NVC Filers - August 2017

[Timam1 7]

28 minutes ago, Lacosta said:

 

I would be more than happy if that happens to me, i expect my husband and my mother interviews will be on December. I have two cases, I've been working the two cases together. 

December? I wish mine will be earlier

[Lacosta 40]

17 minutes ago, Timam1 said:

December? I wish mine will be earlier

It is what I expect, I would like will be tomorrow 

[cleon86 244]

I'm at week 7 of waiting and it feels like an eternity. I don't have a lot of El Salvador cases to compare mine to on the spreadsheet but the 2 I have seen with CC's more recently took 9-10 weeks. Hopefully that means the end is in sight.  I need this to all be over with so we can start our life together. 

Edited August 9, 2017 by cleon86

[Lacosta 40]

53 minutes ago, cleon86 said:

I'm at week 7 of waiting and it feels like an eternity. I don't have a lot of El Salvador cases to compare mine to on the spreadsheet but the 2 I have seen with CC's more recently took 9-10 weeks. Hopefully that means the end is in sight.  I need this to all be over with so we can start our life together. 

I do not understand that spreedsheet

 

[JBMG 890]

2 hours ago, larnar1309 said:

I've seen people who front loaded say they had CC in 7 weeks!! im not religious but I'm praying for that!!! Lol

You're from UK, should take no more than 7-8 weeks. :-) 

 

What do you mean by "front loading" ?

 

Ps, saw a comment by someone filing using different envelopes. This is absolutely not recommended. Send everything in one envelope, no dividers. Case number in upper right hand corner. Cover sheet with checklist on top. Search my post "how to avoid a checklist". 

[JBMG 890]

37 minutes ago, Lacosta said:

I do not understand that spreedsheet

 

What do you not understand? When you respond to questions or post comments like this, please be more detailed. This is not chat.. 

 

Also, everyone please use the search function before posting questions. Read the first post in this forum. Research, research, research. If any of you get a checklist, it's because you didn't do your research on here. Suggestion, search your country with checklist. For example "France checklist" "India checklist" 

 

Finally search "how to avoid a checklist"

 

Good luck everyone. :-)

Edited August 9, 2017 by JBMG

[Lacosta 40]

22 minutes ago, JBMG said:

What do you not understand? When you respond to questions or post comments like this, please be more detailed. This is not chat.. 

 

Also, everyone please use the search function before posting questions. Read the first post in this forum. Research, research, research. If any of you get a checklist, it's because you didn't do your research on here. Suggestion, search your country with checklist. For example "France checklist" "India checklist" 

 

Finally search "how to avoid a checklist"

 

Good luck everyone. :-)

I just said i dont understand

[Lacosta 40]

23 minutes ago, JBMG said:

What do you not understand? When you respond to questions or post comments like this, please be more detailed. This is not chat.. 

 

Also, everyone please use the search function before posting questions. Read the first post in this forum. Research, research, research. If any of you get a checklist, it's because you didn't do your research on here. Suggestion, search your country with checklist. For example "France checklist" "India checklist" 

 

Finally search "how to avoid a checklist"

 

Good luck everyone. :-)

Do you know what is the average to close cases in Dominican Republic?

[Mary Lou 681]

52 minutes ago, JBMG said:

You're from UK, should take no more than 7-8 weeks. :-) 

 

What do you mean by "front loading" ?

 

Ps, saw a comment by someone filing using different envelopes. This is absolutely not recommended. Send everything in one envelope, no dividers. Case number in upper right hand corner. Cover sheet with checklist on top. Search my post "how to avoid a checklist". 

Well usually people front load their I 130 petition, I chose to do that. At NVC people side load, which I also will do. 

[kshaheen 1]

Do they take the same time for cases with a checklist when compared to cases that are going to be reviewed for the first time? 

Edited August 9, 2017 by kshaheen

[Godisincontrol 70]

6 hours ago, AnnaLuke said:

We're from Malaysia.

That's nice , where did u get ur police report certificate from and how long does it take u to get it ?

[JBMG 890]

Hi, everyone, once you have your August 2017 scan date, you can join the NVC August 2017 Scan Dates forum. 

 

Meanwhile, please spend the time to read this post. And save this page in your browser to refer back to.  

 

Who should join/follow? Those who filed using Method 4: Mail processing.

 

Please join the following forums if you used the following methods. (not open to all countries, click on links to find out if your country qualifies) 

NVC CEAC UPLOAD FILERS 2017 

NVC Email Filers 2017

 

Make sure you read this post from @dwheels76 

 

 

NVC PROCESSING TIME

Even though I'm not tracking August Scan Dates on our NVC Case Status Spread Sheet - 2017. You can get a good idea of how long the NVC process will take based on your country.  You can sort the spreadsheet by your country, then see how long it took them to receive a CC or what time of the month they received their interview dates. 

 

Here are the sort instructions.  

 

The NVC will tell you they process in the order they receive cases. This may be true but not everyone at the NVC is trained to review cases from all countries.. So this is why you'll see UK getting processed in under 8 weeks, whereas Spanish speaking countries just over 9 weeks.. If you see some cases getting reviewed quickly, that's because they were approved to expedite their case or had a supervisor review their checklist. (more info below)

 

Join/Follow your PORTAL

Join/follow your country's portal. Can find useful tips and info to help you prepare your NVC package, etc.  PLEASE UPDATE YOUR COUNTRY'S PORTAL IF YOU CAN ADD VALUABLE INFORMATION, SUCH AS "Order Police Records from ---- to avoid a checklist" etc.. 

http://www.visajourney.com/portals/

 

Interview Reviews

Also, check out what happens at the interview by reading reviews from other NVC filers within your country who have already been through the NVC process. Make sure you add your review as well when you get to that point.  

http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty

 

From India? Follow the NVC India forum as well

India - NVC filers

 

Check your Visa Status

Once you've made it to 7-8 weeks after your scan date, click on the following links to check your IR-1/CR-1 visa case status:

Check My Visa Application Status

DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application

 

If it says "At NVC" and your AOS information is missing.. Then you most likely have a completed case (CC)...

See Example

Please call the NVC to confirm.  PLEASE Do not call the NVC before your status changes to "AT NVC", no matter how much you call, it will not speed up the process. Sort the NVC Case Status Spread Sheet - 2017 by your country to get an idea of how long it's taking to process. Here are the sort instructions.  

 

Calling the NVC!

Calling the NVC from outside of the US (or even from within)

Best 5 Android Apps to Make Free Calls to US

Best 4 iPhone Apps to Make Free Calls to US

 

Phone Number

NVC - 603-334-0700 [HOURS: 7am - 12am (7h-24h) EST, M-F]

Best time to call: 7-8am or 11pm-12am (7h-8h or 23h-24h)

Current local time in Portsmouth NH (NVC)

Time Zone Converter

 

Menu

Press 1, for English

Press 2, for Spanish

 

After pressing 1 for English, the options are:

 

1, to verify priority date

2, to establish an agent, request fee bill or invoice number

3, to verify that they received your mail

4, to confirm date and time of interview

5, to update your mailing address, phone number, email address

6, if your case is at a US embassy or consulate overseas

7, for all other questions

 

Checklist info! You can avoid them!! Research RESEARCH RESEARCH!!! 

 

Here is a forum I started on "How to avoid a checklist. PLEASE check it out. EVEN if you already submitted your NVC paperwork! 

Tips on how to avoid a checklist

 

Another tip to help you avoid getting a checklist. Do a search on the forum (upper right-hand corner). For example, do the following: 

"Checklist, Birth Certificate, India" 

"Checklist, Police Report, India" 

"Checklist, Marriage Certificate, India" 

"Checklist, India" 

Here are the search results for "Checklist, India" You'll see right away, that there are a lot of checklists from people who didn't submit the correct Police Certificate. 

http://www.visajourney.com/sitesearch/?cx=partner-pub-3407508467788263%3A9725800110&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=Checklist%2C India&sa=Search&siteurl=www.visajourney.com%2F&ref=&ss=2j4j2

 

IF YOU FOUND OUT THAT YOU'VE SENT IN THE WRONG DOCUMENT OR MISSING ONE, ADVISE SENDING THE CORRECTION ASAP BEFORE WAITING FOR YOUR CASE TO BE REVIEWED.. Others have done so and were still able to get their CC between 8-11 weeks of their original scan date. (if you forgot to put NA/None in the empty spaces on your AOS form, or didn't write your case number on every document you sent in, many received a CC without doing this, it's just a safety measure. If you didn't send in all pages of your AOS /i864 form, that's a BIG error and will receive a checklist, so please send in the entire form, signed (or scanned version of a signature) to the NVC ASAP!! And whenever you send new documents to the NVC, always include your barcoded NVC cover sheet with your case number on it.. And write your case number in the upper right-hand corner and a letter to explain why you're sending it in..  And SEND everything in one envelope. 

 

There are two types of checklists, one where you can bring your documents to the interview, or the other where you have to resubmit to the NVC. 

 

If you have to resubmit to the NVC, there are 2 options you can take. 

 

One, submit the corrected document(s) in ASAP.. Once the NVC has confirmed that they have receipt.. Wait about a week, call back and ask for a supervisor to get in contact with you.. They may refuse, but it has worked for those that kept on calling.. The goal, to have the supervisor review the new document and give you a CC ASAP versus waiting the 8-11 weeks again. Sometimes it works, most of the time, it does not.. SO be sure to avoid getting a checklist by sending your corrected documents ASAP. 

 

See these posts.

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/636516-nvc-filers-june-2017/?do=findComment&comment=8671473

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/639680-nvc-filers-july-2017/?do=findComment&comment=8681345

 

Other option: ask for your case to be expedited. This has also worked for others. It's up to your embassy to approve/deny it.. 

 

How to expedite at NVC?

Go to this link has good information how to go about it.

http://boureypeatnut...m/expedite.html

 

Print out your ds-260 confirmation

If you haven't printed out your DS-260 confirmation yet. Created the following to help you locate it. You have to bring this to your interview. 

DS-260 Confirmation Example / Printing Instructions. (Must bring to your interview)

 

My timeline

Here is my timeline of events to get an idea of the NVC processing. 

 

3/29/2017	i130 approved
4/5/2017	USCIS mailed to NVC
4/11/2017	NVC assigned case number
4/12/2017	Filled out the ds-261
4/14/2017	PAID AOS fee
4/18/2017	- Received Welcome Letter (via email) - Called NVC to approve DS261 - Paid IV fee
4/19/2017	Mailed out Supporting documents
4/24/2017	USPS Tracking confirmed that NVC received documents
4/25/2017	NVC confirmed receipt, scan date
4/26/2017	submitted the 260 - 11 weeks starts today
6/20/2017	CEAC status changed to "AT NVC" /AOS info gone - Confirmed CC on the phone
6/22/2017	Received CKLST COVER LETTER
6/27/2017	Received CC letter
6/28/2017	Called NVC, received Interview date - Aug 2
6/29/2017	Reserved Medical Appointment
6/30/2017	Received Interview Confirmation Letter (p4)
7/6/2017	Received Interview Confirmation Letter (p4) AGAIN. CEAC Status changed to "in transit" AOS is back and now says in upper right-hand corner YOUR CASE IS CURRENTLY AT: PARIS (used to say NVC)
7/10/2017	CEAC Status changed to "Ready" (this means, my file has arrived at the Embassy)
8/2/2017	CEAC Status still "Ready" (But date changed to 8/2/2017, the day of the interview)
8/3/2017	CEAC Status still "Ready" (But date changed to 8/3/2017)
8/7/2017	CEAC Status "Adminstrative Processing" (Date changed (case last updated) to 8/7/2017)	11:35 AM
8/7/2017	CEAC Status "ISSUED" (Visa has been printed)	9:00 PM

 

GIVE AND TAKE 

 

The forum works well if we all help one another out, so please share links, advice and be proactive.. Help one another out when you see someone struggling.. It's such a hard/long journey; with some waiting for years... This VJ community wlll be your family of sorts for the following months. Please it's a big thing in the American culture to say "THANK YOU" / give appreciation.. So please thank those that help you. It's nice to give them hearts but also share your appreciation.. Also very important, before posting questions, conduct a search on the forum.. It's in the upper right-hand corner of this page. If you find useful info, share it.  

 

Finally, please refer new people to read the first page of this forum. You can put it in your signature too. Here is the link.  

NVC August 2017 Scan Dates

 

How to Navigate on VJ (Visa Journey) 

Here are all the forums. 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/

 

To find this forum, it's located in here. (made for IR1/CR1 visas but you'll see other visa types posting here)

 IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

 

NVC specific forums (you'll find everything from spousal to non spousal visas info here, my checklist forum, the NVC India Forum, etc.). 

National Visa Center (Dept of State)

 

Wish you all good luck!! JBMG

[JBMG 890]

5 hours ago, Mary Lou said:

Well usually people front load their I 130 petition, I chose to do that. At NVC people side load, which I also will do. 

Still don't know what people mean by "front load, side load"? If it means submitting extra paper-work, it's just a waste of postage/time.. The NVC specifically states to not submit more than what is required as it could slow down your processing.. For example, no need to submit "proof of bonafide relationship" to the NVC as that was already done at the USCIS stage.. But to submit letters to explain something/ clear up any ambiguity to prevent any confusion, that's def appreciated/advised. 

Edited August 9, 2017 by JBMG

[Leah09 67]

2 hours ago, JBMG said:

Still don't know what people mean by "front load, side load"? If it means submitting extra paper-work, it's just a waste of postage/time.. The NVC specifically states to not submit more than what is required as it could slow down your processing.. For example, no need to submit "proof of bonafide relationship" to the NVC as that was already done at the USCIS stage.. But to submit letters to explain something/ clear up any ambiguity to prevent any confusion, that's def appreciated/advised. 

Glad to know this because I was Not looking forward to "side load" my application. The simpler the better for me.

[JBMG 890]

Thank you @daisybright for sharing this link. 

 

Verify your documents!

Here is a VERY USEFUL link to verify if you sent the correct documents to the NVC.. Select your country, then view the menu on the left-hand side.. 

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/fees/reciprocity-by-country/IN.html