kirstlh

HI ALL!
i am new to the site and am wondering if anyone can help me... my fiance is american and i am a londoner who seems to be suffering with the on-going postal service or lack there at the moment.
we recieved our NOA2 which was APPROVED.. YAY!! back on sept 15th 2009 its now 18th of oct and i have no news of packet 3 or any email confirmation to say it arrived here in london.. 2 days after our NOA2 he recieved another letter saying it had left NVC in vermont and was on its way across the pond...
is this a normal wait time? i await post like its my job and am gettin worried i should be doing more in order to trace it.
any ideas?!?!? any would be appreciated

lansbury

Get your fiance to call this number in Washington DC 202 663 1225 follow the prompts speak to a live person and explain the problem and they will hopefully be able to tell you want is happening. I say get you fiance to call because while they are very helpful they respond even better to an American accent.

Much better then calling the premium rate call center in Scotland

Rete

Also I would tell you to e-mail the US Consulate and inquire about this due to the strike. Bloody long strike btw.

Also you can d/l the package from their website.

PepsiChic

Have a read of this thread:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636086

your at the same point and that has all the information you need plus a lot of links and forms for you to get working on, while your doing everything in that thread follow the info giving to the replies you have here, you dont need the "packet 3" letter to begin working on it!

good luck!

kirstlh

thanks for all the information.. i have been on to the websites and downloaded and filled in all the forms, all except the one which is to be done online- figured i should wait to do that one until instructed to do so. My fiance called someone yesterday and the woman he spoke to said that its likely that london have either not recieved the paperwork yet or that they have not processed it yet, he said the woman was rather narky and unhelpful but it was a human being at least.
more waiting i guess... so frustrating!!!!

YouWantFriesWithThat

Hi,

I wouldn't worry too much and take what that woman said with a pinch of salt - sounds like she was guessing. It's more likely, as there are so many others in your situation, that the letter you are waiting for, 'packet 3' as its generically known, is stuck in the post.

The form which can be completed online, the DS-156, has no data link to the embassy so it's not a problem if you complete it now and print it off. One of the reasons it's completed online is because a barcode gets printed off with the form.

You could start to read up on the police certificate which will be needed for your visa application.

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/iv/iv_15.html

Scroll down to 'Police Certificates for the United Kingdom' and then download the forms here http://www.acpo.police.uk/certificates.asp

Mine took 3 weeks to come through, some take more, some less.

The other thing you can do is start to familiarise yourself with form I-134, which is usually used by the USC fiance or another USC to sponsor the alien fiance. Read more about this by going to the first link above and scrolling down to 'Evidence of Support' then follow that link to this one http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new...affidavit.html

You can download the I-134 and its guidelines here http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/usc...0045f3d6a1RCRD

lansbury

Sounds like you are guessing. If they called DOS as I suggested they can see what London are doing. If they cannot see anything on "London's" system then it is not on London's system so her guess it has not been received or processed is a pretty good one. Part of the processing is entering it on the system.

YouWantFriesWithThat

I'd say it's an educated guess as there are a lot of people in the OPs situation, all waiting for their packet 3's. Plus it is very unusual for packet 3s to take that long to arrive. So when you look at those two facts, coupled with the fact that there are probably millions of letters backed up in the postal system, I'd say it's likely it's in the post.

lansbury

So a guess then. Yes it is long time for a packet 3 to arrive and it is very unusual, if your guess is right, for DOS not to be able to see it in the system. The only logical conclusion is something isn't right but there is no way of knowing what. Providing someone didn't forget to enter it in the system it hasn't been posted but you and I don't know where the problem is and guesses could well mislead the OP.

Time to phone the call center in Scotland get the weekly e-mail code and e-mail the Embassy to check.

YouWantFriesWithThat

Hi,

Reading back, sorry it didn't sink in with me that you were referring to the USC fiance having called the DOS helpline. My thoughts were centred around the US fiance having called the misinformation line in Scotland, hence my 'pinch of salt' remark

That DOS line does sound a lot more helpful (not referring to this case but fromn other posts) and is probably cheaper than calling the one in the UK, too!!

kirstlh

grrrr more postal strikes!!!
ok thanks for the info on being able to fill in the online form- will do that- police form printed off, filled in and waiting for a day off of work (doing 50 hours a week ) to get some more passport pics done for that. and also waiting for my other half to get his act together and sort out the I-134.
just to clarify- do u think its a good idea to call the £1.20 am min embassy to ask them if they recieved it? or am i calling someone else?
please lets hope its not lost in the post!!!!!

lansbury

That number is a call center in Scotland operated by a third party. They have limited access to the London records. They are useful if you need to e-mail the Embassy as you call them first explain the problem and they give you a code to put in the subject line of the e-mail which should ensure the Embassy reads it.

If you want to check if your file reached London from the NVC call the Department of State number in Washington. Be reasonable in the number of times you call them, but they can see enough on the London records to give informed answers to questions. They can e-mail London if they sport a problem that needs sorting.

meauxna

Ummmm.. pretty sure they send the visa files by dip pouch or courier. The case is probably at the Embassy but you may have been delayed in getting the letter from them.