DCF in London - January 2020

[The4Sands 67]

Just now, Robyn-n-Kris said:

OMG people I am shaking. Our payment came out last week and the email we got confirming they had our documents was end of May. We just got a letter from them today approving our I-130!!!!! I am SHOCKED! 

Yay!!!!!! I'm so pleased for you!!!! I'm glad it moved swiftly for you (even if it didn't feel like it, certainly didn't feel like it for me). Congrats!!!!

 

 

[os306 103]

1 hour ago, Robyn-n-Kris said:

OMG people I am shaking. Our payment came out last week and the email we got confirming they had our documents was end of May. We just got a letter from them today approving our I-130!!!!! I am SHOCKED! 

Fantastic news! Incredibly happy for you! Our payment came out on the same day as yours so I am keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that we hear back soon as well. However, I'm aware that there are so many factors that play into this so I'm not holding my breath...

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

Just wanted to see if anyone has had any movement on their I-130 etc in our little group? I'm still waiting on the packet from IVU. Hubby is going to be ordering his police certificate this week. We have obtained his medical summary as well as vaccination history already.

[os306 103]

9 minutes ago, Robyn-n-Kris said:

Just wanted to see if anyone has had any movement on their I-130 etc in our little group? I'm still waiting on the packet from IVU. Hubby is going to be ordering his police certificate this week. We have obtained his medical summary as well as vaccination history already.

Hi Robyn,

 

We're still waiting on our I-130 approval letter in the post, actually. We contacted the Field Office last week and they said they were aiming to adjudicate our petition by last Friday. We haven't received an RFE e-mail, so fingers crossed we hear of an approval soon.

 

I ordered my Police Certificate back in March, and it took less than 2 weeks to arrive, so they are pretty good about it.

[The4Sands 67]

13 minutes ago, Robyn-n-Kris said:

Just wanted to see if anyone has had any movement on their I-130 etc in our little group? I'm still waiting on the packet from IVU. Hubby is going to be ordering his police certificate this week. We have obtained his medical summary as well as vaccination history already.

Nothing for us so far.  I feel USCIS was pretty on the ball about getting back to people but now that we're supposedly with the IVU at the embassy... nothing.  Although I appreciate that USCIS has stopped taking petitions so they have a finite amount of work to get through whereas the IVU's work is never done and the backlog of cases from the last of DCF and all the previous and new NVC cases must be immense. It still doesn't make the wait any easier...

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

4 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Nothing for us so far.  I feel USCIS was pretty on the ball about getting back to people but now that we're supposedly with the IVU at the embassy... nothing.  Although I appreciate that USCIS has stopped taking petitions so they have a finite amount of work to get through whereas the IVU's work is never done and the backlog of cases from the last of DCF and all the previous and new NVC cases must be immense. It still doesn't make the wait any easier...

This is very true. IF their 5 week statement is true, i'm hoping to get our packet by week of the 21st. IF they can remain on target. Technically they only have DCF stuff to work on that are CR/IR, but still. Would be nice to get the LDN number in so we can work on booking the medical/interview. Not to mention, once I have that number I am hoping to reach out to them to (hopefully) get clarification on what we need to do since we should be exempt from the I-864 form.

[Dp16 0]

10 minutes ago, Robyn-n-Kris said:

Just wanted to see if anyone has had any movement on their I-130 etc in our little group? I'm still waiting on the packet from IVU. Hubby is going to be ordering his police certificate this week. We have obtained his medical summary as well as vaccination history already.

 

I'm not in the group that chats here, but my wife and I have been watching for the past few months. We had our I-130 approved on June 9th but have not received the LND number/packet yet.

 

I do have a question for you and the others, for which I may make a new post about too, is in regards to expediting the LND/Visa appointments. Any tips, help, would be appreciated greatly!:

 

I am the sponsor, and received a job offer in the states which I will be relocating to on July 1st. We were approved for the i-130 on June 9th, but  thus far have not received the LND number to set up appointments. All the accompanying documentation including police certificates, tax transcripts, etc is ready. The problem is that we are here on a Tier 2 Visa, which will expire on August 15th, for which my wife is the dependent. She has a Chinese passport, but her family lives in Korea, and therefore if the Tier 2 Visa expires here then things get very uncertain. I've been trying to get answers from LondonInfoUnit@state.gov regarding the situation, but they seem to only respond with the cut/paste generic response every time. I tried to call the embassy, but it seems the switchboard operator is the only human that can answer and they wouldn't listen to Visa questions or inquiries.

 

So my questions for the group here are:

1) Receiving and LND by phone/email - is there any other number or email people have had success with in calling? I know there are quite a few people here at the same stage as us!

 

2) Transferring the submission to a different embassy. We filed the DCF here prior to me applying/receiving a job offer - is there any way to switch embassy (to say Korea?) so that she can stay with her family temporarily and do the interview there? Would she have to wait for her LND number to arrive before leaving?

 

3) Does our situation fit any 'emergency' or expedited case situations anybody has read about (any link would be greatly appreciated!)? I've been searching the forums endlessly and haven't found something matching thus far.

 

Good luck to everybody else, and thanks in advance for any comments!

Best,

Dave

[Gaz1a 22]

30 minutes ago, Robyn-n-Kris said:

Just wanted to see if anyone has had any movement on their I-130 etc in our little group? I'm still waiting on the packet from IVU. Hubby is going to be ordering his police certificate this week. We have obtained his medical summary as well as vaccination history already.

Still waiting. I got my I-130 Approval on 13 May... trying to be patient

[The4Sands 67]

2 minutes ago, Dp16 said:

1) Receiving and LND by phone/email - is there any other number or email people have had success with in calling? I know there are quite a few people here at the same stage as us!

I am in a similar position to you (needing expedited), but for different reasons and I have yet to get any successful answer from anyone at the embassy about expediting.  I have wondered if those who got their NOA2 before the lockdown are taking priority at the moment and that's why those who were approved since the lockdown haven't had any movement, but that's just speculation on my part.

 

5 minutes ago, Dp16 said:

2) Transferring the submission to a different embassy. We filed the DCF here prior to me applying/receiving a job offer - is there any way to switch embassy (to say Korea?) so that she can stay with her family temporarily and do the interview there? Would she have to wait for her LND number to arrive before leaving?

I have read about people transferring their embassy, but I don't have any experience of it.  @Wuozopo might know, as they have been around a lot longer.   

[Dp16 0]

Thanks for the reply @The4Sands, we hope your situation is solved quickly as well. The embassy transfer seems to require the LND number, and we haven't found anything related to a DCF embassy switch!

 

Just tried calling the embassy line again, and got the usual 'submit questions through the website' response  . Have you tried calling NVC? I know our application is not supposed to go through that agency, but we are up for anything at this point.

[The4Sands 67]

2 minutes ago, Dp16 said:

Just tried calling the embassy line again, and got the usual 'submit questions through the website' response  . Have you tried calling NVC? I know our application is not supposed to go through that agency, but we are up for anything at this point.

I haven't tried calling NVC, mostly because without any case numbers I can't see that I'm going to get anywhere (and by the looks a

of it, those who do have cases with the NVC aren't getting anywhere either, so...).  The last time I actually spoke to a person at the embassy on the phone they told me the IVU does not take phone calls and don't even have a line that a call could be transferred to 🤨 

[Stuwoolf 44]

We have had 2 x RFE. Looking for personal papers from 40 years ago😳

 

On responding to The 2nd RFE this auto email was received which seems to suggest July 2nd is a cut off. If this is accurate then it may be worthwhile contacting USCIS before that date?

 

Good luck.

 

"Thank you for your email.   

 

The USCIS London Field Office will be permanently closing on July 31, 2020. 

 

The last day the office is providing services to the public and responding to inquiries sent to this mailbox is June 19, 2020. The Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy London will assume responsibility for certain limited services previously provided by USCIS to individuals residing in the UK. Please refer to our office webpage for additional information on the handling of various USCIS applications and petitions previously processed by this office in order to determine where to file your application or petition. 

 

The USCIS London Field Office will continue to work on pending cases through July 2, 2020. If you have a case that is pending with the USCIS London Field Office, you may continue to communicate with us at this mailbox through July 2, 2020. If your case is still pending when our office closes, we will send you a transfer notice to inform you which office will continue working on your case.

 

If you have a reentry permit to collect from the USCIS London Field Office and you have an urgent need to collect it, please review the information at our reentry permit webpage on requesting an emergency appointment.

 

General information about U.S. Embassy London, including information about visas, is available on the Embassy website. You may also contact the Embassy by calling 44 (0) 20 7499 9000. Below are websites for other sections at U.S. Embassy London:

·    Family Immigration: https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/family-immigration/

·    Nonimmigrant Visas: https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/

·    ESTA and travel to the United States: https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/government-agencies/dhs/cbp/esta-the-electronic-system-for-travel-authorization/

·    American Citizenship Services (ACS): https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

 

For information on USCIS immigration benefits, please visit uscis.gov. For assistance with an immigration inquiry, you may contact the USCIS Contact Center via one of the methods listed at https://www.uscis.gov/contactcenter. We suggest you use Ask Emma for more details about what you want to accomplish. Many times, you may be able to complete your task online.

Have a question about a pending application or petition? Send USCIS a secure message through your USCIS online account. Opening an account is easy. You may also send USCIS a message though your USCIS online account if you need help.

Thank you,

USCIS London"

[os306 103]

23 minutes ago, Stuwoolf said:

We have had 2 x RFE. Looking for personal papers from 40 years ago😳

 

On responding to The 2nd RFE this auto email was received which seems to suggest July 2nd is a cut off. If this is accurate then it may be worthwhile contacting USCIS before that date?

 

Good luck.

 

"Thank you for your email.   

 

The USCIS London Field Office will be permanently closing on July 31, 2020. 

 

The last day the office is providing services to the public and responding to inquiries sent to this mailbox is June 19, 2020. The Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy London will assume responsibility for certain limited services previously provided by USCIS to individuals residing in the UK. Please refer to our office webpage for additional information on the handling of various USCIS applications and petitions previously processed by this office in order to determine where to file your application or petition. 

 

The USCIS London Field Office will continue to work on pending cases through July 2, 2020. If you have a case that is pending with the USCIS London Field Office, you may continue to communicate with us at this mailbox through July 2, 2020. If your case is still pending when our office closes, we will send you a transfer notice to inform you which office will continue working on your case.

 

If you have a reentry permit to collect from the USCIS London Field Office and you have an urgent need to collect it, please review the information at our reentry permit webpage on requesting an emergency appointment.

 

General information about U.S. Embassy London, including information about visas, is available on the Embassy website. You may also contact the Embassy by calling 44 (0) 20 7499 9000. Below are websites for other sections at U.S. Embassy London:

·    Family Immigration: https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/family-immigration/

·    Nonimmigrant Visas: https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/

·    ESTA and travel to the United States: https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/government-agencies/dhs/cbp/esta-the-electronic-system-for-travel-authorization/

·    American Citizenship Services (ACS): https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

 

For information on USCIS immigration benefits, please visit uscis.gov. For assistance with an immigration inquiry, you may contact the USCIS Contact Center via one of the methods listed at https://www.uscis.gov/contactcenter. We suggest you use Ask Emma for more details about what you want to accomplish. Many times, you may be able to complete your task online.

Have a question about a pending application or petition? Send USCIS a secure message through your USCIS online account. Opening an account is easy. You may also send USCIS a message though your USCIS online account if you need help.

Thank you,

USCIS London"

 

Thanks for sharing this Stuwoolf. And sorry to hear bout the second RFE. This is why I'm anxious to hear back soon - want to avoid being in a position where our petition is transferred to another office.

[Stuwoolf 44]

9 minutes ago, os306 said:

 

Thanks for sharing this Stuwoolf. And sorry to hear bout the second RFE. This is why I'm anxious to hear back soon - want to avoid being in a position where our petition is transferred to another office.

TBH given the current Virus situation, we are in no hurry what so ever to get to the US. Having said that, getting the paperwork agreed does hand a degree of control back to the applicant.

 

Being mindful of the USCIS Field Office dates quoted above may be of use to some.

 

Good luck.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Stuwoolf

[Morgan5698 58]

Nothing received my end yet (LND No.). Week 15 now since NOA2 approval.