What's an NOA1? Please help!!

[GlenAndLisa 0]

OK, so I've been reading that it takes an average of ten days to receive the NOA1. Well, then I read that there's some big delay and it's going to take longer. OK, fine. But I called immigration today just to get an idea of how long I'd have to wait and the guy had no idea what an NOA1 was and told me that it takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks, and not ten days before my check clears and I'll hear anything. He looked up my name and everything and said there was no record of me.

What's going on here?

What even is an NOA1 and am I supposed to get it soon or what? Please help!!

[YuAndDan 153]

NOA The "NOA" is internet-speak for the I-797 "Notice of Action" -- with "NOA1" being the receipt and "NOA2" being the notice of approval. [Please note that there is the possibility of other I-797's being generated prior to approval notices].

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...page=definition (FAQ Page)

[KarenCee 3]

OK, so I've been reading that it takes an average of ten days to receive the NOA1. Well, then I read that there's some big delay and it's going to take longer. OK, fine. But I called immigration today just to get an idea of how long I'd have to wait and the guy had no idea what an NOA1 was and told me that it takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks, and not ten days before my check clears and I'll hear anything. He looked up my name and everything and said there was no record of me.

What's going on here?

What even is an NOA1 and am I supposed to get it soon or what? Please help!!

The NOA1 is the receipt notice from the USCIS letting you know your petition has been received. It will have your case number on it, usually at the top right. You can use the case number to sign up for email notification on the USCIS website.

If you paid by check, the case number is on the back of the cancelled check and if you have access to your cancelled checks, look for your case number. Best wishes!

[DakotaK1 1]

NOA1= First notice of action,they reacieved your case and it is pending.

NOA2 is actually bigger of a deal,seen as that is needed for later.

[etripke 0]

Sometimes those CSR's (Customer Service Reps) are worthless. I had 2 different answers when I called. The first was 2-3 weeks. Then the second call was 45 days.

On the lighter side, you are experiencing what many (including myself) are experiencing right now as part of the slow down out of CSC. They are working the petitions, but the notification system seems to be hit or miss.

Hang in there.

[Michele and Adam 54]

Yep, there is definitely a slow down. I've posted this in a few topics so sorry to the people who are reading it again, but my timeline has been: I mailed my petition on April 12th and it wasn't "received" (check cashed, number assigned, NOA1 sent) until May 1, 2007.

The USCIS site says my NOA1 was mailed May 1, I still have yet to receive it.

Also, my cancelled check happened to NOT have my receipt number on it, I had to call and get it and then register. It should be on the check, but mine wasn't for some reason.

I think a good rule of thumb is if you are around a month behind where you think you should be, call USCIS. You can always call before then, but you don't want to bombard them. I have NO IDEA

[Michele and Adam 54]

OOPS! Accidently posted before I was done! Disregard above post (won't let me edit for some reason...). Here's what I mean to say:

Yep, there is definitely a slow down. I've posted this in a few topics so sorry to the people who are reading it again, but my timeline has been: I mailed my petition on April 12th and it wasn't "received" (check cashed, number assigned, NOA1 sent) until May 1, 2007.

The USCIS site says my NOA1 was mailed May 1, I still have yet to receive it.

Also, my cancelled check happened to NOT have my receipt number on it, I had to call and get it and then register. It should be on the check, but mine wasn't for some reason.

I think a good rule of thumb is if you are around two weeks to a month behind where you think you should be, call USCIS. You can always call before then, but you don't want to bombard them.

Just keep comparing your timeline to similar ones to yours and if you seem way out of range, give a call. But of course, don't assume because one person got a NOA2 60 days after filing or whatever, you will too. Use the timelines as general guidelines.

My one experience calling was good, I talked to two people who both gave me the same answer and they were both nice. Call was quick. Just don't abuse it. You don't want to be "that" case that customer service dreads dealing with!

Don't panic! We're all in this together. You'll be fine.

Michele

[cellarlily 0]

Since you sent yours to Nebraska (the correct location for your state, I'm assuming), it will automatically be transferred to the California Service Center. CSC is swamped with all kinds of visa applications right now and seems to be having a massive slow-down. You'll likely get a notification of your receipt (NOA1) in the next couple weeks. It just takes a while for them to acknowledge it.

Like others have suggested, when they have cashed your check look on the back for an A#. You can then enter that number into this website to sign up for online notifications (though you may not be in there for a while): https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/logi...id=a4wC_JNOrKE5

[GlenAndLisa 0]

OOPS! Accidently posted before I was done! Disregard above post (won't let me edit for some reason...). Here's what I mean to say:

Yep, there is definitely a slow down. I've posted this in a few topics so sorry to the people who are reading it again, but my timeline has been: I mailed my petition on April 12th and it wasn't "received" (check cashed, number assigned, NOA1 sent) until May 1, 2007.

The USCIS site says my NOA1 was mailed May 1, I still have yet to receive it.

Also, my cancelled check happened to NOT have my receipt number on it, I had to call and get it and then register. It should be on the check, but mine wasn't for some reason.

I think a good rule of thumb is if you are around two weeks to a month behind where you think you should be, call USCIS. You can always call before then, but you don't want to bombard them.

Just keep comparing your timeline to similar ones to yours and if you seem way out of range, give a call. But of course, don't assume because one person got a NOA2 60 days after filing or whatever, you will too. Use the timelines as general guidelines.

My one experience calling was good, I talked to two people who both gave me the same answer and they were both nice. Call was quick. Just don't abuse it. You don't want to be "that" case that customer service dreads dealing with!

Don't panic! We're all in this together. You'll be fine.

Michele

Thank you soooo much!! It's so encouraging knowing others are in the same boat. We'll stay hopeful. We always do.

[GlenAndLisa 0]

Since you sent yours to Nebraska (the correct location for your state, I'm assuming), it will automatically be transferred to the California Service Center. CSC is swamped with all kinds of visa applications right now and seems to be having a massive slow-down. You'll likely get a notification of your receipt (NOA1) in the next couple weeks. It just takes a while for them to acknowledge it.

Like others have suggested, when they have cashed your check look on the back for an A#. You can then enter that number into this website to sign up for online notifications (though you may not be in there for a while): https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/logi...id=a4wC_JNOrKE5

Thank you so much, you're very helpful. I'll keep looking!