Getting B1/B2 in a different country that your own

[GEOntificator 281]

Hey folks,

 

my father would like to visit me in the US (mom already has a visa) however there are no appointments in my home country. Is it possible to get an appointment in a different country and get a visa there?

 

I hear that Poland allows citizens of other countries obtain visas in US embassies there.

 

Any info, guidance or sources will be highly appreciated. Thank you!

[Crazy Cat 42,033]

The best answer will come from the Consulate in Poland, itself.  Have you contacted them?

[GEOntificator 281]

2 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

The best answer will come from the Consulate in Poland, itself.  Have you contacted them?

We are in the process of finding the best way to do that. In the meantime I wanted to ask here if anyone has experience with it.

[JeanneAdil 6,606]

U.S. Embassy Warsaw: An applicant who is a resident or citizen of Poland should select a “regular” appointment. For B1/B2 appointments only, an applicant who is neither a citizen nor resident of Poland should select a “non-resident” appointment. (For appointments other than B1/B2 all applicants, including those who are not citizens or residents or Poland, should select a “regular” appointment.)  If you do not speak English or Polish, you may choose to bring along an interpreter, but must follow these instructions to facilitate the interpreter’s access to the Embassy: after you have created a profile  on this website and scheduled your appointment, you must send a special request to mailto:support

 

According to the embassy in Poland

 

https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/information-for-non-citizens/

[Coco8 1,042]

I heard Poland is taking appointments from Russian citizens because there's no consulate there. But I don't know if they would take appointments from anyone from any country. 

 

When you say there are no appointments in your home country is it because you have to wait until 2023, like in many consulates around the world, or because they are not giving appointments for anything?

[SalishSea 18,072]

1 hour ago, Coco8 said:

I heard Poland is taking appointments from Russian citizens because there's no consulate there. But I don't know if they would take appointments from anyone from any country. 

 

When you say there are no appointments in your home country is it because you have to wait until 2023, like in many consulates around the world, or because they are not giving appointments for anything?

 

4 hours ago, kvito28 said:

Hey folks,

 

my father would like to visit me in the US (mom already has a visa) however there are no appointments in my home country. Is it possible to get an appointment in a different country and get a visa there?

 

I hear that Poland allows citizens of other countries obtain visas in US embassies there.

 

Any info, guidance or sources will be highly appreciated. Thank you!

They're not going to allow appointments for B visas because you don't want to wait until the next available one in your country, sorry.

 

The situation for Russia is completely different.

[GEOntificator 281]

2 hours ago, Coco8 said:

I heard Poland is taking appointments from Russian citizens because there's no consulate there. But I don't know if they would take appointments from anyone from any country. 

 

When you say there are no appointments in your home country is it because you have to wait until 2023, like in many consulates around the world, or because they are not giving appointments for anything?

Until a week it showed late 2023 but now it just says no available appointments at all. I know there is a lot going on in the world but not being able to see family is good enough reason for them to have a workaround with some of the wait times. 

1 hour ago, Jorgedig said:

 

They're not going to allow appointments for B visas because you don't want to wait until the next available one in your country, sorry.

 

The situation for Russia is completely different.

But there is no next available appointment. It just says no appointments. 

[GEOntificator 281]

4 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

U.S. Embassy Warsaw: An applicant who is a resident or citizen of Poland should select a “regular” appointment. For B1/B2 appointments only, an applicant who is neither a citizen nor resident of Poland should select a “non-resident” appointment. (For appointments other than B1/B2 all applicants, including those who are not citizens or residents or Poland, should select a “regular” appointment.)  If you do not speak English or Polish, you may choose to bring along an interpreter, but must follow these instructions to facilitate the interpreter’s access to the Embassy: after you have created a profile  on this website and scheduled your appointment, you must send a special request to mailto:support

 

According to the embassy in Poland

 

https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/information-for-non-citizens/

Thank you! I read the same info and to me it looks like Poland does allow other nationals to go in for B visa interviews. I just want to see if there is anyone here at all who went through this and what the experience was.

[SalishSea 18,072]

48 minutes ago, kvito28 said:

Until a week it showed late 2023 but now it just says no available appointments at all. I know there is a lot going on in the world but not being able to see family is good enough reason for them to have a workaround with some of the wait times. 

But there is no next available appointment. It just says no appointments. 

Yes, because they release appointments in batches, not all at once.

 

Anyway, since you don’t believe me, why not just apply via the Polish consulate and I’m sure you’ll be fine.

[millefleur 5,047]

1 hour ago, kvito28 said:

Thank you! I read the same info and to me it looks like Poland does allow other nationals to go in for B visa interviews. I just want to see if there is anyone here at all who went through this and what the experience was.

In theory, it's possible according to what Warsaw's embassy website is saying. I do not know of any third country nationals here on VJ who have actually gone the B route through Warsaw, though. Feel free to pay the fee and see if you can get an interview slot in Warsaw, and then let us know your experience, if you manage.

 

UStraveldocs also gives conflicting info, where it says this:

http://cdn.ustraveldocs.com/pl/

 

Applicants who are not citizens of Poland may schedule an interview at U.S. Embassy Warsaw or U.S. Consulate General Krakow only if they currently reside in Poland. Please refer to our visa appointment scheduling page for more information.

 

I'm not really sure what the situation on the ground is. Best thing would be to hear directly from the embassy first to get some clarification.

[GEOntificator 281]

1 hour ago, Jorgedig said:

Yes, because they release appointments in batches, not all at once.

 

Anyway, since you don’t believe me, why not just apply via the Polish consulate and I’m sure you’ll be fine.

I didn't mean to be rude I was just expressing that having a 2 year wait seems to be a lot for a tourist visa.

[GEOntificator 281]

45 minutes ago, millefleur said:

In theory, it's possible according to what Warsaw's embassy website is saying. I do not know of any third country nationals here on VJ who have actually gone the B route through Warsaw, though. Feel free to pay the fee and see if you can get an interview slot in Warsaw, and then let us know your experience, if you manage.

 

UStraveldocs also gives conflicting info, where it says this:

http://cdn.ustraveldocs.com/pl/

 

Applicants who are not citizens of Poland may schedule an interview at U.S. Embassy Warsaw or U.S. Consulate General Krakow only if they currently reside in Poland. Please refer to our visa appointment scheduling page for more information.

 

I'm not really sure what the situation on the ground is. Best thing would be to hear directly from the embassy first to get some clarification.

I am going to try and call/email the consulate directly and collect more info. I will update when I have more details. I do appreciate you researching this!

[SalishSea 18,072]

37 minutes ago, kvito28 said:

I didn't mean to be rude I was just expressing that having a 2 year wait seems to be a lot for a tourist visa.

The wait is that long at many, many consulates worldwide.

[Boiler 45,906]

Last time I saw someone mention it they were looking at a year in London, best to check regularly as cancellations were certainly mentioned as coming up for London, I assume Warsaw works the same way.

[Daisy.Chain 317]

If you could petition him as a parent, he could visit and then surrender his card/abandon status when he's ready to leave. I think the processing time is around a year but it is more expensive. Not sure if you are a US citizen.

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by Daisy.Chain