MARCH 2024 K1 to NOA2 to NVC to EMBASSY

[JojoandTomas 213]

Welcome and Congratulations on your approval!

 

 This thread was created for those who are waiting for their NOA2  K-1 case assignment from NVC and then tracking your case onwards to your Embassy.  
 

A few helpful NVC links:

 

 NVC phone number is  (603)334-0888

 

 🚨  Please note:  They are currently NOT answering queries over the phone! 🚨

 

They are answering through the below emails :
 

➡️  NVCinquiry@state.gov ⬅️

                      OR

➡️ NVCResearch@state.gov ⬅️

Once you’ve received your NVC case number you can track your case online using the following link, until it is sent to your embassy:

https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?App=IV

If you need to submit an inquiry, change an address , or need to update your info in anyway NVC also has a public inquiry form where you can submit your request as well as other requests:

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html

 

 

Also, inside the attached PDF below are a few tips, tricks and hacks to help you along the way.

These are items that everyone asks for, so they have been very helpfully put together by senior VJ Member Greenbaum for you to refer to when necessary. If you are new to this thread, please read these first as these are the most asked questions.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nfin98c33IEpB0T0FlURERriblYmlm5O/view?usp=sharing

 

NVC sends petitions to the embassy every two weeks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I noticed a 2024 shipping calendar being shared so I have included it below. 
 

You can use that calendar to track when the next shipment date will be. 

[JojoandTomas 213]

Bump

[widude 38]

 Thanks, helpful to me. 

[Yna Flores 5]

Hello! Glad to find this here! We got approved March 5th and already got our NOA2 in the mail but still no case number. How long should I wait to send my public inquiry? Thanks in advance! 😊

[JojoandTomas 213]

On 3/22/2024 at 2:53 PM, Yna Flores said:

Hello! Glad to find this here! We got approved March 5th and already got our NOA2 in the mail but still no case number. How long should I wait to send my public inquiry? Thanks in advance! 😊

Hi! You can send an inquiry starting now

[Buttercup94 4]

We received our NOA2 today, only 172 days after filing ☺️ 

 

Any idea if there is an estimate of the NVC's current processing time (from the moment when they create the case until the moment when they transfer the file to the national embassy)? I looked around various websites and they state various waiting times ranging from a few weeks to 7 months... 😵‍💫

 

Thank you in advance, and looking forward to seeing everyone's progression here!

[SneakyPete 75]

Does USCIS status show Petition approved or "Case was sent to department of state?" I would count 2 weeks from "Case was sent to Department of State" status.

[Yna Flores 5]

I sent in my public inquiry yesterday and I got the response this morning with our case number! I waited about 2 and a half weeks. Thank you @JojoandTomas ! 😊

[Buttercup94 4]

Good evening! After submitting a public inquiry, I got the following message from NVC: "The NVC recently received your immigrant visa petition from USCIS. Your petition is now waiting for data entry into our systems." I'll send in another public inquiry in 8-10 days' time and hopefully they should have created our case number by then.

 

So now my question is, for those who are obtaining their NVC case number early on by submitting a public inquiry: are you filing DS-160 as soon as you get the case number? Or are you waiting to receive the Welcome Letter before filing? Are there any advantages to filing it early on (e.g. can it accelerate the administrative process)?

 

Thanks again and good luck to everyone with the whole process 🍀

[hplusj 135]

On 4/4/2024 at 4:42 PM, Buttercup94 said:

Good evening! After submitting a public inquiry, I got the following message from NVC: "The NVC recently received your immigrant visa petition from USCIS. Your petition is now waiting for data entry into our systems." I'll send in another public inquiry in 8-10 days' time and hopefully they should have created our case number by then.

 

So now my question is, for those who are obtaining their NVC case number early on by submitting a public inquiry: are you filing DS-160 as soon as you get the case number? Or are you waiting to receive the Welcome Letter before filing? Are there any advantages to filing it early on (e.g. can it accelerate the administrative process)?

 

Thanks again and good luck to everyone with the whole process 🍀

 

I just figured out a couple days ago that it was possible to start on the DS-160 simply with the case number.  That was probably the most frustrating part of this whole process: time wasted while our NOA2 was sent to NVC, when after two weeks we could've submitted an inquiry for a case number and gotten to work.  A month later, I figured it out and requested the number.  We should be in the caseload sent to embassies this week though!  Our DS-160 is completed and submitted as well, pending passport photos, which we will simply bring to the interview as stated when we bypassed them.

 

Also, per advice on this site I sent another inquiry to add my fiance's email as beneficiary to the case, just so the embassy can contact him directly (I hear South Africa will send out packets 3/4 by email to him). 

 

Good luck to you!

[Buttercup94 4]

On 4/8/2024 at 4:59 AM, hplusj said:

 

I just figured out a couple days ago that it was possible to start on the DS-160 simply with the case number.  That was probably the most frustrating part of this whole process: time wasted while our NOA2 was sent to NVC, when after two weeks we could've submitted an inquiry for a case number and gotten to work.  A month later, I figured it out and requested the number.  We should be in the caseload sent to embassies this week though!  Our DS-160 is completed and submitted as well, pending passport photos, which we will simply bring to the interview as stated when we bypassed them.

 

Also, per advice on this site I sent another inquiry to add my fiance's email as beneficiary to the case, just so the embassy can contact him directly (I hear South Africa will send out packets 3/4 by email to him). 

 

Good luck to you!

 

Thank you for your reply! I am doing the same - the NVC sent me the case number after a public inquiry and I was able to submit the DS-160. The only thing is I can't log onto the CEAC portal because the NVC hasn't given me an "invoice ID number" (which is required when I select the "immigrant visa" category, following the advice on this forum); did you find a way to log on?

[Buttercup94 4]

Update (can't edit the above message): Found a few threads on VisaJourney that say that K-1 applicants actually don't need to log onto the CEAC portal and should just wait to be notified that our case has been shipped to the embassy. I guess I was confused by the instructions from the PDF in the first post of the thread! 😅

[hplusj 135]

1 hour ago, Buttercup94 said:

 

Thank you for your reply! I am doing the same - the NVC sent me the case number after a public inquiry and I was able to submit the DS-160. The only thing is I can't log onto the CEAC portal because the NVC hasn't given me an "invoice ID number" (which is required when I select the "immigrant visa" category, following the advice on this forum); did you find a way to log on?

I actually ran across this snag as well, through various links.  However I found that the invoice number is not needed at all to begin the DS160. 

https://ceac.state.gov/GenNIV/Default.aspx

It was entirely possible to file the DS160 this way, even while the case is at the NVC.  Hope this helps!

edit: I just noticed you weren't talking about the DS160, and you got that figured out as well. IGNORE ME! lol, we'll both just have to wait it out from our respective embassies.

Edited April 9 by hplusj
missed the context lol

[hplusj 135]

Side note: if anyone saw their case status switch from "At NVC" today, I'd like to know.  No changes here!  Maybe tomorrow's workload?

[JojoandTomas 213]

On 4/9/2024 at 1:20 PM, Buttercup94 said:

Update (can't edit the above message): Found a few threads on VisaJourney that say that K-1 applicants actually don't need to log onto the CEAC portal and should just wait to be notified that our case has been shipped to the embassy. I guess I was confused by the instructions from the PDF in the first post of the thread! 😅

That’s correct.  K1 applicants do not need the Invoice Number. 
 

and thank you for pointing out the pdf. I haven’t actually peeked at that in a really long time. It’s something that has been included in these posts for awhile so it might be beneficial to review and see if it is still accurate