muxoman

Just received an email today from the Embassy in Costa Rica. They have received our petition and it is time to fill out the DS160s, pay the Visa fees and then we can schedule our appointment. Fingers crossed we'll be able to get an appointment in September.

Thanks for your help! This forum is really a great resource.

You mean when the case says it is Ready according to the CEAC tracker?

Thanks for the reply. Should I go ahead and start on the DS160 now? How and when will I know it is time to schedule the interview? According to this site, Visa Appointment Wait Times (state.gov) non-immigrant Visa Appointment wait times are about 3 calendar days. But everything the US Gov states takes longer than advertised so I don't want to wait if I don't have to. Thanks!

So yesterday I emailed nvcexpedite@state.gov requesting them to expedite due to my fiancé's oldest child potentially aging out. This morning I received a response saying they have forwarded my petition to the embassy. Checking the CEAC site today says my petition is in transit. But it also says "Your interview date was provided to you by the National Visa Center." I am confused as to that last part. I thought once the embassy receives my petition I would have to fill out and submit the DS260 and then would be able to select a visa date. Can anyone clarify?

I just received an update from the NVC inquiry with a case number, so I am finally out of the waiting to input into the system stage after nearly 70 days. Next step is to contact the NVC again to see if I can get my application expedited to the Costa Rican embassy. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime to get ahead of the curve with this NVC case number? We have much of the documentation already. Just need the medical exams and the interview date.

So, a little update. I did call the NVC to inquire about my options to expedite. Of course, they are not taking calls at this time to dedicate all of their resources to processing our petitions. So I sent an inquiry via their website and received a response that they have received my petition but as it has not yet been input into their system, they have no more information for me at this time. As soon as I receive the welcome letter from them I will try again, unless anyone has any further advice for me.

Thanks all. I will start with the NVC and see if I can expedite.

Thanks for all the feedback. A little more information. In the I129F approval letter I received on 05/24, it states that the NVC should complete its processing 2 to 4 weeks after receiving the petition from the USCIS. I had contacted the NVC about 2 weeks ago and they replied, "Your petition is now waiting for data entry into our systems." So, I understand the rationale to expedite, but expedite with the NVC? Or with the embassy once the receive the petition? My research shows that the Costa Rican Embassy can get you an interview date in about 40 days. If that is the case and I can file the DS160 in the next 30 days I think we are ok. But again not sure if I should try to expedite now with the NVC or once the petition gets to the embassy. Thanks again for the help!

This may be a hard question to answer but I filed our I129F application in April of 2022. My fiance has 3 children all of which are listed in the application. Our petition was approved May 24th this year and we are now awaiting work word from the NVC on next steps. But my fiance's son is now 20 and turns 21 on October 9th. Does anyone know if we have not yet received their visas before his 21st birthday, will his age affect his visa approval. Hopefully this is a moot point and we have the interview date in time but I thought I might ask as the date is approaching rapidly.