My siblings have been approved ​😃​

[oscar 104]

I sponsored my brother and sister (Petition for Alien Relative) just over seven years ago.  

When I checked In to see what mail is coming today, US Post Office  I saw two UCIS letters will be arriving this afternoon. I then went to dig out my file on my brother and sisters applications.  Plugged in the receipt number and they have both been approved.😀

So I am excitedly awaiting the letters in the mail this afternoon. Quite an exciting day after over seven years of waiting. 

Edited October 13 by oscar

[sonbossie 3]

Does anyone know how long after approval you can expect to go for an interview?

[SJ272 146]

3 hours ago, sonbossie said:

Does anyone know how long after approval you can expect to go for an interview?

The priority date still needs to get current before you can interview  - usually USCIS approval is a few years before that happens, especially for F3 and F4 petitions. Such a long wait!

[oscar 104]

Received two I-797 Notices of Action - The petition has been approved and sent to NVC - Department of State National Visa Center.

Additional correspondence to follow within 45 days on NVC processing.

So I guess will have to see what additional correspondence follows

Timeline: it took Seven years and six months to get to this stage. probably a few more years to go !

[Malamute 128]

Congratulations - approval is an important step! They are now officially in line for processing.
Yes, will be a few more years - you still need the priority date to become current - which is updated each month in the visa bulletin.  That is the date USCIS received your application. 

When that becomes current, it is time to file the Form I-485 which is the actual permanent residency application.

Sonbossie - 
The current date for brothers/sisters is Sep 2006 - so applications filed before then (14 years ago) are now eligible for further processing which will include the interview once the actual form I-485 is completed and processed - that all takes a couple of months.  For Oscar, if he applied 7 years ago, now at the 1/2 way point. 

[sonbossie 3]

Thanks Malamute!  It is such a shame that it takes so long!  I sponsored my brother last year, now the long wait!

[oscar 104]

Malamute! Thanks for the heads up and explaining the process. So, another 7 years to go.  its a long process.

The rand has fallen so much. Today its at R16.52 to the dollar. Imagine what it will be like in 7 years time.  When I came here it was around R6.00 to the dollar.

    

[SJ272 146]

^ I485 is only filed if the applicants are already in the US and will adjust status. It is form DS260 that is filled in to get a visa for consular processing. About a year or so (depending how fast they are moving) before the priority date is current, the priority date will be listed in table B “dates for filing” in the visa bulletin. At this stage NVC will contact you all to submit documents (the DS260 from the applicant, affidavit of support from the sponsor, pay fees etc). Once all this is done the case is “documentarily qualified” and can then be forwarded to the embassy for an interview when the priority date is current.
 

[bushbabyPTA 14]

From what I understand the VERY long wait might be over if Biden wins. 

• Rejects the false choice between employment-based and family-based immigration. Each day, in every state in the country, millions of immigrants granted a visa based on family ties make valuable contributions to our country and economy. Keeping families together and allowing eligible immigrants to join their American relatives on U.S. soil is critically important, but the current system is poorly designed with per-country caps that prevent applications from being approved in a timely fashion. That means approved applicants may wait decades to be reunited with their families. As president, Biden will support family-based immigration by preserving family unification as a foundation of our immigration system; by allowing any approved applicant to receive a temporary non-immigrant visa until the permanent visa is processed; and by supporting legislation that treats the spouse and children of green card holders as the immediate relatives they are, exempting them from caps, and allowing parents to bring their minor children with them at the time they immigrate. 

https://joebiden.com/immigration/#

 

[oscar 104]

Thanks Bushbaby PTA- We are riding with Biden on this one!  

I received some additional information from United States Department of State DOS Visa  (NVC) Its a notice of visa case creation with  NVC Case numbers  for each application.

They sent the correspondence, to an address I gave when I Applied over seven years ago. I have since changed my address  twice, since then and even informed UCIS a few years ago of my new address. They appear to have ignored my address change and just mailed it to the original address.

The new occupant at my old address had not received, any of my old mail going to the old address except for these two envelopes which looked rather official. They had the curtesy to take pictures of of the envelopes on their cell phone and mail the envelopes to me.

This appears to be a recurrent problem with NVC as twice of the past 15 years people who had moved out of addresses where we have stayed, have come back to ask us if we have received any mail from NVC where in one instance it  had. So for anyone changing address even if you have done the address change the official way and received official notification of the new address, there is something in their process that does not correct and up date the file. It may be a good idea if yo can to maintain some sort of contact with the people at your old address for instances like this.