tina7777

Hi there,

Thanks for reading this, and I hope that someone can answer some questions regarding DS-230 (Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration) form.

I applied for AOS for my dad who is currently in Kosovo. We didn't use legal help at all, I did it myself with the help of British Expats as well. Right now we are at this point where we are waiting for DS-230 form to be mailed to me. I paid the fee of $380 couple of weeks ago and we've been waiting since then for the package containing the form.

My qeustions are:

1) I am my father's agent here in the US. After I fill out the form (DS-230) do I send it to the NVC (National Visa Center) here in the US, or do I have to mail everything in Kosovo?

2) Is this the last step, after which my dad will receive a Green Card? What will happen after I send the forms? Where will he receive the Green Card?

3) How long will approximately take for my dad to come to the US? He's been alone for 2 years, he's old and we are really worried as he's not feeling good health wise either.

Please help me out with your suggestions and help. I'd really appreciate it. If you have any question regarding AOS or anything like that, I can help you too. My mom received the green card couple of days ago, and I applied for her myself. I'd be glad to share my experience.

Thanks

Noorah101

I'm a little confused. How can you apply for your dad's AOS when he's not in the USA? I think you mean you applied for his Immigrant Visa, correct?

I don't know the process in Kosovo, but normally the visa application forms get sent to the US Embassy in your dad's country, and then he'll be notified to have a medical done (if he hasn't done that already) and appear for a visa interview. If your dad gets approved, he will receive an Immigrant Visa. He will use this visa to come to the USA. Once he arrives in the USA, he receives his green card (in the form of an I-551 stamp) at the POE. The plastic card comes in the mail a few weeks later.

Actually, I thought the DS-230 would have gone to your dad to be completed, not you, so I'm confused by that as well.

There's absolutely no way of knowing how much longer it will take until he receives his visa interview. It all depends on how long it takes for the paperwork to arrive at the embassy, the backlog at the embassy, whether your dad gets approved at his interview or needs further security checks (admin processing). There's no way of knowing.

One more question, since you just went through this process for your mom, why would your dad's process be any different?

Best Wishes,
Rene

tina7777

Hi Rene,

Thanks for your response. Yes, that's an Immigrant VISA actually, not AOS. AOS was for my mom since she was here in the US already when I applied.

"Actually, I thought the DS-230 would have gone to your dad to be completed, not you, so I'm confused by that as well."

My dad filled out some other forms previously so that I could be his representative or agent in the US, so I've been receiving the documents. He mailed those document here at the NVC center and sinvce then I receive everything regarding my dad.

"One more question, since you just went through this process for your mom, why would your dad's process be any different?"

I actually had a hard time figuring everything out and it took more than one year for my mom to get a green card. I did my dad's and mom's document at the same time and it was crazy, I just did my best and my dad's procedure was a little different since he is in Kosovo, just like you said AOS=mom, and Immigrant Visa for my dad.

Thanks for your response again...But I am still confused, will I have to send the documents to NVC and then they will transfer them to the US embassy in Macedonia, or will I have to send the documents to my dad, or Embassy directly. Thanks again!

Noorah101

Thanks for clarifying. I see now why the two processes are different. AOS for your mom, IV for your dad.

I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your question, though. As far as I have ever heard, the visa application forms go directly to the embassy....not to NVC...but you might want to call or email the embassy just to get clarification. I'm sure they would have the answer to your question.

Best Wishes,
Rene

Heather142

I am just going from personal experience now ... our sponsor (in the US) received the fee request (but we actually paid it). Once the fee was paid the paperwork was forwarded to the embassy - in our case London - who subsequently sent the DV-230 to us to be completed. Once that was returned to the embassy we received our interview and medical date.

Hope that helps.

Heather

meauxna

There are three mailings with the NVC before the case is forwarded overseas (some Consulates will process ALL visa application materials through the NVC--see travel.state.gov for more info--Macedonia is not one of these posts; this is for the benefit of other readers).

1-Agent of Choice
2-I-864 Affidavit of Support
3-DS-230 visa application

Since the DS-230 needs Dad's original signature, yes, it must go to him and be returned to you. You can complete the fields and just get his signature.

The NVC process is laid out in legalese at the State Dept website (above) and there is a user forum and guide devoted to the NVC at visajourney.com where you will pick up some pointers.

tina7777

Thank you all for your help. Choice of Agent, Affidavit of Support, as well as all other documents were mailed from U.S to NVC here. All we're waiting for is DS-230 now, for which I don't know where will it be mailed, and what after that! I tried to call NVC, but they were busy so I could not talk to anyone.

Since I read some of your e-mails, I think this will happen next:

1) DS-230 will be sent to me (since I'm my dad's representative, because he filled out Choice of Agent papers)

2) I'll fax it to my dad, who'll sign it, fill it out and mail it back to the NVC here in the U.S

3) Once they receive it, NVC will transfer his documents to the U.S Embassy in Skopje (Macedonia) and then they'll contact my dad, with the info regarding his interview and medical examination appointment.

Thank you again. Any other suggestions appreciated.

P.S. For all those who are or did file by themeselves --- RESPECT. It's a really hard work to figure it all out by yourself. And it's even more frustrating when you don't know what will happen next, when will they contact you, how long will it take etc, etc...Also RESPECT for all the lawyers, they totally deserve every penny.

tina7777

"--Macedonia is not one of these posts; this is for the benefit of other readers)"

Can you please tell me what this means? Maybe I'm tired or I don't understand it, but could you clarify? It means that my dad MUST go to Macedonia because this country is not on that list right?

So if it were on the list, my dad wouldn't have to be interviewed, everything would be taken care of from here or? Sorry, I'm kind of confused here, a little

meauxna

Oh, no.. Applicants from say Turkey, or Canada must send all of their visa applications docs to NVC and NVC even sets interviews for some countries.
If you go to this page: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigra...info_3176.html you'll find all the instructions for each Consulate and the NVC.

Macedonia is NOT one of the offices that does this, so your dad's process should be exactly what you describe in your post above.

DS-230 will be mailed to the Agent. Go to visajourney to see how others expedite their handleing of DS-230 and the originial signature issue (might be something even better than your fax/mail idea).

Noorah101

meauxna,

I'm curious about this...we did the K-1 through Turkey, and we had to send all the visa application docs directly to the consulate in Ankara. Perhaps it's different for an immediate relative visa?

Rene

Heather142

I don't think so Noorah, although I could be wrong.

We came over on a family visa and as I said in previous post once the fee was paid we heard once from the NVC that our file had been sent to the Embassy (London). From then on all the correspondance came directly from the Embassy including the DS-230.

Heather.

farmerwife

When the Form DS-230 arrives, it will come with instructions.
These will include the address to which the form should be mailed. NVC should also include an addressed envelope with the form and instructions.

My experience is with family based petitions for parents in the UK. I filled the forms out (as I was the Agent of Choice). Then I sent them to my parents for their original signatures. Then they mailed the DS-230s back to the NVC as the instructions stated.

meauxna

It might be, Rene. I don't know what they're doing with K-1s--they normally skip striaght thru the NVC. The above is all about the Immigrant Visas.

This is a relatively new duty for the NVC, too. IV applicants can keep an eye on the DOS page I linked earlier.

farmerwife

This could explain the difference between my experience and Heather's.
Mine is recent (March 2007) and Heather's (from public profile) is March 2004.

Also the original poster was discussing parent ( immediate family),
and Heathers's was F4. Which could be immediate family as far people usually think of it, but not by the USCIS definition for immigration purposes.

meauxna

hmm, I've only seen Immediate Relative cases, but I do not think a distinction is made at NVC between the different categories. NVC is taking over visa processing for Immigrant Visas for more and more Consulates.. I'm sure it's aaaaal for our benefit.

Did you get hammered with that hail this morning? Wow!