London CR1 / IR1 Appointment Updates

[S&R2019 6]

1 hour ago, Felix2021 said:

That's good news. 

People should start hearing soon then I hope. 

Were all working on the assumption that they release interview dates, in bulk, at a particular time of the month, but perhaps they don't do that any more. There's so few of us on this forum, it's hard to predict a pattern. It doesn't help that London doesn't publish estimated time frames like USCIS and NVC do.

 

You'd think with such a huge backlog there would be more fuss on Twitter/social media with posts from people waiting from January and February, but there's nothing much. (Are there hundreds of people waiting or thousands?)

 

So perhaps they ARE seeing people, and the few posters on here have just got caught up in the backlog.

 

It's hard to know for sure.

 

We will know that when the latest IV statistics come out, but it seems those are delayed as well with nothing since April.

 

It is hard to know, but I would note i haven't heard of any interview dates on either of the facebook groups either. So it really does seem London is at a complete standstill.

[juninho10 42]

12 hours ago, EmliS said:

Of course! 

So I was DQ'd in Moscow in October 2020, then transferred to London in May 2021 sue to finishing a work contract, then June 2021 received an interview date. I wasn't expedited either!

 

Ask away, I don't mind!

If I may as well...

 

When did you request the transfer to London before being accepted in May 2021, and did you use a particular channel? Was it this page by any chance? https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html

 

I'm thinking about transferring from Bogota, Colombia to London. It's moving slowly here and I'm no longer a resident either.

[Wait in hope 21]

Reading on the UK embassy website it still says they continue to provide emergency and mission critical visa services, routine visa services have not resumed.  So does this mean no interviews in sight for foreseeable future.  Have any of the previous posters who said they had friends at the Embassy found out any information.

[Rol_P 43]

As far as I know, IR1/CR1 fall into "mission critical".  I suspect that the embassy use that particular quotation and interpret it how they see fit in current climate.

[SB0402 57]

1 hour ago, Wait in hope said:

Reading on the UK embassy website it still says they continue to provide emergency and mission critical visa services, routine visa services have not resumed.  So does this mean no interviews in sight for foreseeable future.  Have any of the previous posters who said they had friends at the Embassy found out any information.

As the following poster stated, family preference visas do fall under this category.

[Wuozopo 4,290]

3 hours ago, Wait in hope said:

Reading on the UK embassy website it still says they continue to provide emergency and mission critical visa services, routine visa services have not resumed.  So does this mean no interviews in sight for foreseeable future.  Have any of the previous posters who said they had friends at the Embassy found out any information.

The embassy website says they are processing in all immigrant and fiancé(e) visa categories. However, appointments remain extremely limited as a result of the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 
 

On the other side—nonimmigrant:

Emergency and mission critical (nonimmigrant) visas are being processed. That would be for example urgent medical treatment in the US and I believe students enrolled in US universities.Or mission critical—military,  NATO or their employees,  employees or members of other world groups like the United Nations, 

 

So processing summary as I read the London embassy website—

IMMIGRANT VISAS: all (plus K1)

NONIMMIGRANT: emergency and mission critical

BUT everything is slow because all of their workers have not returned to onsite work. 

[Dawn2021 26]

Hey all

 

Just wanted to give an update on my big flight over! 

 

I flew London - Chicago - Seattle, with a massive thunderstorm delay in Chicago.. only four hours, but that four hours waiting to finally be able to reunite with my husband was bloody awful!! Anyway, I also had to clear immigration in Chicago (initially, panicked because I didn't think I had enough time to make a connection, but little did I know.. THUNDER).

 

The lady at POE took my passport with my visa in, I babbled incoherently about joining my husband and being really excited, she looked at me like I was crazy.. then asked where my husband was on this "big day".... I explained I was going onto Seattle and was probably unlikely to make my flight, but it was okay because I was there and I'd get to him somehow.. she then proceeded to tell (order) me (in a way only a US immigration official can, deadpan, terrifying, but with a twinkle in her eye) that "what I was going to do was take my passport, head right on out there to United, give them your luggage, and go and make sure you meet your husband".... She stamped me, and I was on my way..  Don't think I've ever been so terrified of anyone in my life.. but I made my flight alright 🤣

 

For all of those out there who are waiting on their interview - and I've read through the past few months pages, that there are a lot - it'll happen, and you'll be reunited. We waited so long as well - it's really hard. 

 

Sending a lot of hope to everyone that things go just perfectly! 🥰

Edited June 24, 2021 by Dawn2021

[Ijn 15]

Hello,

I’ve been reading for a while but first time commenting. 
Husband is US citizen and we’ve been DQ since may 26 and waiting for an interview date. With the London backlogs looks like it’s gonna take forever. 
 I’m a Belgian citizen but UK resident. 
my question is: Does anyone know if it’s possible to transfer to Belgium and how to please? 
 Thank you 

[Ijn 15]

15 minutes ago, Ijn said:

Hello,

I’ve been reading for a while but first time commenting. 
Husband is US citizen and we’ve been DQ since may 26 and waiting for an interview date for a IR1 (me) and IR2 (our son) 

With the London backlogs looks like it’s gonna take forever. 
 I’m a Belgian citizen but UK resident. 
my question is: Does anyone know if it’s possible to transfer to Belgium and how to please? 
 Thank you 

 

[juninho10 42]

16 minutes ago, Ijn said:

Hello,

I’ve been reading for a while but first time commenting. 
Husband is US citizen and we’ve been DQ since may 26 and waiting for an interview date. With the London backlogs looks like it’s gonna take forever. 
 I’m a Belgian citizen but UK resident. 
my question is: Does anyone know if it’s possible to transfer to Belgium and how to please? 
 Thank you 

I'm in the process of transferring from Bogota to London. I'm not sure if you need a legitimate reason, but mine was that I lost my Colombian residency. I emailed the London embassy and NVC after getting some helpful advice from this very thread.

 

NVC take 3 weeks to respond, so I haven't heard anything from them. London said they'll take my case but are waiting on NVC to do something first.

 

You send the NVC message here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html

 

Be prepared to hear absolutely nothing for 3-weeks though.

[Ijn 15]

1 minute ago, juninho10 said:

I'm in the process of transferring from Bogota to London. I'm not sure if you need a legitimate reason, but mine was that I lost my Colombian residency. I emailed the London embassy and NVC after getting some helpful advice from this very thread.

 

NVC take 3 weeks to respond, so I haven't heard anything from them. London said they'll take my case but are waiting on NVC to do something first.

 

You send the NVC message here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html

 

Be prepared to hear absolutely nothing for 3-weeks though.

Thank you for helping. I’d take the 3 weeks wait knowing that the us embassy in Belgium are processing way faster. So finger crossed If I get to transfer 

[juninho10 42]

2 hours ago, Ijn said:

Thank you for helping. I’d take the 3 weeks wait knowing that the us embassy in Belgium are processing way faster. So finger crossed If I get to transfer 

Has London been really slow? Here in Colombia, there are people with Dec 2020 and Jan 2021 DQs that don't have interviews. 🤦‍♂️

[Ijn 15]

Just now, juninho10 said:

Has London been really slow? Here in Colombia, there are people with Dec 2020 and Jan 2021 DQs that don't have interviews. 🤦‍♂️

I saw people from February waiting for interview and they were almost no interviews scheduled in June and not so Much for July(yet). My husband and I were hopping for an interview this summer so our son could start school year in time. But the chances are getting lower and lower 

[Wuozopo 4,290]

4 minutes ago, juninho10 said:

Has London been really slow? Here in Colombia, there are people with Dec 2020 and Jan 2021 DQs that don't have interviews. 🤦‍♂️

The last spouse interviews dished out for London were Dec/Jan. That happened in May. Nobody in this thread got interview notices in June. They were hoping  that end of Jan and early Feb would get a notice in June. 

[juninho10 42]

8 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

The last spouse interviews dished out for London were Dec/Jan. That happened in May. Nobody in this thread got interview notices in June. They were hoping  that end of Jan and early Feb would get a notice in June. 

Oh dear, what an incredible mess. On the flipside, at least the Knightsbridge clinic is still offering lab work for those that have interviews. The Bogota lab just lost it's contract with the embassy, and there's absolutely no solution in the meantime. Suppose that's a minor improvement for me!