k1 visa K1 Visa: Anyone else stuck in limbo?

[TP & RK 4]

Hello

 

My fiance and I, like many of you, are at our wits end. We started our visa journey in August of 2019 and the year anniversary is soon approaching.

We sent over a packet to schedule for a Visa interview, in March, to the U.S Embassy in Dublin and soon after received a notification saying they are "not scheduling interviews at this time".

 

My fiance's medical exam expires in August, there is no information as to when the Embassy will be accepting interviews, the EU is banning U.S. citizens entry and vice-versa, and we feel so helpless. Because my fiance's visa is so far in process he isn't allowed to enter the U.S. because his Tourist visa was terminated and, as far as we are aware, not eligible to apply. I was able to see him once, by the grace of God, since the pandemic but now... we're not certain when things will shape up.

 

I constantly see posts on here trying to analyze the EO in regard to  K1 visas and it seems a bit pointless for our situation. These Embassies are staying shut and these furloughs are having/going to have detrimental effects on timelines across the board. 

 

With the way the Chief Cheeto is handling things, I have been considering the move to Ireland instead as it would be a bit easier as far as getting a visa for myself goes. However, that means trying to convince my daughter's father to let our daughter move with me, transferring my Master program's credits to attend school in Ireland or another EU country (places where my Master is not as effective/popular), and backing out of my lease which would be very costly... seems damn near impossible, but with the state America is in right now, it's beginning to sound like a good idea.

 

Anyways, sorry for the rant. Just wondering how many people are going through a similar issues. We don't know what to do, our lawyer doesn't know what to do, we're sitting ducks.

 

Summary: Anyone else in limbo and been on this visa journey for far too long? 

[Angela & Brendon 160]

Your journey sounds difficult 😢  hang in there though! I'm still waiting for our NOA2 but the UK embassy is still not processing K1 visas yet so like you we're still not sure how long the process will take. It is frustrating and I feel your pain.

 

To be honest, you're so far along in the process I would like stick with it because changing at this point in time is just going to delay things even further. My advice is to wait until the end of July to see the status of things; for all we know the US embassies could be resuming interviews by then. 
 

Stay strong! This won't be forever. 

[TP & RK 4]

10 minutes ago, Angela & Brendon said:

Your journey sounds difficult 😢  hang in there though! I'm still waiting for our NOA2 but the UK embassy is still not processing K1 visas yet so like you we're still not sure how long the process will take. It is frustrating and I feel your pain.

 

To be honest, you're so far along in the process I would like stick with it because changing at this point in time is just going to delay things even further. My advice is to wait until the end of July to see the status of things; for all we know the US embassies could be resuming interviews by then. 
 

Stay strong! This won't be forever. 

We definitely are in need of some good news, we're going on 2 years of living apart but you're right, we're pretty far into the process it's probably best to wait it out at this point.

Thank you for the uplifting reply, I have my fingers crossed for July and good luck to you and yours! 

 

Also, considering you're across the pond, I'm guessing the Embassies opening could be around the same time frame if you hear anything on your end would you mind letting us know?

 

 

 

[Angela & Brendon 160]

31 minutes ago, TP & RK said:

We definitely are in need of some good news, we're going on 2 years of living apart but you're right, we're pretty far into the process it's probably best to wait it out at this point.

Thank you for the uplifting reply, I have my fingers crossed for July and good luck to you and yours! 

 

Also, considering you're across the pond, I'm guessing the Embassies opening could be around the same time frame if you hear anything on your end would you mind letting us know?

 

 

 

I definitely will, yes. Best of luck, keep us posted with how you get on!

[Lorena y Sean 1]

Hey TP and RK!

 

We are in the same situation! Tell them that your medical expires and request an emergency interview. We did the same thing, she flew there, did her medical, but then embassy closed day before interview. Go onto the ais-usinfo website (where u scheduled the interview),request an emergency interview and tell them that the medical packets were obtained in March and they will expire in August. We are still waiting to hear back from the embassy. I call them every Monday though...

16 hours ago, TP & RK said:

Hello

 

My fiance and I, like many of you, are at our wits end. We started our visa journey in August of 2019 and the year anniversary is soon approaching.

We sent over a packet to schedule for a Visa interview, in March, to the U.S Embassy in Dublin and soon after received a notification saying they are "not scheduling interviews at this time".

 

My fiance's medical exam expires in August, there is no information as to when the Embassy will be accepting interviews, the EU is banning U.S. citizens entry and vice-versa, and we feel so helpless. Because my fiance's visa is so far in process he isn't allowed to enter the U.S. because his Tourist visa was terminated and, as far as we are aware, not eligible to apply. I was able to see him once, by the grace of God, since the pandemic but now... we're not certain when things will shape up.

 

I constantly see posts on here trying to analyze the EO in regard to  K1 visas and it seems a bit pointless for our situation. These Embassies are staying shut and these furloughs are having/going to have detrimental effects on timelines across the board. 

 

With the way the Chief Cheeto is handling things, I have been considering the move to Ireland instead as it would be a bit easier as far as getting a visa for myself goes. However, that means trying to convince my daughter's father to let our daughter move with me, transferring my Master program's credits to attend school in Ireland or another EU country (places where my Master is not as effective/popular), and backing out of my lease which would be very costly... seems damn near impossible, but with the state America is in right now, it's beginning to sound like a good idea.

 

Anyways, sorry for the rant. Just wondering how many people are going through a similar issues. We don't know what to do, our lawyer doesn't know what to do, we're sitting ducks.

 

Summary: Anyone else in limbo and been on this visa journey for far too long? 

 

Hey TP and RK!

 

We are in the same situation! Tell them that your medical expires and request an emergency interview. We did the same thing, she flew there, did her medical, but then embassy closed day before interview. Go onto the ais-usinfo website (where u scheduled the interview),request an emergency interview and tell them that the medical packets were obtained in March and they will expire in August. We are still waiting to hear back from the embassy. I call them every Monday though...

[TP & RK 4]

18 hours ago, Angela & Brendon said:

I definitely will, yes. Best of luck, keep us posted with how you get on!

Will do and thanks again 🙂

 

5 hours ago, Lorena y Sean said:

Hey TP and RK!

 

We are in the same situation! Tell them that your medical expires and request an emergency interview. We did the same thing, she flew there, did her medical, but then embassy closed day before interview. Go onto the ais-usinfo website (where u scheduled the interview),request an emergency interview and tell them that the medical packets were obtained in March and they will expire in August. We are still waiting to hear back from the embassy. I call them every Monday though...

Definitely will look into doing that but there have been articles I have read on here saying that the medical exam expiring is not being accepted as a valid reason for emergency interview.. However, I am not sure how many people actually tried it.

Also, in the case with Ireland they have to call you to let you know when they're ready for an interview, you don't schedule it by yourself  😞 Please let me know if you're able to get through and get an emergency exam that way, that would definitely give us a bit of hope.

Thank you for your input!

[irishhurler 13]

On 6/29/2020 at 12:39 PM, TP & RK said:

Hello

 

My fiance and I, like many of you, are at our wits end. We started our visa journey in August of 2019 and the year anniversary is soon approaching.

We sent over a packet to schedule for a Visa interview, in March, to the U.S Embassy in Dublin and soon after received a notification saying they are "not scheduling interviews at this time".

 

My fiance's medical exam expires in August, there is no information as to when the Embassy will be accepting interviews, the EU is banning U.S. citizens entry and vice-versa, and we feel so helpless. Because my fiance's visa is so far in process he isn't allowed to enter the U.S. because his Tourist visa was terminated and, as far as we are aware, not eligible to apply. I was able to see him once, by the grace of God, since the pandemic but now... we're not certain when things will shape up.

 

I constantly see posts on here trying to analyze the EO in regard to  K1 visas and it seems a bit pointless for our situation. These Embassies are staying shut and these furloughs are having/going to have detrimental effects on timelines across the board. 

 

With the way the Chief Cheeto is handling things, I have been considering the move to Ireland instead as it would be a bit easier as far as getting a visa for myself goes. However, that means trying to convince my daughter's father to let our daughter move with me, transferring my Master program's credits to attend school in Ireland or another EU country (places where my Master is not as effective/popular), and backing out of my lease which would be very costly... seems damn near impossible, but with the state America is in right now, it's beginning to sound like a good idea.

 

Anyways, sorry for the rant. Just wondering how many people are going through a similar issues. We don't know what to do, our lawyer doesn't know what to do, we're sitting ducks.

 

Summary: Anyone else in limbo and been on this visa journey for far too long? 

Hi, we're in a very similar situation and are on VJ faaar too long. We've been waiting on the Irish embassy to open to do our interview since March, too. We issued our notice of readiness on the 16th March, the exact day that they closed. We were due to get married in Chicago this Summer, so it's been very disappointing and upsetting to my wife to be. We've cancelled the wedding already. On the upside, the suppliers in Chicago have been very understanding and allowed us to postpone until next year without any additional charges. 

 

It's a complete mess otherwise... The lease on our apartment expires later this month so we are moving in with my family for awhile, so fingers crossed things speed up on the interview front. Issuing notice to my boss won't be easy either, I'm supposed to give two months notice so who knows when exactly that will be or if I can actually give a full two months. Who knows........

 

We are praying to god, and are taking the "plan for the worst, hope for the best" approach. It's a very real possibility that things won't normalize until next year. For what its worth - I think you should try your best to stay patient and stick to your current plan, even if it doesn't happen this year. Moving to Ireland will not be easy, or cheap, in terms of transferring college credits across to an Irish university and from what I know out of state students have to pay high fees. Obtaining a visa for here is not all that straight forward either, not to mention apartment rents in Dublin are insane. ($1,750 for a very average (900sq.ft) 2 bed apartment 20/30 mins from the city)

 

Hang in there! with some luck things turn around quickly for everyone. We are trying our best to do the same.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by irishhurler

[Jody and Misho 99]

On 6/29/2020 at 7:39 AM, TP & RK said:

Hello

 

My fiance and I, like many of you, are at our wits end. We started our visa journey in August of 2019 and the year anniversary is soon approaching.

We sent over a packet to schedule for a Visa interview, in March, to the U.S Embassy in Dublin and soon after received a notification saying they are "not scheduling interviews at this time".

 

My fiance's medical exam expires in August, there is no information as to when the Embassy will be accepting interviews, the EU is banning U.S. citizens entry and vice-versa, and we feel so helpless. Because my fiance's visa is so far in process he isn't allowed to enter the U.S. because his Tourist visa was terminated and, as far as we are aware, not eligible to apply. I was able to see him once, by the grace of God, since the pandemic but now... we're not certain when things will shape up.

 

I constantly see posts on here trying to analyze the EO in regard to  K1 visas and it seems a bit pointless for our situation. These Embassies are staying shut and these furloughs are having/going to have detrimental effects on timelines across the board. 

 

With the way the Chief Cheeto is handling things, I have been considering the move to Ireland instead as it would be a bit easier as far as getting a visa for myself goes. However, that means trying to convince my daughter's father to let our daughter move with me, transferring my Master program's credits to attend school in Ireland or another EU country (places where my Master is not as effective/popular), and backing out of my lease which would be very costly... seems damn near impossible, but with the state America is in right now, it's beginning to sound like a good idea.

 

Anyways, sorry for the rant. Just wondering how many people are going through a similar issues. We don't know what to do, our lawyer doesn't know what to do, we're sitting ducks.

 

Summary: Anyone else in limbo and been on this visa journey for far too long? 

Almost in the same situation.  Case has been ready at the Embassy since mid-March.  We started to schedule the interview date just as the Embassy was wiping away March, April, May and June.  We were able to schedule interview for July 1.  So at the beginning of June, my fiance was trying to get medical appointment in hopes that the Embassy would be open for July 1 interview.  The hospital he was going to for the medical exam informed him that he needed a letter from the Embassy (meaning this was an emergency interview) to schedule his appointment.  Inquired with the Embassy about what was going on, they then cancelled the July 1 interview and told us not to schedule the medical exam until they resume operations.  So, yea, we are also about a year in also.  

 

I did ask my US Senator and US Congressman to contact the Embassy and they did.  The Embassy replied to both of them and indicated that all was good with my fiancee's paperwork and as soon as the resumed operations, he would have his interview.  Any relevant answer as to timeframe would be GREAT about now. 

[TBoneTX 45,293]

Thread is moved from General Immigration Discussion to the K-1 Case Progress subforum.

[Zaichik&Miska 44]

I'm in the same situation. We already have had our medical and the day before our interview, they called us to cancel until further notice. 4 months later and still no movement. I came across this thread that can hopefully help us K1 petitioners pressure the right people into taking action:

 

 

Please read and participate. Thank you and good luck!

[Greenbaum 12,259]

According to a State Department spokesperson, 97 overseas posts are in Phase I and 35 are in Phase II of reopening.

Under Phase I of the department's reopening plan, "Diplomacy Strong," up to 40% of "non-vulnerable employees" may be brought back, and under Phase II, 40% to 80%, according to an overview of the plan.
 
https://www.axios.com/pompeo-coronavirus-state-department-reopening-ec5dc86d-6393-4614-b05f-68d3b5f6ec10.html
 

[TP & RK 4]

On 7/9/2020 at 8:48 AM, irishhurler said:

Hi, we're in a very similar situation and are on VJ faaar too long. We've been waiting on the Irish embassy to open to do our interview since March, too. We issued our notice of readiness on the 16th March, the exact day that they closed. We were due to get married in Chicago this Summer, so it's been very disappointing and upsetting to my wife to be. We've cancelled the wedding already. On the upside, the suppliers in Chicago have been very understanding and allowed us to postpone until next year without any additional charges. 

 

It's a complete mess otherwise... The lease on our apartment expires later this month so we are moving in with my family for awhile, so fingers crossed things speed up on the interview front. Issuing notice to my boss won't be easy either, I'm supposed to give two months notice so who knows when exactly that will be or if I can actually give a full two months. Who knows........

 

We are praying to god, and are taking the "plan for the worst, hope for the best" approach. It's a very real possibility that things won't normalize until next year. For what its worth - I think you should try your best to stay patient and stick to your current plan, even if it doesn't happen this year. Moving to Ireland will not be easy, or cheap, in terms of transferring college credits across to an Irish university and from what I know out of state students have to pay high fees. Obtaining a visa for here is not all that straight forward either, not to mention apartment rents in Dublin are insane. ($1,750 for a very average (900sq.ft) 2 bed apartment 20/30 mins from the city)

 

Hang in there! with some luck things turn around quickly for everyone. We are trying our best to do the same.  

 

 

 

 

 

Omg, I couldn't imagine having to postpone a wedding, your wife has every right to be upset 😞 and yes  fingers crossed... we figure we won't be hearing anything until next year as well, just wish we could spend the waiting together.

Thank you so much for the reply and would you mind letting us know if you hear anything from the Embassy? 

[TP & RK 4]

On 7/9/2020 at 8:57 AM, Jody and Misho said:

Almost in the same situation.  Case has been ready at the Embassy since mid-March.  We started to schedule the interview date just as the Embassy was wiping away March, April, May and June.  We were able to schedule interview for July 1.  So at the beginning of June, my fiance was trying to get medical appointment in hopes that the Embassy would be open for July 1 interview.  The hospital he was going to for the medical exam informed him that he needed a letter from the Embassy (meaning this was an emergency interview) to schedule his appointment.  Inquired with the Embassy about what was going on, they then cancelled the July 1 interview and told us not to schedule the medical exam until they resume operations.  So, yea, we are also about a year in also.  

 

I did ask my US Senator and US Congressman to contact the Embassy and they did.  The Embassy replied to both of them and indicated that all was good with my fiancee's paperwork and as soon as the resumed operations, he would have his interview.  Any relevant answer as to timeframe would be GREAT about now. 

Ahhh I absolutely hate this waiting game. That's not good to hear about the medical offices not accepting exams at the moment because my fiance's medical exam expires very very soon.

 

However, I never thought of contacting my US Senator and US Congressman to contact the Embassy. I feel like more of us should be doing this . Was this done through a lawyer or just a simple email stating whats going on? And definitely! A timeframe would be great...

[SalishSea 17,829]

On 6/29/2020 at 8:45 PM, Lorena y Sean said:

We are in the same situation! Tell them that your medical expires and request an emergency interview.

Expiring medical is generally not a reason for an emergency interview.  Medicals expire and are re-done all the time.

[SalishSea 17,829]

10 hours ago, TP & RK said:

However, I never thought of contacting my US Senator and US Congressman to contact the Embassy. 

Just FYI:  US senators and congresspeople are charged with helping USCs and LPRs with federal agencies.  This consists of making an inquiry.  If the 'problem' with the federal agency (i.e. DOS) is that the embassies are closed due to COVID, that is exactly what will come of any inquiry made.  It won't hasten things along or impact any decision about a visa.