F2A to IR-1 Upgrade Timeline Thread

[Wouter 141]

1 hour ago, Needhelpme said:

Thankyou for your response.  My spouse was green card holder when spouse applied for my visa . In 2020  end. Priority  date october 2020 .It still with US immigration.  At California  service center with no approval  yet. Still pending. Still in reviewing  process since more than a year. My case has not been documented  qualified  yet . It is not in NVC. My spouse upgrading my case after his citenzship  recently.  Sorry for my poor English.Some people whose document qualified date is December  2020 ,they are getting interview in my country. So it made me tense that my case has not reached NVC yet. But if it upgraded to IR1, then I have to wait for interview  2 years more ? in the line of interview ? I tried my best to clear my point .As in my country people who has documented  qualified in December  2020 are in interview process now. I will be so far. Then? Thankyou 

Happy to help, and thank you for the clear information. It is unfortunately quite normal for your application to still be with US immigration (USCIS) for more than a year. 

With your spouse becoming a US Citizen (congratulations) and notifying USCIS of the upgrade it may pick up speed a little (like what happened for me)  but there is no guarantee.

However, you don't have to worry about things slowing down because of the upgrade. Your priority date of October 2020 will stay the same.

I understand you are worried that when USCIS approves and your case goes to NVC that after DQ you still have to wait 2 years. First of all, I would not worry that far ahead and focus on getting to DQ. You will have to submit documents and get things sorted out with the NVC to get to the DQ which is an important milestone to reach. By that time things could be different.

Are the people who have a DQ date of December 2020 all applying for an IR-1/CR-1 visa? (If they are interviewing for a different visa category it can take longer for them)

In my experience, your spouse upgrading to become a US Citizen will only help your case and make it stronger, and will not cause delays or extra waiting.

[flickerstop 3]

Hopefully this is the right place to ask.

Question 1:
Does anyone know if your DQ date of your F2A transfers over to the IR1? Currently in Montreal there's a massive wait for both categories and I couldn't find a solid answer if upgrading to IR1 will actually slow me down more.

For example:
DQ: 8/21/2020

F2A is currently working around the DQ's of 6-7/xx/2020 but IR1 is beyond that. So does that mean upgrading will put me first in the IR1 queue?

Question 2:

Are you required to upgrade to IR1 after citizenship? If this will just slow down my process because I'm so close already (like a month away) then I'd prefer to not to.

Edited May 11, 2022 by flickerstop
Duplicate words

[PK_ 43]

On 5/11/2022 at 1:08 PM, flickerstop said:

Hopefully this is the right place to ask.

Question 1:
Does anyone know if your DQ date of your F2A transfers over to the IR1? Currently in Montreal there's a massive wait for both categories and I couldn't find a solid answer if upgrading to IR1 will actually slow me down more.

For example:
DQ: 8/21/2020

F2A is currently working around the DQ's of 6-7/xx/2020 but IR1 is beyond that. So does that mean upgrading will put me first in the IR1 queue?

Upgrading wouldn't affect the DQ date since DOS has finished their initial document processing. Your case won't go back to DOS after upgrading. Upgrading may have a positive impact to the wait time for the interview at the U.S. consulate. Some consulates have different interview wait time for each category. 

 

Quote

Question 2:

Are you required to upgrade to IR1 after citizenship? If this will just slow down my process because I'm so close already (like a month away) then I'd prefer to not to.

You are required to answer questions truthfully to the best of your knowledge. If there are changes to your citizenship status that affects the petition, you must inform them of the change. The ultimate final green card classification (F-2A/CR-1/IR-1) of your beneficiary is determined at the port of entry, so if you have a change, you should let them know as soon as possible to avoid complications in the future. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by PK_

[MK_Dallas 8]

Can someone please confirm, after raising Service ticket for F2A to CR1 upgrade how soon online case status showing updates ?

 

 

[Mbatli 0]

@MK_Dallas I believe you and I are facing similar situation. Did you call them and raise the service ticket? I did that on march 6th and I received an email from them on April 20th. Still not sure if the email was correct because it stated that my petition was approved (which is not) and I have to contact NVC if I would like to upgrade my petition. 

[MK_Dallas 8]

18 hours ago, Mbatli said:

@MK_Dallas I believe you and I are facing similar situation. Did you call them and raise the service ticket? I did that on march 6th and I received an email from them on April 20th. Still not sure if the email was correct because it stated that my petition was approved (which is not) and I have to contact NVC if I would like to upgrade my petition. 

I did both and waiting for update. Did they approve I-130 before upgrading to CR1? How long  does your I-130 application took for approval? I think it is still good as you can move forward in process and get it update when submitting to NVC

[Mbatli 0]

On 6/3/2023 at 10:23 AM, MK_Dallas said:

I did both and waiting for update. Did they approve I-130 before upgrading to CR1? How long  does your I-130 application took for approval? I think it is still good as you can move forward in process and get it update when submitting to NVC

Thats what the email said that they approved it but that's not the case. The petition is still under review at USCIS. What I think is they mistyped the email where they wanted to say they updated my F2A to IR1 but instead they said that they approved my petition and sent it NVC. 

 

Here is the actual email:

Type of service requested:
 -- Upgrade I-130


The status of this service request is:

You contacted us to inform us that, when you filed your Form I-130 relative petition, you were a permanent resident and that you recently became a U.S. citizen.  Congratulations on your citizenship. We have approved your petition and sent it to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC). To change the visa category on your petition, you will need to inform the NVC in writing that you are now a U.S. Citizen. 

If you are requesting USCIS to notify DOS that you have become a U.S. citizen through naturalization, you may do so by attaching your naturalization certificate to the Public Inquiry  Form, http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/contact/ask-nvc.html, or sending your request along with a copy of your naturalization certificate directly to the National Visa Center at:

National Visa Center
Attn: WC
31 Rochester Avenue, Suite 200
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2915

Please include a letter with information regarding your relative, a copy of your Naturalization Certificate, and a copy of the petition approval notice. Once the NVC is notified that the petitioner has been naturalized, the NVC will immediately send the visa information on your relative to the designated U.S. Embassy or consulate abroad. To confirm that your approved petition has been forwarded to the NVC, you can contact the NVCs automated recorded message system at 1-603-334-0700 and, with a touchtone telephone, enter your USCIS receipt number.
 

[MK_Dallas 8]

On 6/5/2023 at 2:10 PM, Mbatli said:

Thats what the email said that they approved it but that's not the case. The petition is still under review at USCIS. What I think is they mistyped the email where they wanted to say they updated my F2A to IR1 but instead they said that they approved my petition and sent it NVC. 

 

Here is the actual email:

Type of service requested:
 -- Upgrade I-130


The status of this service request is:

You contacted us to inform us that, when you filed your Form I-130 relative petition, you were a permanent resident and that you recently became a U.S. citizen.  Congratulations on your citizenship. We have approved your petition and sent it to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC). To change the visa category on your petition, you will need to inform the NVC in writing that you are now a U.S. Citizen. 

If you are requesting USCIS to notify DOS that you have become a U.S. citizen through naturalization, you may do so by attaching your naturalization certificate to the Public Inquiry  Form, http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/contact/ask-nvc.html, or sending your request along with a copy of your naturalization certificate directly to the National Visa Center at:

National Visa Center
Attn: WC
31 Rochester Avenue, Suite 200
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2915

Please include a letter with information regarding your relative, a copy of your Naturalization Certificate, and a copy of the petition approval notice. Once the NVC is notified that the petitioner has been naturalized, the NVC will immediately send the visa information on your relative to the designated U.S. Embassy or consulate abroad. To confirm that your approved petition has been forwarded to the NVC, you can contact the NVCs automated recorded message system at 1-603-334-0700 and, with a touchtone telephone, enter your USCIS receipt number.
 

Got an update from Customer care (Emma chat) that my case got upgraded based on citizenship but I don't see any email or online status update. 

[f3i3 1]

Thanks for the helpful info everyone. I just submitted an online request to upgrade through Ask Emma today. Uploaded the naturalization certificate and I-797 along with a cover letter to request the upgrade under "unsolicited evidence" of the case. Fingers crossed that it will be processed soon.

[f3i3 1]

I-130 approved a few days after the upgrade!