Kirkwood76

Our I-130 Petition was approved by DCF London 16Oct09, and we have downloaded the Forms we expect we'll be getting in "packet 3". Please outline for us the nominal timeline/event schedule beginning now leading to
the Visa-in-hand.

John Manley

Please keep in mind that each consulate has its own processing times.

This is only one case. It is not a guideline, nor a statistic on which to rely. Here is a time line for a recent Immigrant Visa application I submitted:
06/25/2009: Packet 3 submitted
07/18/2009: Request for Evidence received
07/22/2009: Response to Request for Evidence submitted
08/14/2009: Notice for interview received
09/18/2009: IV Interview Date
09/18/2009: Client received immigrant visa

We did lose some time with the RFE, but that seems to be a way of life with immigration now.

meauxna

Packet 3 (can't believe I'm perpetuating...) isn't mailed to you; you are directed to the website to download your visa application, I-864 and get the list of documents you'll need. They'll send you a checklist, and you can access that information now.

Since your case is not going through the NVC, it should move faster than John's example. The average London 'DCF' case takes 5 months from petition to visa, but it's been observed that recent cases are moving a little faster.

It's time for you to get all your visa application documents ready; as soon as you hear from the IVU you can tell them you are ready for interview.

Please look for the other DCF posts/threads here; there are several people who have recently completed or are just finalizing their applications.