Intending Grenadian Immigrant Cr-1 what to expect?

[town&country 9]

Hi VJ forum. I am here in Grenada visiting my husband. We are waiting for our I-130 petition to be approved. We are assuming it will be approved sometime in March or April. I am reading and re-reading the guides to try and understand what will happen next. I see that eventually he will be receiving a packet of papers. Since he lives in one of the smaller islands of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique, it will take a month for him to even receive the packet from the Grenada Postal service. Mail gets delivered once a week here, and then takes days and days to actually reach him!

At any rate, my husband, bless him! is not a paperwork kind of guy, frankly, and will indeed panic when he receives all of these papers and applications. We have already filled out a draft of the Of-230 Part 1 and 2 forms, in pencil, just to get started. That took some time! We made sure all of that info matched the info on the petition that I sent in.

But, there is another form that I couldn't preview online, the OF-169, that he will have to fill out too. He wont' be able to do this without help. Also, since he lives in the small island, not the big island, he will need his family there to help collect some of the stuff like vaccination record, and maybe a police record, if they are allowed to get this for him.

I won't be able to come and help in person since I will be very busy with work at that time. I will if I have to but it will be very expensive.

Can any Grenadians give any advice about this?

Q: especially about what the U.S. consulate in Grenada will want mailed, and what they will want brought to the interview?

Q: is this the moment to hire an immigration lawyer? I dont' really trust the lawyers to do it right, but maybe there is someone who can help just with the paperwork, and leave the actual filing to us? None of his family are computer savvy or even have more than cellphones or tablets, certainly no printing capability.

Q: Can I fill out the forms with my computer at home and then mail that stuff to him? Or mail directly to the consulate or what? Or have him collect all the stuff and mail it to me and I complete the packet and mail it in? This would be the preferred method I think.

I am getting a massive headache about this now, I can't get my head around how to deal with this properly and successfully.

any help? Thanks in advance, Julia

[dwheels76 5,468]

Hi VJ forum. I am here in Grenada visiting my husband. We are waiting for our I-130 petition to be approved. We are assuming it will be approved sometime in March or April. I am reading and re-reading the guides to try and understand what will happen next. I see that eventually he will be receiving a packet of papers. Since he lives in one of the smaller islands of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique, it will take a month for him to even receive the packet from the Grenada Postal service. Mail gets delivered once a week here, and then takes days and days to actually reach him!

At any rate, my husband, bless him! is not a paperwork kind of guy, frankly, and will indeed panic when he receives all of these papers and applications. We have already filled out a draft of the Of-230 Part 1 and 2 forms, in pencil, just to get started. That took some time! We made sure all of that info matched the info on the petition that I sent in.

But, there is another form that I couldn't preview online, the OF-169, that he will have to fill out too. He wont' be able to do this without help. Also, since he lives in the small island, not the big island, he will need his family there to help collect some of the stuff like vaccination record, and maybe a police record, if they are allowed to get this for him.

I won't be able to come and help in person since I will be very busy with work at that time. I will if I have to but it will be very expensive.

Can any Grenadians give any advice about this?

Q: especially about what the U.S. consulate in Grenada will want mailed, and what they will want brought to the interview?

Q: is this the moment to hire an immigration lawyer? I dont' really trust the lawyers to do it right, but maybe there is someone who can help just with the paperwork, and leave the actual filing to us? None of his family are computer savvy or even have more than cellphones or tablets, certainly no printing capability.

Q: Can I fill out the forms with my computer at home and then mail that stuff to him? Or mail directly to the consulate or what? Or have him collect all the stuff and mail it to me and I complete the packet and mail it in? This would be the preferred method I think.

I am getting a massive headache about this now, I can't get my head around how to deal with this properly and successfully.

any help? Thanks in advance, Julia

Don;t know where you are getting this information. But its outdated. After you are approved by USCIS (The Notice is sent to you the petitioner in postal mail not him). Your petition then goes to NVC. Here read the NVC Process wiki that has all the info you need. You can start gathering things now getting yourself ready.

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process

Q: what the U.S. consulate in Grenada will want mailed, and what they will want brought to the interview? The embassy will mail you nothing

Q: is this the moment to hire an immigration lawyer? You already filed. What do you need a lawyer for. Read the wiki

Q: Can I fill out the forms with my computer at home and then mail that stuff to him? Or mail directly to the consulate or what? Or have him collect all the stuff and mail it to me and I complete the packet and mail it in? This would be the preferred method I think. You will not be dealing with the embassy. Next stage is you and NVC. They communicate via email you give to them.

[town&country 9]

Thanks for pointing me to the NVC wiki it certainly is very detailed. I am getting my info from 'VJ Guides'. Are they incorrect?

I am familiar with the basic process but I was hoping to get some more specific advice about the Consulate in Grenada as well as any experiences that other Grenadians may have had with the whole process. And whether an attorney could actually be worth hiring to help with my husbands forms, etc.

Yes, i am aware that USCIS will contact me not my hubby about my I-130 petition.

Yes i know the embassy wont be mailing me anything, thanks. I was asking about the stuff that gets mailed to them before the interview. It says in the VJ guide that each consulate handles this differently.

I could still use the advice I requested if anybody can give it!

It would be nice if people responding to questions here could either use a less impatient tone or just refrain from replying. It would make for a better community.

[TBoneTX 45,287]

Some newer members fail to credit the experience and wisdom of experienced members, and fail to be grateful when being helped. Sometimes, one doesn't know what one doesn't know.

[SoerenHelmer 50]

Thanks for pointing me to the NVC wiki it certainly is very detailed. I am getting my info from 'VJ Guides'. Are they incorrect?

I am familiar with the basic process but I was hoping to get some more specific advice about the Consulate in Grenada as well as any experiences that other Grenadians may have had with the whole process. And whether an attorney could actually be worth hiring to help with my husbands forms, etc.

Yes, i am aware that USCIS will contact me not my hubby about my I-130 petition.

Yes i know the embassy wont be mailing me anything, thanks. I was asking about the stuff that gets mailed to them before the interview. It says in the VJ guide that each consulate handles this differently.

I could still use the advice I requested if anybody can give it!

It would be nice if people responding to questions here could either use a less impatient tone or just refrain from replying. It would make for a better community.

I don´t get what you got mad about.

The information you are looking at must be wrong.

When your I-130 is approved your case will go to NVC.

Then the flow will be:

-get case number and IIN, give email addresses over

-complete the online DS-261

-pay the AOS bill, once it's invoiced

-pay the IV bill, once it's invoiced

-complete the online DS-260 - The DS-230 was the old, paper form used by the U.S. Department of State for immigrant visa applications. It has been replaced by the electronically-filed DS-260 form.

-submit both packages together

-respond to any checklists, if applicable

-get case complete

-get interview date scheduled

-case is sent to embassy/consulate

You and your husband, need to print and sent out papers when the case go to NVC.

And when you go to NVC, you will need to have access to a Computer to pay Fee´s.

You can fill it all out and sent to him and he can sign it, the same goes to other way.

About what to bring to the Embassy, well know one know until the case goes there, you may or may not get a checklist if something is missing.

You have filled the I-130, what about the process is making you think you need a lawyer?

And on a last note, if you talk nice to people in here, you can get ALL the help you need.

[Darnell 8,478]

other Grenadians , this year and last, utilized the NVC Process Wiki page.

Make it your bible for the next 3 weeks. See Links? Click Through ! Read about using a phone? Use a Phone ! Read about utilising email? EMAIL !

The wiki page is current, vetted by peers...

[town&country 9]

sorry sorry, I didn't mean to offend the VJ forum. I was a little taken aback at the first reply like they didn't read my post at all. My op was too long, I know, right? I have been reading this forum for a couple of years actually, knowing we would be getting married, and have seen lots of people being helped by many caring forum members. I am grateful for the forum. I will try not to be so sensitive in the future.

BTW, everything I think I know about the marriage visa is from this website and forum. I have read the Guide over and over again. Obviously that is not enough to get all the facts, and it is a little bit out of date I guess.

It sounds like the I-130 petition was the hardest part to prepare, so that is a relief to know.

Thanks SoerenHelmer for your summation and answers. I feel relieved to know that I can prepare most of the applications and payments online myself, it will make things so much smoother. That is mostly what I was stressing about.

And Darnell, I will make the NVC wiki 'my bible' for at least the next three weeks (more like next 3 months)--haha you always make me laugh, thanks.

best, Julia

[JFH 12,190]

I know you wanted to hear from fellow Grenadians and I am not but ... At the moment I wouldn't get too involved in where your husband is from. The consulate doesn't have anything to do with this until the very final stage, which is the best part of a year away. Until then, we all follow an identical process so help and information from any nationality will be relevant to you at this stage. The I-130s from all over the world sit side by side in the USCIS service centres and are processed in the same way.

The NVC stage is also the same regardless of where you are from.

[town&country 9]

Thanks for focusing in on what matters most.

Best, Julia