natsbighair

Hello Everyone

I'm diving into the world of immigration and have been doing my research but I'm starting to struggle. I'm new to this forum - how lovely to find it! So I apologise for asking some rather green (pardon the pun) questions.

I'm self petitioning for an employment based green card - category EB-1A - Alien Of Extraordinary Ability. I'm doing it from London without an attorney, and I seem to be going round in circles on how to submit after asking Google. My first steps are to submit the forms I-140 and I-907 (for premium processing).

I have all my supporting evidence ready to go, so my questions are:

*Do I send these forms to USCIS at the following address (I'll be based in California):

Premium Processing
USCIS Nebraska Service Center
850 S. Street
Lincoln, NE 68508


WITH my supporting evidence? Or wait to be contacted by the NVC and send the supporting evidence to them separately?

*Paying fees - how does one do this from the UK? The USCIS website states that a) payment has be drawn from a US financial institution, b) payment has to be submitted with the forms and c) to check with your country's field office for making payment from outside the US, but the London field office does not accept submissions or fees for the forms I want to submit.

I read somewhere else that payment can be made online via the NVC once a case number is assigned, but I don't know if I'm getting myself confused. I don't want to send off the forms and have them refused because I didn't send payment!


*Obtaining medical/police reports etc - are they done in due course once the NVC get in touch?

Would be so grateful to hear from someone who has gone through a similar process.


Thank you xx

S Folinsky

<sigh> Unfortunately, you lack an understanding of the structure of the basic process. I know it can be daunting and perhaps others will fill in the basic process.

You assume you are of extraordinary ability. I have no idea. But what you and your colleagues consider extraordinary might be different from the way the not-so-friendly people at USCIS will see it.

Also, when I was in practice, I would often have new clients come on board with their strategy already outlined and it turned out there was a better way to proceed.

At least a consultation with a qualified immigration lawyer might be in order.

Good luck.

tom169

I agree with Mr Folinsky. This is not something to DIY.

Like company petitions, it requires a specific way of presenting information with what I assume to be some unwritten rules passed between attorneys.

If this is something you really want, then seek out an immigration attorney that specializes in these cases that has a good track record to back it.

A consultation may be free/cheap and then it would be time to put your money where your mouth is. I'm sure as a Londoner with an extraordinary ability you have the cash.

If you're denied then it has repercussions on all of your future visa/esta applications.

Pulaski

As S Folinsky is well aware, I am a strong supporter of self-filing straight forward visa applications yourself, without any involvement of a lawyer. However EB-x series visas are not the sort of visa that you should be trying to obtain without the guidance of an experience immigration lawyer. There are far too many moving parts, and too many things that depend on the quality of information, and the format and presentation, unlike basic family visas which are more of a yes/no, tick the box, type of process.

bewildering

My colleague is self-petitioning. He is in the USA on an H-visa and is surrounded by people who have done the EB process. Personally, I think he is crazy and should have paid the $.

natsbighair

Thank you all for your answers. I saw an immigration lawyer whilst in California who was confident of my submission under the EB-1A category, and informed me of the supporting evidence to collate. Their subsequent communication was sporadic, so I started to do my own research. I had hoped my questions were admin issues, but I clearly have more work to do

Thanks Again x