A request for clarification is not an automatic extension. Use the actual notice and obtain the appropriate case-specific instruction.
Identify what remains due
Keep the request and any response with the original correspondence. Do not guess a new deadline or proceed on the assumption that an unanswered message authorizes U.S. travel, residence or work.
The official description of processing in weeks is a description, not a guarantee, so build planning around events you can observe: the vetting outcome, the instruction to make the gift, the category determination, and the visa interview. Follow current official instructions and keep records of communications and submitted documents, and identify what the household would change if a later step requires more information or takes longer than expected. Sequence the work so the eligibility analysis comes before any irreversible financial step: identify the claimed immigrant category, compare its evidentiary standard with the applicant's records, verify the official payment mechanics, and only then decide whether the cost and timing fit the household plan. The actual result depends on required submissions, vetting, eligibility, admissibility, and visa availability, and general processing language on a government page is not an individual guarantee for any specific applicant.