Plan of action

*Reference link to abbreviations/terms post*

So, here's what needs to be done in the following few weeks.

I'm going to continue calling NVC's AVR to see if a case number has been assigned. I think starting this Tuesday (one week after our approval), if no case number has been assigned, I'll start calling up an operator about twice daily to find out if it's been assigned yet, as well as continuing to call the AVR.

As soon as I find out our case number, I'm going to call up an operator immediately and give our email addresses and ask for our IIN which is required for the payment portal.

As soon as that's done, I'll send an opt-in email to opt-in for electronic processing. I'll then sign onto the payment portal and fill out the online form DS-261 (similar to the DS-3032, but online).

If we get this done early in the week, the AoS bill might appear by the end of the week. If Ben can pay that immediately, it'll show up as PAID most likely early next week or end of this week. It all depends when we get a case number. Once it shows up as PAID, we print the coversheet out, attach it with all the I-864 forms and documents, and email it off.

Sometime next week or the week after, the IV bill should appear, we pay that and wait for it to appear as PAID. I fill out the online form DS-260 (similar to the DS-230, but online). I submit that once done and then email off the supporting documents.

And then the waiting! If all goes well, we should be done at the end of February or sometime in March.

Also, this week, Ben needs to print out the employment letter and get his boss to sign it. We have to go over the I-864 and make sure everything is correct. He then needs to scan everything and send it to me. I'll then put it together into a PDF. A cover letter also has to be written up.

Next week, I'll work on the DS-260 documents, scanning everything in and putting it all together as a PDF. I've still got a photocopy of my birth certificate and passport from August on my computer, so I don't need to scan those again. I need Ben to scan a copy of the marriage certificate and send it to me. Then I just have to scan my police certificate and 2 passport-style pictures of myself. A cover letter also has to be written up.

I'm sure I'll be writing a lot these next two weeks with plenty of updates!

~Lindsay

EDIT: I was bored and just did the two cover letters for the I-864 and the DS-260. I just have to update the date on them before we send them and the case number once we get it.