Appointment Procedure For NVC-Cuba

[RumbaBumba 4]

Hello everyone,

I'm glad to see the slew of approved cases since I've been gone. It's uplifting to read success stories since I began this process in August. The vibe helps me to keep slugging through this process.

I got a case complete from NVC on feb. 8. They took a long time to process my case without letting me know the reason why. (All my information was submitted by december 22.

Now I am in the process of waiting for the interview process. However, Cuba is a distinct process due to the Embargo.

The NVC has multiple appointment procedures for CUbans (http://havana.usint.gov/appointment_procedures2.html).

When I call the interest Section (i am an American Citizen with no CUban Family), I explain the situation and they say I they are waiting for the Petition to be forwarded fropm the NVC to make the appointment. However, the NVC says they need the Interest section to communicate an available slot for the interview.

What am I suppose to do? I am getting conflicting answers!

Anyone have experience with this?

[Beau & Digna 5]

I assume you're trying to schedule the interview using the 1-866-374-1769 number found in the link you posted. If you have your case # starting with HAV, and the Cuban has a valid passport number, you shouldn't have a problem scheduling your interview. If you still have a problem, I would call the NVC, and ask when your approved petition was forwarded to the US Interest Section in Havana. They ship using DHL, so it should take no longer than about 5 days for the US Interest Section to receive it. Call the US Interest Section back, and tell them they have your approved petition and to find it so you can schedule your interview. The NVC doesn't schedule for us, but I did read somewhere that they do in "select cases". I'd keep the heat on the US Interest section once you find NVC sent your case to Havana...NVC did their part.

[RumbaBumba 4]

Hey Beau,

Glad to see the post.[ I called the NVC (armed with the information from the Interest section website). The NVC states that they will NOT send my case to the embassy because the interest section needs to notify them of an interview date first. And I do not qualify for the appointment process of 1866 374 1769.

As my case stands now, the NVC will schedule my interview.

This process is nothing but confusing! Good tip about the shipped petition. I am going to give them a call when I get back from work.

[Claudia2010 1]

beau he is not doing a k1 which is where we are getting confused on the topic..rumba i have a friend in the same situation and it seems that they are saying that they dont have any more visas until further notice..i adv to call the 1800 number and see if they have any more info..beau he is doing cr1 and in those cases the nvc schedule their interviews..rumba good luck hope to hear updates ok..

[Beau & Digna 5]

I admit that I am not knowledgeable with the IR-1/CR-1 process, because I’m focused on the K-1 process, but isn’t the IR-1/CR-1 process for a spouse abroad to receive a visa? I believe this is a family-based visa, and there is no limit to how many of these visas are issued by the US, and thus I’d be complaining regularly to NVC, US Interest Section Havana, and even further if they are telling you that they are not accepting interviews now. The family-based visa interviews should be available to at least schedule, although we might not like the timeframe…In fact, the US Interest Section website says normally interview appointments are available within 2 months, but this can “vary greatly”. Cubans are looking at about 8 months now for an interview appointment it seems, and the US Interest Section sent me an email saying their 2 month timeframe posted on their site is correct…As a side-note, they also emailed me an appointment date to pick up our “Packet 3” two weeks after we had already picked it up. I’d suggest being the persistent, respectful “squeaky wheel”, and not just wait for them…I’ve heard so many instances where this approach is heard rapidly...many times favorable outcomes are within a week.

I may be way off base with the IR-1/CR-1 visa, but I didn’t see or understand any different appointment procedures than that of the K-1 on the US Interest Section Havana site. The site you posted listed only one number to call (1-866-374-1769) to schedule an appointment, and one FAX number for the Cuban to schedule an appointment if they have no contacts in the US. I’m sure you could have, or have received other instructions in your IR-1/CR-1 process though. It took 5 calls to the scheduling number for me though before we got an interview date. Armed with the same information…5th time was a charm…just a different person. I got questions like…Birth date? Name, and spelling? Age (not difficult to calculate if you have a birth date)? Full Name (again!)? Passport #? Phone #? Email?...This is my experience for a K-1 visa appointment, and it seems they are far from eager to schedule us…I’m very happy I kept trying. We put other wheels into motion to please them, but ultimately they were unnecessary diversions for them…We lost probably 1-2 weeks for this. We can’t complain about this much, because we have been blessed with time in the process too.

Please forgive my ignorance if I am way off base for your situation…I mean no ill will, and am just trying to pass on my much-researched impressions of my experience. Only time will tell, but the Cuba outlook looks good for all of us…albeit with some time. I’d love to learn more about the IR-1/CR-1 process specific to Cuba as well…I’m sure it’s unique…Feel free to set me straight.

Beau

[RumbaBumba 4]

Wassup Beau,

Well I just confirmed with the NVC that I do not qualify for the 866 number. It seems to be a standard 3 month wait from Case complete to have your actual interview. Seems to be related to the Ir-1/cr-1 visa. Also, I believe it depends on your status. I am not cuban american at all. My only family is my wife. I imagine being a native born citizen might play a factor into the processing times. But who knows, both the NVC and US interest section are super hush hush about the situation. I've called while in cuba, from here, called the NVC. And the statement i get tends to be I can't comment on that or I don't know.

If the lack of visas were the issue, I don't think NVC would be able to complete my case. As the Case Completion states that the case complete means that there is a visa available within 9 months. haha I feel as if I have been the squeaky wheel this entire proces. Definitely a tough tough consulate.

By the way, you said it yourself in another post, beau. For special cases, the NVC schedules the interview. I just don't know what qualifies as a special case. Here's to hoping that our cases move quickly.

I know they are family based interviews.. But it isn't like the bombo or parole (which take a LONG time to schedule). I think it has more to do with your status. Perm Res o Citizen.

By the way, I heard in Cuba if you wanna move up your date for your interview, you should call on fridays. Morning or afternoon... I don't remember.