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DV 2024 AOS (Adjustment of Status) Process Only

feanor said:
Hi guys! Want to share the update on our case:
- We've got an original interview appointment scheduled for September 23rd
- On September 16th - considering the visa exhaustion risks and based on mom's very useful advice we took all the documents and went to USCIS FO and explained all the concerns to the security officer. He called for the supervisor, who was very knowledgeable about DV process and was able to understand the concerns almost immediately, as soon as I've mentioned 51k visas that already issued. She took our phone and email, as well as A-numbers and said they will try to get an appointment earlier this week. After a few hours we've received a new appointment via email for September 18th
- Then we saw the Simon's video and the post of potential DV2024 closure on September 23rd and realized how correct the decision was to ask for an earlier appointment.
- On September 18th - we went to USCIS FO and had an interview. The IO was very polite and knowledgeable, asked all the questions based on I-485 that we've filed, requested originals of most of the documents to prove the education degree, birth certificates etc, latest verification of employment for me (my wife is a primary applicant, unemployed) and joint tax returns to prove we are unlikely to become public charge. In general interview took ~1h and was very similar to all the others which were described on this forum. At the end IO handed over a "notice of interview results" that was saying "you case is being held for review... final decision will be mailed to you". I've asked IO if there is anything that may block the case from being approved and he said nothing serious, just he needs more time and we have 2 more weeks before deadline. I was a little bit concerned about the visa exhaustion and the projected date of September 23rd DV2024 closure, shared with him this info. He said he is not aware of that yet but will check with his supervisor and will call us if any additional info is required. We thanked him and left USCIS FO, still being a little nervous. After a few ours our status in the systems got updated to "New card is being produced" for all 4 of us. So looks like our case was finally approved!

I would like to thank
- @Sm1smom for doing an awesome job and helping so many people and providing such an awesome and well structured materials like FAQs and Timeline spreadsheets and very correct and almost mathematically precise responses
-@Xarthisius for maintaining the "DV2024 CEAC Data" portal - this was crucial for us to properly estimate visa exhaustion chances even before the public announcement of the September 23rd date projection
- @Britsimon for the constant updates via blog and youtube channel and very reliable information - those helped reduce the anxiety of ~1 year waiting time
- All the users in this forum who shared their status and updates in Timeline spreadsheet and on the forum - that was very helpful to understand the potential roadblocks in advance and prepare for those

Without all that we would not be able to pull through this pretty nuanced process! One indeed does not need a lawyer to go through this process as soon as one has all those! From our side we will contribute to the max possible extend by filling the details of our case further when hopefully we receive a physical cards. Also please let me know if there is any other way we can contribute and give back to this very supportive community.

And final question - may be overthinking it a little - is there anything that may be required from us before DV2024 projected closure on September 23rd or at this point we are pretty much done and should just wait for the mail with the final results?
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Congratulations and thanks for the update. Glad to know following the suggestion you were given worked out quite well.
 
hamptonevan said:
BIG congratulations!Thanks for sharing your experience with so many details! It's great to know that attending FO before the scheduled date helps the case progress. I'm happy to see more cases getting approved. I was nervous not seeing approval from others this week, which made me think they had already stopped reviewing cases.

We haven't received the interview notice. Would you suggest we go to FO directly to see if we can get the interview opportunity?
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Worth giving it a shot.
 
Does Visa exhaustion on 23rd mean it is ending at the end of the day of 23rd or before the 23rd? I know mom and others don't do analysis such as this but just wondering from the prior year if it ended at the end of the day of September 6th for DV 2023.
 
mhatake said:
Does Visa exhaustion on 23rd mean it is ending at the end of the day of 23rd or before the 23rd? I know mom and others don't do analysis such as this but just wondering from the prior year if it ended at the end of the day of September 6th for DV 2023.
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I know a few years back, maybe 2017 that when it ended on Sept 7th it was around the middle of the day. Someone had an interview that day at 11am in Hawaii and the visas were exhausted around 9am (apparently). So taking it account the time difference it would have been midday on the mainland.
 
feanor said:
Hi guys! Want to share the update on our case:
- We've got an original interview appointment scheduled for September 23rd
- On September 16th - considering the visa exhaustion risks and based on mom's very useful advice we took all the documents and went to USCIS FO and explained all the concerns to the security officer. He called for the supervisor, who was very knowledgeable about DV process and was able to understand the concerns almost immediately, as soon as I've mentioned 51k visas that already issued. She took our phone and email, as well as A-numbers and said they will try to get an appointment earlier this week. After a few hours we've received a new appointment via email for September 18th
- Then we saw the Simon's video and the post of potential DV2024 closure on September 23rd and realized how correct the decision was to ask for an earlier appointment.
- On September 18th - we went to USCIS FO and had an interview. The IO was very polite and knowledgeable, asked all the questions based on I-485 that we've filed, requested originals of most of the documents to prove the education degree, birth certificates etc, latest verification of employment for me (my wife is a primary applicant, unemployed) and joint tax returns to prove we are unlikely to become public charge. In general interview took ~1h and was very similar to all the others which were described on this forum. At the end IO handed over a "notice of interview results" that was saying "you case is being held for review... final decision will be mailed to you". I've asked IO if there is anything that may block the case from being approved and he said nothing serious, just he needs more time and we have 2 more weeks before deadline. I was a little bit concerned about the visa exhaustion and the projected date of September 23rd DV2024 closure, shared with him this info. He said he is not aware of that yet but will check with his supervisor and will call us if any additional info is required. We thanked him and left USCIS FO, still being a little nervous. After a few ours our status in the systems got updated to "New card is being produced" for all 4 of us. So looks like our case was finally approved!

I would like to thank
- @Sm1smom for doing an awesome job and helping so many people and providing such an awesome and well structured materials like FAQs and Timeline spreadsheets and very correct and almost mathematically precise responses
-@Xarthisius for maintaining the "DV2024 CEAC Data" portal - this was crucial for us to properly estimate visa exhaustion chances even before the public announcement of the September 23rd date projection
- @Britsimon for the constant updates via blog and youtube channel and very reliable information - those helped reduce the anxiety of ~1 year waiting time
- All the users in this forum who shared their status and updates in Timeline spreadsheet and on the forum - that was very helpful to understand the potential roadblocks in advance and prepare for those

Without all that we would not be able to pull through this pretty nuanced process! One indeed does not need a lawyer to go through this process as soon as one has all those! From our side we will contribute to the max possible extend by filling the details of our case further when hopefully we receive a physical cards. Also please let me know if there is any other way we can contribute and give back to this very supportive community.

And final question - may be overthinking it a little - is there anything that may be required from us before DV2024 projected closure on September 23rd or at this point we are pretty much done and should just wait for the mail with the final results?
Click to expand...
This is awesome. Well done on being so proactive and congratulations.
 
mhatake said:
Does Visa exhaustion on 23rd mean it is ending at the end of the day of 23rd or before the 23rd? I know mom and others don't do analysis such as this but just wondering from the prior year if it ended at the end of the day of September 6th for DV 2023.
Click to expand...
It can only be an estimate. You never know exactly, especially as interviews are taking place across all time zones globally, and some people who have visa numbers set aside can be found disqualified at interview meaning those can be reallocated, etc.
 
feanor said:
Hi guys! Want to share the update on our case:
- We've got an original interview appointment scheduled for September 23rd
- On September 16th - considering the visa exhaustion risks and based on mom's very useful advice we took all the documents and went to USCIS FO and explained all the concerns to the security officer. He called for the supervisor, who was very knowledgeable about DV process and was able to understand the concerns almost immediately, as soon as I've mentioned 51k visas that already issued. She took our phone and email, as well as A-numbers and said they will try to get an appointment earlier this week. After a few hours we've received a new appointment via email for September 18th
- Then we saw the Simon's video and the post of potential DV2024 closure on September 23rd and realized how correct the decision was to ask for an earlier appointment.
- On September 18th - we went to USCIS FO and had an interview. The IO was very polite and knowledgeable, asked all the questions based on I-485 that we've filed, requested originals of most of the documents to prove the education degree, birth certificates etc, latest verification of employment for me (my wife is a primary applicant, unemployed) and joint tax returns to prove we are unlikely to become public charge. In general interview took ~1h and was very similar to all the others which were described on this forum. At the end IO handed over a "notice of interview results" that was saying "you case is being held for review... final decision will be mailed to you". I've asked IO if there is anything that may block the case from being approved and he said nothing serious, just he needs more time and we have 2 more weeks before deadline. I was a little bit concerned about the visa exhaustion and the projected date of September 23rd DV2024 closure, shared with him this info. He said he is not aware of that yet but will check with his supervisor and will call us if any additional info is required. We thanked him and left USCIS FO, still being a little nervous. After a few ours our status in the systems got updated to "New card is being produced" for all 4 of us. So looks like our case was finally approved!

I would like to thank
- @Sm1smom for doing an awesome job and helping so many people and providing such an awesome and well structured materials like FAQs and Timeline spreadsheets and very correct and almost mathematically precise responses
-@Xarthisius for maintaining the "DV2024 CEAC Data" portal - this was crucial for us to properly estimate visa exhaustion chances even before the public announcement of the September 23rd date projection
- @Britsimon for the constant updates via blog and youtube channel and very reliable information - those helped reduce the anxiety of ~1 year waiting time
- All the users in this forum who shared their status and updates in Timeline spreadsheet and on the forum - that was very helpful to understand the potential roadblocks in advance and prepare for those

Without all that we would not be able to pull through this pretty nuanced process! One indeed does not need a lawyer to go through this process as soon as one has all those! From our side we will contribute to the max possible extend by filling the details of our case further when hopefully we receive a physical cards. Also please let me know if there is any other way we can contribute and give back to this very supportive community.

And final question - may be overthinking it a little - is there anything that may be required from us before DV2024 projected closure on September 23rd or at this point we are pretty much done and should just wait for the mail with the final results?
Click to expand...

You did well in moving the appointment!!
 
mhatake said:
Does Visa exhaustion on 23rd mean it is ending at the end of the day of 23rd or before the 23rd? I know mom and others don't do analysis such as this but just wondering from the prior year if it ended at the end of the day of September 6th for DV 2023.
Click to expand...

In DV2023 the process was announced as ending on the 6th, and embassies started turning people away on the 7th. However, that was announced and cabled to all the embassies. The 23rd is what lawyers for the government have said could happen, but that is not an official notification.

Almost 550 visas were issued today, just under 500 yesterday. Less than 2000 remain, if we take into account the AOS cases. So, it is possible to reach the cap by the end of day on the 23rd, but if that is what happens I would expect an announcement tomorrow or Friday.
 
Britsimon said:
In DV2023 the process was announced as ending on the 6th, and embassies started turning people away on the 7th. However, that was announced and cabled to all the embassies. The 23rd is what lawyers for the government have said could happen, but that is not an official notification.

Almost 550 visas were issued today, just under 500 yesterday. Less than 2000 remain, if we take into account the AOS cases. So, it is possible to reach the cap by the end of day on the 23rd, but if that is what happens I would expect an announcement tomorrow or Friday.
Click to expand...
Thank you @Britsimon @SusieQQQ @megdavidson26 ! You've all been very help through and through! I have interview for 23rd noon but I might try and walk-in either tomorrow or on Friday hopefully they let me in otherwise wait for 23rd and hopefully can receive my decision in time!
 
Hi all,

We are about to visa exhaustion and I am still waiting for background checks.

@shakira. have you heard anything about your background check??have you tried anything new?
 
HaniEE said:
Hi all,

We are about to visa exhaustion and I am still waiting for background checks.

@shakira. have you heard anything about your background check??have you tried anything new?
Click to expand...
No update on the website, still « fingerprints taken ».
I have asked the congresswoman office to follow up again with the USCIS as their initial reply has never mentioned 9/30/24 deadline. No reply from them yet.
I have also finally received a Tier 2 callback last night (re expedite request I raised 9/5/24 after my interview). I have explained the deadline and they agreed it is a valid reason to forward my expedite request to the FO. They said I should expect FO to contact me this week, but the decision whether to expedite or not is up to them. The officer also said they will highlight to the FO that the interview is done as they cannot see it in the system. Finally, I have also asked the Tier 2 officer whether they see anything pending on the case re background check - they said everything looks good but I am not sure if that is because it has resolved or they dont have access to that info.
Will probably attempt a walk in tomorrow with my KCC docs stating the deadline if I dont receive any news today.
 
Britsimon said:
In DV2023 the process was announced as ending on the 6th, and embassies started turning people away on the 7th. However, that was announced and cabled to all the embassies. The 23rd is what lawyers for the government have said could happen, but that is not an official notification.

Almost 550 visas were issued today, just under 500 yesterday. Less than 2000 remain, if we take into account the AOS cases. So, it is possible to reach the cap by the end of day on the 23rd, but if that is what happens I would expect an announcement tomorrow or Friday.
Click to expand...
Hello, where can I see the number of visa issued to date ?
 
Good morning All, wanted to share a quick update with you guys. I got a new update yesterday around 3:45 pm, when I checked my case through the USCIS case status. The status is New Card is being produced. My last update was unchanged since Aug 29th, when biometrics were added to my case. My FO is Chicago and my interview got waived. My congressman did send a congressional inquiry to USCIS yesterday around 12 pm.
Thank you so much for your help, especially @Sm1smom and @Britsimon !! I wish that everyone who's case is pending gets approved before visas run out!
 
De3witt said:
Good morning All, wanted to share a quick update with you guys. I got a new update yesterday around 3:45 pm, when I checked my case through the USCIS case status. The status is New Card is being produced. My last update was unchanged since Aug 29th, when biometrics were added to my case. My FO is Chicago and my interview got waived. My congressman did send a congressional inquiry to USCIS yesterday around 12 pm.
Thank you so much for your help, especially @Sm1smom and @Britsimon !! I wish that everyone who's case is pending gets approved before visas run out!
Click to expand...
Great update. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
 
I just tried to go FO this morning but could not pass security even though we explained our situation. I tried three different security officers, and they all insisted we needed to have an appointment and that walk-ins were not allowed. One even told us USCIS is closed today, which is not true, said another security officer, lol. I have no complaints since they are actually very nice and polite all the time.

I also called USCIS INFOPASS and the agent won't let us schedule an appointment either. The status update is pretty the name: still located in NBC and fingerprint has been taken.

I guessed only thing I can do is to be patient now.
 
hamptonevan said:
I just tried to go FO this morning but could not pass security even though we explained our situation. I tried three different security officers, and they all insisted we needed to have an appointment and that walk-ins were not allowed. One even told us USCIS is closed today, which is not true, said another security officer, lol. I have no complaints since they are actually very nice and polite all the time.

I also called USCIS INFOPASS and the agent won't let us schedule an appointment either. The status update is pretty the name: still located in NBC and fingerprint has been taken.

I guessed only thing I can do is to be patient now.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that didn't work, at least you have tried all the options available at this point.
 
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