Do not sit on your application!

[SingleCharles 0]

I hope our experience will help you, so you will not need the kind of luck that we have had. Our experience is directly with the US Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, but may apply also to other US Consulates..

We tried to change our first appointment with the US Consulate due to pending custody issues. We had waited to within weeks to request the interview date change in hopes that our custody case would be resolved before the interview. The attempt to change the appointment resulted in much emotional pain, and the temporary cancellation of our K1 visa application. By the grace of God, the cancellation was reversed after we explained our situation. Not only reversed, but extended another four months to give us more time to reach the end of our custody situation. We were appropriately chastised for our actions, and told under no circumstance will there be any more exceptions. We were told to schedule our interview date at least 90 days before the new expiration date of our application. We were sincerely apologetic, and thankful to the people we worked with.

The original expiration date of our application (5/8) came and left without a thought. On 5/21 Gabriella received a letter from the US Consulate in Rio that we had failed to meet for an interview prior to the first application expiration date. It said that our K1 visa application was again cancelled. It also said that we could appeal within 60 days if we could provide evidence that the circumstances were beyond our control. Gabriella called the next day and talked with very nice people at the US Consulate. They made sure that the application was not cancelled and still pending. Gabriella scheduled her interview date at that time (111 days before the expiration date).

I learned the US Consulate in Rio likes to do things by the book. There is very little "wiggle" room. Making a deviation from the plan will definitely cause problems. If you need to change the plan, be prepared to meet heartbreaking challenges. There are people at the consulate that do not want to deviate from the plan. In fact, we were intially told that all hope was lost and we would need to start the process over from square one. However, there are people at the consulate that are very helpful, very understanding.

I would also like to say that is not good to sit on your application. Gabriella and I relaxed thinking that everything was fine after we got through our first cancellation. The only thing that was fine was the original plan that we received from the the US Consulate back in January. We deviated from that plan, and are suffering for it. If you change your plan, be diligent about your dates and what you need to do. Do not call two weeks before a deadline and expect pleasant results. We failed to make sure that everything was in place when our first expiration date came and passed. We paid for it. We also failed to promptly schedule a new appointment, and paid for it.

Parting advice...

Never relax - active participation is required

Follow the schedule - deviating will result in much emotional pain

CALL the agency - letter writing, and emails are impersonal - your sincerity can be heard if you call

Accept the consequences of your actions - in most cases the only person to blame is yourself

Enjoy the ride - it can be fun if you know what to expect

Good luck to all of you going through the journey!

[English Muffin 59]

Moving to Embassy and Consulate forum.

[SingleCharles 0]

Moving to Embassy and Consulate forum.

Ops! Thank you.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I hope our experience will help you, so you will not need the kind of luck that we have had. Our experience is directly with the US Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, but may apply also to other US Consulates..

We tried to change our first appointment with the US Consulate due to pending custody issues. We had waited to within weeks to request the interview date change in hopes that our custody case would be resolved before the interview. The attempt to change the appointment resulted in much emotional pain, and the temporary cancellation of our K1 visa application. By the grace of God, the cancellation was reversed after we explained our situation. Not only reversed, but extended another four months to give us more time to reach the end of our custody situation. We were appropriately chastised for our actions, and told under no circumstance will there be any more exceptions. We were told to schedule our interview date at least 90 days before the new expiration date of our application. We were sincerely apologetic, and thankful to the people we worked with.

The original expiration date of our application (5/8) came and left without a thought. On 5/21 Gabriella received a letter from the US Consulate in Rio that we had failed to meet for an interview prior to the first application expiration date. It said that our K1 visa application was again cancelled. It also said that we could appeal within 60 days if we could provide evidence that the circumstances were beyond our control. Gabriella called the next day and talked with very nice people at the US Consulate. They made sure that the application was not cancelled and still pending. Gabriella scheduled her interview date at that time (111 days before the expiration date).

I learned the US Consulate in Rio likes to do things by the book. There is very little "wiggle" room. Making a deviation from the plan will definitely cause problems. If you need to change the plan, be prepared to meet heartbreaking challenges. There are people at the consulate that do not want to deviate from the plan. In fact, we were intially told that all hope was lost and we would need to start the process over from square one. However, there are people at the consulate that are very helpful, very understanding.

I would also like to say that is not good to sit on your application. Gabriella and I relaxed thinking that everything was fine after we got through our first cancellation. The only thing that was fine was the original plan that we received from the the US Consulate back in January. We deviated from that plan, and are suffering for it. If you change your plan, be diligent about your dates and what you need to do. Do not call two weeks before a deadline and expect pleasant results. We failed to make sure that everything was in place when our first expiration date came and passed. We paid for it. We also failed to promptly schedule a new appointment, and paid for it.

Parting advice...

Never relax - active participation is required

Follow the schedule - deviating will result in much emotional pain

CALL the agency - letter writing, and emails are impersonal - your sincerity can be heard if you call

Accept the consequences of your actions - in most cases the only person to blame is yourself

Enjoy the ride - it can be fun if you know what to expect

Good luck to all of you going through the journey!

Excellent advice. Thank you. Consulates do tend to stick to the rules of expiration dates, tough some are reported easier to deal with for changes than others. Consulates have a great deal of latitude and can help you or hurt you depending how the feel.

Tahnks again and glad you got it worked out. Good luck