Elavod

@Dashinka Thank you for the link and advice! She went to a CBP DIS and got her stamp. The CBP officers also took her visa packet and forwarded it to USCIS, with a note explaining why it isn't coming from the port of entry.

Hi everyone, I’m a U.S. citizen relocating back to the U.S. after living abroad for 17 years. I’m shipping my household goods, personal effects, and tools of trade to the U.S. and seeking duty-free entry under HTSUSA codes 9804.00.05, 9804.00.15, and 9804.00.20. I’ve completed CBP Form 3299, and I’m working with FedEx to clear my shipment through U.S. Customs. However, I’m getting conflicting information from a FedEx representative, and I’m hoping someone here can clarify. Issues I’m Facing: 1. Residency Status – “Emigration” vs. “Returning Resident” - The CBP website states that U.S. citizens who have been abroad for 3+ years qualify as non-residents (CBP guidance: https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1329?language=en\_US). - Since I have lived abroad for 17 years, I selected “Emigration” on the form. - FedEx is saying I should select “Returning Resident” because I have an SSN, but my understanding is that customs residency is based on time spent abroad, not SSN ownership. 2. Marking Multiple Boxes in Section 10 (Statements of Eligibility for Free Entry of Articles) - The CBP Form 3299 instructions clearly state: “X all that apply.” - The CBP website (source: https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1329?language=en\_US) also confirms: “Statement of Eligibility for Free Entry of Articles: Mark statements that apply to the articles being imported — note that more than one statement may be marked.” - Since I am importing household goods (HTSUSA 9804.00.05) and tools of trade (HTSUSA 9804.00.15), I believe that I should mark both categories on the form. - FedEx is saying that only one box can be checked and that checking multiple boxes will cause a rejection. My Questions: - Has anyone successfully checked multiple boxes in Section 10 of CBP Form 3299 when shipping with FedEx? - Has anyone had issues with CBP rejecting shipments based on selecting “Emigration” instead of “Returning Resident”? - Does FedEx have an internal policy that differs from CBP’s official guidance? - If FedEx continues to insist on their interpretation, what is my best option? I’d really appreciate any insights from anyone who has dealt with this process before. Thanks in advance! cbp_form_3299_0-2.pdf

Hi everyone, My wife and I just arrived in the U.S. through Atlanta airport (ATL) on her CR1 visa. The CBP officer took her fingerprints but did not ask for her sealed visa packet, nor did he stamp her passport with the I-551 stamp. Unfortunately, we were exhausted from the long trip and didn’t realize it at the time. Now we’re concerned—how can we check if she was processed correctly and ensure that her green card will be produced? Should we contact CBP or take any specific steps? Any advice from those who’ve experienced something similar would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Thanks, that was it!

Dear all, Attached is an image of the CR1 visa stamped in my wife’s passport. When her passport was returned (along with the sealed immigrant visa packet), it included a small card with a QR code labeled “Next Steps.” Unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced it. Could you kindly advise if there are any additional administrative steps we need to complete at this point? Or are we good to proceed with her visa as is? Your guidance would be greatly appreciated as I continue searching for the QR code. Thank you very much for your support!

I assume it is an interview for a spouse visa? If the case is approved during the interview, they will keep your passport for a few days while your case goes through the last step of administrative processing and finally visa issuance. This is a problem if you plan to travel on the day after the interview.

My wife's interview took place on Monday and was approved! We are waiting for her visa to be issued 🥳 Thank you to everyone on this forum who provided me with helpful advice 🙇

Hi all. Please take a look at this new and related post:

Hi everyone, As I prepare the complete document package for my wife's IV interview (DCF in Frankfurt, exceptional circumstances), I’m having some doubts about my wife’s Mongolian birth and police certificates. She obtained them as PDFs through an official government portal. The PDFs state, “An electronic document with a unique number issued by the system of public service is valid as a paper document.” However, I’m feeling a bit paranoid because the documents are titled: 1. “Reference of birth certificate” 2. “Reference on civil criminal records” ...instead of “Birth Certificate” and “Certificate of Civil Criminal Records.” The documents contain a document number and QR code that takes you to the website `e-mongolia.mn`, where you can see the document online. I’ve attached redacted copies for your review. Am I overthinking this, or is there a legitimate reason to be concerned? Appreciate any insights. Thank you!

Hi all. Finally, my wife has her consular interview scheduled for December 9th. We will be submitting the following documents. Anything to add? @pushbrk @OldUser @Dashinka @Crazy Cat Email authorization from frankfurtvisainquiries@state.gov with interview date. DS-260 confirmation. Passport. Proof of prior U.S. visas. Birth certificate. Marriage certificate. Police certificate, Germany. Police certificate, Mongolia. Evidence of financial support: Form I-864 from XXXX (Petitioner), and supporting evidence: U.S. Passport. 2021, 2022, 2023 complete Federal income tax returns. Job Offer from XXXX: Copy of the offer letter for the position of XXXX, the reason for our decision to permanently relocate to the U.S. Form I-864 from XXXX (Joint Sponsor), and supporting evidence: U.S. Passport. Certificate of Naturalization. 2021, 2022, 2023 IRS transcripts. 2023 complete Federal income tax return. 2023 W-2s, 1099s. 2024 pay slips. Form I-864A from XXXX (Household Member of the Joint Sponsor), and supporting evidence: U.S. Passport. 2024 pay slips. BIometric photo.

Hey. Below is what I wrote to them, you should change it slightly. They didn't fix anything in the system... they straight up set an appointment for the 9th of December (no questions asked) and said to bring that email as confirmation. We got a reply within 24 hours. Subject line: I66 - REQUEST EXPEDITED APPT - [CASE NUMBER] Message: Last Name: [APPLICANT'S LAST NAME] First Name: [APPLICANT'S FIRST NAME] Immigrant Visa Case Number: [CASE NUMBER] Date of your interview: Not yet scheduled Reason for your expedite request: Please see below Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing on behalf of my wife regarding her immigrant visa (IV) case, which has been impacted by an issue with the new visa scheduling system. Unfortunately, our case number is not being recognized by the system. We have repeatedly attempted to resolve this through the support platform at usvisascheduling.com, including opening a support case over three weeks ago. Despite these efforts, we have received no response or resolution, and our follow-up attempts have also gone unanswered. Reason for Expedite Request: My new position in XXX is set to begin on XXXXXX 2025, and this delay may force my wife and me to live apart starting in January. This separation would create significant personal and professional challenges as we transition to a new life in the United States together. Given the time-sensitive nature of our situation, I kindly request any assistance the consulate can provide to help expedite the resolution of this issue. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to any support you may be able to offer. Sincerely,

I have an update to share with you. We reached out to the consulate to request an emergency appointment, citing the urgency of my new US position starting very early in 2025. Our case had been stuck for more than 3 weeks in the new visa scheduling system at usvisascheduling.com. Finally, my wife's consular interview is scheduled for the second week of December! I believe all of the documentation is ready for it.

I have an update to share with you. We reached out to the consulate to request an emergency appointment, citing the urgency of my new US position starting early in 2025. Here’s their response:

Unfortunately, there’s still no progress... we’re still stuck. Our support case has been open for three weeks now, and there’s no solution in sight. We also reached out to the consulate, but they essentially said it’s not their responsibility.

@randomstairs do you see it affecting ongoing DCF cases?

Hi everyone, I wanted to share an update on our DCF process, especially for those who might be in a similar situation. After the I-130 was approved, we’ve completed the DS-260 form, but are currently stuck at the stage before we can schedule our consular interview. We ran into this issue right as the system transitioned to a new scheduling platform. As of October 26th, 2024, the new system for scheduling appointments is: https://www.usvisascheduling.com You can also find a notice of this change here: Germany - Notice of System Change (PDF) The problem we’re facing is that when we try to create an application in this new system, we are asked for a “NVC/KCC Case Number.” However, the case number given to us by the consulate (which starts with “FRN2024…”) is not being recognized. The error message we receive is: “The Case Number entered is invalid. Please confirm your Case Number and re-enter it.” We’ve reached out to support via the application portal and provided screenshots of the issue. Unfortunately, after a week, we still haven’t received any concrete solutions. I’ll keep you posted if we get a resolution, but if anyone else has faced this and found a workaround, I’d love to hear your advice. Hopefully, this helps anyone else going through the same transition!

Thanks! Alright, I'll try to get the missing pay stubs.

Hi @pushbrk Thanks for your message! My dad only has the corporate income, and it's not very significant. If I take my mom's latest pay slip from her main job, and adjust by the number of pay periods in one year, I get a figure in excess of $200k... would this be enough to qualify (their household size is 3), or should I try to get pay slips from her other two activities? Best,

Thanks a lot for your answer, that's very clear! 🙂

Hi Dashinka, Thanks for your message! Yes, we are on the same page 🙂 However, I have some doubt of whether I've gathered enough evidence from my Joint Sponsor. I'm pasting here my previous post: Hi everyone, I need some help determining whether I have enough evidence for my I-864 submission. Recap of my I-864 Situation: - I am the Petitioner Sponsor with no qualifying income. - My mother is the Joint Sponsor, with three sources of wages (let's call them A, B, and C) and a corporation. - My father is a household member of the Joint Sponsor, he is retired but has a corporation making him some income. - They file taxes jointly. - Any of my mother’s three wage sources alone is sufficient to meet the income requirement. Documents I’ve gathered so far: - Mother and father’s joint tax returns for 2023 (both IRS transcript and photocopies of their personal records, including Form 7203 for each corporation). - Mother and father’s joint tax returns for 2022 (IRS transcript) - Mother's 2023, 2022 and 2021 W-2s from Source A. - Mother's 2023 W-2 from Source B. - Mother's 2023 1099 from Source C. - Mother’s Source A pay stubs for the past six months. Do I have enough evidence for my I-864 submission? Am I missing anything that’s required or good to include? Do you definitely recommend that my father files the I-864A form? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Hi @Dashinka @pushbrk @Crazy Cat Our I-130 was approved today! 🙂 Do you have experience with Form I-864? Could you advice me on the issue described above? Thank you very much for your time.

Hi everyone. Our I-130 petition was approved today! ✌️ I'm sharing the instructions for next steps provided by the consulate, for reference. * Step 1: Complete & send your online application DS-260 Complete the DS-260 “Immigrant Visa Application Form” online for each applicant, save and print the confirmation page. IMPORTANT, please select “Frankfurt” as the processing post. Once completed, please send the DS-260 confirmation to us as PDF via email. Please go to “Immigrant Visas” and proceed to “Provide or update my DS-260/ DS-160”. * Step 2: Choose visa delivery method & submit interview appointment request Go to ustraveldocs.com to create an account. This website will allow you to select a visa delivery method and to schedule an appointment for your visa interview. Choose your visa delivery method before your appointment. Registering provides us with the information we need to return your passport to you after your interview. As soon as our office has received your DS-260 confirmation page via email (Step 1), and you have submitted an appointment request, our office will be able to approve your appointment request. * Step 3: Complete your pre-interview checklist Prior to scheduling your appointment, you must obtain all documents listed below that pertain to your case and bring them to your visa interview. DO NOT send them to this office by mail. Please refer to the Document Finder to learn about the civil document requirements for each country. You must be prepared to present the originals of all civil documents plus one copy each. The originals will be returned to you after the visa interview. Our office accepts documents in English or German. All documents not in English or German must be accompanied by an English translation. Translations must be certified by a competent and registered translator. Do not separate original and copy. - A copy of your interview appointment confirmation scheduled at ustraveldocs - DS-260 confirmation: Confirmation page of your DS-260 online application submitted at CEAC. - Passport: Your unexpired passport must be valid for six (6) months beyond your intended date of entry to the United States. - Proof of prior U.S. visas: If you have been issued any type of non-immigrant visa to the United States (for example, tourist, student, or work visas) bring your passport containing the visa to your interview. - Birth certificate: You and each family member immigrating with you must obtain an original birth certificate or certified copy. The date and place of birth and parent(s) name(s) must be shown on the birth certificate. If you or any of your children were adopted, you must also submit a certified copy of the final adoption decree. - Marital status documents (not required if never married): Marriage certificate if you are married. Legal termination of any prior marriages, e.g. divorce decree or death certificate of ex-spouse. - Police certificate(s): If you are 16 years of age or older, you must obtain police certificates from all countries you have lived in using below criteria: If you… Are 16 years old or older AND you… Lived in your country of nationality for more than 6 months at any time in your life THEN submit a police certificate from… Your country of nationality If you… Are 16 years old or older AND you… Have lived in your country of current residence (if different from nationality) for more than 6 months THEN submit a police certificate from… Your country of current residence If you… Have ever lived in another country for 12 months or more AND you… Were 16 years or older at the time you lived there THEN submit a police certificate from… The country where you used to live If you… Were arrested for any reason, regardless of how long you lived in that city or country, and no matter what age you were THEN submit a police certificate from… The city and/or country where you were arrested Note: Present and former residents of the United States do NOT need to submit any U.S. police certificates. Important: Police certificates expire after two years, unless the certificate was issued from your country of previous residence, and you have not returned there since the police certificate was issued. All police certificates with an entry must be accompanied by a certified English translation. - Court and prison record: Persons who have been convicted of a crime must submit each court record and any prison record, regardless of whether they benefited from an amnesty, pardon, or other act of clemency. English translations must be provided for all court and prison records. - Military record: A military service record, if applicable and obtainable, is required. Evidence of financial support: - The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s - Proof of your U.S. petitioner’s (and if applicable) joint sponsor’s status and domicile in the United States (photocopy of a U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or lawful permanent resident card). - Biometric photo: One color photograph for each applicant, regardless of age, is required (less than 6 months old, without glasses). Please write the applicant’s name on the back of the photograph. Further guidance is available on our website. Petitioner documents: - If you are applying for an IR5 visa as the parent of a U.S. citizen or for an F4 visa as the brother or sister of a U.S. citizen: You must obtain an original birth certificate for your petitioner, or a certified copy. - If you are applying for an IR1, CR1, or F2A visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident and your petitioning spouse was previously married: You must obtain evidence of the termination of EVERY prior marriage your petitioning spouse has had. This evidence must be an original or certified copy of one of the following documents: FINAL legal divorce decree, death certificate, or annulment papers. - Medical examination: You (and each family member or “derivative applicant” applying for a visa with you) are required to schedule a medical appointment with one of our approved panel physicians. Note that you do not need to contact the Consulate and may attend your regularly scheduled interview even if the appointment for the medical examination is after your interview day. You will be interviewed, and the processing of your case completed once the medical examination results have been received by the respective case worker. The list of approved physicians and additional information is available here. * Step 4: Your visa interview appointment On the day of your interview, please submit the following: - your visa delivery registration (see Step 2) - the required documents, originals and copies (see Step 3) - Immigrant visa fee - 325 USD for family-based Immigrant visas We accept the following payment option at the U.S. Consulate Frankfurt: Cash (U.S. dollars or Euro) or credit cards, no EC cards The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview: - U.S. citizen/ U.S. LPR petitioners - Interpreter: Applicants may bring ONE interpreter if they do not speak English or German well enough to participate in an interview Special Needs Visitors: Applicants may bring ONE person to help if they are elderly, disabled, or a minor child If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport at the consulate while we prepare your immigration packet and print a visa for your passport. This process can take up to 14 business days. The visa will be sent to you via the delivery method selected at Step 2. IMPORTANT: No advance assurance can be given when or whether your visa will be issued. You should NOT resign from your place of employment, sell property, or make any final travel arrangements until the visa has been issued and is in your possession. Step 5: After visa approval Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet – We will place your immigrant visa on a page in your passport. Please review your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors. Attention: Visa applicants will receive a sealed envelope containing documents that they must give to U.S. immigration authorities when they arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage. If your case was processed as an electronic case and your visa contains the following annotation “IV DOCS IN CCD”, you will NOT receive a sealed envelope. USCIS Immigrant Fee – All individuals who are issued immigrant visas overseas must pay an Immigrant Fee to USCIS prior to traveling to the United States. This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. When You Should Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa. Your visa cannot be extended, and all fees are nonrefundable. The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas. Getting a Green Card – Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you have provided on your DS-260 form (Step 1). Once you become a lawful permanent resident you should not stay outside of the United States for more than one year. If you do, you will lose your status as a lawful permanent resident.

@TonyaJackson Can I ask what the process was? Did you request DCF via email and got denied? Or did you get approved at first, and then denied after filing the I-130 petition?

I recently got married via Utah online wedding and got a "Marriage License" completed with "Certificate of Marriage", and a note saying "This is an Official Certificate of Marriage"... I am attaching it in case it helps.

Hi everyone, I need some help determining whether I have enough evidence for my I-864 submission. Recap of my I-864 Situation: - I am the Petitioner Sponsor with no qualifying income. - My mother is the Joint Sponsor, with three sources of wages (let's call them A, B, and C) and a corporation. - My father is a household member of the Joint Sponsor, he is retired but has a corporation making him some income. - They file taxes jointly. - Any of my mother’s three wage sources alone is sufficient to meet the income requirement. Documents I’ve gathered so far: - Mother and father’s joint tax returns for 2023 (both IRS transcript and photocopies of their personal records, including Form 7203 for each corporation). - Mother and father’s joint tax returns for 2022 (IRS transcript) - Mother's 2023, 2022 and 2021 W-2s from Source A. - Mother's 2023 W-2 from Source B. - Mother's 2023 1099 from Source C. - Mother’s Source A pay stubs for the past six months. Do I have enough evidence for my I-864 submission? Am I missing anything that’s required or good to include? Do you definitely recommend that my father files the I-864A form? Thanks in advance for your advice!