Buffalo office vs Mexico City? We're confused!

[rachel6992]

We just received our approval to sponsor letter in the mail today! Yaaayyyy!
However, the letter states that they forwarded our paperwork to the Buffalo center for processing. My partner is a citizen of Mexico, but we live in Dallas, TX. Shouldn't they have sent the application to the office in Mexico City? Or will Buffalo send it to Mexico after?

Now that I know I'm qualified to sponsor, about how long does it take to get permanent residency? I've told my job that February will be my last month, but I don't know if that's enough time to get everything processed!

Thoughts?

 

[Suin]

what visa office you mentioned in your application? it's quite possible that Buffalo was chosen based on the current place of residence of your spouse. your application can be processed in Buffalo or transferred to Mexico later. Buffalo is quite famous for its fast processing timelines.

 

[rachel6992]

We put Mexico City because that's where he is from, but I suppose Buffalo was chosen because we live in the States. I guess we're equal distance away from both!

I hope our case is processed as quickly as everyone says!

 

[Suin]

wishing you all the luck in your application!

 

[diddagirl]

Hmm, that seems strange to me that it would go through Buffalo, since you said your husband does not have legal status in Buffalo? As far as I knew, a person could only go through another visa office (other then their country of nationality) if they had been legally admitted for a minimum of 1 yr. I could be wrong though?

 

[ariell]

I wouldn't be complaining if I were you!

Average processing in Mexico City is 6-15 months vs. 4-10 months in Buffalo, though I've heard of many that are processed faster than that.

You choose your visa office but it's always up to the discretion of that office to transfer to another visa office if they think that office is better suited to handle your application. It does seem strange that they forwarded to Buffalo if your husband was never legally admitted to the US for at least one year -- though I don't see where you've mentioned this. Maybe in another post?

 

[rachel6992]

He was admitted on a 6 month permit, but this has obviously been overstayed! We even mentioned that in the application, but it seems as though the general consensus is that Buffalo's better, so I'm just gonna go with it!

This forum has been awesome, thanks everyone for the help!

 

[diddagirl]

Yeah, you did mention it in another post. Truthfully though, if they made the choice to send it to Buffalo and Buffalo goes ahead with it- you should be thrilled! Buffalo is one of the fastest visa offices, especially as of lately. Good luck!

 

[Karlshammar]

Mississauga does not decide which visa office will process your case, they just forward it to where they _think_ it should be processed. If Buffalo does not think they should process it they will just send it over to Mexico City.

 

[ariell]

Mississauga does not decide which visa office will process your case, they just forward it to where they _think_ it should be processed. If Buffalo does not think they should process it they will just send it over to Mexico City.

But Mississauga would have presumably sent it to Mexico City since that's the visa office that they selected, and the applicant is a Mexican citizen. So sounds like Mexico City then transfered it to Buffalo (?)

 

[Karlshammar]

Well, the OP said this was from the sponsorship approval letter, which comes from Mississauga.

That can only mean one of two things:

1) Mississauga made a mistake.
2) We are missing something.

But Mississauga would have presumably sent it to Mexico City since that's the visa office that they selected, and the applicant is a Mexican citizen. So sounds like Mexico City then transfered it to Buffalo (?)

 

[saralune]

hey my husband doesn t have a status either...he went back to Peru yesterday and we are sending out his application this week.

i think you should really looking into it..

this is what I know and been told...

Lawyer told us he would have to go thought the Lima( he's peruvian), since he had no legal status, BUT she also mentioned that usually they send the application closest to the applicant's residency(address of where he is currently living, regardless of his status) and regardless at time of the office required....and putting down his residence in the USA, could have confused them and consequently they could send the application to Buffalo, which is something we do not want as it could result as a refusal since he has no legal status in the USA. It is Buffalo that will determined if he is illegible basically to apply from the USA..

WE decided about 2 months ago to go to Peru from x-mas, and for him to be in Peru and wait for the papers... I 'll be joining him at the end of the week for the vacations..., but in the light of all this, the lawyer suggested that we either wait for him to go there and put down his residency in Peru to avoid any confusion at all cost, or she also suggested a couple of weeks ago to send it while he was in the states with his USA residency and to write a letter that he would be moving to Peru and that he should have the application processed in Peru and to hope that the officer gets it an doesn't mess up....

She also said that it was really important to put down his current residency address where ever he was as it could be considered as misrepresentation otherwise...

honestly based on what I have been told I don't think it is a good thing.....I see you got all exited about having this being processed faster, but honestly, this might become more complicated than you think..I am guessing they will refuse him based on the fact that he hasn't had a legal status for over a year, and then you are going to have to do this all over again from Mexico...

Personally, I wouldn't want m husband s application processed in the USA regardless.. i would have been worried that it could have compromised his illegal status.. we don't know what information are shared on that level between our two countries...plus it looks better if he is in his own country, or going back as it shows a desire to make things right and by the book.. just my opinion...

 

[rachel6992]

Saralune,
I was thinking the same thing, which is why we put "No Legal Status" for the US in the application (where it asks for his status) and we put that we wanted it to be processed in Mexico City. I, however, am a Canadian citizen with permanent residency status in the US. I wonder if that's why it's going through Buffalo...
We don't mind going to Mexico while it all gets sorted out, but I guess at this point we're at the mercy of the visa office! I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for a speedy approval

Does anyone know under what circumstances the interviews are waived? Or what kinds of questions they ask? I can't imagine us not knowing the answer to any of them (we've lived together for 3 1/2 years), but you never know! I always think of that movie, Green Card. I'm a dork!

 

[Karlshammar]

They only ask for interviews if they are not satisfied that your relationships is genuine, based on the evidence you have submitted. If they believe your relationship is genuine they will not call him for an interview.

From what my lawyer told me, South Americans and people from the Caribbean are virtually always called for interviews. I don't know about Mexicans, though.

 

[saralune]

Saralune,
I was thinking the same thing, which is why we put "No Legal Status" for the US in the application (where it asks for his status) and we put that we wanted it to be processed in Mexico City. I, however, am a Canadian citizen with permanent residency status in the US. I wonder if that's why it's going through Buffalo...
We don't mind going to Mexico while it all gets sorted out, but I guess at this point we're at the mercy of the visa office! I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for a speedy approval

Does anyone know under what circumstances the interviews are waived? Or what kinds of questions they ask? I can't imagine us not knowing the answer to any of them (we've lived together for 3 1/2 years), but you never know! I always think of that movie, Green Card. I'm a dork!

your permanent residency status in the US as nothing to do with it.

honestly instead of just waiting, if I was you, I would try to get in touch with them and see what's going on before things move on even more...just my opinion...based on the conversation I had with the lawyer, I have a feeling this is totally the kind of things they could do regardless of the indication you gave them..

she basically said that if we wanted to file while he was still in the states, we could do it but said that if we decided to, and I quote" hope you don't get a dumbo officer" and that they will need to be clearly advised that the file needs to be sent to Peru, the issue big that Mississauga will send it to the closest visa office and to tell them "PLEASE HAVE THE FILE SENT THERE.."

the fact that he has no status now in the States, doesn't automatically mean to them that he can't apply through Buffalo. If he had been for example in the states first studying for 2 years with proper visa and then stayed after that, he would be fine. as he would have maintained a legal status for over a year, but this is not the case, and it is not up to Mississauga to determine that, but Buffalo. Mississauga doesn't analyze his application, they look at your application as a sponsor.. they just sent it to Buffalo, because you put down his US residency...

What I wonder is if they will just send it to the D.F office or just refuse him and have you reply all over again...

I am sorry to be insisting on this but I have a feeling that really things won t go faster for you quite on the contrary...so i d say instead of just waiting do some research, call a lawyer yourself, call the embassy maybe or CIC, to help the case.

anyway good luck, and if i was wrong to insist so much, please don t be shy to let me know