Troubleshooting the Post-NVC Stage [Warsaw]

[slavaskii 886]

Hi all, so I've been messaging this question around but remain very confused and was hoping to get some help in the main forum. So after calling for my case number yesterday, I logged into USATravelDocs for Poland and went to schedule the interview; I had not made a DS-160 for the K1 yet, though a B2 DS-160 was begun almost a year ago that was since abandoned. To my surprise, I was only asked to select immigrant or non-immigrant, the particular visa type, and then complete the 'personal information' for the beneficiary (which only asked for Priority Date and nothing else). After doing this, I was asked to pay the $235 MRV fee and it immediately took me to the scheduler. I selected the earliest date and bam, complete.

 

Upon pulling up the confirmation page later, however, I noted that the B2 DS-160 was listed - despite never having selected it anywhere. So, currently, my fiancee has an interview scheduled with Warsaw for a K1 but with the wrong DS-160 listed. We also were never asked, neither on the DS-160 nor on the USATravelDocs site, for the case number or invoice number. Only our USCIS number was asked on the DS-160 we are currently filling out for the K1.

 

My questions are as follows:

 

(1) I noted that it's apparently a problem with people that have existing B2 applications, that the K1 appointment will wrongly select the old DS-160 on file. Is there a way to change this? Can I call TravelDocs and have them manually update it to the correct one, when it's complete? Will this require me cancelling my interview slot (and, if yes, would I be able to just re-select it immediately after)?

 

(2) Are the case number/invoice number referenced at all on the DS-160 or on TravelDocs? I can find no place to put them. This is very, very strange to me, as all of these steps could've been done well in advance of even having an approval (perhaps this step is embassy-specific?). In other words, for Warsaw, I did not need to call NVC to get to the stage I'm at now.

 

(3) As a general question, how will Warsaw know to request my case if nothing I've entered has the case number in it? Do they just request all pending visa cases from NVC, and on the date of the interview they somehow match the passport number to the petition and pull it up? My main concern is that there's absolutely nothing linking our current appointment and our particular K1 case file at NVC, apart from the passport number and the fact I selected a K1 interview. 

 

Thank you sincerely in advance, from someone incredibly stressed and confused.

Edited March 18, 2022 by slavaskii

[ryvfader 45]

Call TravelDocs ASAP and explain the situation, highly recommend your fiance do this as I had a lot of issues with getting resolutions anytime I called them. I wish I could say whether it's an issue or not but it's best to get proactive with it now. Our response times when TravelDocs had to contact the embassy ranged from flatout ignored to over a month. 

 

For case numbers, I'm not sure there, I remember when we completed her DS-160 I made a point to basically plaster the WRW and USCIS case numbers into any box it could be pertinent in. 

 

For your last general question I actually have better specifics. The NVC actually told me specifically Warsaw is accepting cases and it would be sent out within a week when I called to get my NVC case numbers, so I assume it's sent automatically if the embassy is open for that visa type. The embassy can pull up any present or past information and at this point I would bet retirement money also applications and issued visas based off her PII in the I-129F. So if they pull her up they should see she has a DS-160 for a K1 submitted as well. I have somewhat strong reason to believe they are reviewing these prior to her interview as well and they will see it. HOWEVER, call and get clarification on your situation ASAP, send emails, get a firm response. I know Warsaw is considered a better embassy but our experience has been a nightmare with them and you're too close to getting closure in all of this to trust them to get it right. 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by ryvfader

[slavaskii 886]

14 minutes ago, ryvfader said:

Call TravelDocs ASAP and explain the situation, highly recommend your fiance do this as I had a lot of issues with getting resolutions anytime I called them. I wish I could say whether it's an issue or not but it's best to get proactive with it now. Our response times when TravelDocs had to contact the embassy ranged from flatout ignored to over a month. 

 

For case numbers, I'm not sure there, I remember when we completed her DS-160 I made a point to basically plaster the WRW and USCIS case numbers into any box it could be pertinent in. 

 

For your last general question I actually have better specifics. The NVC actually told me specifically Warsaw is accepting cases and it would be sent out within a week when I called to get my NVC case numbers, so I assume it's sent automatically if the embassy is open for that visa type. The embassy can pull up any present or past information and at this point I would bet retirement money also applications and issued visas based off her PII in the I-129F. So if they pull her up they should see she has a DS-160 for a K1 submitted as well. I have somewhat strong reason to believe they are reviewing these prior to her interview as well and they will see it. HOWEVER, call and get clarification on your situation ASAP, send emails, get a firm response. I know Warsaw is considered a better embassy but our experience has been a nightmare with them and you're too close to getting closure in all of this to trust them to get it right. 

 

 

Thank you incredibly for your response! I've heard such varying things about contacting Warsaw. Some say they're super great to get in touch with, others not so much. I myself was on hold with them for almost an hour and a half this morning before getting disconnected. Really strange; I had called Romania (where we previously had an account) the day before and got through nearly instantaneously.

 

Thank you as well for your insight in the WRW number! There was one spot specifically where the USCIS number was to go, and I was sure to put it there. But there was nothing for the WRW number, iirc. I still have the application open, I can review again. But there was nothing at all listed about NVC, which I thought to be odd... on your appointment confirmation, if you have one, does it have your DS-160 listed, the case number, or both? Mine is completely correct minus the wrong DS-160. Again, my principle stress comes from the fact there's nothing linking my USATravelDocs account to the actual petition - a bot could've literally done what I did with 0 information. 

 

And I appreciate your information about NVC! Ironically, I just got off the phone with them after a literal two hour wait I'm the USC petitioner, it's midnight now lol. They said pretty much everything is out of their hands at this point, but as you said, Warsaw is just now taking a bunch of them too. If, as you said, they're probably reviewing cases as they arrive, I'll make sure we get that K1 DS-160 finished ASAP this weekend. Particularly so when I call back TravelDocs, I have something I can suggest them to change it to.

 

Last and tangential point - I saw what you wrote about Packet 3 being sent to the wrong place. I'm sorry to hear about the mess-up. I have been very confused about if Packet 3 gets sent or not, but that confirms it, I guess. My fiancee left Belarus for Poland very, very recently, around when we got to NVC, so I've asked NVC to update the address and so far they've been pretty good. Did you absolutely need Packet 3 for the interview, though? I know of several Belarusian applicants who are doing everything without it (I myself, for instance, just scheduled the medical for next month, the earliest spot). Thank you SO MUCH for your responses (and sorry for the overload!) - I wish you the best, best of luck. 

[ryvfader 45]

Our packet 3 had the following..

 

Email stating the petition is now ready for final processing for the named fiance's in the case, instructions to go to ustraveldocs and pay the K visa application fee online then schedule an appointment and to complete the DS-160.

One attachment in Russian with the medical exam instructions, One document with instructions for the other general requirements like police certificates. 

IMBRA in Russian

Approved I-129F with all of USCIS's notes on it

 

So nothing that you would really require to make an appointment if you already know what you need. 

 

From the delivery date to when they sent the initial email to the wrong address was about 1.5 weeks. So technically they were ready for our interview 1.5 weeks after the petition was delivered It updated several times during that time before finally going to the "Ready" status. We did submit the DS-160 hoping it would trigger something a few weeks after this after not being able to get a hold of anyone through traveldocs and not getting responses to support requests traveldocs told us were elevated to the embassy. 

 

The packet for us was sent by email, and when our stuff was sent to the NVC I also updated our contact information and addresses with them then called and verified it was all updated prior to them actually processing the petition and again when I got the NVC number and found out it was already forwarded for shipping. Warsaw embassy just flatout ignored that information and instead sent the packet to a almost decade old email address used when she applied and was issued a US visa in an entirely different country. I've also received updates on other peoples visas when emailing to find out what is going on with ours.

 

They are very friendly and well meaning but I think between coming out of COVID backlogs, and having responsibility for Poland, Belarus and Russia they are overwhelmed and their quality control has gone out the window. Not to mention being the defacto go-to embassy with Ukraine now even if Frankfurt is technically supposed to be taking over. 

 

I do remember specifically on the DS-160 putting that information in the "Has anyone ever petitioned a visa for you" box, we put yes then in the dialog box to explain your answer put in all caps that this visa is a part of a K1 petition and put both the NVC and USCIS case numbers there as well as repeated my information as the fiance. Granted we didn't get a visa so who knows if that was the right idea. 

 

Unfortunately I don't have the appointment confirmation that I can look at to give you an answer on what ours had linked to it. 

[slavaskii 886]

11 hours ago, ryvfader said:

Our packet 3 had the following..

 

Email stating the petition is now ready for final processing for the named fiance's in the case, instructions to go to ustraveldocs and pay the K visa application fee online then schedule an appointment and to complete the DS-160.

One attachment in Russian with the medical exam instructions, One document with instructions for the other general requirements like police certificates. 

IMBRA in Russian

Approved I-129F with all of USCIS's notes on it

 

So nothing that you would really require to make an appointment if you already know what you need. 

 

From the delivery date to when they sent the initial email to the wrong address was about 1.5 weeks. So technically they were ready for our interview 1.5 weeks after the petition was delivered It updated several times during that time before finally going to the "Ready" status. We did submit the DS-160 hoping it would trigger something a few weeks after this after not being able to get a hold of anyone through traveldocs and not getting responses to support requests traveldocs told us were elevated to the embassy. 

 

The packet for us was sent by email, and when our stuff was sent to the NVC I also updated our contact information and addresses with them then called and verified it was all updated prior to them actually processing the petition and again when I got the NVC number and found out it was already forwarded for shipping. Warsaw embassy just flatout ignored that information and instead sent the packet to a almost decade old email address used when she applied and was issued a US visa in an entirely different country. I've also received updates on other peoples visas when emailing to find out what is going on with ours.

 

They are very friendly and well meaning but I think between coming out of COVID backlogs, and having responsibility for Poland, Belarus and Russia they are overwhelmed and their quality control has gone out the window. Not to mention being the defacto go-to embassy with Ukraine now even if Frankfurt is technically supposed to be taking over. 

 

I do remember specifically on the DS-160 putting that information in the "Has anyone ever petitioned a visa for you" box, we put yes then in the dialog box to explain your answer put in all caps that this visa is a part of a K1 petition and put both the NVC and USCIS case numbers there as well as repeated my information as the fiance. Granted we didn't get a visa so who knows if that was the right idea. 

 

Unfortunately I don't have the appointment confirmation that I can look at to give you an answer on what ours had linked to it. 

Huh... thank you so much for this insight! It is good to know nothing important was in Packet 3. For this reason I already went ahead and scheduled the interview and medical the day after we received our case number from NVC; at least for us, TravelDocs didn't want anything at all. NVC on the phone last night said that every embassy is different and some may not need the case/invoice number to proceed. Fiancee visas were 'different' altogether, I was told, and follow their own weird rules.

 

Were you emailing TravelDocs or calling them? I've heard they are far more receptive to calls, and that's been my general experience, too. From prior visas, I know they completely ignore emails, but over the phone things seem to get handled relatively quickly. 

 

In regards to that question on the DS-160, because it specifically asks for 'immigrant' visa, I believe the answer is "no." Although there's so much confusion that I'm sure they're used to alternating answers all the time. Nowhere else, though, do you remember putting the WRW number on the DS-160? So incredibly strange.

 

If I may ask, your timeline suggests you don't have an interview scheduled yet. Were you ever able to do this? It seems like Packet 3 is a mere formality at this point, and that everything can be done on our end without the embassy contacting. So long as our petitions get to Warsaw before the interview, we should be good to go. Which begs the huge, huge question - what prevents someone with, say, a May NOA2 from going into TravelDocs now and signing up for an appointment? The earliest ones are end of July, that's incredibly far. All the instructions contained in Packet 3 are seemingly on the website, and for filers (particularly from Belarus), it behooves us to get things done as quickly as possible due to the volatile situation. 

 

Even if something is wrong with the interview I scheduled, at least I managed to reserve a slot. If TravelDocs says something's wrong, hopefully I can fix it and re-select the time immediately after. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by slavaskii

[ryvfader 45]

Yeah the K1's are strange and seems more of a bolt in process than built in. Essentially they are processed initially as an immigrant visa but then once you're approved and ready to stamp it's transitioned to the non-immigrant visa department then processed as non-immigrant. So it's odd but apparently the best solution they currently have as my guess is it's been done this way for decades. 

 

We were calling and emailing. Initially they outright refused to speak to me since I wasn't the one applying for the visa. After a few tries though I figured out that if I very explicitely state that I am the petitioner for a K1 and have her account and passport information they would help me. However anything they told me would be elevated to the embassy to resolve was never responded to. When my fiance would email them this would get sent to the embassy correctly within 1-2 weeks. We could speed that up by her emailing then me calling the next day and having them pull up her email, see they can't do anything with it, then send it to the embassy then rather than wait for them to get to it in all the other emails they receive. 

 

She interviewed in November and was given a 221(g) for 15 years of travel, work and address history. Lifetime passport history, expanded family history, and expanded email, social media, and telephone number history. No progress since then. 

 

I don't think anything really prevents you from scheduling appointments before getting your Appointment elegibility letter except the confirmation that everything is completed on their end to process the petition prior to the interview. It may be the reason why it defaulted to the prior DS-160 as well for the associated application. 

 

I agree as well, when you're looking at thousands in travel expenses at this point for Belarusians and Russians to make it to Warsaw and a rapidly developing iron curtain it's in their best interest to get things sorted as quickly as possible. 

 

If you would like I can redact sensitive information from the appointment eligibility letter and attachments so you can look over them and see if you've covered all your bases except having the invitation in hand. I'm curious as well if not having the appointment confirmation letters make any difference to scheduling and getting everything in advance. 

[slavaskii 886]

1 hour ago, ryvfader said:

Yeah the K1's are strange and seems more of a bolt in process than built in. Essentially they are processed initially as an immigrant visa but then once you're approved and ready to stamp it's transitioned to the non-immigrant visa department then processed as non-immigrant. So it's odd but apparently the best solution they currently have as my guess is it's been done this way for decades. 

 

We were calling and emailing. Initially they outright refused to speak to me since I wasn't the one applying for the visa. After a few tries though I figured out that if I very explicitely state that I am the petitioner for a K1 and have her account and passport information they would help me. However anything they told me would be elevated to the embassy to resolve was never responded to. When my fiance would email them this would get sent to the embassy correctly within 1-2 weeks. We could speed that up by her emailing then me calling the next day and having them pull up her email, see they can't do anything with it, then send it to the embassy then rather than wait for them to get to it in all the other emails they receive. 

 

She interviewed in November and was given a 221(g) for 15 years of travel, work and address history. Lifetime passport history, expanded family history, and expanded email, social media, and telephone number history. No progress since then. 

 

I don't think anything really prevents you from scheduling appointments before getting your Appointment elegibility letter except the confirmation that everything is completed on their end to process the petition prior to the interview. It may be the reason why it defaulted to the prior DS-160 as well for the associated application. 

 

I agree as well, when you're looking at thousands in travel expenses at this point for Belarusians and Russians to make it to Warsaw and a rapidly developing iron curtain it's in their best interest to get things sorted as quickly as possible. 

 

If you would like I can redact sensitive information from the appointment eligibility letter and attachments so you can look over them and see if you've covered all your bases except having the invitation in hand. I'm curious as well if not having the appointment confirmation letters make any difference to scheduling and getting everything in advance. 

My goodness, I'm so, so incredibly sorry to hear about the 221(g) mess and how you've been waiting since November. I hope that gets straightened out immediately. Please tell me they didn't keep her passport with them this whole time? It's so stressful imagining getting one of those when you have to interview at a foreign embassy. And thank you for letting me know about getting through to Warsaw. Hopefully, as my problems seem to be more 'technical' (that is, dealing solely with the website), they'd be a bit more willing to help. I do agree that nothing that needs to be asked of the embassy gets answered, though. I'm not sure why it's almost impossible to talk to a human nowadays.

 

The chances to get to Poland are rapidly diminishing, so it's confusing why anything is still being mailed. NVC is quite clear, as you said, that K1 is a 'strange' visa, so if it's not immigrant then we should just be getting instructions electronically and be on our way. And yes, if you would be so kind, I would be quite interested in seeing that letter No rush though, as I think you've already explained to me what it contained. Had you made a DS-160 prior to receiving it? One thing I wondered is if making the DS-160 'triggers' Warsaw requesting your case. While the DS-160 doesn't contain the case number, it does the passport, so perhaps that's what puts the gears in motion. Although NVC did suggest Warsaw is just taking everything at this point, so perhaps I'm crazy and someone is manually reviewing/linking everything on arrival.

 

Oh well. It's maddening that the earliest appointment is end-of-July, though. Definitely, my stress from this process comes from the fact appointments are being picked off like flies and any mistake could be highly, highly costly. Thank you millions again.

[ryvfader 45]

Her passport was returned but the instructions she was given were initially very unclear. The 221(g) just said to return with her passport during morning hours without making an appointment. A second sheet asked for the additional information and said to wait to be contacted or 30 days. 

 

The DS-160 at least as of last summer didn't trigger Warsaw requesting the case, as we didn't complete the DS-160 until weeks after our NVC status page already showed the petition as received, processed, and ready for interview by the embassy. At this point they did not have her current passport number but still sent the I-129F and interview welcome package to a decade old email instead of her updated contact information we gave to the NVC. This is why I'm absolutely sure they can pull any data with visas and applications from any embassy in the world based on just general PII vs using the passport number. The email they sent the stuff to was almost a decade old, and used for a visa she got in a different country and they still associated it with her just based off information on the I-129F. AKA: Name, Birthday, Place of Birth. 

 

As for when they are actually linking the DS-160 with the K1 petition. I suspect it's sometime before the interview. As when my fiance did her interview she said it went great and was very easy then was asked to go to another window. There they got a folder from another table and pulled out the 221(g) with her name on it. My tinfoil hat says this had to have been decided prior to her arrival meaning something in the DS-160 had to trigger it rather then an interview problem, it also means they reviewed her DS-160 prior to the interview.