i-130 for Stepchild option to delay due to school schedule

[khans1025 6]

Hi there, 

We received approval for my husband's daughter's i-130 application a few days ago and are very excited and relieved especially that it came relatively on time, and no huge delays. 

So we are now at the NVC stage and can begin paying the applicable fees. However, my stepdaughter would like to finish out her year of school first before starting a new school year in the US. We would want her to immigrate probably summer of next year (2022) and this will also give us time to prepare the house and find an appropriate school for her (we may have to apply to a few schools in the area and this could take a few months as well as some planning). 

 

Is this feasible? Do we request some extension from NVC or just... not pay the fee or do anything with the application until we are ready? I logged into the system this morning to view it so it should show that I at least opened the case and am active inside the portal (Because I'm not sure if inactivity could result in a cancellation). 

 

Has anyone else done this?

Edited May 10, 2021 by khans1025

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

You can just delay paying the fees at NVC.  However, be aware that NVC has huge backlogs for immigrant visas for every consulate. It is likely to be many months (maybe a year) before an interview is scheduled, even if you go ahead and pay the fees and submit NVC documents now.  Once an immigrant visa is issued, the visa holder will still have several months before expiration...depending on when the medical exam is done..  In other words, delaying the NVC process might not be a wise choice for a summer of 2022 entry.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Lucky Cat

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

Agree with lucky cat. Given the backlogs in place the delays are probably already done for you. If the “worst case” of her getting a visa quite quickly with expiry before she is ready to move happens, she can just come on an effective holiday to enter on the visa before it expires and return a few months later for good, as a green card holder. It’s also not clear what schools you are referring to, but having the green card in hand before application could be advantageous too as she will be considered a domestic not international student.

 

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by SusieQQQ

[aaron2020 11,651]

It's incredibly hard to time anything since COVID has upended immigration processing.  

 

I would pay the fees, send in the documents, and wait for an immigration interview.   The interview is the last step before a visa can be issued, so you can try to reschedule if it's earlier than you want. 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

^ do rescheduling the interview is another option vs just getting the visa and using it before it expires. If you decide to try reschedule- make sure you read all the embassy info you can find - some take months to give you a new interview date and you don’t want to miss the start of the US school year I’m sure.

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

14 hours ago, khans1025 said:

Hi there, 

We received approval for my husband's daughter's i-130 application a few days ago and are very excited and relieved especially that it came relatively on time, and no huge delays. 

So we are now at the NVC stage and can begin paying the applicable fees. However, my stepdaughter would like to finish out her year of school first before starting a new school year in the US. We would want her to immigrate probably summer of next year (2022) and this will also give us time to prepare the house and find an appropriate school for her (we may have to apply to a few schools in the area and this could take a few months as well as some planning). 

 

Is this feasible? Do we request some extension from NVC or just... not pay the fee or do anything with the application until we are ready? I logged into the system this morning to view it so it should show that I at least opened the case and am active inside the portal (Because I'm not sure if inactivity could result in a cancellation). 

 

Has anyone else done this?

I have a similar situation as you.  I am trying to time our processing so that we can move to the U.S. in June 2022, after my 3 daughters finish the school year.  Our cases (wife and stepdaughter, the other 2 daughters are USC) were received at NVC on February 25th and I am not rushing to finalize the documents.  I already paid the fees.

I asked similar questions in this thread:

The responders generally thought delaying at NVC was the best option.  I think that can depend on your consulate.  Ours is Manila and yours is Costa Rica, right?  Keep in mind that your stepdaughter, dependent on her age, may need a police clearance.  That is only good for 1 year.

Do some research with VJ timelines to see if you can find out how long NVC processing is, on average, for Costa Rica.  And then, how long from NVC approval to interview letter / date.  That might give you a better idea of when to submit your final documents.  For Philippines, a member recently submitted the documents and NVC approval (DQ) only took 24 days.  They are still waiting for the interview letter but that is not expected to take more than a few months, based on recent experiences.

Some countries are a lot more “complicated” than others, and NVC processing can take a long time.  I doubt that CR is complicated, and a stepdaughter does not require a lot of background checking.  I would speculate that her NVC processing will not be too long if your documentation is complete and accurate.

However, the option to finish the NVC process early, get an early appointment, and then reschedule, is still on the table for us.  I think we both have some time to weigh the pros and cons of each option.

The threads I have read about rescheduling indicate that it is a bit nerve wracking because before you can reschedule, you must miss your appointment.  You cannot reschedule before your first appointment date.  Hopefully, someone reconfirms that this is still the method.
 

[khans1025 6]

When I did my husband's immigration (also from Costa Rica), we had no issues or delays. Despite COVID, my stepdaughters i-130 got approved in the normal time frame as well so I don't have a ton of worry that NVC will be delayed or hugely backlogged for Costa Rica, but who knows. I appreciate everyone's advice, this is really helpful. I think it makes sense for me to start paying the fees and gathering the documents for this stage now.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

55 minutes ago, khans1025 said:

When I did my husband's immigration (also from Costa Rica), we had no issues or delays. Despite COVID, my stepdaughters i-130 got approved in the normal time frame as well so I don't have a ton of worry that NVC will be delayed or hugely backlogged for Costa Rica, but who knows. I appreciate everyone's advice, this is really helpful. I think it makes sense for me to start paying the fees and gathering the documents for this stage now.

It’s much easier to get all your ducks in a row now and delay later if you want to, than delay now and try time it later.