NEWSFLASH: Frankfurt now designated as transfer Embassy for Ukrainians, other options possible?

[millefleur 5,046]

I'm copy/pasting this from the Warsaw Embassy and will highlight the important points so it's easier to read:

https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/humanitarian-assistance-and-visa-information-for-ukrainians/

 

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

If you are seeking information about immediate humanitarian assistance in Poland:

• There are no visas for refugees for travel to the United States.
• Almost all refugee cases in countries abroad are first processed by local authorities, in this case the government of Poland.
• Please visit the government of Poland webpage for information about resources: https://www.gov.pl/web/udsc/ukraina-en.  This website provides the locations of official reception points along Poland’s border with Ukraine.
• Additional information is available from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR): https://help.unhcr.org/poland/, including information about non-governmental organizations that may be able to provide additional assistance.
• In Warsaw, those seeking information on support from the Polish government can direct inquires to the Office for Foreigners (Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców).
  • Phone: +48 47 721 75 75,
  • Web: https://www.gov.pl/web/udsc/ukraina
  • Email: ukraina@udsc.gov.pl

VISA SERVICES IN POLAND

IMMIGRANT VISAS

If you are a  U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident with a Ukrainian relative  seeking to travel to the United States on an immigrant visa:

• If you have an I-130 petition approved by USCIS pending processing at the National Visa Center (NVC) and want to transfer it to another Embassy, the designated processing post for Ukrainian Immigrant Visas is now United States Consulate General Frankfurt, Germany.  You may request expedition and transfer from the National Visa Center:  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/nvc-contact-information.html
• If you have not yet filed a petition but wish to do so, you may contact U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt to inquire regarding possible local filing (this applies only to U.S. citizens filing petitions for their spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents).  Both the petitioner and the applicant must be present in Germany.
• If you have an immigrant visa case that has already been transferred from NVC to Kyiv for the appointment and processing and you would like it to be processed in Frankfurt, please send an email request with your case number (KEV+10 digits) to U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt.
• If you a question about an immigrant visa case that is already in process at U.S. Embassy Warsaw, please email support-Poland@ustraveldocs.com.

If you are a U.S. citizen with a Ukrainian fiancée/fiancé seeking to travel to the United States on a K1 visa:

• If you have already filed a petition with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that was not yet approved, U.S. law prohibits U.S. embassies from accepting K visa petitions (I-129F) for local filing abroad. USCIS must first approve K visa petitions. However, you can request an expedite for USCIS processing at https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-make-an-expedite-request

NONIMMIGRANT VISAS

Before applying for a nonimmigrant visa, consider carefully whether you are qualified for the visa you intend to apply for.  Nonimmigrant visas are for temporary stays in the United States and are not for refugees.  There are no nonimmigrant visas for refugees.  If you apply for a nonimmigrant visa but do not intend to leave the United States, your application will be refused.

If you are not qualified for a nonimmigrant visa, you may wish to refer to the humanitarian assistance information above.

If you are a Ukrainian who wants to travel to the United States or a U.S. citizen who has friends, business associates, or NON-IMMEDIATE family who want to travel to the United States on a nonimmigrant visa:

• Demand is extremely high, availability is low, and wait times and processing times are likely to be very lengthy. You may wish to refer to the humanitarian relief information above.
• If you already have an appointment at U.S. Embassy Warsaw but wish to expedite it, you may request expedition via https://www.ustraveldocs.com/pl/en/expedited-appointment.
• If you already began a nonimmigrant visa application process in Ukraine, you may send a request to Support-Poland@ustraveldocs.com to ask for transfer of your “profile” to Warsaw, after which you should be able to continue the process for a Warsaw appointment.
• If you are seeking but do not already have an appointment visit https://www.ustraveldocs.com/pl/en/step-4 and sign up for the first available appointment of the type you are eligible for.

If you are a  U.S. citizen with a Ukrainian spouse or child  seeking to travel to the United States on a  nonimmigrant visa

• If you are unable to schedule an appointment via methods described above, you may instead request a “group appointment” via https://ustraveldocs.com/pl/en/group-appointments and suggest a date convenient for you. Once you have submitted your request, please wait for a response from the Embassy, which will come via email and should permit you to schedule an appointment.

• • The group appointment option is only available for a  U.S. citizen with a Ukrainian spouse or child. Other applicants who apply for the group method will be refused.

 

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by millefleur

[slavaskii 886]

Very interesting that Frankfurt is designated as the transfer. Seems like quite a good idea, but man, do I feel awful for Ukrainians. I feel like most were planning on staying in the border countries in the interim. It will be very sad if they feel compelled to continue on to Germany now...

[JeanneAdil 6,505]

Thank u for this information

[millefleur 5,046]

Other US embassies in Europe are supposedly take transfers. Here's a list of places to reach out to:

 

3 hours ago, Cschaef25 said:

 

Here are the addresses I corresponded with to receive my transfer request inquiries:

- Italy(Naples) 

IVNaples@state.gov

- Slovakia(Bratislava) 

Bratislavaiv@state.gov

- Poland(Warsaw)

ACSWarsaw@state.gov

- Romania(Bucharest)

visasbucharest@state.gov

- Hungary(Budapest)

acs.budapest@state.gov

Edited 3 hours ago by Cschaef25

[MarineH 1]

So I read everything possible but I still don’t know how to contact the embassy. Should I send i131 to the embassy in Frankfurt? Or should I call them? What are the steps for humanitarian parole. 
Ukrainian LPR currently in Germany. Run away from Ukrainian couple days ago.

[millefleur 5,046]

42 minutes ago, MarineH said:

So I read everything possible but I still don’t know how to contact the embassy. Should I send i131 to the embassy in Frankfurt? Or should I call them? What are the steps for humanitarian parole. 

Contact info:

https://de.usembassy.gov/contact/#frankfurt

U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt

 

Gießener Str. 30
60435 Frankfurt am Main
Federal Republic of Germany
Phone: (069) 7535-0

 

We are closed on German and American holidays.

 

Special Consular Services and Passports:

Contact the American Citizen Services Section.

 

Visas (both immigrant and nonimmigrant):

For general visa questions and information on how to apply, click here

For inquiries about a specific case that we are processing, contact our Visa Unit

 

Public Affairs: IRCFrankfurt@state.gov

 

Social Security Administration:
Contact the Federal Benefits Unit

[millefleur 5,046]

@MarineH also see this:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEvNF5RK-2bvqW7SicenUtdxrPxl-4XfdyfR6FWoC3uNRk4g/viewform

 

INFORMATION FOR UKRAINIAN CITIZENS OR NATIONALS SEEKING SERVICES IN GERMANY:

Information can also be found on our website at https://de.usembassy.gov/ukrainians-in-germany/

If you or your relative has fled from the armed conflict in Ukraine and is looking for United States visa service in Germany, please contact the U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt by emailing us at FrankfurtVisaInquiries@state.gov using the following subject line: C22 - UKRAINE - FULL NAME.

Please provide us with your full name, date and place of birth as it appears on your passport or other travel document, along with the details of your situation, including whether you are the spouse, child, son, daughter, or parent of a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (“green card” holder).

We will respond to you as soon as practicable with any guidance we can provide you.

[O&R 5]

Thank you! Did anyone happen to inquire, would the interview in Frankfurt be in English/German only, or do they have staff present from Ukrainian embassy and Ukrainian/Russian would be available? 

Thanks!

[millefleur 5,046]

More updates:

https://de.usembassy.gov/ukrainians-in-germany/

_______________________________________

 

March 4, 2022

Visa Information for the People of Ukraine in Germany

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE  

If you are seeking information about immediate humanitarian assistance in Germany:

In Germany, those seeking information on support from the German government can direct inquires to the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF)   https://www.bamf.de/DE/Themen/AsylFluechtlingsschutz/ResettlementRelocation/InformationenEinreiseUkraine/informationen-einreise-ukraine-node.html;jsessionid=AB979C45128FF9C0F790BB08C2F6F842.internet572  

For information about seeking refugee and asylum status in the United States, please see Refugees and Asylum | USCIS

For information about humanitarian parole to the United States, please see https://www.uscis.gov/forms/explore-my-options/humanitarian-parole
 

INFORMATION FOR U.S. CITIZENS COMING FROM UKRAINE: Ukraine Crisis (state.gov)

VISA SERVICES IN GERMANY FOR UKRAINIAN CITIZENS OR NATIONALS 

IMMIGRANT VISAS  

 

If you are a  U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident with a Ukrainian relative  seeking to travel to the United States on an immigrant visa: 

• The designated processing post for all Ukrainian Immigrant (IV), Diversity Lottery-2022 (DV)  and K-1 (fiancé/e) visas is the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany.  All Ukrainian IV, DV, and K cases are urgent.  Frankfurt is processing all Ukrainian cases on a first-in, first-out basis and is not granting individual expedite requests at this time, except in cases such as those where the applicant has an immediate life-threatening medical condition that can be treated only in the United States.

• If you have an I-130 petition approved by USCIS pending processing at the National Visa Center (NVC) and want to transfer it to another U.S. embassy or consulate, you may request expedition and transfer from the National Visa Center:  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/nvc-contact-information.html    

• If you have not yet filed a petition but wish to do so, you may contact U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt at frnuscisinquiries@state.gov to request local filing in Frankfurt.  Please note that Frankfurt is only accepting I-130 petitions filed by U.S. citizens on behalf of their spouse, child(ren) (under age 21) or parent(s).  Both the petitioner and the applicant(s) must be physically present in Germany.  

• If your immigrant visa case was already transferred from NVC to Kyiv for the appointment and processing, it will automatically be transferred to Frankfurt.

• If you have a question about an immigrant visa case that is already in process at U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt, please see our VISAS Navigator   

If you are a U.S. citizen with a Ukrainian fiancée/fiancé seeking to travel to the United States on a K1 visa: 

 

You must have an approved I-129F from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before applying for a K-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.  If you filed an I-129F petition with USCIS that has not yet been approved, you can request an expedite for USCIS processing at https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-make-an-expedite-request .  U.S. consulates and embassies are not authorized to accept locally filed I-129F petitions.  

 

NONIMMIGRANT VISAS 

 

There are no nonimmigrant visas specific to those who have fled the armed invasion of Ukraine and are seeking to travel to the United States temporarily.   

Before applying for a nonimmigrant visa, you should consider carefully whether you qualify for the visa for which you intend to apply.  Most nonimmigrant visas are for short-term temporary stays in the United States and to qualify, you must show that you have strong ties to your home country and a residence abroad that you do not intend to abandon. 

If you wish to apply for a nonimmigrant visa, please note the following:  

• Demand is extremely high, availability is low, and wait times and processing times are likely to be very lengthy.  You may wish to refer to the humanitarian relief information above.

• If you already have an appointment for a visa interview in Germany but wish to expedite it, you may request expedition via https://ustraveldocs.com/de/de-niv-expeditedappointment.asp   

• If you already began a nonimmigrant visa application process in Ukraine, you may send a request to support-germany@ustraveldocs.com to ask for transfer of your “profile” to Germany, after which you should be able to continue the process for an appointment in Germany. 

• If you are seeking but do not already have an appointment visit https://ustraveldocs.com/de/de-niv-appointmentschedule.asp and sign up for the first available appointment of the type you are eligible for.  

[RnJ2021 59]

" All Ukrainian IV, DV, and K cases are urgent"

 

Does this mean that NVC will automatically expedite review of a submitted case and transfer to Frankfurt for scheduling?

Edited March 10, 2022 by RnJ2021
add adverb

[RussiaMidwest 5]

I wonder what that means for other immigrant visas that are being processed in Frankfurt - will those be pushed back/put on hold to deal with requests from Ukrainian citizens first, or will those still be processed in due time, albeit slower due to increased workload?

[millefleur 5,046]

14 minutes ago, RussiaMidwest said:

I wonder what that means for other immigrant visas that are being processed in Frankfurt - will those be pushed back/put on hold to deal with requests from Ukrainian citizens first, or will those still be processed in due time, albeit slower due to increased workload?

I imagine if they moved it to Frankfurt specifically it is because they do have staff there to take on the extra work. There still might be delays just due to the transition period. Hopefully as more VJ members go via Frankfurt we will get a better idea of wait times as they update here. 

[Boiler 45,499]

I assume they have moved staff to Germany, but there are a lot of expedites which will clog the system.

[millefleur 5,046]

DCF for Ukrainians and USC relatives living abroad is now available!!

 

[RnJ2021 59]

Three weeks since we submitted and no action at NVC. I did request expedite because of the war. Other than the proforma response, no response on that. So I am going to assume that Ukraine is not prioritized at NVC and we have to wait the normal 12-14 weeks for NVC processing. 

 

Watch me be wrong AFTER I return to the USA from Frankfurt.