I-130 Petition for Parents of US Citizens through Consular Processing.

[fjelltronen]

This morning, I received an e-mail notification from NVC that the set of financial/supporting documents is complete and they can process the applications as well as schedule the interviews. It's been 1 month since I sent the document package to NVC.

How is everybody else doing? Any (other good) news?

 

[voken]

Hi, one clarification on I-130 processing. My dad is currently in India and is planning on visiting us here in November and has a 10 yr visitor visa. So, can I submit I-130 now while he is still in India to gain some lead time. Say once he is here in November and 130 is approved (I-797), can I submit the adjustment of status (form 485) here ? Or will USCIS forward the file to a U.S. consulate in India ?
Thanks,

 

[happywife]

This morning, I received an e-mail notification from NVC that the set of financial/supporting documents is complete and they can process the applications as well as schedule the interviews. It's been 1 month since I sent the document package to NVC.
How is everybody else doing? Any (other good) news?

fjelltronen,

Congratulations!!! I hope the rest of the process is smooth for you... that was fast! just one month!

I just called NVC again today... tried the call 6 times before I was able to get through, then I pressed 1 for english and 7 for other questions and was on hold for about 20 minutes. I finally got on the line with Daisy and she was nice. My case was received (as someone else told me before) on the 22nd, and Daisy said to give them at least 42 days before they can give me the case # and invoice #... which is 12 more days than they said before. She reiterated that whenever I get a number assigned I will receive the information by mail or email (whatever they have on file).

M

 

[happywife]

Hi, one clarification on I-130 processing. My dad is currently in India and is planning on visiting us here in November and has a 10 yr visitor visa. So, can I submit I-130 now while he is still in India to gain some lead time. Say once he is here in November and 130 is approved (I-797), can I submit the adjustment of status (form 485) here ? Or will USCIS forward the file to a U.S. consulate in India ?
Thanks,

voken,

You should decide wether you want to do Consular Processing OR Adjustment of Status BEFORE you submit the I-130. If your dad comes in while the I-130 is in process (which might not even be a good thing within itself), you may run into issues later because his intent for coming was not to visit, but to stay and change his status. Therefore, either have your dad come first as tourist and then submit I-130 and Adjustment of Status OR have your dad stay in India for the entire process.

M

 

[fjelltronen]

Hi, one clarification on I-130 processing. My dad is currently in India and is planning on visiting us here in November and has a 10 yr visitor visa. So, can I submit I-130 now while he is still in India to gain some lead time. Say once he is here in November and 130 is approved (I-797), can I submit the adjustment of status (form 485) here ? Or will USCIS forward the file to a U.S. consulate in India ?
Thanks,

I-130 asks whether your relative is currently in the US. I'm guessing you'll have to say 'no' there (14.). But later on, at 22., you would need to say that you want to do adjustment of status and list the USCIS office. -- It will look rather inconsistent. I'd say it would be best to either say (1) he's not here and there will be no adjustment of status (if you submit the I-130 right now) OR (2) he's here and you will do adjustment of status (if you submit the I-130 after November).

How long does he plan to stay here when he visits? If you decide to do adjustment of status while he's here, he will need to be here for the entire process I think. I'm not sure how long that takes nowadays and I don't know if you can file both forms in the same time, but I-130 takes a few months on its own and everything could last more than 6 months (max entry for a visitor's visa). I believe it's not a good idea to leave the US when going through adjustment of status. You can double-check on the adjustment of status threads on this forum.

Also, if you file the I-130 now and say he's not here and that he will do consular processing, he can still visit in November, but it would be best for him to go back before the I-130 is approved and the NVC processing begins (I doubt your I-130 petition will be approved before November). My mother came to the US on her visitor's visa after I submitted the I-130 (consular processing) and there were no issues -- she went back after a 1-month visit. But now that the NVC has her information and knows that she intends to immigrate here, she would probably have some issues at the border if she tries to come in with her visitor's visa. HOWEVER, I have also heard that since we're talking about parents of US citizens, which are pretty much guaranteed to receive their green cards, they can come here as visitors while their gc applications are pending. BUT I'm not going to try to find out if that piece of information is actually true.

To answer your question directly, it all depends on what you put in the I-130. If you chose for 22. that he will do adjustment of status, then I assume that your approved I-130 will be sent to that USCIS office. Otherwise, your approved petition will be sent to National Visa Center for consular processing.

 

[fjelltronen]

fjelltronen,

Congratulations!!! I hope the rest of the process is smooth for you... that was fast! just one month!

I just called NVC again today... tried the call 6 times before I was able to get through, then I pressed 1 for english and 7 for other questions and was on hold for about 20 minutes. I finally got on the line with Daisy and she was nice. My case was received (as someone else told me before) on the 22nd, and Daisy said to give them at least 42 days before they can give me the case # and invoice #... which is 12 more days than they said before. She reiterated that whenever I get a number assigned I will receive the information by mail or email (whatever they have on file).

M

Thanks! I hope so too! Now I need to make sure they have everything they need on their end for the interview.

I didn't expect it right at the one month mark (although, online, they mention that it will take one month to review the docs). I was planning to call them on Monday.

42 days now? Hmmmmm ... I still this it's just an overestimate and you will get something sooner. I like communications by email -- fast and reliable -- no worry that something got lost in the mail. I'm sure you'll hear from them soon.

 

[voken]

Thanks happywife, fjelltronen !

fjelltronen - I had the same doubt when looked into the application on line 14 and 22. I thought of saying 'no' for 14 and just mention on 22 the USCIS office here in my area. Now I will just wait for him to arrive and meanwhile I can get all paperwork ready and file the day he lands in here with both 130 & adjustment of status together.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[fjelltronen]

Update: Both interviews have been scheduled for the end of November (same day/time).

 

[happywife]

That's great news fjelltronen!!!... I'm still waiting for the NVC# and Invoice#. I'm going to call back again tomorrow.

 

[happywife]

UPDATE

I just called NVC, today, Tuesday, October 6th, 2015. I got through on the 3rd attempt, and I was on hold for about 25 minutes until I got through. I spoke to Lydia, and she was very nice, she told me my case number had been assigned on October 1st, and they had sent me 2 documents (the fee bill and the choice of agent form) on October 2nd, and I should be getting it in the mail pretty soon. She gave me my case number and my Invoice ID number.

M

 

[fjelltronen]

UPDATE

I just called NVC, today, Tuesday, October 6th, 2015. I got through on the 3rd attempt, and I was on hold for about 25 minutes until I got through. I spoke to Lydia, and she was very nice, she told me my case number had been assigned on October 1st, and they had sent me 2 documents (the fee bill and the choice of agent form) on October 2nd, and I should be getting it in the mail pretty soon. She gave me my case number and my Invoice ID number.

M

awesome! you can now make some payments and the choice of agent form.

 

[happywife]

fjelltronen,

I logged in last night and completed the Choice of Agent (COA) form (now says completed). I also paid the Affidavit of Support (AOS) Fee for $120, and now it says in process.

However, I was unable to pay the IV Application Processing Fees... I recall reading something about that, but I'm not sure where and what it said. Do you know anything about it?

M

 

[fjelltronen]

I logged in last night and completed the Choice of Agent (COA) form (now says completed). I also paid the Affidavit of Support (AOS) Fee for $120, and now it says in process.

nice!

However, I was unable to pay the IV Application Processing Fees... I recall reading something about that, but I'm not sure where and what it said. Do you know anything about it?

The IV Fee should become available once the Choice of Agent form has been approved. It takes 2 weeks ... I believe (http://travel.state.gov/content/vis...-process/approved/Step_1_Choose_an_agent.html). In my case, it took a month .. I believe in that time they began having some issues with the website and the online accounts were not very reliable.

 

[happywife]

fjelltronen,

Thank you for that. Anyone else here on more or less the same timeline as me? how long from the day you submitted the Choice Of Address and Agent DS-260 Form until it was approved? or until you could pay the IV Fee?

M

 

[fjelltronen]

how long from the day you submitted the Choice Of Address and Agent DS-260 Form until it was approved? or until you could pay the IV Fee?

I think you best bet would be to call them again after the 15 days have passed and ask about it, if nothing changes in your account online or if you have not received the IV invoice by mail.

 

[mamokilo]

Hello all,

I filed for my parents April 2014 and IV completed on April 30th 2015. But I haven't heard anything since. Is this normal? I called the NVC today and she told me they are waiting to hear from the embassy and she couldn't tell me more than that. What and till when they are expecting I don't know. Could you please give me some idea as to how long it will take after the IV paid to get called by the embassy? I am in the dark.

Thanks in advance,

S

 

[fjelltronen]

I filed for my parents April 2014 and IV completed on April 30th 2015. But I haven't heard anything since. Is this normal? I called the NVC today and she told me they are waiting to hear from the embassy and she couldn't tell me more than that. What and till when they are expecting I don't know. Could you please give me some idea as to how long it will take after the IV paid to get called by the embassy? I am in the dark.

What do you mean by "IV completed"? Did you go through all the 6 steps?

Step 1: Choose an agent
Step 2: Pay fees (IV fee is paid here)
Step 3: Submit visa application form (IV application is submitted here)
Step 4: Collect financial documents
Step 5: Collect supporting documents
Step 6: Submit documents to the NVC

Based on your embassy comment, it would seem you have done everything (all 6 steps). The NVC will acknowledge that they have reviewed all the documents that you sent (in my case, they did it 1 month after I sent in the doc package -- step 6), that the set of documents is complete and that they are scheduling the interview at the consulate. I suppose the time they take to schedule an interview depends on when the consulate has available time slots and they probably don't schedule anything too far in advance if the consulate is fully booked for the next few months. -- I have no way of knowing that this is actually the case ... but it seems like a reasonable assumption. It all depends on the consulate. Maybe you're in an area with high demand ... and they cannot schedule anything for the near future, so the request for interview is still pending.

Although 6 months is a rather long time to wait to get the interview scheduled. Maybe try to talk to somebody again and see if they are willing to submit another request to the embassy ... maybe the original one got lost? [not sure how their internal communications work ... but I think they should have some time to squeeze one interview in in 6 months]

 

[mamokilo]

Thank you for your response. Yes I did all the 6 steps. So they could loose the file at the consulate? Who would you talk to in this case? The NVC customer service sounds like they don't know anything beyond that I finish the steps.

What do you mean by "IV completed"? Did you go through all the 6 steps?

Step 1: Choose an agent
Step 2: Pay fees (IV fee is paid here)
Step 3: Submit visa application form (IV application is submitted here)
Step 4: Collect financial documents
Step 5: Collect supporting documents
Step 6: Submit documents to the NVC

Based on your embassy comment, it would seem you have done everything (all 6 steps). The NVC will acknowledge that they have reviewed all the documents that you sent (in my case, they did it 1 month after I sent in the doc package -- step 6), that the set of documents is complete and that they are scheduling the interview at the consulate. I suppose the time they take to schedule an interview depends on when the consulate has available time slots and they probably don't schedule anything too far in advance if the consulate is fully booked for the next few months. -- I have no way of knowing that this is actually the case ... but it seems like a reasonable assumption. It all depends on the consulate. Maybe you're in an area with high demand ... and they cannot schedule anything for the near future, so the request for interview is still pending.

Although 6 months is a rather long time to wait to get the interview scheduled. Maybe try to talk to somebody again and see if they are willing to submit another request to the embassy ... maybe the original one got lost? [not sure how their internal communications work ... but I think they should have some time to squeeze one interview in in 6 months]

 

[fjelltronen]

Thank you for your response. Yes I did all the 6 steps. So they could loose the file at the consulate? Who would you talk to in this case? The NVC customer service sounds like they don't know anything beyond that I finish the steps.

Has the NVC confirmed that you have all the required documents with them and that you just have to wait for the interview to be scheduled? Was that done back in April?

Do you know if the consulate where they will go is particularly busy on a regular basis? I don't know where they will go and you don't have to tell me, but maybe check with other people from that area to see if there are some delays at that consulate. or maybe it's renovating and they have halted all interviews for a few months [although i doubt they would actually do that]. or maybe you're in a country with a lot of applications and they have reached their limit for 2015 [not sure if that's even possible with parent GCs]. I would say try to find out if there's something out of the ordinary happening with the consulate. Also, you could try to call NVC again, maybe a different person will give you better answers; maybe you could try to ask different questions. I don't know if the NVC has any influence on when the interview is scheduled -- I would guess it's all up to the consulate and their schedule at this point.

I would say it's very likely that your applications reached the consulate -- but who knows ... anything is possible ... although I would be very surprised if that happened -- anyways, you made an inquiry, so they can probably check back on the situation and discover any communication issues between the two locations.

 

[happywife]

UPDATE

After I completed the Choice of Agent form and paid the Affidavit of Support fee (October 6th), 3 days later is when I actually received the Welcome Letter in the mail. I waited for a bit to see if the COA would be completed on it's own and the IV Fee would be unlocked to pay it, but it didn't. On October 14th I called the NVC and got the COA reviewed over the phone. The next day I received IV Fee Invoice by email. On the 16th I went online and paid the IV Fee. Today was when the IV Fee Appeared as PAID and DS-260 IV application was available to click on it and begin filling it out.

MORE STUPID QUESTIONS

I am filling out the i-864. I actually think I qualify for i-864EZ, since I meet all of the requirements, but I am confused about one stupid question and I am finding very different answers when I google or look in other forums and posts.

I have the following version of the forms:

- USCIS Form I-864 OMB No. 1615-0075 Expires 07/31/2017
- USCIS Form I-864EZ OMB No. 1615-0075 Expires 07/31/2017

For both forms, there is a Part 2. Information About the Principal Immigrant You Are Sponsoring (Intending Immigrant)

Name of Immigrant (1.a., 1.b., 1.c.) - OK Got that.

Mailing Address
2.a. In Care Of Name
2.b. Street Number and Name
2.c. Apt. / Ste. / Flr.
2.d. City or Town
2.e. State
2.f. ZIP Code
2.g. Province
2.h. Postal Code
2.i. Country

My questions are:

A) What do I put under 2.a. In Care Of Name?

B) What address do they want here? My parent's address in my home country? My address here in the US, where my parent intends to live once she arrives?

C) What is the difference between ZIP Code / Postal Code?

_______


1 more question...

Form i-864 Part 6. Sponsor's Employment and Income
...
Question # 2: My current individual annual income is: $____

Form -864EZ Part 5. Information About Your Employment and Income
...
Question # 4: My current individual annual income: $___

D) If you get paid by the hour, how would you calculate the individual annual income? Because in other posts I've seen people calculate it like $Hour x 40 x 4 x 12, but others calculate it like $Hour x 40 x 52... and obviously the result is different.

Thank you to anyone who can shed some light on these stupid questions.