Our DCF Update

Hey all,
Thought I would just update on our progress, we ended not getting our letter or packet within the 5 weeks after I-130 approval, so called/emailed the embassy after the 5 weeks was up. They stated that it was clear we never received the letter but not to worry. They linked us to the page online & we were able to schedule the medical & now that is all over. We have sent in the DS-PART 1 form & our notification of readiness... approaching 2 weeks ago now.
Hubs had his medical on the 10th & all is well, they stated that the Embassy would have the results by today. My husband reported that the people at the medical said we should call the embassy to schedule the interview? I was under the impression that we waited for a letter to come saying when the interview is? Im pretty confused now & looking at vague info online, and of course working so limited internet usage so was just wondering if Im missing some info here or if anyone could just clarify please?
I am planning on calling anyway tomorrow morning, because we had such a massive delay due to not getting the letter Im getting more worried about time, so don't want to take any chances waiting for something to come when it might not & so on.
Anyways, as usual all the help is much appreciated & I hope that others that applied at the same time as us didn't have this same problem.

Thanks! 



16/4/13--I-130 application posted
19/4/13-- e-notification, wait time 3 months
23/4/13-- payment taken
13/4/13-- Approved wait time 5 weeks for packet
Waited the full 5 weeks hearing nothing
20/06/13 Emailed Embassy -informed letter was sent 24/05/13 
10/07/13 Husbands medical takes place

I'm pretty sure they send you something. Hopefully IT shows up in the mail unlike the missing I-130 approval.
Have you checked out Visa Journey?? They are really good there with information about all this stuff!

Thanks for the reply! I phoned up the number today on the "Interview" page & the lady I spoke to was super nice & helpful! She confirmed that yes, they will send us something, the results of the medical & most recent forms sent in are all fine & processed so we should get something within 3 weeks. She also said we are welcome to call back next week & week after just to check for the date asap since we are behind now & our letter had gotten lost before. The lady also stated that the date is subject to availability & it could be 2 weeks from the letter, or 1 month but that if it does not suit to call back & try & reschedule which is good. She stated that you don't actually need the letter to have the interview, I guess hence the calling up.
Im pretty sure that somewhere it said online they will give you an interview with 1 months notice, but hopefully it will be sooner!

Anyone else going through this care to update? I would have been doing so all along but we don't have the internet & working a million hours a week has made it harder to stay up to date with everything!! 

My husband was approved for his visa yesterday!! Yay!!

Things have been so crazy I haven't updated much in a long time but here is an outline of the time line

16/4/13--I-130 application posted
19/4/13-- e-notification, wait time 3 months
23/4/13-- payment taken
13/4/13-- Approved wait time 5 weeks for packet
Waited the full 5 weeks hearing nothing
20/06/13 Emailed Embassy -informed letter was sent 24/05/13  Sad
10/07/13 Husbands medical takes place
Obsessive calling the embassy to figure out Interview date- getting worried about time!
26/07/2013 Interview letter arrives- 1 month notice!
27/08/2013 Interview takes place, VISA APPROVED!
Process has taken just over 4 months- including waiting 5 weeks for the "packet" which never came!

I am going to ask my husband to write a detailed account of the interview itself, one thing to note is that even though we sent a letter & email requesting I join my husband, & we got an email confirmation back saying my name was added to the list- I was not on the list! We got there about 40 minutes early & about 100 people were in queue before us & it quickly filled up behind us.

If you find yourself sitting for 2 1/2 hours waiting with all the other nervous family members staring at the embassy- DO NOT take any photos! The embassy guards called the police on an old man who happen to be sitting next to me who had previously been seen taking photos!

Also- interesting point- they didn't even ask for my tax info! We did use a co-sponsor though so maybe thats why? If anyone has any questions on our process feel free to ask, we did it all correctly but had a few very stressful hurdles including me having to back file my US taxes 3 years after not filing for 10 years. I also- believe it or not somehow actually messed up something & had to get the official transcripts FAXED from the IRS 5 days before the interview!

Thank goodness its over, we fly home in 20 days! Thanks to UKYankee for being such a great source in many, many moments of panic over the last 5 years, and last few months!

That's great news! My hubby had his medical on the 19th, so we're waiting for his interview letter. We've got everything ready...just waiting. Hopefully it doesn't go lost like packet three did!

Didn't realise you were planning to move back kbeech. Are you waiting for your citizenship or not bothering?

Didn't realise you were planning to move back kbeech. Are you waiting for your citizenship or not bothering?

Yeah, we've kept it kind of quiet till this point. I won't be here long enough for citizenship before we go, but my parents have been quite ill this year, and its all fallen to my brother to care for them. My wonderful mum-in-law has 3 sons that will be here to help her so hubby and I think its just the right thing to do to go back. He really misses it anyways...more than me sometimes. I was rather reluctant at first, but chicklet was going to go back anyway so I guess its meant to be this way.We just have the interview left, and I already have my old job back for when we get there.

This $165 fee thats was brought in Feb of this year, do we pay that after we get the actual visa in the post? Hubs wasn't told or given anything about it.

http://london.usembassy.gov/visa_news_iv_fees.html

This indicates a piece of paper with instructions comes with the visa but I personally don't think its clear- or maybe just am used to really reading into this stuff - to far into it lol!