Our Immigration Nightmare
2003
09/17/03 - I-30 filed with Vermont Service Center
12/02/03 - USCIS (Vermont) sends request for Civil Marriage Certificate to Lawyer
12/17/03 - After checking our case status online I discover that USCIS has sent a request for additional information to Lawyer
12/19/03 -Husband (USC) sends email to Lawyer inquiring as to what they were looking for, as he did not contact us in regards to this.
2004
01/??/04 - hear back from Lawyer stating they want civil marriage certificate issued from Province of NB, also suggests that we apply for an extension on this and wait to get a tax id # so that husband can claim me on his 2003 income tax and we can send in a copy of this tax return showing he filed as married. (We did this) (this tax return is not asked for by USCIS until much further along in the process - ie when they send out an affidavit of support in the final leg of the process.
03/26/04 - USCIS received copy of tax return ( we assume) and Civil Marriage Certificate.
04/15/04 - I discover online that our application was approved on April 14/2004 and our file has been sent on to the National Visa Center (NVC)
04/15/04 - Send an email to Lawyer thanking him for his work and our recent approval. ( note he did not contact us and inform us of this)
05/03/04 - NVC sends immigrant fee bills and affidavit of support to Lawyer ( note our case can progress no further until these fee bills are paid)
06/16/04 - I call NVC to check on our case and find out that the immigrant visa fee bills and the affidavit of support were sent to Lawyer on May 3 -almost 6 weeks ago (we never heard a work from Lawyer)
06/16/04 - I email Lawyer in regards to the fee bills....his reply is "The US Consulate in Montreal will now process your Visa.
07/12/04 - I call NVC to check our case status to be informed that the immigrant visa fee bill and the affidavit of support bills have NOT been paid and my case will not move forward until they are
07/12/04 -Husband calls Lawyer as to what is going on - Lawyer states come to my office at the end of the week and pick up the DS-230 and Affidavit of Support.
07/16/04-Husband goes to pick up paperwork at Lawyers office. Lawyer states he did not receive paperwork until the end of June - yet presents a bill which is dated June 15/04. I also discovered that the DS-230 & the affidavit of support were generated in Lawyers office and were not sent by NVC- because he had not paid the fee bills)
07/27/04 - husband Delivers Affidavit of Support, last 3 years tax returns , DS-230 and original Police Certificate to Lawyer (Note I filed out a draft copy of the DS-230 and attached 2 sheets neatly typed indicating the answers to each question and just signed original document - as per Lawyers instructions.
08/11//04 - I spoke to Lawyer on the phone and was not pleased with his attitude towards our case he told me "not to worry about it - that is why I paid him the big bucks" and when I stated that I was upset about him using downloaded forms and not ones sent by NVC ( as there was a worry that they would not accept any forms other than the ones they sent) His reply was "IT IS NO BIG DEAL" :if they won't accept them then we will just wait for their forms and send those" He stated that the paperwork would be sent out to NVC by the end of this week.
08/13/04 - NVC received the fee bills
08/30/04 - NVC sends Lawyer the DS-230 and Affidavit of Support
09/17/04 - NVC received the DS-230 and Affidavit of Support
09/30/04 -Lawyer faxes Husband and informs him that NVC has requested that I have a fingerprint check done for the FBI. His secretary states this has to be done in Montreal, Husband talks to Lawyer and they discover I can have it done in Halifax ( which I do the following week)
10/07/04 - NVC sends DS-230 back to Lawyer stating there is a gap of 6 or more months in my residence history - they also request the original or certified copies of my Birth, Marriage, & Divorce Certificates - they also request the Police Certificate along with a page stating how a Police Certificate could be obtained. Lawyer tells us that I now have to have fingerprinting done by the RCMP in Canada. I have it done and send off to the RCMP in Ottawa - It takes approximately 5 to 6 months to get the report back from the RCMP for fingerprinting. He also states he needs the original Birth, Marriage & Divorce certificates - he makes no mention of this residence gap or that NVC has sent back the DS-230
10/07/04 - I email NVC to find out just what they are missing they state they need the original Certificates and also that there is a gap of 6 months or more in my residence history.
10/08/04 - I email Lawyer in regards to the gap in the history....he states he checked and there is none ( he still fails to mention that NVC sent the DS-230 back)
11/03/04 - I call NVC and the operator tells me that they sent the DS-230 back to Lawyer because of the gap in the residence history and that they have never received a Police Certificate and are awaiting the Original Birth, Divorce and Marriage Certificates. I also find out that they DID NOT request fingerprinting be done by the RCMP just requested the Police Certificate (Canada Wide Name & Birth date check) (This was supplied to Lawyer on August 2/04) She also told me that they had received the FBI clearance from the fingerpriting I had done back in early October.
11/04/04 -Husband has Lawyer fax over copy of DS-230 and we find the mistake right away....my residence history from 1971 thru to 1983 was not included on the form We also discovered that a page of dates of trips to the US from 1998 onward was also omitted.
11/05/04 - I emailed and Husband faxed back to Lawyers office the list of omissions on the DS-230. I called Lawyer and he told his secretary that he would return my call later that day. Husband called Lawyers office near the end of the afternoon to be informed that he had left for the day.
11/08/04 - emailed Lawyer - Asked that he advise me when the corrections were done and when the corrected DS-230 with attachments and the Original copies of my Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Police Certificate were Fed-Exed to NVC. He replied that they went out today.
11/09/04- Called NVC they received the corrected DS-230 and all certificates....stated allow 2 to 4 weeks for review
11/24/04 NVC completes our case
12/11/04 - NVC emails interview date - Jan 14/05 YIPPEEEEE!!!!!
