are eligible for one.

[kcrb 24]

10 minutes ago, JFH said:

The CO has nothing to do with the USCIS fees so when he said "everything is paid" he meant the visa fee. That's all they care about at the embassy. 

 

The invoice for the $220 is in the envelope that had her passport in that the embassy mailed back to her. Admittedly it doesn't look like an invoice - it starts out with a congratulatory message but as you read through it the page tells you how to pay the fee. 

 

She won't get her green card until it's paid. But age has the stamp in her passport which is good for a year anyway. 

at POE they took everything that was in the DHL packet (they opened everything, including where the passport was kept) and the only thing she got back was her passport. We received nothing when she crossed. I was with her at POE and I was talking to BPD. I guess they just forgot to give her that piece of paper.. which sucks for us I guess, but I guess we'll figure it out. 

Edited June 11, 2017 by kcrb