I-797 "Valid Dates"

[Cuasiporteño 2]

Hi all,

 

We just received the letter from the embassy saying  that "the IV Unit received the Immigrant visa petition filed on your behalf. " Now we need to make the apt with the doctor and then subsequently with the embassy. We would ideally like to delay the interview with the embassy for a few more months to give us a little bit more time to prepare our exit.  Our I-797 NOA has a valid date that expires on 1/13/2018. Does this mean we need to have everything done before this? Can we get some sort of extension so we could ideally plan for the interview in March or April? Has anyone done this? 

 

Thanks. 

[Liam2021 587]

It needs to be complete before the expiration date. You can get the medical done, then schedule for the interview. If you have the visa, it will valid for 6 months from the medical date. So, don't wait.

[Greenbaum 12,259]

1 hour ago, Cuasiporteño said:

Hi all,

 

We just received the letter from the embassy saying  that "the IV Unit received the Immigrant visa petition filed on your behalf. " Now we need to make the apt with the doctor and then subsequently with the embassy. We would ideally like to delay the interview with the embassy for a few more months to give us a little bit more time to prepare our exit.  Our I-797 NOA has a valid date that expires on 1/13/2018. Does this mean we need to have everything done before this? Can we get some sort of extension so we could ideally plan for the interview in March or April? Has anyone done this? 

 

Thanks. 

First, they prefer that your case is interviewed within that four-month "window" indicated on the NOA2. If it is required, the NOA2 can be extended up to a year by your Embassy but with good reason and the Embassy doesn't need to extend the NOA2 for the "one" year from expiration. The new extension, if approved, will be for an additional 4 months. Extensions are in the form of 4-month extension with each approval till you reach one year. If you need to go beyond a year, then you must go to the end of the line and begin the process from I-129f over again and pay the fees. You must provide a reason for the NOA2 extension when requesting the extension from your Embassy.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Greenbaum

[Cuasiporteño 2]

Thanks Greenbaum and H&T.  All this information is very helpful.