Timelines not updated, or no progress?

[Simplytex 387]

Just spent some time browsing timelines for folks in Russia, primarily the IR/CR-1's, but k1's as well.

 

Seems like there are quite a lot from late 2019/2020 which showed noa2 but didn't get updated anymore, guessing because of the lack of interviews after the Moscow embassy closed? But even still, I would have thought those would have gone to NVC/waiting for consulate assignment?

 

But even out of the noa1s which don't show noa2 (but I would have thought they would by now), not sure how many are folks who didn't continue and just did something else. Or is there really still a big backlog of folks waiting for NOA2? Because it seems like there's been a couple folks from this year who have had success getting processed.

[FJinSD 14]

From an inside source (state department - very high level) - do not expect any immigration visa services from the U. S. embassy in Moscow (or any consulate in Russia) for the foreseeable future. 

Some chatter about moving cases to adjacent countries. Nothing official. 

I expect years of delays. 

We are likely going to a third country to live as a family. I don't like it but it is the reality of the world now. 

[Simplytex 387]

Not sure I understand you correctly, but i know that the Moscow embassy itself as well as the two satellite offices won't be issuing visas... It's pretty clear that Russians will be having to go to Warsaw to get them.

 

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my question, but I was more curious on whether the lack of progress/updates on Russian timelines in VJWl was due to external factors like 1) Covid/overall USCIS slowdown or 2) US embassy closure, or personal factors, like people deciding to pursue other options. 

 

I know that some members here have continued to go after IR/CR1 visas successfully (even two from beginning of this year with a lot of progress) so I'm wondering for the rest of the filers from 2019/2020, how come timelines haven't made any progress...

[slavaskii 886]

9 hours ago, Simplytex said:

Not sure I understand you correctly, but i know that the Moscow embassy itself as well as the two satellite offices won't be issuing visas... It's pretty clear that Russians will be having to go to Warsaw to get them.

 

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my question, but I was more curious on whether the lack of progress/updates on Russian timelines in VJWl was due to external factors like 1) Covid/overall USCIS slowdown or 2) US embassy closure, or personal factors, like people deciding to pursue other options. 

 

I know that some members here have continued to go after IR/CR1 visas successfully (even two from beginning of this year with a lot of progress) so I'm wondering for the rest of the filers from 2019/2020, how come timelines haven't made any progress...

I can't really speak to IR/CR1, but NOA2s across the board are taking a super long time right now. I'm almost 9 months out on my I-129F petition for K1, but that's a reflection of USCIS and not Minsk. Belarusian applicants were being forwarded to Warsaw to begin with and from what I heard, Warsaw was accepting from petitions from NVC pretty much as they rolled in. 

 

In terms of Russians, I guess their petitions were just being stalled at NVC because they couldn't go onwards to Moscow, and those waiting for scheduling at Moscow were basically being told to continue waiting (while simultaneously not being allowed to transfer anywhere). As I understand, the biggest problem for Russians is that they've literally had no option for a year, and now the State Department finally designated a new place for them. 

 

If you're looking at timelines from 2019/2020, it's definitely an issue of both 1) and 2), but I'd reckon a lot of people probably gave up after not getting any direction. My philosophy was to file in early 2021 rather than 2020 because a) there was nowhere to send the petition to last year and b) people were reporting incredibly long NOA1 times and not being able to get any updates on their petitions. If it wasn't for the current, unexplained slowdown at CSC I'd reckon I'd have wagered correctly, but oh well. Hindsight being 20/20, I guess. 

 

I think you're going to see many more Russian delays due to vaccination and visa requirements for Poland. As I've said many times before, making Warsaw the default embassy for Russians is really confusing, as Kazakhstan's embassies literally remained open for 99% of the pandemic and are far better equipped to handle new cases. Belarus already sends everything to Warsaw, so why burden them further? 

 

Not a good time to be an Eastern European filer. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by slavaskii

[Strawberrymermaid 346]

I think people just stop updating their timelines on here, or they just change course which is what I did.

[millefleur 5,046]

4 hours ago, Strawberrymermaid said:

I think people just stop updating their timelines on here, or they just change course which is what I did.

Sadly VJ timelines are not the most reliable as a lot of people forget to update or stop using the site.

 

On 11/20/2021 at 6:57 PM, slavaskii said:

I think you're going to see many more Russian delays due to vaccination and visa requirements for Poland. As I've said many times before, making Warsaw the default embassy for Russians is really confusing, as Kazakhstan's embassies literally remained open for 99% of the pandemic and are far better equipped to handle new cases. Belarus already sends everything to Warsaw, so why burden them further? 

It's a rather baffling choice. I don't think we'll ever get an explanation behind why they went with Warsaw.