Interview at Warsaw embassy - case transfer from Moscow

[Wouter 141]

14 hours ago, Yuliya.99 said:

Wow that is very stressful… I hope you are able to get a spot. Maybe they’ll take into consideration the fact that your interview is so soon. 

The Warsaw clinic only had a spot for us on Friday, October 1st, which would mean the results would unlikely be ready by her interview on Monday, October 4th, which would mean we would have to wait several days after the interview until the embassy received and processed the medical information before they could issue the visa.

However, the clinic in Krakow did have a spot on Monday, September 27th, which will give us a week. Although that may still be cutting it fairly close it might just work out or at least have less of a delay (knock on wood!).

(My impression is that the clinic in Krakow is actually a much bigger operation than the family clinic in Warsaw, with more capacity. So even though it's a 4 hour drive / 30 minute flight from Warsaw it may be a good alternative option to keep in mind)

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by Wouter

[Yuliya.99 28]

12 hours ago, Wouter said:

The Warsaw clinic only had a spot for us on Friday, October 1st, which would mean the results would unlikely be ready by her interview on Monday, October 4th, which would mean we would have to wait several days after the interview until the embassy received and processed the medical information before they could issue the visa.

However, the clinic in Krakow did have a spot on Monday, September 27th, which will give us a week. Although that may still be cutting it fairly close it might just work out or at least have less of a delay (knock on wood!).

(My impression is that the clinic in Krakow is actually a much bigger operation than the family clinic in Warsaw, with more capacity. So even though it's a 4 hour drive / 30 minute flight from Warsaw it may be a good alternative option to keep in mind)

 

Oh okay I see. It’s good to know there are options. Did the Moscow clinic not have spots available or is it more convenient for your wife to do the exam in Poland? 

[Wouter 141]

4 hours ago, Yuliya.99 said:

Oh okay I see. It’s good to know there are options. Did the Moscow clinic not have spots available or is it more convenient for your wife to do the exam in Poland? 

That's a good question. The Moscow clinic had a spot on Sept 29 but for Moscow you need enough time (at least a week but probably better to expect 10 days) for the medical results to be ready in an envelope that needs to be picked up or mailed to your house. With the interview on Oct 4th there was just no way the medical results would be ready on time to be taken to the interview in Warsaw. (I wished I had known about Moscow being an option earlier so she could have just gotten her medical exam done there ahead of time). In Poland the clinics send the medical results directly to the US embassy, there is no need to pick up an envelope and take it with you to the interview.

Part of this challenge is that we only got notified of the interview 19 days in advance, instead of the 4 weeks that I expected. (Ironic that you have to wait so extremely long and then have to hurry and hustle at the last moment)

[Yuliya.99 28]

2 hours ago, Wouter said:

That's a good question. The Moscow clinic had a spot on Sept 29 but for Moscow you need enough time (at least a week but probably better to expect 10 days) for the medical results to be ready in an envelope that needs to be picked up or mailed to your house. With the interview on Oct 4th there was just no way the medical results would be ready on time to be taken to the interview in Warsaw. (I wished I had known about Moscow being an option earlier so she could have just gotten her medical exam done there ahead of time). In Poland the clinics send the medical results directly to the US embassy, there is no need to pick up an envelope and take it with you to the interview.

Part of this challenge is that we only got notified of the interview 19 days in advance, instead of the 4 weeks that I expected. (Ironic that you have to wait so extremely long and then have to hurry and hustle at the last moment)

Thank you for this information! 
you mention that if you had known about the Moscow option your wife would have done the exam ahead of time, is that possible to do without having the interview date? From what I’ve read, you need to have the invite to the interview to schedule the medical exam. Is this incorrect? 
 

Also yes it is insane how little time some people have. We can try to prepare everything we can ahead of time but for those of us who need to get a schengen visa along with also scheduling the medical exam I have no idea how everything can be fit into less than a month. Hopefully all goes well. 

[Wouter 141]

36 minutes ago, Yuliya.99 said:

Thank you for this information! 
you mention that if you had known about the Moscow option your wife would have done the exam ahead of time, is that possible to do without having the interview date? From what I’ve read, you need to have the invite to the interview to schedule the medical exam. Is this incorrect? 

Yes, another great point. The instructions do say you need a scheduled interview to be able to make a medical exam appointment but I heard from several people that in reality they do allow you to make the appointment without having an interview scheduled. Especially when you are DQ'd. (After all, they are getting paid for doing it and if you do it too early and the medical exam expires it is your problem and you have to go and pay again). So I would definitely call the IOM in Moscow and ask them if you can already make the appointment now, it's worth a try.

 

[solstice 6]

We have received a notice from the embassy in Warsaw saying they will accept the request we made to transfer my wife's son's case from Moscow. YES!!!

[TBoneTX 45,288]

Yes!  Hoorah!   

[solstice 6]

Is it advisable and can you get a medical exam in Moscow if your interview will be in Warsaw?

[Wouter 141]

7 hours ago, solstice said:

Is it advisable and can you get a medical exam in Moscow if your interview will be in Warsaw?

According to this page of the US Embassy & Consulate in Poland:

https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/medical-examination/

"As of September 8, 2021, applicants who are processing their immigrant visa case in Warsaw may visit a panel physician in Moscow for the required medical examination" 

 

I can't say if it is advisable and I haven't heard of anyone who has actually done it in Moscow and subsequently took their medical envelope to Warsaw (I am guessing it is still too recent for anyone to take this option). I can imagine though that they opened this possibility because the clinic in Warsaw may be getting overwhelmed with Russians transferring their case to Warsaw and needing a medical.

 

 

 

[incognito2880 2]

On 9/17/2021 at 4:38 PM, solstice said:

We have received a notice from the embassy in Warsaw saying they will accept the request we made to transfer my wife's son's case from Moscow. YES!!!

which email address did you sent your request to??

 

 

[solstice 6]

We sent an email off to support@ustraveldocs.com 

 

[solstice 6]

Got a notice today that my son's case has been transferred to Warsaw with a new Case ID - WRW

[millefleur 5,046]

On 9/22/2021 at 12:49 PM, solstice said:

Got a notice today that my son's case has been transferred to Warsaw with a new Case ID - WRW

Great news!

[Wouter 141]

Hello everyone, my Russian wife and I are currently in Poland preparing for the visa interview in Warsaw on Oct 4th and I thought it may be useful to hear some of our experiences so far.

We first travel to Zurich because my wife still has a multi-entry Schengen  visa from Switzerland from a previous trip. We arrived on 9/24.

On 9/25 she did a Covid Rapid Test in Zurich (my wife is not vaccinated)

On 9/26 we flew from Zurich to Warsaw. At the check-in they wanted to see my wife's negative covid test and the Schengen visa in her passport (even though this was a flight between two Schengen countries). Upon arrival in Warsaw there were border control officers standing in the corridor checking everyone's passport and negative covid test or vaccination record. There was no mention of a quarantine requirement.

The same day we flew to Krakow for the medical exam (there were no timely slots available for the medical exam in Warsaw).

On 9/27 my wife had appointments for blood test at 1 pm, x-ray at 2 pm, and to see the doctor at 7 pm. We showed up at the iMed24 medical center early at 11 am and it was no problem to do the blood test and x-ray earlier. We could pay for the tests by credit card. They only took one tube of blood sample and urine sample was no longer required (apparently this has changed) and then the x-ray. We were done by noon and were told to come back at 6:30 PM to collect a CD-ROM with the digital X-ray and wait for the doctor.

At 6:30 PM we picked up the CD-ROM and at about 7:00 the doctor could see my wife. It was a very simple exam which mostly involved answering questions.

My wife needed two vaccination shots: DTP and measles which were administered by the nurse right there.

We had to pay the doctor 300 polish zloty (cash only, no Euros or USD) and then pay for the vaccinations separately which could be done by credit card.

The nurse prepared all the medical documents right there for my wife and put them in a sealed envelope which we are to bring to the interview in Warsaw.

We also got to take the CD with the X-ray data with us.

I asked the doctor about the requirement for Covid vaccination after October 1st and he said that there were no updated instructions yet and since the medical exam was done in September he would sign off based on the current vaccination rules that do not require covid vaccination,  and that when it comes to the medical exam the decision of the doctor is final and that the consular officer does not have the authority to overrule or question that decision, so that this would not be a problem.

Now we are going to Warsaw and prepare for the interview next Monday, October 4th.

Some of my conclusions:

- entering Poland from another Schengen country is not a problem for a Russian if you have a Schengen visa and a recent negative Covid test. Be prepared to have your documents checked several times.

- doing the medical exam in Krakow is a hassle because of the traveling but it works and they are pretty efficient in getting it done. It is nice to get the envelope with the medical documents in a sealed envelope the same day so you can hand it over at the interview. Because of this, in hindsight, it was not necessary to have 7 days between the medical exam and the interview.

- if you do the medical exam in Krakow make sure to have 300 polish zloty in cash with you for the doctor.

 

[JurisDoctor 2]

On 8/6/2021 at 9:29 AM, Wouter said:

transferred

Good topic. How does one's case transferred from Moscow embassy to any other.?

1. Do I have to send a "Public inquiry" to NVC?

If yes, can someone share a good sample of the inquiry?

2. Transfered automatically?

3. How is the transfer destination country is determined? If alien fiancee was born in Kazakhstan, is she eligible only for transfer to Kaz? Or there is other way to determine that?

My (actually, my friend's) case: K-1. Just received NOA-2 on 9.25.21 ( case was sent to NVC).

Edited September 28, 2021 by JurisDoctor