Interview at Warsaw embassy - case transfer from Moscow

[Simplytex 387]

58 minutes ago, nekto said:

I emailed to official Almaty Consular email - usakz@state.gov

I used the same

[blaze203 6]

On 6/1/2023 at 4:35 PM, Simplytex said:

I used the same

 

Thank you. We just got an email today that our case has also been transferred to Almaty! I noticed I can't log in anymore with my old case number. Do you know how long it takes to get a new case number. We had just paid the fees, they were in processing, I hope the transfer doesn't mess that up.

[Simplytex 387]

48 minutes ago, blaze203 said:

 

Thank you. We just got an email today that our case has also been transferred to Almaty! I noticed I can't log in anymore with my old case number. Do you know how long it takes to get a new case number. We had just paid the fees, they were in processing, I hope the transfer doesn't mess that up.

It shouldn't, but also NVC for us sent back the new case number same day. If you don't get it today, just give it a couple more, and if nothing by end of week submit a public inquiry form, they should be able to look it up and send you the new number.

[Karjala 3]

On 2/13/2023 at 6:44 PM, blakezero said:

Hi @ovb,

 

My mother-in-law got denied for a schengen visa to Spain. if you don't mind, could you share the travel agency you used for the schengen visa? The interview is in Warsaw March 8th 2023. At this point, as more EU countries are denying  visas for russians, we might have to reschedule or transfer the case to another country like kazakhstan.

 

I don't understand why interviews are being scheduled at Poland if the US already know that Poland hates russians. This is very frustrate it

 

Thanks in advance.

Could you, please, provide me with an update?

My husband has attended an interview in Jerusalem on April 25th, but the officer requested a few more things, which we've submitted on May 1st. There is still no passport in sight and I am worrying, since We've got enough means for no more than 2 month.

[blakezero 8]

18 hours ago, Karjala said:

Could you, please, provide me with an update?

My husband has attended an interview in Jerusalem on April 25th, but the officer requested a few more things, which we've submitted on May 1st. There is still no passport in sight and I am worrying, since We've got enough means for no more than 2 month.

Hi @Karjala,

 

We transferred our case from Warsaw to Jerusalem. My mother-in-law already had her interview on May 30th and asked all missing documents they requested. They did not tell her of any missing documents and took her passport. We're still here in Jerusalem waiting for the passport to be returned. We checked the status online it was "Refused" and not it says "Administrative Processing". That is our current status.

 

Did the visa officer took your husband's passport they day of the interview? What is the status your case online?

[Karjala 3]

1 minute ago, blakezero said:

Hi @Karjala,

 

We transferred our case from Warsaw to Jerusalem. My mother-in-law already had her interview on May 30th and asked all missing documents they requested. They did not tell her of any missing documents and took her passport. We're still here in Jerusalem waiting for the passport to be returned. We checked the status online it was "Refused" and not it says "Administrative Processing". That is our current status.

 

Did the visa officer took your husband's passport they day of the interview? What is the status your case online?

The immigration officer requested more evidence, which we did provide in less than a week. The embassy took extra evidence and his passport on May 1st. Before that his case was "Refused" on ceac with "requested documents" in the comments. It was update 3 times: May 2nd, May 3rd and May 9th, but the status remained the same throughout all these 3 updates: Refused. But the words changed to "If you were informed by the consular officer that your case was refused for administrative processing, your case will remain refused while undergoing such processing."

Apparently, administrative processing is the standard procedure and Russians are put through it routinely. The "refused" status will change to "issued" or "denied" once the decision has been made. 

We are still waiting. I believe our main problem is that my husband spent a year living in Mexico (waiting for the interview there). And for some reason U.S. embassy in Israel requests a police certificate from every country where you lived for 6 months (when U.S. immigration requests them only for countries where you lived over a year).

My  husband is unable to provide it, because he has never been a Mexican resident and did not obtain Mexican SSN. There are simply no such records of him. So we are stuck.

[blakezero 8]

On 6/7/2023 at 10:41 PM, Karjala said:

The immigration officer requested more evidence, which we did provide in less than a week. The embassy took extra evidence and his passport on May 1st. Before that his case was "Refused" on ceac with "requested documents" in the comments. It was update 3 times: May 2nd, May 3rd and May 9th, but the status remained the same throughout all these 3 updates: Refused. But the words changed to "If you were informed by the consular officer that your case was refused for administrative processing, your case will remain refused while undergoing such processing."

Apparently, administrative processing is the standard procedure and Russians are put through it routinely. The "refused" status will change to "issued" or "denied" once the decision has been made. 

We are still waiting. I believe our main problem is that my husband spent a year living in Mexico (waiting for the interview there). And for some reason U.S. embassy in Israel requests a police certificate from every country where you lived for 6 months (when U.S. immigration requests them only for countries where you lived over a year).

My  husband is unable to provide it, because he has never been a Mexican resident and did not obtain Mexican SSN. There are simply no such records of him. So we are stuck.

Hi @Karjala,

 

Does that mean that your husband is in Jerusalem since April 25th? did he come from Russia to Jerusalem or he lives in Jerusalem?

 

My mother-in-law and I are still here waiting for her passport to be returner either with visa or without it. We keep extending our hotel accommodations. The embassy does not reply our emails with a date on when the passport will be returned. I got severely sick in Jerusalem and I had to seek medical attention, Doctor prescribed me antibiotics. My mother-in-law is also getting sick now and her blood pressure medication is almost gone. We feel like we are in the limbo. we do not know the system here in Israel. 

 

Thanks,

[BenNomad 89]

@blakezero @Karjala Sorry to hear of your difficult situations in Jerusalem. Karjala, can the Mexican Embassy provide you with a letter stating that your husband is not eligible to apply for the police certificate?

 

For Russians and Belorussians trying to figure out what to do with the Warsaw interview situation, this is what I've gathered reading all the info posted here and in other threads:

 

1. Almaty has been a good option for some, but it's officially designated only for IR-5 (parents). Same with Tashkent (but I haven't heard of anyone going there). It seems that some ppl have had their transfer request to Almaty denied. If you're a US citizen traveling with your family member to KZ, you can enter visa-free and stay up to 30 days. 

 

2. Jerusalem - several ppl have succesfully transfered their cases here without having residence in Israel. But reports from the members above dealing with unexpected issues in Jerusalem are making me wonder whether a transfer there is a good idea. 

 

3. Schengen visa - As far as I can see, this is still a theoretical possibilty if the applicant is in Russia (or Belarus) but the timing of the visit is very difficult. If it's a first-time application, some ppl are saying that you can only get 30 days at most. Can anyone confirm that? Haven't read comments from anyone getting the Schengen visa this year. And the question is which country to try and apply for. Spain, Italy and Finland gave out the most visas in 2022 but the situaton changes. I heard recently that the Netherlands has a high rate of approval. But if the applicant is outside Russia (like in my case) you can't apply for the Schengen visa unless you have residence in the country where you are applying.

 

4. Residence in another country - if you have permament residence in another country, then obviously this is where you'll do the interview (and probably your case never went to Warsaw in the first place). If the residence isn't permanent, but still long term (like the one-year stay in Georgia, or in Egypt where you can extend your tourist visa up to a year) it's not clear what will happen. My family and I have been in Egypt already five months but the NVC did not grant our transfer request unless we could provide evidence of our residence. I sent the request even before uploading all our documents, but I explained the difficulty in getting to Warsaw. They suggested contacting the Embassy in Cairo for a transfer if we can't provide the evidence (Cairo had already recommended us to contact to NVC for a transfer) but Embassy Cairo has stopped responding to our emails.

 

5. Any other ideas?

 

One option I am considering now (besides transfering to Jerusalem) is applying for a residence in Egypt so that we can apply for a Schengen visa (we could also transfer to Cairo in that case but I'm hearing of long wait times). The easiest way to get residence would be to enroll our kids in a local school, which would give my wife grounds for getting a temporary residence up to a year. I don't plan to send the kids to school, in fact I hope to be heading to the USA in the fall if possible!

 

 

 

 

[rikko 93]

1 hour ago, BenNomad said:

@blakezero @Karjala

2. Jerusalem - several ppl have succesfully transfered their cases here without having residence in Israel. But reports from the members above dealing with unexpected issues in Jerusalem ar noe making me wonder whether a transfer there is a good idea. 

 

5. Any other ideas?

 

One option I am considering now (besides transfering to Jerusalem) is applying for a residence in Egypt so that we can apply for a Schengen visa (we could also transfer to Cairo in that case but I'm hearing of long wait times). 

You might be screwed, buddy. Many Russians from my fiance's work report being detained and unofficially deported from Israel (it's not a deportation officially because they were never let in to begin with). You'll want to check telegram chats for more updated information. I know one instance of a Russian man trying to enter Israel for a work visa interview, and despite showing the paperwork for it, he was detained for 5 days then sent back.

 

Also, Israel will HATE that you've been in Egypt. They didn't even like us transferring through the Turkish airport without ever entering Turkey during our flight here. There is a high chance you will undergo excess security screening or be outright denied entry. Russians are already under high scrutiny due to their rates of Israeli overstay. If you have Israeli contacts or family, double scrutiny. 

 

If you do obtain a Jerusalem transfer, avoid the Bethlehem medical for less questions. We were sent through additional processing because it's West Bank/Palestinian territory (we thought it was Israel). You will be scrutinized upon entry AND exit if you so much as enter West Bank. 

 

Also, my fiance had no issues entering Israel but I travelled with him and they were able to see my American passport as further evidence he was being truthful about his intent. Consider doing this, too, if you're worried.

[BenNomad 89]

4 hours ago, rikko said:

You might be screwed, buddy. Many Russians from my fiance's work report being detained and unofficially deported from Israel (it's not a deportation officially because they were never let in to begin with). You'll want to check telegram chats for more updated information. I know one instance of a Russian man trying to enter Israel for a work visa interview, and despite showing the paperwork for it, he was detained for 5 days then sent back.

 

Also, Israel will HATE that you've been in Egypt. They didn't even like us transferring through the Turkish airport without ever entering Turkey during our flight here. There is a high chance you will undergo excess security screening or be outright denied entry. Russians are already under high scrutiny due to their rates of Israeli overstay. If you have Israeli contacts or family, double scrutiny. 

 

If you do obtain a Jerusalem transfer, avoid the Bethlehem medical for less questions. We were sent through additional processing because it's West Bank/Palestinian territory (we thought it was Israel). You will be scrutinized upon entry AND exit if you so much as enter West Bank. 

 

Also, my fiance had no issues entering Israel but I travelled with him and they were able to see my American passport as further evidence he was being truthful about his intent. Consider doing this, too, if you're worried.

Crossing Jerusalem off the list 😒

Thanks for the info! We probably could get in Israel since we're a family of five (and four of us have US passports), but... we certainly don't need any added stress and worry!

[BenNomad 89]

This thread seems to be losing interest but for whoever is reading, my request to the NVC for a transfer to Almaty or Tashkent was declined. I sent the request via the NVC Inquiry form. I explained the situation clearly, in detail, and asked them to escalate the request to an appropriate level of decision making so that an exception could be made in our case (we are IR-1 but Almaty and Tashkent are designated only for IR-5 unfortunately). Got the same pre-composed reply from LDRM (the contractor hired to answer inquiries) that I got previously when I requested a transfer to Cairo. They want proof of residence in the country where we want the interview to take place. Otherwise, the case will remain assigned to Warsaw. Total bull. As if we have residency in Poland....

So, at this point it looks like a Schengen visa is the only viable option, and to apply for one my wife will have to travel back to Russia. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by TBoneTX
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[Simplytex 387]

2 hours ago, BenNomad said:

This thread seems to be losing interest but for whoever is reading, my request to the NVC for a transfer to Almaty or Tashkent was declined. I sent the request via the NVC Inquiry form. I explained the situation clearly, in detail, and asked them to escalate the request to an appropriate level of decision making so that an exception could be made in our case (we are IR-1 but Almaty and Tashkent are designated only for IR-5 unfortunately). Got the same pre-composed reply from LDRM (the contractor hired to answer inquiries) that I got previously when I requested a transfer to Cairo. They want proof of residence in the country where we want the interview to take place. Otherwise, the case will remain assigned to Warsaw. Total bull. As if we have residency in Poland....

So, at this point it looks like a Schengen visa is the only viable option, and to apply for one my wife will have to travel back to Russia. 

I'm assuming your case has already cleared NVC and has been 'transferred' to Warsaw/awaiting scheduling. If so, you need to request transfer from Almaty directly, not from NVC. If Almaty themselves has declined to take the case, then you probably need to escalate through congressperson, trying to do it at NVC public inquiry form will get you no where.

Edited June 29, 2023 by TBoneTX
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[Simplytex 387]

2 hours ago, BenNomad said:

This thread seems to be losing interest but for whoever is reading, my request to the NVC for a transfer to Almaty or Tashkent was declined. I sent the request via the NVC Inquiry form. I explained the situation clearly, in detail, and asked them to escalate the request to an appropriate level of decision making so that an exception could be made in our case (we are IR-1 but Almaty and Tashkent are designated only for IR-5 unfortunately). Got the same pre-composed reply from LDRM (the contractor hired to answer inquiries) that I got previously when I requested a transfer to Cairo. They want proof of residence in the country where we want the interview to take place. Otherwise, the case will remain assigned to Warsaw. Total bull. As if we have residency in Poland....

So, at this point it looks like a Schengen visa is the only viable option, and to apply for one my wife will have to travel back to Russia. 

The email that I wrote to USAKZ@state.gov, which got my wife's case transferred.

Edited June 29, 2023 by TBoneTX
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[blaze203 6]

2 hours ago, BenNomad said:

This thread seems to be losing interest but for whoever is reading, my request to the NVC for a transfer to Almaty or Tashkent was declined. I sent the request via the NVC Inquiry form. I explained the situation clearly, in detail, and asked them to escalate the request to an appropriate level of decision making so that an exception could be made in our case (we are IR-1 but Almaty and Tashkent are designated only for IR-5 unfortunately). Got the same pre-composed reply from LDRM (the contractor hired to answer inquiries) that I got previously when I requested a transfer to Cairo. They want proof of residence in the country where we want the interview to take place. Otherwise, the case will remain assigned to Warsaw. Total bull. As if we have residency in Poland....

So, at this point it looks like a Schengen visa is the only viable option, and to apply for one my wife will have to travel back to Russia. 

We were denied by NVC too but when we emailed Almaty they approved the transfer, so email usakz@state.gov. They emailed us back pretty much within a day or two and our case was transferred and we got an almaty case number within a week. Good luck and keep us posted!!

Edited June 29, 2023 by TBoneTX
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[BenNomad 89]

6 hours ago, Simplytex said:

I'm assuming your case has already cleared NVC 

I'm not DQ yet, but hopefully will be soon. Perhaps it's wise to wait, like you did, until being DQ before writing to Almaty or Tashkent. Thank you for copying the email you sent. That is helpful. And commendable that you, having already completed the process, are still active in this forum and helping others out! 👏

You managed to get transferred to Almaty before it was designated for IR-5 applicants, but I'm still going to give it a try.

 

4 hours ago, blaze203 said:

We were denied by NVC too but when we emailed Almaty they approved the transfer, so email usakz@state.gov. They emailed us back pretty much within a day or two and our case was transferred and we got an almaty case number within a week. Good luck and keep us posted!!

Thanks! Hopefully it will work out for us, too. I see that you are IR-5 though, and whether Almaty will still accept IR-1 cases remains to be seen. It really baffles me why the State Dept made the decision to designate Almaty and Tashkent only for IR-5 (transferring from Warsaw) cases. 

 

And is there a reason why there is no mention of Tashkent in all the discussions of Warsaw case transfers? I'm going to request a transfer to Tashkent, too, maybe write to them first, and then to Almaty if Tashkent doesn't take the case.