IR1 - medical and interview wait times at London Embassy

[GFMc 0]

Hello, 

We're at the point where we can make an appointment for my medical and (once that is complete, I believe?) interview at the London Embassy for my IR1 visa (sponsored by my US citizen spouse). However, because I live in Northern Ireland and am now 36 weeks pregnant, I will not be able to do either of these until early-mid December at the earliest. Two flights to London with a very small newborn is going to be very difficult, but so would leaving the baby at home when it is so young. We need, however, to keep this process moving because my husband must be back in the US by mid-January, and we're worried that a further delay will mean us being apart for a number of weeks, which will obviously be tough with a small baby.

Can anyone answer the following questions:

• Has anyone had any experience recently of being able to do the medical and interview either on the same day or, at least, over two days? (I know the Embassy website says it takes up to 5 days for medical results to get over to Embassy). Can you put in a special request with the clinic to speed this process up?
• If that was possible, do I have to wait until my medical is complete before registering for the interview? (again, I know this is what the Embassy website advises. Or is that a mandatory instruction rather than advice?)
• If I must do the medical and then register for an interview date, does anyone know how long the wait is before interview at the moment? 

Thanks all!

[Wuozopo 4,293]

You only need to make your medical appointment (not complete the exam) before you make your interview appointment. Ideally you leave enough time between the dates for the results to be at the embassy before your interview. It makes for a smoother work flow to have everything in place needed to review, approve, and send out the visa. You have a special circumstance. 

 

At this date, the embassy scheduling thing may not even be showing anything for December, but keep checking and by the end of this month, December will open up. So  you show up to interview and your medical results are not there. They won't send you away. They will say you are tentatively approved but we have to see your medical first. When the medical arrives, they get back to your file and finish the approval and issuing. It may not happen on the day your medical gets there because you have interrupted the most efficient work flow. They are working on that day's interviews by then. It could take several days or a week to get your case edged back into the work flow because you stepped out of line temporarily. Does that make sense? It's like on the motorway if you pulled off at services, they don't hold up all the cars to put you exactly in the line where you left the road. Some cars will have moved on and you may have to wait while you try to merge back in to traffic. 

 

If for some some reason the scheduler won't let you make a Dec 15 interview appointment with a Dec 14 medical date you entered, then put in Dec 4 as your medical date and see what happens. Trick the computer. Those two places don't link to each other's schedules, but the scheduler could be programmed to not to offer dates for x-number of days past the medical date you self report. I have no clue if that works, but it's something to try if needed.

 

And another question you had. Knightsbridge sends your bloodwork out to a lab and that is the couple of days delay before results are ready to go to the embassy. It would be the lab needing a rush order and probably wishful thinking to get that pulled off. 

[GFMc 0]

Thank you for all of this. Very helpful. I know that the clinic isn't taking medical appointments for December until the start of November, so I'll have to wait for that anyway. Just trying to gauge how long all of this will take, and if we can avoid making two trips to London with a newborn. Thanks again. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

11 hours ago, GFMc said:

Thank you for all of this. Very helpful. I know that the clinic isn't taking medical appointments for December until the start of November, so I'll have to wait for that anyway. Just trying to gauge how long all of this will take, and if we can avoid making two trips to London with a newborn. Thanks again. 

 

I guess you may already be beyond your travel limit. But I was thinking if you could travel next week maybe you could get a medical appointment (by begging) and also get the embassy to make an appointment expedite exception for you. You would have to contact them using the contact form, or log in now and see if their might be a slot open because of a cancellation. Work it girl! See what miracle you can pull off playing the P card. 

 

Contact form. Look at the last thing, Still have a question?  https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-information-services/contact-us-immigrant-visas/

if you do this, ask for a specific date you can make. 

Edited October 12, 2017 by Wuozopo

[GFMc 0]

Thank you! Had we realized even 2 weeks ago, I probably would have tried this, but yes I'll be officially beyond the travel limit in a few days, and don't think I could handle a hike to London at this stage anyway! Its frustrating because until this week we thought I would be doing everything in Dublin, which is only an hour away in the car  What can you do though.

 

I have contacted the Embassy using the contact form and I'm hoping that there may be a way to avoid making two trips in December. Fingers crossed.