Coronavirus Embassy closed

[Jöla 27]

14 minutes ago, Fabercham said:

Sorry if this is a silly question but how would an expedite help if, under the proclamation, people who have been in banned countries 14 days prior aren’t permitted to enter the US? Unless it’s a spousal visa I suppose ?

1) You may be able to travel via a 3rd country, staying there for 14 days.

See this thread:

 

2) You'd at least know that they approve your visa so you would have 6 months to enter - with the entry bans hopefully being lifted in the next 6 months!

[Renee Bua 18]

On 5/13/2020 at 11:15 AM, Jon & Ygritte said:

We were DQ on March 16th. Our case was stuck at NVC. Yesterday we emailed the embassy in my country with a formal request for our case to be expedited. At noon they replied that they were going to request our case to be sent from NVC and get back to us when they had our case. Later in the day NVC emailed that our request for expedite had been approved, that our case was now in transit on its way to the embassy and that the embassy would get in touch with us and give us an emergency interview appointment. So quick!

 

Our reasons for expedite were that the petitioner is living alone and is in a risk group for covid19, so he needs support for his health and well-being. Also, we provided a document which proves I'm living in a multi/generational family and therefore also at higher risk if I stay in my country.

 

After being stuck in Nebraska for a year and approaching 2 years since we sent in the petition, we are finally on the last stretch!

 

Don't wait for the embassies to open if you have a reason to ask for your case to be expedited!

To follow up with your advice... my husband is the beneficiary and has been having panic attacks due to covid. We are both alone in all of this.. he lives alone in Kenya and I live alone in America. I have been depressed and he has been to the hospital due to his panic attacks which includes vomiting. He has been prescribed medicine but has had two of them today. 

 

My question is, is this an “emergency” enough to ask for expedite? I’m just wondering if they consider only the US citizen’s emergency or can the beneficiary have the emergency in order for it to expedite. 

 

Also, he has already been through the interview and is approved, but does not have the visa in hand yet since the consulate closed due to covid. They sent his visa back to him in the mail without the stamp and told him to send it back when they open.

[Jon & Ygritte 178]

10 hours ago, Renee Bua said:

To follow up with your advice... my husband is the beneficiary and has been having panic attacks due to covid. We are both alone in all of this.. he lives alone in Kenya and I live alone in America. I have been depressed and he has been to the hospital due to his panic attacks which includes vomiting. He has been prescribed medicine but has had two of them today. 

 

My question is, is this an “emergency” enough to ask for expedite? I’m just wondering if they consider only the US citizen’s emergency or can the beneficiary have the emergency in order for it to expedite. 

 

Also, he has already been through the interview and is approved, but does not have the visa in hand yet since the consulate closed due to covid. They sent his visa back to him in the mail without the stamp and told him to send it back when they open.

I don't know the answer to your question of whether the embassy only considers the US citizen's emergency or if the beneficiary having an emergency situation qualifies for expedite. We listed both in our request for expedite but our main emphasis was on the US petitioner's situation.

 

From reading on VJ it seems embassies around the world are handling the situation somewhat differently. I read a poster stating they had gotten expedite approved at NVC but still were referred by the embassy to wait until the embassies open. We've been told from our embassy that as soon as we have all our interview documents in order, they will schedule an emergency interview for us. And here you are telling us your spouse already has been approved but they are sending you his passport without the stamp. I don't know if asking for an expedite would be helpful to you or not. I guess I might also be a little cautious of telling the embassy your husband is having panic attacks. Does he have a history of this or is it new due to the Covid situation?

 

More experienced VJ posters may want to chime in. Good luck. Hope this situation resolves for everyone soon.

[Renee Bua 18]

10 hours ago, Jon & Ygritte said:

I don't know the answer to your question of whether the embassy only considers the US citizen's emergency or if the beneficiary having an emergency situation qualifies for expedite. We listed both in our request for expedite but our main emphasis was on the US petitioner's situation.

 

From reading on VJ it seems embassies around the world are handling the situation somewhat differently. I read a poster stating they had gotten expedite approved at NVC but still were referred by the embassy to wait until the embassies open. We've been told from our embassy that as soon as we have all our interview documents in order, they will schedule an emergency interview for us. And here you are telling us your spouse already has been approved but they are sending you his passport without the stamp. I don't know if asking for an expedite would be helpful to you or not. I guess I might also be a little cautious of telling the embassy your husband is having panic attacks. Does he have a history of this or is it new due to the Covid situation?

 

More experienced VJ posters may want to chime in. Good luck. Hope this situation resolves for everyone soon.

Thanks for your input. I don’t think we will try it then.

[KandR18 53]

My husband and I were DQ on 05/04/20.  On 05/21 we requested an expedited/emergency interview (due to medical reasons) with the Sydney embassy. We were instructed to email the embassy (support-australia@ustraveldoc.com) to request the interview.  However, yesterday, we received a response back from the embassy stating that we needed to go through the NVC to request an expedite. I was under the impression that since my case was DQ'd already, it was now up to the embassy to decide whether or not we could get an emergency interview. I spoke to the ustraveldoc support line, which confirmed this information and they recommended responding to the email with my DQ notice and an explanation as to why I was contacting the embassy as opposed to the NVC. I think that since they haven't received my case from the NVC that they assumed I was still being processed on that end (NVC currently isn't sending any cases to embassies at all though).

 

Does anybody have experience with this? Am I going about requesting our interview correctly or should I email the NVC? Would it hurt to do both?

 

[Jon & Ygritte 178]

4 hours ago, KandR18 said:

My husband and I were DQ on 05/04/20.  On 05/21 we requested an expedited/emergency interview (due to medical reasons) with the Sydney embassy. We were instructed to email the embassy (support-australia@ustraveldoc.com) to request the interview.  However, yesterday, we received a response back from the embassy stating that we needed to go through the NVC to request an expedite. I was under the impression that since my case was DQ'd already, it was now up to the embassy to decide whether or not we could get an emergency interview. I spoke to the ustraveldoc support line, which confirmed this information and they recommended responding to the email with my DQ notice and an explanation as to why I was contacting the embassy as opposed to the NVC. I think that since they haven't received my case from the NVC that they assumed I was still being processed on that end (NVC currently isn't sending any cases to embassies at all though).

 

Does anybody have experience with this? Am I going about requesting our interview correctly or should I email the NVC? Would it hurt to do both?

 

I am on my way to an emergency interview in Stockholm, Sweden at this very moment. We were DQ March 16 and wrote the Stockholm embassy requesting an expedite May 12th, telling them we were already DQ. The embassy then asked NVC to send our case to them, which NVC did. NVC informed us of their actions via mail but the only correspondence we have had is with the embassy. The embassy approved our expedite request.

[Snb3189 7]

9 hours ago, Jon & Ygritte said:

I am on my way to an emergency interview in Stockholm, Sweden at this very moment. We were DQ March 16 and wrote the Stockholm embassy requesting an expedite May 12th, telling them we were already DQ. The embassy then asked NVC to send our case to them, which NVC did. NVC informed us of their actions via mail but the only correspondence we have had is with the embassy. The embassy approved our expedite request.

Hi, what was your reason that you were able to request an emergency interview in Stockholm. That is where my fiance is, but it looks like you might be filing under an immediate relative? Thank you!

[Jon & Ygritte 178]

40 minutes ago, Snb3189 said:

Hi, what was your reason that you were able to request an emergency interview in Stockholm. That is where my fiance is, but it looks like you might be filing under an immediate relative? Thank you!

My husband is 60+ and belongs to a risk group for Covid19 due to high blood pressure. He's living alone and we stated he needed the support of me in case he becomes ill with Covid19. Also, I live in a multigenerational family so it would be safer for me as well to join my husband in the US.

 

Yes, the visa we applied for is an IR1. We've been married 2 years.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Jon & Ygritte

[HKS 169]

On 5/16/2020 at 2:49 AM, Jon & Ygritte said:

Do you live alone in the US? Living alone during the pandemic is a reason for applying for expedite. Your husband could provide you with emotional support and care if you fall ill with Covid19 if he is allowed to join you in the US. Let the embassy tell you if this is enough of a reason or not.

How is living alone a reason for expedite? 

Has anyone gotten an expedite for this reason? 

If so, how did you word your expedite request letter. 

I am living alone and have no family. 

[Lexushim 105]

On 3/18/2020 at 11:56 AM, stech786 said:

Please make sure you are checking your embassy website. Many are closing due to Coronavirus

 

So far, what I have collected on this forum & others

 

China
Saudi Arabia 
Brazil
Vietnam
Ghana

Tunisia
Guatemala
Switzerland

Lebanon
Pakistan
Mexico
Algeria
abu dhabi
Dominican republic
Jamaica
India
France
Denmark
Kenya
Nairobi
Haiti

 

Philippines

Let me know whenever you find out embassies reopening around the globe and in Pakistan. Do you have any idea on date frames now? how long we may have wait till we get the interview date?

[Just Paul 4,595]

41 minutes ago, Lexushim said:

Let me know whenever you find out embassies reopening around the globe and in Pakistan. Do you have any idea on date frames now?

Updates for services are posted on the consulates websites as they re-open.

[stech786 236]

14 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

Updates for services are posted on the consulates websites as they re-open.

Yes we all know where they are posted, but AP statues are getting updates this past week as this update is not posted anywhere but FB groups

 

@Lexushim  

 

so far we don’t know. Will keep everyone updated. Call centers & delivery service opened this week. Few ppl in AP cases got updated 

[HKS 169]

3 hours ago, stech786 said:

Yes we all know where they are posted, but AP statues are getting updates this past week as this update is not posted anywhere but FB groups

 

@Lexushim  

 

so far we don’t know. Will keep everyone updated. Call centers & delivery service opened this week. Few ppl in AP cases got updated 

Can yall post FB information? I do not have FB and cannot follow any updates. 

[kellygram 16]

US embassy in South Korea has just started to reschedule the interviews mostly for CR1/IR1as of today. This is unofficial but seems like things are happening now.

[S & V 59]

19 hours ago, kellygram said:

US embassy in South Korea has just started to reschedule the interviews mostly for CR1/IR1as of today. This is unofficial but seems like things are happening now.

Great news!  Hoping to get back there and get the medical and interview scheduled.  I can imagine we will be far down the line though.  Maybe by September!?  🤞