Interview at Warsaw embassy - case transfer from Moscow

[Jessystar16 20]

On 12/24/2021 at 12:24 AM, egur said:

Did you receive the passport with the visa back at Mailboxes Etc place? What ID did the Russian fiance had to present to MBE to receive their passport back? Did they ask just for the barcode from the embassy or some other ID? Russian driver's license?

My husband was told to come back the next day at 3pm. He showed up and they directed him to the pick up section. He didn't show anything they just compared passport picture to his face and that's it 

[Alexsf308 0]

Hi everyone! Was wondering if there has been more data on how long it takes to receive the appointment after the case transfer to Warsaw. I’m sponsoring a parent for the IR5. We got the case transferred from Moscow to Warsaw and in Nov 2021 got a new NVC case number. So far no developments. Thanks for any info or advice. 

[incognito2880 2]

 I am in need of clarification. On November 22nd, 2021. N.V.C transferred my approved I-129F k1 Documents to Warsaw Poland and the documents were received .. My Fiancé and I scheduled an appointment for the interview online. I am under the impression that I do not have to wait to receive the welcome letter from Poland to go to the interview we scheduled . Is this correct?. We have not to this day received a welcome letter with instructions. .our appointment is on February 2nd and we have yet to receive a welcome letter with instructions. Can we attend the interview without the letter?

Edited January 22, 2022 by incognito2880
clarification

[egur 8]

You are wrong. If you show up to the interview without the invitation letter they will turn you around either the day before the interview by email or on the day of the interview already after you enter inside the embassy, cancel your interview on the spot, and tell you to wait until you receive the invitation letter. This already happened to people in Warsaw in January within the last 2 weeks. So please wait until you receive the invitation and make sure you bring it with you. The Warsaw embassy is swamped right now with all kinds of people from a bunch of different countries and the wait is very long. So keep waiting.

[incognito2880 2]

your positive?...what if the letter was issued. but lost in the mail. its been 2 months and no word from Poland.

[egur 8]

100% positive. We have been waiting since November. I am in Warsaw right now. Have been here for 3 weeks already. All of this happened to me and others. Saw it with my own eyes. There are hundreds of families from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Afganistan here and people from war zones get 1st priority, because their lives are at stake. The embassy told us it will take at least 2 more weeks, but probably longer. So it's taking right now about 3 months from NVC approval with WRW number until invitation from Warsaw embassy. And time is only increasing. Just keep waiting.

[incognito2880 2]

ok thank you so much. We have been waiting waiting since November 22nd. around the same time as you i believe.

[slavaskii 886]

5 hours ago, egur said:

100% positive. We have been waiting since November. I am in Warsaw right now. Have been here for 3 weeks already. All of this happened to me and others. Saw it with my own eyes. There are hundreds of families from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Afganistan here and people from war zones get 1st priority, because their lives are at stake. The embassy told us it will take at least 2 more weeks, but probably longer. So it's taking right now about 3 months from NVC approval with WRW number until invitation from Warsaw embassy. And time is only increasing. Just keep waiting.

That's very interesting to know, thank you. So are you implying that Belarusians are still getting some sort of priority in Warsaw? I'm of course concerned because of my fiancee still being in Belarus during this process that just keeps getting longer (awaiting NOA2), and it would be a great relief to me if Belarusians weren't being made to wait longer.

 

I'm very sorry to hear about what's happening with the Russians, however. 

[incognito2880 2]

you still have a long wait ahead of you...unfortunately we all do. I have been waiting  586 days since the i-129f was submitted. .And now to hear we have to wait another month or 2 is very heartbreaking. good luck everyone

Edited January 23, 2022 by incognito2880

[smoothoperaytor 40]

Anyone know the wait time when resubmitting a document? Our case was reviewed, but I didn't sign my affidavit in ink. I resubmitted on Friday and now I'm waiting for an update. Has anyone else been in this situation?

[ovb 9]

On 1/22/2022 at 1:46 PM, egur said:

100% positive. We have been waiting since November. I am in Warsaw right now. Have been here for 3 weeks already. All of this happened to me and others. Saw it with my own eyes. There are hundreds of families from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Afganistan here and people from war zones get 1st priority, because their lives are at stake. The embassy told us it will take at least 2 more weeks, but probably longer. So it's taking right now about 3 months from NVC approval with WRW number until invitation from Warsaw embassy. And time is only increasing. Just keep waiting.

Super helpful information. Thank you so much for sharing! We too have been waiting for an invitation from Warsaw after my mom's case was transferred to Warsaw by NVC on November 9, 2021. What kind of visa did you get to travel to Poland? We looked into applying for a Polish schengen, but the Polish visa center in Moscow is telling us that Poland is not issuing any touring visas at this point. Thank you for any insights/suggestions!

[egur 8]

Try getting Schengen visa from Greece or Hungary. They seem to be working. But they issue single entry visas unless you have prior expired Schengen visas within the last 2 years. So if this is your first visa first get the Warsaw invitation and interview date and only then apply for the Schengen visa for the correct dates. Also at the visa center pay extra for full VIP processing. If you don't pay for VIP it may take a long time for them to issue the visa and you may miss the dates. With VIP it takes from 4-10 business days. Without VIP the sky is the limit.

[ovb 9]

Thank you! Are you able to cross the Polish border without a WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccine? Do they PCR tests at the airport upon arrival?

[egur 8]

You MUST have a COVID test when crossing border into Poland. The airline will not even let you board the plane without it. But you don't have to have PCR. A Rapid Antigen test done within 24 hours of departure is good enough. They did check ours when you get off the plane in Poland (this includes kids). I am not sure if you have to have a vaccine. They did not check our vaccines when we arrived. If they decide you are missing some COVID stuff they may put you into Quarantine somewhere, you will have to pay for it, and do more tests. I think they will still let you into the country though, per their website (gov.pl). It's much easier to arrive from another Schengen country like Greece or Hungary. Then the checks are minimal. If you arrive to Poland from Russia or US directly the checks are much more. But I did not do that, so I don't have personal experience. We arrived from Greece into Poland. All of them change rules all the time, so make sure you check their govt websites the day before you fly.

[ovb 9]

7 hours ago, egur said:

You MUST have a COVID test when crossing border into Poland. The airline will not even let you board the plane without it. But you don't have to have PCR. A Rapid Antigen test done within 24 hours of departure is good enough. They did check ours when you get off the plane in Poland (this includes kids). I am not sure if you have to have a vaccine. They did not check our vaccines when we arrived. If they decide you are missing some COVID stuff they may put you into Quarantine somewhere, you will have to pay for it, and do more tests. I think they will still let you into the country though, per their website (gov.pl). It's much easier to arrive from another Schengen country like Greece or Hungary. Then the checks are minimal. If you arrive to Poland from Russia or US directly the checks are much more. But I did not do that, so I don't have personal experience. We arrived from Greece into Poland. All of them change rules all the time, so make sure you check their govt websites the day before you fly.

Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your experience here. I really appreciate it! We've considered transferring our case to a different US Embassy because of how unclear the timeline has been in Warsaw - and because of how messy the logistics of actually getting into Poland is. But the embassies we contacted are so swamped right now. And it looks like things in Warsaw, are slowly moving along. So we'll stick with it.