Need some guidance

[botham]

I ( the petitioner) recvd an email today which led me to a page to complete a form D261. I did that and I got another email addressed to the applicant ( my mom who is in India) which says they need to hire an agent, pay fees, submit forms, etc. It also says they need a copy of
1) the cover sheet
2) Original signed affidavit of support
3) Photocopies of financial documents
4) Photocopies of supporting documents.
Then it says if you have not submitted a form D260 please do so.
My questions are :
1)Will my mom have to separately hire an agent, pay fees etc, or can I do all that ( I already hired myself as an agent).
2)When do they fill out form D260 or do I fill it out ? I believe it's an electronic form so no need to mail it in.
3)When do I fill out affidavit of support and the financial and supporting documents they require in step 3 and 4 above are they related to me ( the petitioner ).
4) Is my mom ( the applicant) required to submit any documents ? where and when does she do so ? Are those supporting documents listed in step 4 ( 2 pictures, birth cert, death cert of spouse, etc ) all pertaining to the applicant ?
5) Is step 2 i.e affidavit of support the same as form 864 or form 864EZ ? Which one should I fill out and when will the appropriate form be emailed to me when I'm eligible to fill it ?
6) What is the timeline and flowline of this whole process. Do they pretty much lead to each other or is it a maze of hidden trapdoors and very difficult to navigate unless one knows the nooks and crannies of the process ?
Thanks in advance.

[rayb]

Botham,

Go to the NVC website at: https://ceac.state.gov/IV/Login.aspx and logon using the State Department number and invoice ID number, both provided in the correspondence to the petitioner.

Register as agent, with form DS261, if you are in the U.S., so that all communication from the NVC reaches you easily.

Pay the $120 fee online from a U.S. checking or savings account. There will later be a second fee invoice for $325.

When access is given on that website page, the visa applicant should complete the DS-260, where it says "IV Application." When completed online, the DS-260 is submitted online at the end of the online form.

The petitioner must gather the required sponsorship documents, included with form I-864, and the applicant needs to provide copies of the civil document, and both groups of form should be sent together to the NVC, using the cover page provided in the original correspondence o the applicant or with the cover pages downloadable when the two fees are paid.

--Ray B

I ( the petitioner) recvd an email today which led me to a page to complete a form D261. I did that and I got another email addressed to the applicant ( my mom who is in India) which says they need to hire an agent, pay fees, submit forms, etc. It also says they need a copy of
1) the cover sheet
2) Original signed affidavit of support
3) Photocopies of financial documents
4) Photocopies of supporting documents.
Then it says if you have not submitted a form D260 please do so.
My questions are :
1)Will my mom have to separately hire an agent, pay fees etc, or can I do all that ( I already hired myself as an agent).
2)When do they fill out form D260 or do I fill it out ? I believe it's an electronic form so no need to mail it in.
3)When do I fill out affidavit of support and the financial and supporting documents they require in step 3 and 4 above are they related to me ( the petitioner ).
4) Is my mom ( the applicant) required to submit any documents ? where and when does she do so ? Are those supporting documents listed in step 4 ( 2 pictures, birth cert, death cert of spouse, etc ) all pertaining to the applicant ?
5) Is step 2 i.e affidavit of support the same as form 864 or form 864EZ ? Which one should I fill out and when will the appropriate form be emailed to me when I'm eligible to fill it ?
6) What is the timeline and flowline of this whole process. Do they pretty much lead to each other or is it a maze of hidden trapdoors and very difficult to navigate unless one knows the nooks and crannies of the process ?
Thanks in advance.

[botham]

Botham,

Go to the NVC website at: https://ceac.state.gov/IV/Login.aspx and logon using the State Department number and invoice ID number, both provided in the correspondence to the petitioner.

Register as agent, with form DS261, if you are in the U.S., so that all communication from the NVC reaches you easily.

Pay the $120 fee online from a U.S. checking or savings account. There will later be a second fee invoice for $325.

When access is given on that website page, the visa applicant should complete the DS-260, where it says "IV Application." When completed online, the DS-260 is submitted online at the end of the online form.

The petitioner must gather the required sponsorship documents, included with form I-864, and the applicant needs to provide copies of the civil document, and both groups of form should be sent together to the NVC, using the cover page provided in the original correspondence o the applicant or with the cover pages downloadable when the two fees are paid.

--Ray B

Thanks a lot Ray B.
So there is no 2 week waiting period from the time I fill out the 261 ? I don't have to wait for the invoice ?

[rayb]

You don't have to "wait" for anything. I'm not sure about the order of events, but do the following:

1. When you get the $325 bill, pay it.
2. When the DS-260 application allows itself to be filled out, fill it out.
3. In the meantime, gather the sponsorship and civil documents (copies of latter) and send with the Welcome Letter cover page or the $120 and $325 cover pages (available after the fees are paid).

--Ray B

Thanks a lot Ray B.
So there is no 2 week waiting period from the time I fill out the 261 ? I don't have to wait for the invoice ?

[botham]

You don't have to "wait" for anything. I'm not sure about the order of events, but do the following:

1. When you get the $325 bill, pay it.
2. When the DS-260 application allows itself to be filled out, fill it out.
3. In the meantime, gather the sponsorship and civil documents (copies of latter) and send with the Welcome Letter cover page or the $120 and $325 cover pages (available after the fees are paid).

--Ray B

Thanks . I've paid all the fees. A couple of more questions have popped up.
1) I'm supposed to fill out form 864EZ or a regular 864. There is only one applicant involved.
2) My mom does not have any birth certificate and there were not any birth records kept at the time she was born in India, what document can she use instead ?
Thanks.

[rayb]

There is no requirement that the sponsors must use the I-864EZ, rather than the I-864. Use either.

If your mom has no birth certificate, she should take steps to do a "late registration" of her birth event at the equivalent of a "Local Registrar," where such documents are normally generated.

--Ray B

Thanks . I've paid all the fees. A couple of more questions have popped up.
1) I'm supposed to fill out form 864EZ or a regular 864. There is only one applicant involved.
2) My mom does not have any birth certificate and there were not any birth records kept at the time she was born in India, what document can she use instead ?
Thanks.