BKK Embassy canceling interviews?

[Steve and Nicha 35]

Our interview was cancelled for May 18 😔 due to Covid.  They opened up some interview dates and we are now scheduled June 24.  However, maybe they will wait until a week before that date and cancel it as well.

[J+J 49]

5 hours ago, Steve and Nicha said:

Our interview was cancelled for May 18 😔 due to Covid.  They opened up some interview dates and we are now scheduled June 24.  However, maybe they will wait until a week before that date and cancel it as well.

I feel that, ours was cancelled three days before the interview.  My fiance has been in a hotel in BKK since February.  Perhaps you will get lucky with finding an earlier slot; we were able to do this after a week of constant schedule checking.  

 

I believe the embassy cancelled some portion of interviews to reduce the staff and quantity of people in the waiting rooms - that is the explanation in the email from the embassy.  So this would hopefully mean the embassy does not intend to close.  

[Steve and Nicha 35]

12 hours ago, kc&steph said:

Been following this thread as a silent reader and have been very encouraged to hear that interviews ARE still happening. Also I think embassy staff have already received both vaccinations, or at least one, so really there is no need for them to cancel interviews. 

Yes but our interview was cancelled for next week.  They are doing this randomly as others had theirs cancelled last month.

[kappy66 15]

On 5/10/2021 at 8:28 AM, Steve and Nicha said:

Our interview was cancelled for May 18 😔 due to Covid.  They opened up some interview dates and we are now scheduled June 24.  However, maybe they will wait until a week before that date and cancel it as well.

I'm sorry man. You guys got this!

[Steve and Nicha 35]

On 5/10/2021 at 12:43 PM, J+J said:

I feel that, ours was cancelled three days before the interview.  My fiance has been in a hotel in BKK since February.  Perhaps you will get lucky with finding an earlier slot; we were able to do this after a week of constant schedule checking.  

 

I believe the embassy cancelled some portion of interviews to reduce the staff and quantity of people in the waiting rooms - that is the explanation in the email from the embassy.  So this would hopefully mean the embassy does not intend to close.  

We found and earlier slot for June 7.  As long as this slot does not get canceled, it will be a little over two weeks better than the other.

[Evan and Emma 0]

Steve and Nicha, FYI the immigrant visa appointment rescheduling rules state "You cannot reschedule your visa interview appointment date earlier than your initial interview appointment date. If you do so, you will not be interviewed." You can find this on the Bangkok Embassy website at: 

https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/th-iv-reschedulevisa.asp

 

I don't know if this is enforced but would be curious what the Embassy says if you were to ask them. We found a time available earlier then our current appointment but did not switch after we saw this.

[Steve and Nicha 35]

18 hours ago, Evan and Emma said:

Steve and Nicha, FYI the immigrant visa appointment rescheduling rules state "You cannot reschedule your visa interview appointment date earlier than your initial interview appointment date. If you do so, you will not be interviewed." You can find this on the Bangkok Embassy website at: 

https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/th-iv-reschedulevisa.asp

 

I don't know if this is enforced but would be curious what the Embassy says if you were to ask them. We found a time available earlier then our current appointment but did not switch after we saw this.

Thanks for the info.  When they cancelled our interview, they told us that they opened some dates in June and July.  We had the freedom to choose a date so I originally picked the first available on June 24.  But when I saw an earlier one open June 7, I selected that one.  Since our original interview date was already cancelled, I think we will be ok.  But we will see. 

[Evan and Emma 0]

We are in the exact same boat as you with the cancelled interview and the additional June and July dates being offered. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past 15 months of waiting, it’s play by their rules or face more delays. On this forum and others you see people facing months of delays for the most minor and inconsequential mistakes. Hope it works out but you might want to double check with them just in case before new appointment dates slip into August.

[Steve and Nicha 35]

1 hour ago, Evan and Emma said:

We are in the exact same boat as you with the cancelled interview and the additional June and July dates being offered. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past 15 months of waiting, it’s play by their rules or face more delays. On this forum and others you see people facing months of delays for the most minor and inconsequential mistakes. Hope it works out but you might want to double check with them just in case before new appointment dates slip into August.

Thanks.  I looked at the link you sent and it says in “overview” that it does not apply to K-1.  Other types of visa interviews are scheduled by the NVC.  The NVC has to document qualify before they schedule an interview and for this reason may not be ready if an applicant schedules sooner.  But for K-1, the NVC does not DQ. They just pass it on to the embassy.  We are in Ready status which took a couple months and I am confident that the embassy is prepared for our interview whenever it may be.  But I appreciate the challenge.

[Evan and Emma 0]

Good catch there on the overview language. It’s strange that they have us schedule an immigrant visa appointment for a non immigrant visa but also exclude it from the same conditions. Why not just have a separate category to schedule a K1 interview if it’s in a class of its own?!? Anyways, best of luck at the interview. Hope everything goes smoothly and that you get a swift approval!!

[Steve and Nicha 35]

On 5/8/2021 at 11:25 AM, J+J said:

I am not the person you asked, but we have an interview May 24.  I don't know of any interview cancellations.  My fiance is in a local FB group so he would know if there were cancellations.  We will have to grit our teeth and cross our fingers during this COVID surge, I hope and believe that as long as the Thai govt. doesn't impose a lockdown the embassy will remain open.  

Good luck for your upcoming interview !

[J+J 49]

Very happy to say our visa was approved on Monday and was issued today!  A very long wait over.

We were asked three questions - how did you meet, where does your fiance live, and how long have you lived in Thailand (partner is Burmese).  

Apparently there were somewhere around 20 K-1 interviews that morning and most were only 5-10mins long.

Good luck to everybody else in line.

[TBoneTX 45,023]

Wonderful news!

[Steve and Nicha 35]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:57 PM, J+J said:

Very happy to say our visa was approved on Monday and was issued today!  A very long wait over.

We were asked three questions - how did you meet, where does your fiance live, and how long have you lived in Thailand (partner is Burmese).  

Apparently there were somewhere around 20 K-1 interviews that morning and most were only 5-10mins long.

Good luck to everybody else in line.

Wonderful news.  When you say issued, does that mean it is on its way in the mail?  We have our interview June 7 and are curious how long the visa will come afterwards if approved.  Thanks.

[J+J 49]

2 hours ago, Steve and Nicha said:

Wonderful news.  When you say issued, does that mean it is on its way in the mail?  We have our interview June 7 and are curious how long the visa will come afterwards if approved.  Thanks.

Thanks.  Here is what happened for us:

May 24 interview in the morning.  Later that day, our case status in  CEAC changed to "Application Received"

May 25 case status changed to Administrative Processing (this happens to all cases for at least a brief period).  A few hours later it changed to "Issued".  That just means the visa sticker has been printed and put into the passport.  This is when you can breathe out and relax and know that the visa is fully approved.

May 26 our passport was mailed.  We expect to receive it tomorrow as my fiance is in Bangkok.

 

We were fortunate to have such rapid processing.  Tere are others who interviewed the same day who were not issued for a few days and probably longer.  

 

Now we are dealing with timing around the 72 hour COVID test requirement and the flight.  We learned today that some airlines will check for COVID test results at the layover!  Which means the COVID test must be complete 72 hours before the layover, not the first flight.  Your mileage may vary.