NVC Filers - April 2020

[Quarknase 1,072]

6 minutes ago, David G said:

I think that  decision will depends on the NVC. The US Embassy in Venezuela has been closed since last year and I don’t think it will be reopened soon. 
I think that they will send our case to US consulate in Bogota for interviewing. Well, it is my guess. 

I think you can even email NVC and ask for a specific embassy. It's up to the discretion of that embassy if they take the case, but doesn't hurt to ask

 

[Rosie91 93]

Hey all, still waiting for our NOA2 to come by mail (approved 2 weeks ago).

how do we find out if they have send our stuff to the NVC?

[Jmeleecur 347]

43 minutes ago, Rosie91 said:

Hey all, still waiting for our NOA2 to come by mail (approved 2 weeks ago).

how do we find out if they have send our stuff to the NVC?

you should receive a welcome email from NVC with your case #. It took us a month before we received that, but recently people have been getting them much quicker. I'd imagine you should be hearing from them soon!

[David G 117]

51 minutes ago, Quarknase said:

I think you can even email NVC and ask for a specific embassy. It's up to the discretion of that embassy if they take the case, but doesn't hurt to ask

 

Thank you. We are still waiting for the welcome letter and after that we are planning to contact them and explain them our current situation. I’m in mexico because basically my home country is a mess right now. There are limited flights available, no US Embassy.. and so.. and so.. my Husband was visiting me there on January 2019 and for the situation the state department sent him a email telling him to leave Venezuela immediately. 

[Louis61404 133]

1 hour ago, David G said:

I think that  decision will depends on the NVC. The US Embassy in Venezuela has been closed since last year and I don’t think it will be reopened soon. 
I think that they will send our case to US consulate in Bogota for interviewing. Well, it is my guess. 

I am going through the process with a citizen of Venezuela.  Bogota is now considered our home embassy.  So unless you explain/request why you'd need a different one, it will be Bogota.  I'd also be very careful requesting a different one, as before the Covid-19 closures, Bogota was quite quick with scheduling immigrant visa interviews, where others are much longer.

 

You will also definitely be asked about not being a resident, or having a visa, but staying in Mexico more than 180 days in a year.  I would be prepared for a detailed answer on that, and able to display some type of legal paperwork/documents that show real stamps, dates, etc.  It's a major cause for concern in some embassies if you're dodging grey area to overstay.  When you fill out the DS260 it will ask you if you've ever overstayed a visa, and it seems that via a stamp with dates you haven't.  But it will also ask you to list your trips out of your home country the last five years, and seeing more than 180 days in a country other than your country of residency will be a topic they will discuss.

 

I would prepare for this ahead of time.

[David G 117]

49 minutes ago, Louis61404 said:

I am going through the process with a citizen of Venezuela.  Bogota is now considered our home embassy.  So unless you explain/request why you'd need a different one, it will be Bogota.  I'd also be very careful requesting a different one, as before the Covid-19 closures, Bogota was quite quick with scheduling immigrant visa interviews, where others are much longer.

 

You will also definitely be asked about not being a resident, or having a visa, but staying in Mexico more than 180 days in a year.  I would be prepared for a detailed answer on that, and able to display some type of legal paperwork/documents that show real stamps, dates, etc.  It's a major cause for concern in some embassies if you're dodging grey area to overstay.  When you fill out the DS260 it will ask you if you've ever overstayed a visa, and it seems that via a stamp with dates you haven't.  But it will also ask you to list your trips out of your home country the last five years, and seeing more than 180 days in a country other than your country of residency will be a topic they will discuss.

 

I would prepare for this ahead of time.

Thank you so much! I have copies of the immigration form that you must fill in order to enter to Mexico. In mexico your allowed to stay for 180 days as a tourist with one of those immigration forms. When the first 180 days were about to end I went to immigration office here in Mexico City and according to them in my case the only thing for me to do was leave the country and come back in order to get a new immigration form and stay another 180 days. That’s what I’ve been doing. It is totally legal. 
 

I left Venezuela on March last year when the whole country suffered an electric power blackout. Demonstrations on the steers. Nothing was working.. no water.. no supermarkets so no food.  And the list goes on and on. 

[Louis61404 133]

38 minutes ago, David G said:

Thank you so much! I have copies of the immigration form that you must fill in order to enter to Mexico. In mexico your allowed to stay for 180 days as a tourist with one of those immigration forms. When the first 180 days were about to end I went to immigration office here in Mexico City and according to them in my case the only thing for me to do was leave the country and come back in order to get a new immigration form and stay another 180 days. That’s what I’ve been doing. It is totally legal. 
 

I left Venezuela on March last year when the whole country suffered an electric power blackout. Demonstrations on the steers. Nothing was working.. no water.. no supermarkets so no food.  And the list goes on and on. 

My wife has done the same, stayed some time in Peru, and Colombia due to the situation in Venezuela, but every time returning before 180 days.

 

I am not sure if it is legal, I think what one or two agents in an office in Mexico say, will hold 0 weight with the USA embassy in Bogota.  A quick Google search doesn't have a clear answer regarding this situation - it seems to be a grey area.   I have quite a bit of experience with this, and you are representing yourself as a resident of Venezuela, but have not spent 180 days in Venezuela in the previous year.  That is generally how you demonstrate residency in a majority of countries in the world, hence the rule on 180 days in every other country.  You can skate these rules in Colombia legally as well by getting an extension, or leaving and coming back.  But the moment you stay over 180 days as a tourist, it gets dicey - very dicey, because of the residency rules I noted above.  Mexico isn't Colombia, but surely the USA will question you how you're essentially "residentless" without spending 180 days in Venezuela, while spending 180 days in Mexico without being a resident of Mexico.

 

This is not to scare you.  Just letting you know that you should prepare a detailed response for this - with a detailed response  It will absolutely be asked by the USA embassy in the interview.  This is my second go round on this process with the same person (first time K1) and we have a similar issue in our first interview a few years ago.  Not the exact same, but similar.  We were grilled at the interview about it.  If you're prepared, you will be fine.

[David G 117]

10 minutes ago, Louis61404 said:

My wife has done the same, stayed some time in Peru, and Colombia due to the situation in Venezuela, but every time returning before 180 days.

 

I am not sure if it is legal, I think what one or two agents in an office in Mexico say, will hold 0 weight with the USA embassy in Bogota.  A quick Google search doesn't have a clear answer regarding this situation - it seems to be a grey area.   I have quite a bit of experience with this, and you are representing yourself as a resident of Venezuela, but have not spent 180 days in Venezuela in the previous year.  That is generally how you demonstrate residency in a majority of countries in the world, hence the rule on 180 days in every other country.  You can skate these rules in Colombia legally as well by getting an extension, or leaving and coming back.  But the moment you stay over 180 days as a tourist, it gets dicey - very dicey, because of the residency rules I noted above.  Mexico isn't Colombia, but surely the USA will question you how you're essentially "residentless" without spending 180 days in Venezuela, while spending 180 days in Mexico without being a resident of Mexico.

 

This is not to scare you.  Just letting you know that you should prepare a detailed response for this - with a detailed response  It will absolutely be asked by the USA embassy in the interview.  This is my second go round on this process with the same person (first time K1) and we have a similar issue in our first interview a few years ago.  Not the exact same, but similar.  We were grilled at the interview about it.  If you're prepared, you will be fine.

Thank you! 
 

From the moment I left Venezuela, my husband tried to expedite our case with USCIS but they didn’t approved it. We tried everything. We went to USCIS here in mexico. Even contacted his senator office asking for help. Because we know that our situation is unusual. 

 

They approved our case on March 9, forwarded to NVC on March 20. When the moment of uploading the documents comes we are going to add a letter explaining everything to the NVC.  

[Louis61404 133]

1 minute ago, David G said:

Thank you! 
 

From the moment I left Venezuela, my husband tried to expedite our case with USCIS but they didn’t approved it. We tried everything. We went to USCIS here in mexico. Even contacted his senator office asking for help. Because we know that our situation is unusual. 

 

They approved our case on March 9, forwarded to NVC on March 20. When the moment of uploading the documents comes we are going to add a letter explaining everything to the NVC.  

I tried this too, an official expedite request, and then through Marco Rubio (prominent anti Maduro Senator in Florida), and a more local congresswoman.  Both times they got a response from USCIS stating that if I can't demonstrate directly how it affects my wife, they can't help me.  They weren't willing to accept all the general evidence about the humanitarian issues in Venezuela unless I could somehow prove my wife was affected.  In the end no luck, but finally got the approval recently, and now in NVC.

 

 

[Quarknase 1,072]

5 hours ago, Jmeleecur said:

you should receive a welcome email from NVC with your case #. It took us a month before we received that, but recently people have been getting them much quicker. I'd imagine you should be hearing from them soon!

If I-130 was files by paper I believe it takes around a month. For online filers it's around 1-2 days from case approval.

[David G 117]

2 hours ago, Louis61404 said:

I tried this too, an official expedite request, and then through Marco Rubio (prominent anti Maduro Senator in Florida), and a more local congresswoman.  Both times they got a response from USCIS stating that if I can't demonstrate directly how it affects my wife, they can't help me.  They weren't willing to accept all the general evidence about the humanitarian issues in Venezuela unless I could somehow prove my wife was affected.  In the end no luck, but finally got the approval recently, and now in NVC.

 

 

My husband lives in Tennessee, In our case, they told to the office of his senator that the fact that Venezuela is falling apart is not a reason to expedite.  I use to live in Caracas and the conditions there that last week before I left were horrible. No water, no electric power in the whole country. Etc etc... 

 

I think it will better if the interview take place in Bogota because it will be faster than other consulate. After we receive our welcome letter we will be contacting NVC and explain our situation. 

[BunyanP 89]

can anyone tell me if it's possible to submit documents, but that i can modify them at any time after submitted?

 

with what's going on, i may not have everything at 100%, but I do not want to delay anything any longer than I have to. 

 

for one, i would upload my passport picture as soon as things re-open, but at lease my application would be in the queue. 

 

 

thanks all. 

[David Utomi 48]

53 minutes ago, BunyanP said:

can anyone tell me if it's possible to submit documents, but that i can modify them at any time after submitted?

 

with what's going on, i may not have everything at 100%, but I do not want to delay anything any longer than I have to. 

 

for one, i would upload my passport picture as soon as things re-open, but at lease my application would be in the queue. 

 

 

thanks all. 

Hi,

I have been unable to modify or add additional documents since i submitted since 30th March. I tried several times but it wouldn't even upload. 

[Lolonyo 34]

11 hours ago, Rosie91 said:

Hey all, still waiting for our NOA2 to come by mail (approved 2 weeks ago).

how do we find out if they have send our stuff to the NVC?

I filed by paper but added email and cell phone for notifications on I130 and NVC sent me the Welcome letter one day after the I130 approval to both me & the beneficiary via email. I would say to check your spam email and if it is not there then call NVC for the information you need to sign on to CEAC. 

[Alix64 425]

22 hours ago, Lecterme88 said:

Guys I received an update from NVC stating they need W2 forms of all years of my sponsor. 

My question is, will it take another 2 months for them to review my case again? It says accepted on all other documents. 

Not necessarely. We have seen all kinds of different treatment on the forum. Be ready to wait several weeks. I hope you will have a good surprise.