Received NOA2 after Sydney lockdown started, still do DS-160?

[Chloe99 20]

Hi guys,

 

Obviously the lockdown in NSW probably won’t lift for a while, and so I was wondering what people do who have received their NOA2 after the lockdown started.

 

Once we get our case number from the NVC should we do the DS-160, even though the Sydney consulate isn’t open? Or should we wait until it opens up to submit it?

I’ve seen a lot of mixed opinions and don’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t want to choose the wrong thing and then have my interview be delayed even more than this stupid lockdown is doing. I appreciate any knowledge and input.

 

Thank you!

[JeanneAdil 6,511]

there is no place to submit any documents as the embassy does not have the case

 

the USC can get the IRS transcripts for 2020 taxes in case the interview happens before April 15th of 2022

after that date (if tax returns are not extended) the 2021 taxes will be needed

i say aske for 2020 now as its taking people a long time to get them

Make sure the immigrant has original birth certificate

 

that's all for now

you need to wait till case goes to embassy for the ds 160 as many lately have been asked to redo them when they had to wait a long time

all papers 

criminal report

I 134

ds 160 will be taken to interview

u can not do medical exam until a document is given to u to schedule it and take the paper

 

[AishaniA93 108]

1 hour ago, Chloe99 said:

Hi guys,

 

Obviously the lockdown in NSW probably won’t lift for a while, and so I was wondering what people do who have received their NOA2 after the lockdown started.

 

Once we get our case number from the NVC should we do the DS-160, even though the Sydney consulate isn’t open? Or should we wait until it opens up to submit it?

I’ve seen a lot of mixed opinions and don’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t want to choose the wrong thing and then have my interview be delayed even more than this stupid lockdown is doing. I appreciate any knowledge and input.

 

Thank you!

you beat me to it! Thanks for posting one behalf of all us confused ones! Honestly guess waiting makes more sense anyway. I might look into getting the evidence of ongoing relationship and an updated intent to marry letter done, and maybe get my vaccine serology done from my GP to avoid having to pay the panel physician for vaccine boosters! Praying this ridiculous lockdown lifts sooner rather than later.

 

Thanks for the info @JeanneAdil!

[Aidan and Dylan 5]

Hey there,

 

We're in the same boat--just got to the point of the embassy or NVC giving us our interview date but got an email from the US Embassy in Sydney saying that they are understaffed and working through their backlog and have received our "file", have put us on a waitlist, and will let us know when we are scheduled for an interview--however, my fiance and I are thinking this could take several extra months as it seems like Sydney will continue this lockdown for quite some time. I don't want to lose our place in line but I also want to KNOW what our place in line is so we can think about other potential options...does anyone know how to see where you are in line? I saw something on here about NVC interview wait times on the timelines page all the way at the bottom and it looks to me like it's still in February of 2020 for interviews....Our NOA1 Date was September of 2020, so if that's where the timeline is it seems like we're at least 7 months out from getting to do an interview in Sydney. I'm also wondering if anyone knows if they're currently still interviewing or if it's just all completely shut down? The email I received from the Embassy made it sound like they were working through the backlog, but it was just an automated response and things are changing rapidly over there and that email was from June 30th. EEK! We were so close! This is such a big bummer but we're trying to hang in there best we can and I feel for all the other couples going through this too. Thank you for any info. 

[AishaniA93 108]

51 minutes ago, Aidan and Dylan said:

Hey there,

 

We're in the same boat--just got to the point of the embassy or NVC giving us our interview date but got an email from the US Embassy in Sydney saying that they are understaffed and working through their backlog and have received our "file", have put us on a waitlist, and will let us know when we are scheduled for an interview--however, my fiance and I are thinking this could take several extra months as it seems like Sydney will continue this lockdown for quite some time. I don't want to lose our place in line but I also want to KNOW what our place in line is so we can think about other potential options...does anyone know how to see where you are in line? I saw something on here about NVC interview wait times on the timelines page all the way at the bottom and it looks to me like it's still in February of 2020 for interviews....Our NOA1 Date was September of 2020, so if that's where the timeline is it seems like we're at least 7 months out from getting to do an interview in Sydney. I'm also wondering if anyone knows if they're currently still interviewing or if it's just all completely shut down? The email I received from the Embassy made it sound like they were working through the backlog, but it was just an automated response and things are changing rapidly over there and that email was from June 30th. EEK! We were so close! This is such a big bummer but we're trying to hang in there best we can and I feel for all the other couples going through this too. Thank you for any info. 

They are definitely closed to K1’s - they are currently working through student visas as the school year is about to start in the US. 
 

im not sure what you mean by February 2020 as there are people who had September NOA1’s who had interviews scheduled for July 2021 that were just cancelled due to lockdown. I wouldn’t suggest looking at the visajourney NVC timeline since that might include every consulate including the ones that are severely backlogged like Manila. Sydney had no backlog up until June 2021 - have you joined the Facebook group for Aussie filers? It’s more realistic for our potential timelines. 
 

at this stage it looks like with NSW vaccination rates we COULD be reopening in October. Let’s hope. This means a 3 month backlog for them to work through 🤞🏽
 

Did you have to fill out anything to receive the email from Sydney saying they had received your file? Or did you just do nothing and then got the email? 

[Aidan and Dylan 5]

Hi, thank you! I didn't know about the FB group, I'll be sure to check it out. Yeah I went back to try to find the timeline I was talking about with the February dates and I can't even find it, so I won't rely on that! I didn't do anything different to get the email from the consulate--we just created an account, turned in the DS-160 and paid the fee (by AUS post because the online option wasn't working..so stressful!) and then we were expecting to get our interview date but received that email saying we've been waitlisted and they'd let us know when they will schedule his interview. If you're at that same point, you may want to go ahead and fill out that form and pay to at least get on the wait list. I've attached the notification for your reference. 

 

 

[Aidan and Dylan 5]

Would you mind sending a link to the FB group? 

[AishaniA93 108]

2 hours ago, Aidan and Dylan said:

Hi, thank you! I didn't know about the FB group, I'll be sure to check it out. Yeah I went back to try to find the timeline I was talking about with the February dates and I can't even find it, so I won't rely on that! I didn't do anything different to get the email from the consulate--we just created an account, turned in the DS-160 and paid the fee (by AUS post because the online option wasn't working..so stressful!) and then we were expecting to get our interview date but received that email saying we've been waitlisted and they'd let us know when they will schedule his interview. If you're at that same point, you may want to go ahead and fill out that form and pay to at least get on the wait list. I've attached the notification for your reference. 

 

 

Thanks for that! We only just got NOA2 a week or so ago so we aren’t up to NVC and DS160 yet , I’m actually so torn about what to do. Mixed responses about whether to fill it in and wait list or leave it and wait for the consulate to request that we fill it in 

 

here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/307315123602923/?ref=share

 

this group is excellent  

[Aidan and Dylan 5]

5 hours ago, AishaniA93 said:

They are definitely closed to K1’s - they are currently working through student visas as the school year is about to start in the US. 
 

im not sure what you mean by February 2020 as there are people who had September NOA1’s who had interviews scheduled for July 2021 that were just cancelled due to lockdown. I wouldn’t suggest looking at the visajourney NVC timeline since that might include every consulate including the ones that are severely backlogged like Manila. Sydney had no backlog up until June 2021 - have you joined the Facebook group for Aussie filers? It’s more realistic for our potential timelines. 
 

at this stage it looks like with NSW vaccination rates we COULD be reopening in October. Let’s hope. This means a 3 month backlog for them to work through 🤞🏽
 

Did you have to fill out anything to receive the email from Sydney saying they had received your file? Or did you just do nothing and then got the email? 

How did you know the info. about Sydney's backlog? I'm trying to figure out approximately where my fiance and I are at in line. 

[AishaniA93 108]

18 minutes ago, Aidan and Dylan said:

How did you know the info. about Sydney's backlog? I'm trying to figure out approximately where my fiance and I are at in line. 

From what people have said on that facebook page. There were a few people who had NOA1's from September 2020, NOA2's from around April 2021 that had interviews scheduled in July that got cancelled. So I assume people had interviews from July and August, but maybe not from September onwards. 

 

I'm not entirely sure how to figure out where you could be in line, but if you had an appt scheduled which was then cancelled, you would be one of the first to be rescheduled once we open. In a few weeks I will be waiting at the NVC too, and I assume there are QUITE a few of us who will be in that position. I think at that point the city you/your fiance live in will play a part. I live in Sydney, so I have no issues getting to the medical/consulate. Others who may live in other cities face the additional issue of border closures and having to get exemptions even just to come to NSW, and then having to quarantine on their return home. 

[Sharmarine 50]

My NOA1 was on September 4th 2020, NOA2 on March 31st 2021. My interview was scheduled to be held on July 13th, it was cancelled on June 25th. So now I wait for my interview to be rescheduled once Sydney reopens again, thankfully I haven't been waitlisted. Western Australia's premier has classed NSW/Sydney as being an 'extreme risk', so has significantly tightened the border closure. This means that nobody coming into WA from Sydney, will be allowed in except under very limited circumstances. So that means I'll have to give up everything here, in order to attend the interview, and hope with all my might that it will be successful. For if it isn't, I'll have lost everything. 

 

I really don't think that there would be a way to know exactly where you are placed in the line, but it might be possible to get some idea of where you could be. That doesn't help much I know 🤦‍♀️ The Facebook group which AishaniA93 mentioned in her comment above, is very helpful and informative, with friendly members who are at different stages of the K1 Visa process. I do recommend joining it. 😊

[Aidan and Dylan 5]

12 hours ago, Sharmarine said:

My NOA1 was on September 4th 2020, NOA2 on March 31st 2021. My interview was scheduled to be held on July 13th, it was cancelled on June 25th. So now I wait for my interview to be rescheduled once Sydney reopens again, thankfully I haven't been waitlisted. Western Australia's premier has classed NSW/Sydney as being an 'extreme risk', so has significantly tightened the border closure. This means that nobody coming into WA from Sydney, will be allowed in except under very limited circumstances. So that means I'll have to give up everything here, in order to attend the interview, and hope with all my might that it will be successful. For if it isn't, I'll have lost everything. 

 

I really don't think that there would be a way to know exactly where you are placed in the line, but it might be possible to get some idea of where you could be. That doesn't help much I know 🤦‍♀️ The Facebook group which AishaniA93 mentioned in her comment above, is very helpful and informative, with friendly members who are at different stages of the K1 Visa process. I do recommend joining it. 😊

Hi Sharmarine,

 

So you are currently in WA and if you get a notification your interview is back on and you leave to go to Sydney, you're risking it all basically because no one from Sydney would be allowed back in WA, correct? If that's so, yeah this is the same thing my Fiance is experiencing since he's currently in Margaret River. That's a tough situation because you'd literally have to move somewhere else until things changed. I've joined the FB group and you and AishaniA93 are right, it's a great group of people and a relief to not be alone in this mess. I've seen some threads where people are looking into applying for the B2 passport as a temporary fix while they wait for their interview appt. and then you'd be able to leave from Perth instead of Sydney, but it means coming back at the right time for the interview. Not sure if that's interesting to you but I think it's an option (I hope!) for anyone who just NEEDS to see their loved one. I know I do! We have a meeting tomorrow morning with our lawyer (who is in Pensacola, Florida, by the way--saw your profile says Jacksonville) and I will know more about our other options mid-morning tomorrow. Another route we may go is for my fiance to get his British Passport because he's eligible, but doing so and going that route would mean we lose our place in the que for the interview and we had similar NOA dates to yours so it feels very close...but so far away. Not sure what to do but I will reply here if I find any work around. 

[Sharmarine 50]

8 hours ago, Aidan and Dylan said:

Hi Sharmarine,

 

So you are currently in WA and if you get a notification your interview is back on and you leave to go to Sydney, you're risking it all basically because no one from Sydney would be allowed back in WA, correct? If that's so, yeah this is the same thing my Fiance is experiencing since he's currently in Margaret River. That's a tough situation because you'd literally have to move somewhere else until things changed. I've joined the FB group and you and AishaniA93 are right, it's a great group of people and a relief to not be alone in this mess. I've seen some threads where people are looking into applying for the B2 passport as a temporary fix while they wait for their interview appt. and then you'd be able to leave from Perth instead of Sydney, but it means coming back at the right time for the interview. Not sure if that's interesting to you but I think it's an option (I hope!) for anyone who just NEEDS to see their loved one. I know I do! We have a meeting tomorrow morning with our lawyer (who is in Pensacola, Florida, by the way--saw your profile says Jacksonville) and I will know more about our other options mid-morning tomorrow. Another route we may go is for my fiance to get his British Passport because he's eligible, but doing so and going that route would mean we lose our place in the que for the interview and we had similar NOA dates to yours so it feels very close...but so far away. Not sure what to do but I will reply here if I find any work around. 

Yes that is correct. It will be such a big gamble to undertake for the sake of an interview, but it's a risk worth taking. I'll have to literally give up everything that I have here, travel to Sydney for my interview and hope that it's successful, then apply for an exemption to leave Australia. Either way that it goes, I'll be in a place where I know absolutely nobody. So it's quite a daunting prospect. Your fiance lives in a beautiful part of WA. My fiance and I briefly considered applying for a B2 Visa, but decided that the risk of possibly not being able to return to Australia for my interview in time, due to the cost of flights and that they are limited, along with the reduced flight caps, made it seem not worthwhile. I would absolutely love the chance to visit him again, 18 months apart is just much too long. However having to say goodbye again would be unbearable. So we have decided to wait instead. Our attorney is in Ocala Florida. I've often wished that we had chosen the spouse visa, but we're not going to give up the K1 now, we have come too far. 

[AishaniA93 108]

7 hours ago, Sharmarine said:

Yes that is correct. It will be such a big gamble to undertake for the sake of an interview, but it's a risk worth taking. I'll have to literally give up everything that I have here, travel to Sydney for my interview and hope that it's successful, then apply for an exemption to leave Australia. Either way that it goes, I'll be in a place where I know absolutely nobody. So it's quite a daunting prospect. Your fiance lives in a beautiful part of WA. My fiance and I briefly considered applying for a B2 Visa, but decided that the risk of possibly not being able to return to Australia for my interview in time, due to the cost of flights and that they are limited, along with the reduced flight caps, made it seem not worthwhile. I would absolutely love the chance to visit him again, 18 months apart is just much too long. However having to say goodbye again would be unbearable. So we have decided to wait instead. Our attorney is in Ocala Florida. I've often wished that we had chosen the spouse visa, but we're not going to give up the K1 now, we have come too far. 

I live in Sydney, I got you!  

[Sharmarine 50]

15 hours ago, AishaniA93 said:

I live in Sydney, I got you!  

You're wonderful, thankyou 😊