How close are we to interview?

[Marrienne 112]

Hello and thank you in advance for your time!!

We are doing DCF in Athens, Greece. We actually filed the I-130 on the 28th January but got a RFE a month later. Finally on March 24th, we were able to turn in the document in question and got our approval on the 5th April.
My husband has a life threatening chronic condition but as he was unable to find work here, we can't treat so we requested an expedite.
Instead of that, today the 28th April, we got our case numbers and I immediately filled out the online DS-260 and sent the confirmation page to them.

I am otherwise paper ready (including I-864). I am missing the medical as from what I understood, they will give me the doctor's info after I turn in form DS-2001, which I plan to do next week.
So how close are we to interview??

Is there anywhere I can look up, on average, how long it takes the Embassy in Athens to schedule said interview? A data? Flowchart? Something?

Should I include the medical papers for my husband's condition and a letter explaining why we need an interview date sooner rather than later, when I turn in DS-2001???

Any other advice is welcomed!!
Have a great day!!!
M.

[lost_at_sea 995]

You can filter the timelines that people on here have contributed to show just your country and just DCF (although, once past I-130 approval and at the visa unit, it's basically going to be the same as regular non-DCF Greece cases):

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list.php?op6=All&op66=All&op7=Greece&dfile=Yes&op1=3&op2=d&op3=5&op4=1&op5=5%2C6%2C8%2C10%2C11%2C13%2C14%2C15%2C16%2C17%2C18%2C20%2C21%2C22%2C25%2C26%2C27%2C28%2C108%2C110%2C111%2C208%2C210%2C211&cfl=0

The embassy should have provided you with instructions, though. Your husband will need to have a medical before the interview.

Edited April 28, 2016 by lost_at_sea

[gradtaai 8]

Should I include the medical papers for my husband's condition and a letter explaining why we need an interview date sooner rather than later, when I turn in DS-2001???

I would do that, put it on top with cover sheet with "request expedite due to health problems" in large letters on the top.

I am of course not in Greece, and they seem to do things different everywhere. Here, you could get an interview in 2 weeks, but they schedule one month at a time so if you got it in on the first, the first of the next month would be the soonest. If you got expedited, they would fit you in sooner.

[Marrienne 112]

Thank you!!!

The timelines are very confusing because some literally within days and othes span 2 years from case received to interview.

[Marrienne 112]

The embassy should have provided you with instructions, though. Your husband will need to have a medical before the interview.

It is my understanding that the medical information will be given to us after we turn in form DS-2001 (showing we are paper ready and they can schedule the interview).

We got NO information on the medical with Packet 3.

My husband is the USC so he will not have a medical however we do have papers to prove his condition and the severity of it, which we will turn in with everything else.

Unless you meant my husband will need to be examined by one of their physicians on top of all the medical diagnoses he has from other local doctors??

[lost_at_sea 995]

Unless you meant my husband will need to be examined by one of their physicians on top of all the medical diagnoses he has from other local doctors??

Yes. He'll have to undergo a full medical by an approved physician before he can be issued an immigrant visa. The embassy will supply you with the information about this, as the specific order and timing of the medical varies from embassy to embassy, but usually, the medical is done prior to the interview so that the interviewing officer can see the results and tell you on the day whether the visa has been approved or not.

All of us who came on immigrant visas had medicals.

For Athens: http://athens.usembassy.gov/medical_examinations2.html

^-- The medical applies to the beneficiary. Not the USC petitioner. Sorry for any confusion there - I didn't realise you were the beneficiary, rather than the petitioner. Your USC husband petitioner doesn't need to tell them anything about his medical condition, except for if you're trying to expedite. They shouldn't care after that. Just make sure your I-864 is in order (I assume working is hard for him).

Edited April 30, 2016 by lost_at_sea

[Marrienne 112]

You are right, *I* am the beneficiary. and yes I know about the medical :)

Work has been impossible because Greece has a 30% unemployment rate and nobody wants to hire a sick foreigner (we were actually TOLD that by a potential employer!!).
But we do have a very very strong joint sponsor

[lost_at_sea 995]

But we do have a very very strong joint sponsor

Ah yeah - that's all good then.