Canadian Living in China (Beneficiary) - Where should he interview?

[lowea034 1]

Hi all! My fiance is currently living in China but he is Canadian. We filed for a K-1 visa and listed "Shanghai" as the recipient embassy. We have received our NOA2 but now I'm panicking as I read how long it takes the NVC to send the files to China AND that the only visa issuance center is in a different Provence and it takes them a long time to process as well. We have a wedding date of June 26 and the NVC does not have a case number yet (NOA 2 date of 2/22). Should we just have submitted everything to Canada? Can I change the receiving embassy now? Can he just go to Canada and interview there? Any help/advice appreciated.

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

If he is a legal resident in China he can do the process there.

 

You can switch to Montreal; but this can also delay the process as it takes time for them to change embassies. 

 

China I have heard can take a awhile to get an interview, and honestly probably be easier to go through Canada....

 

These are those moments when everyone will tell you, never plan anything until visa is in hand as you never know what type of delays may occur during the process.

[geowrian 22,337]

Yes, you can switch embassies if catch the petition at NVC. It is only in the hands at NVC for a few days with an I-129F, though. If you don't catch it there, you will need for it to arrive at the embassy and then have them do a transfer, which will delay the process. At that point, it might just be simpler to keep it in China, honestly.

 

Having a wedding date prior to visa in hand is always risky and not recommended.

Edited March 24, 2017 by geowrian

[lowea034 1]

He is a Canadian citizen working in China with a work visa. I am guessing that doesn't make him a resident of China. If he is not, does that mean he can't do it in China at all? No worries with the wedding plans, we can be flexible, I was just mentioning dates. Thanks for your help!

[geowrian 22,337]

1 minute ago, lowea034 said:

He is a Canadian citizen working in China with a work visa. I am guessing that doesn't make him a resident of China. If he is not, does that mean he can't do it in China at all? No worries with the wedding plans, we can be flexible, I was just mentioning dates. Thanks for your help!

It should be fine to do it in China then. He just needs to have and maintain legal status there, which a work visa would do (assuming his status there doesn't expire before visa approval).

[ShanghaiSurfer 135]

I'm curious where you heard about this slow down from NVC. We just had two November filers who already have Guangzhou interview scheduled (one already approved). Also scheduling interview appointments were available within two weeks when I checked yesterday. It's a big operation in Guangzhou so may actually be quicker than Canada.

 

Will let you know if we encounter any problems as we are at NVC stage now. 

Edited March 24, 2017 by ShanghaiSurfer