machnikt's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Em
Beneficiary's Name: Tomas
VJ Member: machnikt
Country: Canada
Last Updated: 2011-04-11
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Immigration Checklist for Em & Tomas:
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USCIS I-130 Petition:
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Dept of State IR-1/CR-1 Visa:
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USCIS I-751 Petition:
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USCIS N-400 Petition:
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IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
California Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
Montreal, Canada |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
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| I-130 Sent : |
2009-10-05 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2009-10-23 |
| I-130 RFE : |
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| I-130 RFE Sent : |
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| I-130 Approved : |
2010-03-19 |
| NVC Received : |
2010-03-26 |
| Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
2010-03-28 |
| Pay AOS Bill : |
2010-03-28 |
| Receive I-864 Package : |
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| Send AOS Package : |
2010-04-13 |
| Submit DS-261 : |
2010-04-03 |
| Receive IV Bill : |
2010-03-31 |
| Pay IV Bill : |
2010-03-31 |
| Send IV Package : |
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| Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
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| Case Completed at NVC : |
2010-04-26 |
| NVC Left : |
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| Consulate Received : |
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| Packet 3 Received : |
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| Packet 3 Sent : |
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| Packet 4 Received : |
2010-06-23 |
| Interview Date : |
2010-08-03 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2010-08-04 |
| US Entry : |
2010-08-17 |
| Comments : |
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Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 147 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 284 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
August 9, 2010 |
| Embassy Review : |
arrived just before 7 am. 2 people already waited. One person got there at 6:20! Bring an umbrella if you arrive early; there is no canopy where you have to wait in the line outside the building.
The security guard let us in at around 7:30. (Do not bring any substantial belongings. A gentleman with a small briefcase was told to leave and come back without it. He had been somewhere at the front end of the queue...) The queue really grows around 7:30 am. You can leave your cell phone and small items at the security desk.
We were taken to the basement and told to wait. (there is a photo booth in the basement, $4 for passport photos).
Security guard came down in the elevator (probably around 8 am) and took the first 4 people upstairs. They called us up one by one to bank-teller-like windows where they collected the medical exam results and the self addressed, prepaid envelope. They gave me a chance to correct any personal info on file such as addresses, phone numbers, etc. This was to ensure that my green card got sent to the current address (nice! thank you! I had an old address on file.)
I was asked if I had the tax return for 2009 for my sponsor (the affidavit of support was filed in April 2008 before my sponsor filed the 2009 tax return) I said I didn't have it, and they didn't press the matter any further. There were a few awkward attempts at chitchatting and I was told to go back to the waiting room and wait.
I got called 15 minutes later to a different window and my fingerprints were taken. I was asked to sit down and wait. At around 9:45 I was called up to the interview room. The interview went really fast. I was asked where my wife and I met, when we got married, where she worked, what I did for living. The person went through all my documentation fairly quickly and wanted to make sure that all the originals were there. She said that everything was in order and I should have my visa soon. I asked if I could pick up my passport the next day, as my flight back to Vancouver wasn't till the following evening. She said they only did that in cases of emergencies. She asked if I had an emergency. I said "no, I was just excited to get my visa." She gave me a note and told me to come back the next day at 14:00 to pick up my passport.
I came back the next day at 13:50. They told me to come back at 14:00. A bit more waiting and my passport with my visa inside + a do-not-open envelope were handed over to me.
Overall, not a bad experience, akin to going through the security at an airport and a passport control - be confident and brief in your responses + have all the documentation in order, etc.
Note, you'll need 2 passport photos. I believe that the NVC website says you need one photo only.
The x-ray was not asked for.
Nobody wanted to see our photos or any evidence of the validity of our marriage apart for the marriage certificate.
The interview seems to be just a formality. Mine took less than 10 minutes and a $600 flight from Vancouver to Montreal! |
| Rating : |
Good |
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Timeline Comments: None yet, be the first!
*Notice about estimates: The estimates are based off averages of other members recent experiences
(documented in their timelines) for the same benefit/petition/application at the same filing location.
Individual results may vary as every case is not always 'average'. Past performance does not necessarily
predict future results. The 'as early as date' may change over time based on current reported processing
times from members. There have historically been cases where a benefit/petition/application processing
briefly slows down or stops and this can not be predicted. Use these dates as reference only and do not
rely on them for planning. As always you should check the
USCIS processing times to see if your application
is past due.
** Not all cases are transfered
ver 5.0
