I-864...Am I Almost Done Now?

[Johnboy]

[This message has been edited by Johnboy]

Why am i being billed $65 again? didn't i already pay that in the last batch of paperwork i filed? What is the purpose of the "Choice of Agent and Address Form" that comes with this I-864 processing fee package? What happens next oh most wise ones? how much time we got now? Does my wife need a notarized copy of this affidavit of Support? she seems to think so.  Does she really need 3 years of my tax statements? I failed to bring her my 2001 for Christmas )-: . I wish she would have been here to help with this 7 months worth of paperwork. I have been in the dark ever since i started.

[Fuzzyone]

... in response to I-864...Am I Almost Done Now?, posted by Johnboy on Jan 6, 2005

Jonno

  the choice of agent form has to be signed by her... make yourself the agent of
choice so you can do everything here instead of waiting for her to fill out the
papers you will be getting in the future.The $65.00 processing fees they charge,
you have another fee coming of I think around $340.00 with the next round of
papers. On the tax forms and affidavit of support your next round of papers you
send in will require both. If you are not going for the interview with your wife
then I would give them to her notarized, if you are going to be with her then I
would make sure you have them with you for the interview just in case you never
know....

[Johnboy]

... in response to Re: I-864...Am I Almost Done Now?, posted by Fuzzyone on Jan 6, 2005

thanks

so, i fill out the Agent form and send it to her now? how do i pay the $340-who gets it? This must be done before/during her Bogota interview?

[Fuzzyone]

... in response to Re: Re: I-864...Am I Almost Done Now?, posted by Johnboy on Jan 6, 2005

I want to ask you some questions if you don't mid.... have you filed the DS
3032? that form cost $65.00 when you send it in.... then you get the I-864
which you have to send in 3 years of taxes form in... then a DS230 is sent to you
and that will be it you get your interview finally..... you will get paperwork telling
you when you have to pay the $340.00...

[Johnboy]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: I-864...Am I Almost Done Now..., posted by Fuzzyone on Jan 7, 2005

I sent in the $65 money order and the bottom of the form which i cut out. I still have the "Choice of Agent and Address" form which has the DS-3032 number on the bottom. Did I f' up? This form must be signed by her and notorized and all that crap right?

[Ray]

... in response to I-864...Am I Almost Done Now?, posted by Johnboy on Jan 6, 2005

I assume that your I-130 has been approved by CIS and you received the I-864 processing fee bill from the NVC. IF you are going to go for the CR-1 immigrant visa, then you have to go through the NVC process. Yes, they charge $65 to process your I-864 and $335 to process her visa.

She should designate you and use your address for the Agent of Choice form (DS-3032).

See the following post for more details:

http://www.planet-love.com/wwwboard/latin/archives/display.php?archive=000208&id=64917

Your wife will not need a notarized copy of your I-864, but she should have a photocopy of the original just to be safe. You will have to submit complete copies of the last 3 years tax returns with W-2’s.

You are probably looking at another 2-3 months or so for the NVC process. Did you also petition her for a K-3 visa? If so, what is the status of the K-3?

Ray

[Johnboy]

... in response to Re: I-864..., posted by Ray on Jan 6, 2005

yeah, the k-3 was approved which is why they sent me this 1-864 package

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Re: I-864..., posted by Johnboy on Jan 6, 2005

Actually, the K-3 is a separate petition and has nothing to do with the I-864. What is the status of your K-3 petition now? Has it been forwarded to the embassy?

If she uses the K-3 visa, then you can ignore all that stuff from the NVC regarding the processing of your I-130 petition.

Ray

[Johnboy]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: I-864..., posted by Ray on Jan 6, 2005

ummm....this is where i am lost. Are you saying i dont have to mess with this NVC $65 request if i have filed a K-3? I dont know the difference between the I-130 and the K-3, but i filed both and got approved recently for the former. I have not heard anything about an 1-864 until now. They could send me a Desperately United Migrants of Bogota (DUMB) form tomorrow asking for another $200 and i'd pay it.

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: I-864..., posted by Johnboy on Jan 6, 2005

If you really don’t know the difference between the I-130 and K-3 petitions, then that explains the confusion. In a nutshell, the purpose of the K-3 visa is to allow your wife to come here and be with you while waiting for the lengthy I-130 processing for her immigrant CR-1 visa. However, the immigration folks seem to have screwed everything up because they have finally figured out how to process an I-130 in a more-reasonable time while screwing up the K-3 processing so badly that now many I-130’s are getting approved first. Until recently, the K-3 was almost always approved first so there wasn’t any confusion over which one was faster and most guys just ignored the NVC process because the K-3 had already been approved by that time and she was already here in the States with you. But overall the CR-1 visa is better than the K-3 so I guess you’re lucky in that respect.

That’s why I was asking what the status of your K-3 petition was, so that I could understand exactly where you are in the process for both petitions. Now I know that your I-130 was recently approved by CIS and forwarded to the NVC, which does some preliminary processing before sending it to the overseas consulate. I will just have to assume that your K-3 petition is still lost somewhere at the National Benefits Center in Missouri waiting for them to catch up on their backlog. If that is the case, then I would recommend that you go ahead with the NVC process and assume that will be the fastest way to get her over here.

The NVC will want about $400 total in fees to process your case and you are probably looking at about another 2-3 months before they finish and pass it on to the consulate. Right now you need to pay the $65 fee for the I-864 and they will send you the forms with instructions.

Fill out the Form DS-3032 (Choice of Address and Agent) and check the box “I Appoint:” and put YOUR name and address as agent. Then your wife will need to sign and date the DS-3032 form and you need to return it to the NVC as instructed. Then the NVC will send you a bill for the $335 visa fee. After you pay that, they will send you a Form DS-230 and some other stuff for the wife to complete and return to them.

You’re getting closer now so it shouldn’t be too much longer (3-5 months?).

Ray

[Johnboy]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I-864..., posted by Ray on Jan 7, 2005

[This message has been edited by Johnboy]

3-5 MONTHS!!! this is news to me. It took 5 months to get this I-130 approval. I thought this was it. its like were starting all over again now.  Nebraska said "one more month" when i called after my petition was moved to Califorina 5 weeks ago. Was he talking about the mailing time for this recent package?  I am confused (again). you said after i send the $65 the NVC will "send forms with instructions". Meanwhile, we are to fill out DS-3032 (which i have now) and send it? then we wait for DS-230? What are these other instructions you spoke of? how do i find out the status of my k-3?

thanks

john

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I-864..., posted by Johnboy on Jan 7, 2005

[This message has been edited by Ray]

John,

Whoever told you that this was going to be fast or easy? :-)

Actually, 5 months to process an I-130 petition is MUCH faster than it was taking in recent years. Your I-130 has been approved by the Department of Homeland Security (or CIS). Now the State Dept is doing their processing at the NVC. After that, the overseas consulate will do their thing with the interview and issue a visa.

You can read more about the NVC process here:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1309.html

For status of your K-3 petition, try here:

https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/caseStat.jsp

What was the receipt date when you submitted your I-129F for the K-3?

Ray

[OkieMan]

... in response to Re: I-864..., posted by Ray on Jan 7, 2005

Hey Ray,
 I am not very knowledgeable about what your talking about.  But, I do have another take on this.  When each of us get to the point this guy is at, why not just declare that we are really an Arab terrorist?  I mean, they seem to get into this country really easy, don't they?  Naturally, I am being silly and sarcastic, but man-- the government seems to make it difficult for the honest people and easy for the wacko terrorists!  One of my sons just got back from Iraq.  He is a Marine, and he lost several good buddies over there. They are defending our freedom! Now all any of us on this board want to do is to meet the right lady and get her back over here and live a happy life.  If a frequent flyer can register with the airlines, etc, and cut some of the red tape involved; then why can't we find a way to expedite this beaurocratic nightmare concerning visas?
I don't know the process that is involved, but seriously, there is a way where frequent flyers, probably business men and women, can register with the airlines, the government or both (I'm not sure).  It seems that is one way the airlines have figured out so that they don't tick so many customers off.  Anyhow, it's just a thought.

                       OkieMan

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Re: I-864..., posted by OkieMan on Jan 7, 2005

Hi Okie,

You may have a point there about applying as a terrorist (LOL!).

Actually, the process to bring a spouse or fiancée here used to be fast and relatively uncomplicated. When I applied for a fiancée visa for my first wife in 1972, the entire process took less than 2 months. There were no Regional Service Centers or National Visa Center. I walked in to my local INS office and they gave me the forms and explained the process to me in person. I filed the papers the next day at the INS office and paid a fee of I think $25. The fiancée visa was approved and issued in Manila about 8 weeks later and she arrived here within 2 months of the date I first filed. The system has gotten bogged down with red tape and bureaucratic nonsense over the years, but I have seen a significant improvement in the last 6 months or so.

Speaking of terrorists: There is one visa (S-6 visa) that is not used very often but can get you here pretty quickly, with no fees, and the government even files the forms for you. All you have to do is have some valuable information on terrorists that you turn over to the U.S. government. But I guess the fastest way still is to simply crawl through a hole in the fence down here on the Mexican border.

The next time you talk to your son in the Corps, please thank him for me for serving his country!

Ray

[OkieMan]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: I-864..., posted by Ray on Jan 7, 2005

Hey Ray,
One last question.  Are you still dating asian women; or are you on this board because you are also checking out the latinas?  Just thought I would ask.
 
                            OkieMan