Scandinavians

[MissK 5]

Update, after having a supervisor review my RFE for missing Siarra Leonean bc ad passport, I now have an RFE for my Swedish passport and bc in order to interview in Sweden. Who works at the NVC nowadays!? Thatʻs another week delay on my case.

This is so ridiculous!!!! I can't believe this is happening! They started to process all immigrant visas in Sweden a year ago, they should all know by now how this is working!! It seems like they don't event read the papers in front of them!

[MissK 5]

Ok, I'm travelling to States in couple of days, sept. 19. POE in Chicago and destination Louisville KY

Hope everything goes smooth!! Finally with your love:))

Finally! Interview scheduled for October 9.

Not a day too soon.

Now, how do I go about scheduling the doctor's appointment?

Finally! Congratulations!!

[jaycali 415]

I wonder if the NVC is just having problems with applications going through Stockholm because of ignorance. Just got off the phone with them and they said that my husband's passport and police records were not from Sweden and he has to send in Swedish ones. Ummm, because he's Danish. I had to explain to the operator that Danes have to go through the Swedish embassy and asked for a supervisor review. Let's see how long this takes, going on two months in NVC, this is such BS.

This is so ridiculous!!!! I can't believe this is happening! They started to process all immigrant visas in Sweden a year ago, they should all know by now how this is working!! It seems like they don't event read the papers in front of them!

Ok update again.

I got a request on Friday for my Sierra Leone passport in order to be processed in Sierra Leone. I called, operator said it was an error and that a supervisor will look at it within 10 - 15 business days. Today, as stated I got an email from NVC asking for my Swedish passport and bc in order to interview in Sweden.

I called the NVC yet again and got a nice operator who helped me out a bit. He said the first time, some adjudicator had probably mistakenly somewhere put Sierra Leone instead of Sweden for my interview location. That generated an automatic RFE. He then said "for some reason" the case was reviewed automatically by a computer that couldnʻt match up Norway and Stockholm, which again generated an automatic RFE. He said this isnʻt totally unusual, and that I had nothing to worry about "your papers are done processing, we have what we need. A supervisor will just do a final check and close the case. Then youʻll be in line for interview scheduling."

He did say 10 - 15 business days for supervisor review though - Iʻm praying that this is a standard response.

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Update, after having a supervisor review my RFE for missing Siarra Leonean bc ad passport, I now have an RFE for my Swedish passport and bc in order to interview in Sweden. Who works at the NVC nowadays!? Thatʻs another week delay on my case.

Wow. That's so stupid.

Fingers crossed that it will be smooth sailing from here on out.

[jaycali 415]

Wow. That's so stupid.Fingers crossed that it will be smooth sailing from here on out.

Thanks, you too! I wonʻt rest assured until I have the actual interview date and never have to deal with NVC again lol

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Going to Stockholm for the medical tomorrow.

[MissK 5]

Going to Stockholm for the medical tomorrow.

Good luck! Hope you write about it later:)I have mine next week and I'm a little nervous...

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Absolutely. My schedule is kinda hectic tomorrow, but I will report back this weekend.

[MissK 5]

Ok update again.

I got a request on Friday for my Sierra Leone passport in order to be processed in Sierra Leone. I called, operator said it was an error and that a supervisor will look at it within 10 - 15 business days. Today, as stated I got an email from NVC asking for my Swedish passport and bc in order to interview in Sweden.

I called the NVC yet again and got a nice operator who helped me out a bit. He said the first time, some adjudicator had probably mistakenly somewhere put Sierra Leone instead of Sweden for my interview location. That generated an automatic RFE. He then said "for some reason" the case was reviewed automatically by a computer that couldnʻt match up Norway and Stockholm, which again generated an automatic RFE. He said this isnʻt totally unusual, and that I had nothing to worry about "your papers are done processing, we have what we need. A supervisor will just do a final check and close the case. Then youʻll be in line for interview scheduling."

He did say 10 - 15 business days for supervisor review though - Iʻm praying that this is a standard response.

Good it was an easy fix! On to the next step:)

[Mr. Borkström 63]

OK I'll try to sum up my experience of getting my medical done in Stockholm.

The clinic (which seems to me to be a private practice) is called Hälsobarometern. It is located at Surbrunnsgatan 40 in Stockholm. I emailed and asked if I could schedule an appointment but they asked me to call, which I did around lunchtime on Thursday Sep. 20. The receptionist told me they had an available time slot on Friday Sep. 21 at noon, and the next available time slot was Oct. 19, so I picked the first one (my interview at the embassy is Oct. 9, so...). The reason why I mention this is because it may be a good thing to not waste any time booking an appointment. Available time slots may be hard to come by, so book an appointment ASAP.

They emailed me instructions: the street address, directions on how to get there, on what to bring, general information about how the medical is done, and what it all costs.

Directions on how to get there were spot on IMO, easy to follow. I am not familiar with Stockholm at all so I thought that was very handy. The wrote in the email (or PDF with instructions rather) that parking can be tricky. I got there by way of the subway though. From T-centralen you take the green line north (towards Alvik or something like that). It's a short trip. First stop is (if memory serves me right) Hötorget and the next stop is Rådmansgatan and this is where you get off the subway. Walk towards the exit that says Handelshögskolan. You walk up a flight of stairs and at the top of the stair make a right into a tunnel. When you get up to street level you turn right and walk north on Sveavägen. You will pass a McDonald's restaurant on your left and also Stockholms stadsbibliotek. Just behind the library you will see Läkarhuset Odenplan, a tall building somewhat in the distance.

Maybe this map may be of use to you.

Continue walking up Sveavägen and after a little while you will reach Surbrunnsgatan (there's an ICA store on the corner of Sveavägen and Surbrunnsgatan). Make a right onto Surbrunnsgatan and the clinic is at #40, right past Laserdome. Like I said, even for an out-of-towner like me it was easy to get there.

What you need to bring to the medical is:

your passport

2 passport style photos

vaccination records

The people there were friendly and helpful. The examination took maybe 20-25 minutes. I had managed to get a hold of my vaccination records, and that helped a bit, but I got the impression that if you can't get a hold of yours it's not the end of the world. Seemed like the doctor knows what vaccinations you've gotten, based on what year you were born. (Don't quote me on this though, I can't promise this will apply to other cases.) I also told him I'd done my military service (lumpen) and he said that if you have, you will have gotten vaccination boosters. Furthermore he asked about my general health and if I'd had any serious diseases. He checked my reflexes and that kinda stuff.

When the examination was done he instructed me to go to Läkarhuset Odenplan (see above) to get chest x-rays (he gave me a paper to give to the receptionist at the x-ray place). He also gave me copies of the form he filled out in a sealed envelope, in case anyone (embassy, POE staff) should happen to ask for that. I paid the fee for the examination and went on my way.

It took me maybe 10 minutes to get there. The have drop-in so you just take a number and wait. I had to wait for maybe 10 minutes before my number was called. I gave the receptionist the paper and paid the fee, showed her my passport and was then sent to another waiting room, where I had to wait another 15-20 minutes (give or take) before I was called into a little room where a nurse took my passport and then performed the x-ray scanning. I was sent back out into the waiting room and after a little while a different person came back with my passport and the results of the x-ray scan. I got a paper printout of the results to give to the doctor at Hälsobarometern and the actual x-ray plates to keep and bring later to the embassy (or so I assume) and also to show, if so instructed, to the immigration officer once I get to my POE.

the whole thing took maybe 40 minutes. I then headed back to the clinic on Surbrunnsgatan to give the doctor the results of the x-ray and to give a blood sample. I paid the fee for the blood sample and that was it. I was back at T-centralen less than two hours after the medical started. So I think it all went smoothly.

The fees are:

medical examination: 1700 SEK

x-rays: 500 SEK

blood sample: 600 SEK

Both for the medical and the x-rays they asked me if I could pay in cash, which they preferred, so it may be a good idea to bring money with you, I'm not sure you can use your bank card to pay (and I have no idea where to find a bankomat in that area).

I think that's it. Feel free to ask questions.

Edited September 22, 2012 by Mr. Borkström

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Hmm. Maybe I should add that I have applied for a CR-1/IR-1 visa. I am not sure if the procedure is the same if you're applying for a different visa.

[Alaska2012 462]

OK I'll try to sum up my experience of getting my medical done in Stockholm.

The clinic (which seems to me to be a private practice) is called Hälsobarometern. It is located at Surbrunnsgatan 40 in Stockholm. I emailed and asked if I could schedule an appointment but they asked me to call, which I did around lunchtime on Thursday Sep. 20. The receptionist told me they had an available time slot on Friday Sep. 21 at noon, and the next available time slot was Oct. 19, so I picked the first one (my interview at the embassy is Oct. 9, so...). The reason why I mention this is because it may be a good thing to not waste any time booking an appointment. Available time slots may be hard to come by, so book an appointment ASAP.

If you know that your papers have been approved by NVC I would recomend you to ahead and get the medical over and done with even if you haven't got a date for the interview yet! Its valid for a year, unless you are like I was pregnant, then they are valid for 6 months... I did this and it was no problem, they send the documents to the embassy so they will have them when its time for your interview. Then you don't have to worry about getting an appointment in time... Just a thought for you guys who are thinking about all this

Edited September 23, 2012 by Alaska2012

[MissK 5]

OK I'll try to sum up my experience of getting my medical done in Stockholm.

The clinic (which seems to me to be a private practice) is called Hälsobarometern. It is located at Surbrunnsgatan 40 in Stockholm. I emailed and asked if I could schedule an appointment but they asked me to call, which I did around lunchtime on Thursday Sep. 20. The receptionist told me they had an available time slot on Friday Sep. 21 at noon, and the next available time slot was Oct. 19, so I picked the first one (my interview at the embassy is Oct. 9, so...). The reason why I mention this is because it may be a good thing to not waste any time booking an appointment. Available time slots may be hard to come by, so book an appointment ASAP.

They emailed me instructions: the street address, directions on how to get there, on what to bring, general information about how the medical is done, and what it all costs.

Directions on how to get there were spot on IMO, easy to follow. I am not familiar with Stockholm at all so I thought that was very handy. The wrote in the email (or PDF with instructions rather) that parking can be tricky. I got there by way of the subway though. From T-centralen you take the green line north (towards Alvik or something like that). It's a short trip. First stop is (if memory serves me right) Hötorget and the next stop is Rådmansgatan and this is where you get off the subway. Walk towards the exit that says Handelshögskolan. You walk up a flight of stairs and at the top of the stair make a right into a tunnel. When you get up to street level you turn right and walk north on Sveavägen. You will pass a McDonald's restaurant on your left and also Stockholms stadsbibliotek. Just behind the library you will see Läkarhuset Odenplan, a tall building somewhat in the distance.

Maybe this map may be of use to you.

Continue walking up Sveavägen and after a little while you will reach Surbrunnsgatan (there's an ICA store on the corner of Sveavägen and Surbrunnsgatan). Make a right onto Surbrunnsgatan and the clinic is at #40, right past Laserdome. Like I said, even for an out-of-towner like me it was easy to get there.

What you need to bring to the medical is:

your passport

2 passport style photos

vaccination records

The people there were friendly and helpful. The examination took maybe 20-25 minutes. I had managed to get a hold of my vaccination records, and that helped a bit, but I got the impression that if you can't get a hold of yours it's not the end of the world. Seemed like the doctor knows what vaccinations you've gotten, based on what year you were born. (Don't quote me on this though, I can't promise this will apply to other cases.) I also told him I'd done my military service (lumpen) and he said that if you have, you will have gotten vaccination boosters. Furthermore he asked about my general health and if I'd had any serious diseases. He checked my reflexes and that kinda stuff.

When the examination was done he instructed me to go to Läkarhuset Odenplan (see above) to get chest x-rays (he gave me a paper to give to the receptionist at the x-ray place). He also gave me copies of the form he filled out in a sealed envelope, in case anyone (embassy, POE staff) should happen to ask for that. I paid the fee for the examination and went on my way.

It took me maybe 10 minutes to get there. The have drop-in so you just take a number and wait. I had to wait for maybe 10 minutes before my number was called. I gave the receptionist the paper and paid the fee, showed her my passport and was then sent to another waiting room, where I had to wait another 15-20 minutes (give or take) before I was called into a little room where a nurse took my passport and then performed the x-ray scanning. I was sent back out into the waiting room and after a little while a different person came back with my passport and the results of the x-ray scan. I got a paper printout of the results to give to the doctor at Hälsobarometern and the actual x-ray plates to keep and bring later to the embassy (or so I assume) and also to show, if so instructed, to the immigration officer once I get to my POE.

the whole thing took maybe 40 minutes. I then headed back to the clinic on Surbrunnsgatan to give the doctor the results of the x-ray and to give a blood sample. I paid the fee for the blood sample and that was it. I was back at T-centralen less than two hours after the medical started. So I think it all went smoothly.

The fees are:

medical examination: 1700 SEK

x-rays: 500 SEK

blood sample: 600 SEK

Both for the medical and the x-rays they asked me if I could pay in cash, which they preferred, so it may be a good idea to bring money with you, I'm not sure you can use your bank card to pay (and I have no idea where to find a bankomat in that area).

I think that's it. Feel free to ask questions.

Great info! And I'm glad things went well!

Different procedure in Norway, we have to do the x-ray and bloodtest before the medical. And of course the fees are higher here. 2800 kr for the medical and 1000 kr for the x-ray...

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Ugh. Got an e-mail from the Stockholm embassy this afternoon.

Dear Sir,

Due to unforeseen circumstances we will need to cancel your appointment on October 9, 2012 and re-schedule either before October 5 or after October 12. Please let us know when you would like to come.

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

Immigrant Visa Unit

I replied that I would prefer a new interview date before October 5, if that is possible. I just want this to be over so I can be with my wife. I've had it up to here with all the waiting and uncertainty.

[Moomin 292]

Ugh. Got an e-mail from the Stockholm embassy this afternoon.

I replied that I would prefer a new interview date before October 5, if that is possible. I just want this to be over so I can be with my wife. I've had it up to here with all the waiting and uncertainty.

Theoretically, they're saying you can wait less time if you want to. Good new to you and your wife, hey! I know it's the uncertainty that's a ####### though. Good luck.