Moving on to NVC Processing



The NVC (National Visa Center) took over our case at this point. If we had been applying from within the USA, then we would have stayed at USCIS for this whole process. But because I was living abroad, we got moved to the State department, of which the NVC is a division.


So, it’s still not totally clear to me what the NVC actually DOES with our stuff, but this is what the process looked like:


- We got an email saying that USCIS had approved our form I-190, and that we should be hearing from the NVC within a month.


- About 6 weeks later, we got an email from the NVC saying that our visa case had been created. At this time, we received a case number and an ID that was used as a password. We received instructions for how to log into the NVC website. On the website, I had to fill out a DS-261 form, which is the only form of the process (I think) that didn’t have a fee associated with it. It was basically just giving the NVC our contact information.


- Then, we had to pay fees, one for the DS-260, the actual immigrant visa application form, and one for the I-864, which is called an Affidavit of Support.


- I was required to log in and fill out the DS-260 myself, while my husband filled out the I-864. Boundless was able to prepare the 864 for him, but the 260 is done online, so I just sent them screenshots for feedback before submitting.


- I also had to upload some things to the NVC portal, including a criminal record check. This was the most confusing thing because it had to be an RCMP check (totally fair), but the NVC said it had to be a “certified” check, and NOT to tell the RCMP it was for immigration, but that it was “under the freedom of information act” or something like that. So, when I went in to get the check done, the officer told me that it’s only “certified” if you HAVE a criminal record, but if you don’t, it will say “non-certified” on it. Regardless, I had them process it (and paid $50), and it ended up being the right thing. Another upload was US-style passport photos. These are different from Canadian ones, but it was easy enough to find a photographer in Saskatoon that did them (s/o to Don’s Photo in Saskatoon--they hooked me up!).


- We (well actually Boundless, but it was not a big deal) made a mistake in our filing of the 864. Because we had only printed and signed the two required pages, and only sent those back, they forgot to “flatten” the form (basically making it so that it’s no longer an editable PDF), so we were instructed by the NVC to correct the mistake and re-send. This added about a month to our process, so I highly recommend making sure it’s PERFECT before sending.


- A month later, we received notification that our visa application had everything required and that they would be scheduling an interview for me in Montreal. Montreal is the only US Consulate in Canada that handles family-based immigration, so there are no options to go to Vancouver or Calgary or Winnipeg or Ottawa or anywhere else. This was frustrating to me, because I’m from Saskatchewan. (Actually, when I got to the interview, everyone was complaining about how far they had to travel… one from Niagara Falls area, one from Ottawa, and the other from the south end of Montreal itself. All of them were silenced when I told them where I was from.)





- We waited for about 4 months before receiving our interview date, but finally it came!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wait

Before I left the interview, I asked the consular officer what kind of information I could have on getting my visa approved and what would happen when it was. She gave me a sheet of paper outlining the steps for mailing my packet and also a sheet that they normally give people whose visas are approved on the spot. It included a link for where to go to check on the status of my application. I logged in to see what it looked like, and it said “Administrative Processing, updated January 6”. It stayed this way until January 29, when it updated to “Administrative Processing, updated January 29”. It was updated again a few days later, and then in late February, it changed to “Issued”. A few days later, I received an email that said my passport had been shipped, and that I should use the Canada Post tracking info from then on. When I got notified that it was at the post office, I headed down right away and picked it up. I had to show ID (just my driver’s, because obviously I didn’t...
Read more

Advice for Immigrants!

A few pieces of advice that I’ve gained from this experience: If your case is pretty simple (first marriage for both of you, no children, no crimes, etc.), you probably don’t need to pay for a lawyer. There are other, considerably less expensive services that help you through some of the issues you might have (the biggest challenge is the submitting of the initial form to USCIS--we were thankful we had Boundless to help us with that one). After that, the instructions are pretty clear from the US government itself. Every piece of paper, every test, every form, everything has a price tag. We were constantly coughing up $150, $250, $700, $1200 for every step of the way. Be prepared that it is a PRICEY endeavour to immigrate, and if you’re cross-border dating, I recommend starting a separate savings account for immigration costs. Not to mention the travel you will have to do unless you’re lucky enough to live in Montreal. Move heaven and earth to get your medical results to your int...
Read more

Form I-190

This form is used to establish that a relationship between a US citizen or permanent resident and an “alien” (non-American) exists. We had to submit a lot of “proof” of our relationship, including photos (Instagram screenshots are great because they’re already dated!), notarized letters from friends, travel itineraries with both your names on them (just one person’s plane ticket to the other one’s city is not sufficient, apparently), and other documents. For example, my husband and I made each other the beneficiaries on our life insurance policies. Something to note: when I uploaded a copy of my birth certificate to Boundless (as proof of my Canadian citizenship), they told me I needed the “long form” copy of it, with both my parents’ names on it. I have never had this document, so I had to pay the province of Ontario to find it in their archives and issue it to me. Boundless helped us submit this by sending the entire document to us (including the proof we’d uploaded). Their ...
Read more