Thank you
@SusieQQQ and
@Sm1smom for your response.
@worker132 please referred to my long story below. You should receive receipt notice soon.
Our FTJ timeline:
03/24/2021 Sent civil documents to KCC
05/10/2021 Received I-485 approval notice
05/14/2021 I-824 was received by the Chicago lockbox
05/17/2021 Initiated congressional inquiry
05/31/2021 I-824 was accepted (received text message)
06/01/2021 Congresswoman's office submitted expedite request/inquiry on my behalf
06/02/2021 I-824 fee ($465) cashed
06/03/2021 Received I-824 receipt notice
07/16/2021 Sent supporting document for I-824 expedite request to Congresswoman's office
07/21/2021 Congresswoman's office forwarded the full rundown from the USCIS FO to me; Congresswoman's office also forwarded the full run down to the embassy
07/22/2021 Received interview notification; embassy replied to the Congresswoman's office that they had requested our files from KCC; CEAC case status "In transit" to "Ready" later the day
08/18/2021 Interview at the embassy
I had contacted my embassy and KCC as soon as I finished my AOS interview. However, the embassy refused to take action on our case and requested me to submit I-824 during numerous email communication. I initiated congressional inquiry right after I-824 was delivered. Our case is the first-ever DV-based FTJ that the Congresswoman's office has processed. The staff from the Congresswoman's office is super helpful and has been in contact with the Chicago lockbox, USCIS local office, NBC, KCC and my embassy on my behalf. I was unsure, but my guess was that I-824 was accepted relatively quickly because of his communication with the Chicago lockbox. During the whole of Jun to mid-July, I believe there was very intense communication between the Congresswoman's office and all the offices I mentioned above. He even inquired with the Midwest USCIS supervising office. In the meantime, the Congresswoman's office asked me to prepare supporting documents on the ground of severe financial loss for the expedite request of I-824.
In the full rundown from the local USCIS office, they clarified that the embassy will obtain the necessary documents from the applicants once they receive the request of FTJ to be initiated. The necessary documents could include Form I-824. In addition, the local office pointed out that NBC was in possession of my immigration record, including the approved I-485. They also forwarded the congressional inquiry to NBC to consider expedite processing of Form I-824 on the ground of financial hardship. However, as of today, I-824 is still pending.
The embassy basically requested our files from KCC as soon as they received the full rundown forwarded by the Congresswoman's office, and the interview was scheduled right away. Our CEAC status changed from "At NVC" to "In transit" to "Ready" within one day. My take-home is that the FTJ interview CAN be scheduled within a very short time AS LONG AS the embassy is willing to take action, as all the moderators have suggested.
I am super thankful to my Congresswoman's office. We would not have had the FTJ interview scheduled if we had not had help from the Congresswoman's office. I was planning to turn to Senator's office and seek their help during that seemingly long June, but in the end I followed
@Sm1smom 's suggestion to keep working with the Congresswoman's office. So now we are just one step away from the family reunion. Fingers crossed! I hope the embassy can request my immigration record from the USCIS smoothly.
