CR-1 / IR-1 Interview updates

[Dags 134]

16 minutes ago, RadChan said:

Should you? I thought they had to be within the last 6 months and mine must be 14 months old already.

Oh I see. I guess it totally makes sense to get a new one 😬

 

16 minutes ago, trudi said:

Mine were different 

Good to know!

i thought it was a thing to bring the same photo. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, Dags said:

Shouldn’t  you bring the same one as the one which was submitted with DS260 form? 

From the embassy’s list of documents for interview:

 

Photographs

Two color photographs which meet Department of State specifications. These photographs must be full-face and taken within the last six (6) months

[RadChan 84]

24 minutes ago, Dags said:

Oh I see. I guess it totally makes sense to get a new one 😬

 

Good to know!

i thought it was a thing to bring the same photo. 

I would much rather do that! That would be the easy and lazy option since I already have some of those (and I haaaaate having my picture taken, I always look so bad in passport photos I'm wouldn't blame them if they denied me entry based on that alone!). But it would be just my luck to get them rejected for being over a year old. So I will go hunt down some new ones!

[Bear_and_Bunny 25]

2 hours ago, RadChan said:

Those who have been to your interview and medical, (particularly those in London) where did you get your US-size passport photos taken? I am struggling to find a place.

Timpsons did mine.  Usually outside or inside supermarkets 

[MikeMinusWife 42]

I have been checking the interview availability web page for London every day for the past 3 weeks and I have yet to see a single available appointment.  I get the impression that there are hundreds of people looking for slots so with all that demand they disappear within minutes when they are posted as available.  So I have 2 questions:

 

1.  Is there an option for just having the Embassy assign the interview date (we are expedite approved)
 

2. If 1. above is not an option, is there any trick to finding open time slots ?

 

Thanks in advance.

[GringoCarioca 16]

For those that submitted financial evidence that met requirements in 2018 and now filed for 2019,

I believe we only have to bring the 2019 tax return to the interview to show that finance requirements are still met.

 

I don't believe we actually have to upload 2019 returns to ceac, just bring to interview, correct?

Does it hurt to just upload the 2019 tax returns to ceac? Or just better to show a copy of the latest at interview?

[Bcoulter 9]

Hi All, 

 

We are gathering our documents together for the interview and just wanted to make sure we have everything  

-Interview appt email letter and courier confirmation info/email

-DS 260 confirmation page

-beneficiary birth certificate

-beneficiary passport

-marriage certificate

-I-864, Tax return/Transcript & W-2s (we have 2 giant packets of a previous I-864 from May with all my direct deposit pay stubs from my previous job, as well as an updated I-864 with direct deposits from my new job/job contracts, and my 2019 W-2s, tax return, and tax transcript)

-ACRO police certificate

-2 passport style photos 

 

Is there anything else we are missing? I can't seem to find the DS-5540, I know that recently they just ruled that you did not need to have that for the interview, but we want to have it just to be safe. Does anybody know where to find this as we can't seem to find it on the travel.state.gov website. Please let me know if there is anything we seem to be missing or you think we should bring? 

 

Thank you  

[os306 103]

17 hours ago, Bcoulter said:

Hi All, 

 

We are gathering our documents together for the interview and just wanted to make sure we have everything  

-Interview appt email letter and courier confirmation info/email

-DS 260 confirmation page

-beneficiary birth certificate

-beneficiary passport

-marriage certificate

-I-864, Tax return/Transcript & W-2s (we have 2 giant packets of a previous I-864 from May with all my direct deposit pay stubs from my previous job, as well as an updated I-864 with direct deposits from my new job/job contracts, and my 2019 W-2s, tax return, and tax transcript)

-ACRO police certificate

-2 passport style photos 

 

Is there anything else we are missing? I can't seem to find the DS-5540, I know that recently they just ruled that you did not need to have that for the interview, but we want to have it just to be safe. Does anybody know where to find this as we can't seem to find it on the travel.state.gov website. Please let me know if there is anything we seem to be missing or you think we should bring? 

 

Thank you  

The reason you cant find the DS-5540 is because the form itself is not required for immigrant visa interviews following multiple court injunctions (see here https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/update-on-public-charge.html). Therefore, I wouldn't worry about it. Based on people who have been interviewing at the London Embassy recently, this form is not being asked for.

[RadChan 84]

So, update on the visa medicals photo situ - after going to snappy snaps and paying (eeeeek!) 20 quid for 8 photos (advice of my lawyer to get 8 not 6, cause I will need probably more when I get there!), I called to book my medical appointment and they told me "oh, your application has all gone online so you don't need to buy any photos!" What the..... so, a waste of a tenner getting those 4 extra photos. 

 

SO..... anyone else in the same situation, call and book your medical before getting the photos! Because you might not need to take any, I wish they had informed of the possibility of this happening on their website (although their website also says you can book by email, not true!) Incidentally, the receptionist at the medicals place was pretty rude and unfriendly. Surprised that everyone else has found them to be lovely! Maybe she was having an off day.

[os306 103]

1 minute ago, RadChan said:

So, update on the visa medicals photo situ - after going to snappy snaps and paying (eeeeek!) 20 quid for 8 photos (advice of my lawyer to get 8 not 6, cause I will need probably more when I get there!), I called to book my medical appointment and they told me "oh, your application has all gone online so you don't need to buy any photos!" What the..... so, a waste of a tenner getting those 4 extra photos. 

 

SO..... anyone else in the same situation, call and book your medical before getting the photos! Because you might not need to take any, I wish they had informed of the possibility of this happening on their website (although their website also says you can book by email, not true!) Incidentally, the receptionist at the medicals place was pretty rude and unfriendly. Surprised that everyone else has found them to be lovely! Maybe she was having an off day.

20 quid for 8 photos 😳 It’s a travesty that Snappy Snaps gets away with charging such extortionate prices.

 

From my understanding, anyone applying via DCF still needs to bring in printed photos to the medical (although these can be U.K. sized, which are cheaper). Nonetheless you still need to bring in 2 US sized passport photos to the actual Embassy interview.

[RadChan 84]

6 minutes ago, os306 said:

20 quid for 8 photos 😳 It’s a travesty that Snappy Snaps gets away with charging such extortionate prices.

 

From my understanding, anyone applying via DCF still needs to bring in printed photos to the medical (although these can be U.K. sized, which are cheaper). Nonetheless you still need to bring in 2 US sized passport photos to the actual Embassy interview.

Yeah, I have no idea why the US ones are so much more expensive for a few mm more ("Because they can", I guess?) but I was not a DCF applicant, so maybe that is why. I'm good for the embassy photos now, and I guess I am good for photos for the next few years! And somehow missed that the medical place is UK or US. 

 

And yes, snappy snaps is extortionate but those PhotoMe booths would have cost 16 pounds for 8, and I did try one out and looked like a criminal in the on-screen test shots for those  so I went to SnappySnaps, since it is a real person with a nice DLR who takes your picture from 5 or 6 feet away (hence without the features distortion of a camera 2 feet from your face). So, probably worth the extra few pounds but yes, still a rip off! 

Edited October 19, 2020 by RadChan

[Ontarkie 14,413]

~~Hijack post removed along with reply. You need to start a new thread for any questions that are not about Interview updates.~~

[Xyrstine 224]

On 10/16/2020 at 9:12 AM, MikeMinusWife said:

I have been checking the interview availability web page for London every day for the past 3 weeks and I have yet to see a single available appointment.  I get the impression that there are hundreds of people looking for slots so with all that demand they disappear within minutes when they are posted as available.  So I have 2 questions:

 

1.  Is there an option for just having the Embassy assign the interview date (we are expedite approved)
 

2. If 1. above is not an option, is there any trick to finding open time slots ?

 

Thanks in advance.

Just keep checking routinely. I work day/night shifts, and would constantly check, even when I woke up randomly and happened to find interview slots open up on 3pm on a weekday. It was random. Doubt there is an option for the embassy to book you in a slot as I have not seen this happening.

[Xyrstine 224]

On 10/17/2020 at 11:16 AM, GringoCarioca said:

For those that submitted financial evidence that met requirements in 2018 and now filed for 2019,

I believe we only have to bring the 2019 tax return to the interview to show that finance requirements are still met.

 

I don't believe we actually have to upload 2019 returns to ceac, just bring to interview, correct?

Does it hurt to just upload the 2019 tax returns to ceac? Or just better to show a copy of the latest at interview?

Upload it as they are able to view your uploaded documents at the interview stage. I remember them looking through my records and said that was enough proof. I would still bring it along with you, just in case there is an issue with the upload.

 

On 10/17/2020 at 9:24 PM, Bcoulter said:

Hi All, 

 

We are gathering our documents together for the interview and just wanted to make sure we have everything  

-Interview appt email letter and courier confirmation info/email

-DS 260 confirmation page

-beneficiary birth certificate

-beneficiary passport

-marriage certificate

-I-864, Tax return/Transcript & W-2s (we have 2 giant packets of a previous I-864 from May with all my direct deposit pay stubs from my previous job, as well as an updated I-864 with direct deposits from my new job/job contracts, and my 2019 W-2s, tax return, and tax transcript)

-ACRO police certificate

-2 passport style photos 

 

Is there anything else we are missing? I can't seem to find the DS-5540, I know that recently they just ruled that you did not need to have that for the interview, but we want to have it just to be safe. Does anybody know where to find this as we can't seem to find it on the travel.state.gov website. Please let me know if there is anything we seem to be missing or you think we should bring? 

 

Thank you  

That sounds about right.  You dont need the Ds-5540 and this was not asked for. You only need your latest tax return/transcript forms,  and even then, if its uploaded they will probably not ask for it. I would just bring it, just in case. Good luck.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Xyrstine
Addition

[corntop 129]

Can they see new documents if you just upload them, or do you have to press "submit documents" again? 

 

My interview is Thursday and I'd like to upload something to show my wife's current salary but I'm worried about messing something up!