Any experience with interviews in Auckland?

[kg_nz 19]

I made a Google sheets doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YzUybxu4oaX57nvU42wwKKkTfci3LUaWK59JtN18miI/edit?usp=sharing

 

[mekbus 9]

On 12/3/2021 at 1:23 PM, EKT said:

 

I guess that good news but doesn't really explain why your husband's interview hasn't been scheduled... Maybe the December dates are full. The craziest thing about the whole document arrival date thing is that I never would have known we needed to send them in at all if I hadn't been on this thread. Every other source says the documents get sent in a week prior to the interview for CR-1/IR-1s. We were DQ in late July and only finally got the info about needing to send our documents in order to reschedule the interview last week after I brought it up with B.

Hi. My husband and I are in Hamilton, NZ and still waiting on our paperwork to get approved from the Texas Service Center. I have a couple of questions, and apologies if this isn't the right thread. 

 

For anyone to respond to or please direct me to a different thread

1. How long did it take for your USCIS application to be approved? We filed early April 2021. Got a case being reviewed mid October 2021. Now waiting. 

 

@EKT2. Once your case moved to NVC and you submitted all your forms and paperwork, I gather you get DQ. Once you're DQ'd is that when you sent the documents in so you could schedule an interview? I was also under the impression that you send them in the week prior as per your post. 

 

Thanks for the help

[Sammy.NZ 45]

9 hours ago, mekbus said:

Hi. My husband and I are in Hamilton, NZ and still waiting on our paperwork to get approved from the Texas Service Center. I have a couple of questions, and apologies if this isn't the right thread. 

 

For anyone to respond to or please direct me to a different thread

1. How long did it take for your USCIS application to be approved? We filed early April 2021. Got a case being reviewed mid October 2021. Now waiting. 

Hi from Wanaka!
We submitted our I-130  online Feb 9th 2021 (being processed at the Texas Service Center as well) and got switched to actively reviewing April 9th 2021. No news since / still waiting on approval. 
Texas Service Center processing time is currently 10.5-13.5 months. You can check this (as it does change) at https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

 

After your I-130 is approved your case will get sent to NVC - I'd expect another 4-6 months of waiting once you get to this stage. Roughly broken down - a few weeks after petition approval before you receive 'welcome letter/instructions' , a month or so to have your case file created and approx 3-4 months to have your docs reviewed after submitted. Again NVC timeframes are also changing frequently so you can keep up to date here - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/nvc-timeframes.html (They are currently reviewing cases submitted in early Sept 2021). 

 

After NVC reviews all your docs (which can frequently be delayed if they ask for more info) then you will be Documentarily Qualified - this is when they'll send your case to the Consulate in Auckland and schedule your interview. The wait time for interviews is currently a bit hard to gauge due to the 3+ months of major lockdown/restrictions in Auckland so this thread is quite active as people try to work out what to expect with the ever changing C-19 restrictions. 

 

I hope this helps - I'm still stuck at 'step 1' so if anyone who's farther along in the process wants to chime in or correct me if I'm wrong. This is just what I've gathered from scouring the websites and spending way too much time on VJ.

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Sammy.NZ

[Sammy.NZ 45]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a bit off topic for this thread but this is the most active thread I can find for those of us in NZ.

I'm wondering if anyone who's doing the IR-1/CR-1 Visa who has remained in NZ with their kiwi spouse throughout the process and who has already got DQ'd or already been interviewed could advise on what kind of evidence you submitted as far as 'proof of intent to reestablish domicile' ?

I'm just trying to gauge how strict/ how much evidence is required as I know it varies based on where you're immigrating from (i.e. Montreal Consulate is reportedly strict on this)

Sooooo, if anyone could tell me what kind / how much evidence they submitted to prove intent to reestablish domicile in the U.S. that would be much appreciated. 

 

Just trying to gauge future plans (which feels impossible lol) - I've been on the fence about if I should return to the States to 'reestablish' before my kiwi spouse is approved or not and it's very dependent on the domicile requirement of the i-864

 

Again, sorry if this is a bit off topic but hoping for some NZ specific answers and didn't know where else to turn.

[mekbus 9]

23 minutes ago, Sammy.NZ said:

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a bit off topic for this thread but this is the most active thread I can find for those of us in NZ.

I'm wondering if anyone who's doing the IR-1/CR-1 Visa who has remained in NZ with their kiwi spouse throughout the process and who has already got DQ'd or already been interviewed could advise on what kind of evidence you submitted as far as 'proof of intent to reestablish domicile' ?

I'm just trying to gauge how strict/ how much evidence is required as I know it varies based on where you're immigrating from (i.e. Montreal Consulate is reportedly strict on this)

Sooooo, if anyone could tell me what kind / how much evidence they submitted to prove intent to reestablish domicile in the U.S. that would be much appreciated. 

 

Just trying to gauge future plans (which feels impossible lol) - I've been on the fence about if I should return to the States to 'reestablish' before my kiwi spouse is approved or not and it's very dependent on the domicile requirement of the i-864

 

Again, sorry if this is a bit off topic but hoping for some NZ specific answers and didn't know where else to turn.

@Sammy.NZ Thanks for the response earlier.

 

As to this comment, my husband and I are in the same boat. I'm a US citizen. He's a NZ citizen. We had talked with an immigration lawyer and they said if I have ties to the US, like bank accounts, voted in elections etc, then it should be enough to prove domicile and intent to return. We're debating it that will be enough for the I-864 requirements as it seems that every time they request further information it delays the process even more. 

[Sammy.NZ 45]

17 minutes ago, mekbus said:

@Sammy.NZ Thanks for the response earlier.

 

As to this comment, my husband and I are in the same boat. I'm a US citizen. He's a NZ citizen. We had talked with an immigration lawyer and they said if I have ties to the US, like bank accounts, voted in elections etc, then it should be enough to prove domicile and intent to return. We're debating it that will be enough for the I-864 requirements as it seems that every time they request further information it delays the process even more. 

Was the immigration lawyer you chatted with based in NZ or the US? I chatted briefly with a immigration lawyer based in the U.S. and explained we had checking accounts over in the U.S., majority of our cash/investments, regularly voted in local & general elections, and have maintained a mailing address (via my parents house) and she said she didn't think that would be enough and recommended I get a job offer OR a lease agreement (which is a bit annoying for our situation as we are planning on moving in with my parents until my kiwi husband finds work in the U.S. and then possibly relocating based on his job offer so a lease doesn't really work for us and we don't have any children to register for school which was another thing she recommended as 'evidence') but from what I've read on VJ it seems like what is required varies a lot based on which Consulate does your interview. So just wondering if that particular lawyer was leaning on the cautious side or if all that is really necessary.

 

I find it very frustrating I have to "prove" we intend to actually move back to the U.S. - one would think paying hundreds in fees and spending 1-2 years dealing with this stressful process would be enough proof in itself. 

[kg_nz 19]

Hi @Sammy.NZ and @mekbus, I can weigh in here.

I was also living in NZ with my spouse when we applied for CR-1. Here's what I provided for proof of domicile that was accepted by NVC:

• My Colorado voter registration
• Proof of ballot submission for the last US election
• Bank statements from my US bank account for the last 4 years
• My Colorado drivers license
• One (most recent) statement from my US retirement account (Roth IRA)
• Last 4 years of statements from my US brokerage account

I've been living abroad for 7 years but have always maintained a "permanent" US address (my dad's), and that address was on all my bank and brokerage statements, which I think helped my cause. I've heard that maintaining an active US drivers license is clutch as well.

 

I also included a domicile cover letter where I explained why I was overseas (my foreign husband) and that "I intend in good faith to re-establish my domicile in the United States no later than the date of spouse's admission into the U.S."

 

I will say though, just prepare to go through several rounds of NVC asking for more stuff. We thought our case was super straightforward, but we had to go through 3 rounds of document review that ended up taking 4 months – each time you submit something else, your case goes to the back of the line so it takes ages.

 

**Also, this is super important: NVC is unfamiliar with the special way that New Zealanders are supposed to submit their police check. NZ police sends it directly to the Auckland Consulate and you need to upload your signed Section 14 'overseas' form from police.govt.nz and explain in depth in a cover letter that you are unable to upload the police check results directly it because it was sent to the Auckland consulate. Uploading it to CEAC and including a note that says "sent directly to consulate per NZ guidelines" is not enough! We wasted over 6 weeks on document review because we had to explain this over and over again to NVC. Give them the link to the New Zealand page of the travel.state.gov website and restate their own guidelines.

 

 

[kg_nz 19]

12 hours ago, mekbus said:

1. How long did it take for your USCIS application to be approved? We filed early April 2021. Got a case being reviewed mid October 2021. Now waiting. 

 

2. Once your case moved to NVC and you submitted all your forms and paperwork, I gather you get DQ. Once you're DQ'd is that when you sent the documents in so you could schedule an interview? I was also under the impression that you send them in the week prior as per your post. 

1. We submitted our I-130 in July 2020 and it look 100 days to get approved and sent to NVC

 

2. Yes, once they accept all your documents you get DQ. Once you get DQ, NVC will email you with your interview date and time. At that point your case is no longer with NVC and is now at the Auckland consulate. Once our interview was scheduled, we reached out to the consulate directly and asked what we needed to bring - that's when they told us to drop our documents off the week prior. We wouldn't have known to do this if we hadn't asked.

[EKT 117]

39 minutes ago, Sammy.NZ said:

Was the immigration lawyer you chatted with based in NZ or the US? I chatted briefly with a immigration lawyer based in the U.S. and explained we had checking accounts over in the U.S., majority of our cash/investments, regularly voted in local & general elections, and have maintained a mailing address (via my parents house) and she said she didn't think that would be enough and recommended I get a job offer OR a lease agreement (which is a bit annoying for our situation as we are planning on moving in with my parents until my kiwi husband finds work in the U.S. and then possibly relocating based on his job offer so a lease doesn't really work for us and we don't have any children to register for school which was another thing she recommended as 'evidence') but from what I've read on VJ it seems like what is required varies a lot based on which Consulate does your interview. So just wondering if that particular lawyer was leaning on the cautious side or if all that is really necessary.

 

I find it very frustrating I have to "prove" we intend to actually move back to the U.S. - one would think paying hundreds in fees and spending 1-2 years dealing with this stressful process would be enough proof in itself. 

Hey, I can also comment on meeting the ‘proof of intent to reestablish domicile’ requirement as someone who has lived in NZ with husband for 12 years. All I really have is US bank accounts and my parents’ permanent address in terms official ties but I provided a lot of other information and a cover letter. I’m slammed at work right now but will post all the other details tonight. The hoop jumping required for this process is insane! 
 

Second the importance of getting the police certificate process right and also stating up front that you don’t have W-2/1099s because you have no US income. We lost 2 months at NVC over these things. 

[mekbus 9]

57 minutes ago, Sammy.NZ said:

Was the immigration lawyer you chatted with based in NZ or the US? I chatted briefly with a immigration lawyer based in the U.S. and explained we had checking accounts over in the U.S., majority of our cash/investments, regularly voted in local & general elections, and have maintained a mailing address (via my parents house) and she said she didn't think that would be enough and recommended I get a job offer OR a lease agreement (which is a bit annoying for our situation as we are planning on moving in with my parents until my kiwi husband finds work in the U.S. and then possibly relocating based on his job offer so a lease doesn't really work for us and we don't have any children to register for school which was another thing she recommended as 'evidence') but from what I've read on VJ it seems like what is required varies a lot based on which Consulate does your interview. So just wondering if that particular lawyer was leaning on the cautious side or if all that is really necessary.

 

I find it very frustrating I have to "prove" we intend to actually move back to the U.S. - one would think paying hundreds in fees and spending 1-2 years dealing with this stressful process would be enough proof in itself. 

This was an immigration lawyer in Auckland and they have a sister firm in the US. Supposedly they've done cases like ours before and they seemed to think it was enough evidence to prove domicile and/or intent to return. 

[EKT 117]

14 hours ago, mekbus said:

 

@EKT2. Once your case moved to NVC and you submitted all your forms and paperwork, I gather you get DQ. Once you're DQ'd is that when you sent the documents in so you could schedule an interview? I was also under the impression that you send them in the week prior as per your post. 

 

Yes, that's the normal process for Auckland. NVC sends you an interview letter post DQ and then the applicant schedules the medical and you need to send or drop off the documents one week prior to the interview. Here is the Auckland specific info:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/ACK-Auckland.html

 

For those of us who had our interview scheduled by NVC and then cancelled, the consulate has requested that we send in the original documents before the interview can be rescheduled (so not just a week prior as usual)... I'm not sure why but I imagine it will return to the normal process for those who are currently still at NVC awaiting DQ!

[Sammy.NZ 45]

2 hours ago, kg_nz said:

Hi @Sammy.NZ and @mekbus, I can weigh in here.

I was also living in NZ with my spouse when we applied for CR-1. Here's what I provided for proof of domicile that was accepted by NVC:

• My Colorado voter registration
• Proof of ballot submission for the last US election
• Bank statements from my US bank account for the last 4 years
• My Colorado drivers license
• One (most recent) statement from my US retirement account (Roth IRA)
• Last 4 years of statements from my US brokerage account

I've been living abroad for 7 years but have always maintained a "permanent" US address (my dad's), and that address was on all my bank and brokerage statements, which I think helped my cause. I've heard that maintaining an active US drivers license is clutch as well.

 

I also included a domicile cover letter where I explained why I was overseas (my foreign husband) and that "I intend in good faith to re-establish my domicile in the United States no later than the date of spouse's admission into the U.S."

 

I will say though, just prepare to go through several rounds of NVC asking for more stuff. We thought our case was super straightforward, but we had to go through 3 rounds of document review that ended up taking 4 months – each time you submit something else, your case goes to the back of the line so it takes ages.

 

**Also, this is super important: NVC is unfamiliar with the special way that New Zealanders are supposed to submit their police check. NZ police sends it directly to the Auckland Consulate and you need to upload your signed Section 14 'overseas' form from police.govt.nz and explain in depth in a cover letter that you are unable to upload the police check results directly it because it was sent to the Auckland consulate. Uploading it to CEAC and including a note that says "sent directly to consulate per NZ guidelines" is not enough! We wasted over 6 weeks on document review because we had to explain this over and over again to NVC. Give them the link to the New Zealand page of the travel.state.gov website and restate their own guidelines.

 

 

Thanks for the info! This is so helpful. I'm actually from Colorado too 🙂 Nice to see someone else on here from the 303! I just had all my U.S. addresses changed to my parents place in North Carolina after they moved because I lost my permanent ties to Colorado but we are hoping to end up back around the area after we get approved and have a bit more of a clear plan!

Unfortunately, I've failed to maintain a US license but have most the others you listed. 

 

Thanks for the heads up on the police check too - I knew NZ had a special way to apply and that they sent it straight to the Consulate but wasn't aware we needing a letter stating such, why am I not surprised though.

 

 

@EKT, thanks for the feedback as well. Looking forward to hearing the rest of what you submitted. 

[EKT 117]

1 hour ago, Sammy.NZ said:

 

@EKT, thanks for the feedback as well. Looking forward to hearing the rest of what you submitted. 

 

This was my cover letter, which includes a list of the evidence provided. We made two reasonable large bank transfers to my US account (very easy to do in BNZ internet banking). I made enquiries with a few potential employers and arranged informal interviews with two of them. We attended Zoom open houses for schools and actually ended up enrolling our son in a preschool we liked. It seems crazy now but this was back in April, us thinking we might actually be able to move in August/September in time for the new school year lol. 

 

To whom it may concern:

I intend in good faith to return to United States and resume domicile no later than the date of my husband XXX’s admission to the U.S.  Once his immigrant visa application has been approved, we plan to live permanently in Portland, Oregon in order to be closer to my family in Portland and Washington State. 

I have attached documentary evidence of the following steps taken to re-establish domicile:
    Maintaining U.S. checking and savings accounts
    Recently transferring money to my U.S. accounts 
    Researching and registering our children at U.S. schools
    Correspondence with potential employers in Portland
    Correspondence with real estate agents regarding appraisal and sale of our house in New Zealand

     Detailed shipping quotes for our household belongings and dog from New Zealand to Portland.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me on XXX with any questions.
 

[EKT 117]

1 hour ago, Sammy.NZ said:

Thanks for the info! This is so helpful. I'm actually from Colorado too 🙂 Nice to see someone else on here from the 303! I just had all my U.S. addresses changed to my parents place in North Carolina after they moved because I lost my permanent ties to Colorado but we are hoping to end up back around the area after we get approved and have a bit more of a clear plan!

 

We were living in Colorado right before moving to NZ! We still have close friends there and would love to move back but my family live in the PNW and the Northeast so we felt like we had to pick a coast to avoid spending our life in a plane.

[EKT 117]

Best of luck for your husband's interview tomorrow @kg_nz! Soooo happy things are finally kicking off again. I wonder if he will get to meet the infamous B!