6-mth Pregnant Singaporean still waiting for NVC for her Green Card app. What to do to speed up process?

Question

Hi, I've married a US citizen in San Francisco City Hall in March this year and we are currently expecting a baby boy. Since our ceremony, we've hired an immigration attorney in SF and filed for I-130. Good news is that USCIS has approved our application and we have received a notification from NVC asking for processing fee. Its been about a month and we have not heard a peep since.

I'm already 24 weeks pregnant and getting a bit impatient with this whole process. My attorny said NVC usually takes much less time to process but now he said they are taking longer than expected..

My question is, does anyone know how long more (or where I can find out) do we have before the case is sent to the US consulate in Singapore for interview and how long is that going to take?

As you can imagine, as our due date draws nearer, there is an urgency as I have yet to make arrangement as to where I will deliver the baby.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I take it from your question that you are still in Singapore? I was in the US when I filed I-130 & I-485 together and it took 6 months from filing to interview & approval - and that was considered very fast. My situation was a little different from yours though - mine was all done within the US, without having to go through the US consulate in Singapore because I was already physically in the United States. Since they are only processing I-130 for a HR1/CR1 visa for you, it might take less time. You will be informed of your interview a month ahead.

I strongly suggest making arrangements in both countries, just in case your interview/approval doesn't happen before your baby's due date. Where possible, have your child in the U.S, even if it means getting a doctor's approval to travel when you are near term. Otherwise, the visa process will be longer because your husband will then have to petition for a visa for your brand new baby as well. If your husband has not already added you to his health insurance plan, it is a good time to do so now. That way, you can make arrangements with an OBGYN in the US, and coordinate the progression of your pregnancy/medical records between your doctor in Singapore and the one in the US.

To get an estimate of when your case might be heard, you can call the US Embassy @ 6476-9100 between 3.30pm and 4.30pm. They are usually pretty helpful if you can get to the right person.

Good luck!