Anyone was able to transfer interview from Warsaw?

[Master5 12]

Hello! It would be great to know if anyone was able to transfer I-130 case interview from Warsaw to some other consulate? My understanding is that it's almost impossible to do through email. But what if traveling to Georgia or Armenia and asking the local US consulate directly to accept the case transfer citing exceptional circumstances, anyone tried that?

[jan22 3,056]

2 hours ago, Master5 said:

Hello! It would be great to know if anyone was able to transfer I-130 case interview from Warsaw to some other consulate? My understanding is that it's almost impossible to do through email. But what if traveling to Georgia or Armenia and asking the local US consulate directly to accept the case transfer citing exceptional circumstances, anyone tried that?

Your understanding is not accurate.  The request must be in writing, generally done in an e-mail.  It is highly unlikely that you would gain entry into an immigrant visa unit at an Embassy to make the request in person.

 

The correct procedure to use is described in the "Immigrant Visa Processing -- General FAQs" section of the State Department's website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/immigrant-visas-processing-general-faqs.html#ivp13.  The last question in the FAQ list gives the procedure to use, depending on whether your case is still at NVC or already at the Embassy. 

 

(If this is about a Ukranian applicant, there is specific information at https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/humanitarian-assistance-and-visa-information-for-ukrainians/.)

Edited April 18, 2022 by jan22

[Master5 12]

3 hours ago, jan22 said:

Your understanding is not accurate.  The request must be in writing, generally done in an e-mail.  It is highly unlikely that you would gain entry into an immigrant visa unit at an Embassy to make the request in person.

 

The correct procedure to use is described in the "Immigrant Visa Processing -- General FAQs" section of the State Department's website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/immigrant-visas-processing-general-faqs.html#ivp13.  The last question in the FAQ list gives the procedure to use, depending on whether your case is still at NVC or already at the Embassy. 

 

(If this is about a Ukranian applicant, there is specific information at https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/humanitarian-assistance-and-visa-information-for-ukrainians/.)

Hi, thanks for the reply! Are you saying they won't let a US citizen inside the US embassy to petition for a wife? I know about the "correct procedure", tried it all already, they just don't reply.

[millefleur 5,046]

1 hour ago, Master5 said:

Hi, thanks for the reply! Are you saying they won't let a US citizen inside the US embassy to petition for a wife? I know about the "correct procedure", tried it all already, they just don't reply.

The process your asking about (exceptional circumstances) is what we call DCF here on VJ. The way it works is, you have to email the embassy in advance and get permission that way. There's no physically going to the embassy and asking, they don't allow that.

 

Also, DCF is only for people who have not started the I-130 process already. If you have a pending case, they won't accept it. They will instead tell you to apply for expedited processing with USCIS.

[jan22 3,056]

11 hours ago, Master5 said:

Hi, thanks for the reply! Are you saying they won't let a US citizen inside the US embassy to petition for a wife? I know about the "correct procedure", tried it all already, they just don't reply.

Maybe I misunderstood what you wanted to do -- thought you already had petitioned your wife and  were talking abut the vIsa interview.  What I was trying to say in regard to that was it was unlikely you would be admitted to the Embassy to ask them to accept your wife's immigrant visa case for interview.  You need an appointment to get into the Embassy, unless you have an emergency in an area that the American Citizen Services unit covers (lost passport, victim of a crime, death, etc).  You can't just walk into the Immigrant Visa unit to talk to them.

 

When you say "they" don't reply, are you talking about Warsaw or the other Embassies?  Just to be clear, it is the Embassy you want to accept your case that you should be e-mailing with your request.  If they agree to do so, they will request the file from Warsaw.  

Edited April 19, 2022 by jan22

[Master5 12]

By "to petition for a wife" I meant "to ask", sorry for confusion. Our I-130 case is at NVC currently and it takes forever for them to review it. Basically my question: will it make any difference if we come to Georgian or Armenian embassy in person and ask them to accept our case and conduct the interview there? I have already emailed Georgian embassy visa unit but they don't reply.

[jan22 3,056]

2 hours ago, Master5 said:

By "to petition for a wife" I meant "to ask", sorry for confusion. Our I-130 case is at NVC currently and it takes forever for them to review it. Basically my question: will it make any difference if we come to Georgian or Armenian embassy in person and ask them to accept our case and conduct the interview there? I have already emailed Georgian embassy visa unit but they don't reply.

IMO, it will not help -- especially since your case is not yet at an Embassy, in addition to no appointment to enter the vIsa unit.  There is no action another Embassy can take right now.  They cannot agree to accept a case from Warsaw when Warsaw does not yet gave the case. 

 

With your case still at NVC, per the procedure in the link I posted, you should be contacting NVC, not the Embassy.  You should submit the transfer request in writing (e-mail), along with the proof of eligibility for processing at that Embassy (citizenship, legal residency, other documentation -- since yours is a Russian case (per your profile flag) this could include difficulties posed by the closure of Moscow visa operation and inability to get documentation for travel to Poland, etc, or whatever your reason is).  If you qualify, NVC will transfer/assign your case to your requested Embassy.  

Edited April 19, 2022 by jan22

[Master5 12]

6 hours ago, jan22 said:

IMO, it will not help -- especially since your case is not yet at an Embassy, in addition to no appointment to enter the vIsa unit.  There is no action another Embassy can take right now.  They cannot agree to accept a case from Warsaw when Warsaw does not yet gave the case. 

 

With your case still at NVC, per the procedure in the link I posted, you should be contacting NVC, not the Embassy.  You should submit the transfer request in writing (e-mail), along with the proof of eligibility for processing at that Embassy (citizenship, legal residency, other documentation -- since yours is a Russian case (per your profile flag) this could include difficulties posed by the closure of Moscow visa operation and inability to get documentation for travel to Poland, etc, or whatever your reason is).  If you qualify, NVC will transfer/assign your case to your requested Embassy.  

Thanks for the reply. About the transfer: I spoke to NVC on the phone and they told me they can't initiate the transfer - the embassy first needs to agree to accept the case. I have emailed an expedite request to NVC, let's see if that helps.

 

Related question: sounds like getting Schengen visa to travel to Poland is going to be a problem for a Russian citizen, no? Even if one has an interview letter from US embassy?

[millefleur 5,046]

2 minutes ago, Master5 said:

Thanks for the reply. About the transfer: I spoke to NVC on the phone and they told me they can't initiate the transfer - the embassy first needs to agree to accept the case. I have emailed an expedite request to NVC, let's see if that helps.

You have to email the specific embassy directly and ask if they will take your transfer case. You'll need to provide a reason why Warsaw doesn't work. Many people here have tried but there haven't been many success stories.

 

3 minutes ago, Master5 said:

Related question: sounds like getting Schengen visa to travel to Poland is going to be a problem for a Russian citizen, no? Even if one has an interview letter from US embassy?

You can get a Schengen visa to any Schengen country, it doesn't have to be Poland. Most people here get the visa from Greece, Italy or some other Schengen country and then enter there, and then go onward to Poland.

[Master5 12]

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

You have to email the specific embassy directly and ask if they will take your transfer case. You'll need to provide a reason why Warsaw doesn't work. Many people here have tried but there haven't been many success stories.

 

You can get a Schengen visa to any Schengen country, it doesn't have to be Poland. Most people here get the visa from Greece, Italy or some other Schengen country and then enter there, and then go onward to Poland.

I already emailed Georgian embassy, no reply

 

Anyone was able to get a Polish visa? We are a family with little kids and we'd like to minimize the travel, the youngest one will need a Polish visa too.

[millefleur 5,046]

Just now, Master5 said:

Anyone was able to get a Polish visa? We are a family with little kids and we'd like to minimize the travel, the youngest one will need a Polish visa too.

Many months ago I heard stories here on VJ of some getting humanitarian Polish visas. That was before the invasion though. You'll have to probably reach out to travel agencies or the Polish embassy/consulate in Russia to see what they say is required now or if they're even issuing them to Russians.

 

Supposedly the easiest for Russians right now are Schengen visas via Greece, Hungary or Italy.

[Master5 12]

Jesus, they designated Warsaw as a processing embassy for Russia and it's impossible to get a visa there, what a joke! That's why I'm thinking about transferring the case, but those other embassies don't even reply. Georgian embassy would be perfect as it's designated for CRBA processing - I need it for my youngest kid.

[powerpuff 6,708]

How long has it been since you contacted the Georgian embassy?

[millefleur 5,046]

2 hours ago, Master5 said:

Jesus, they designated Warsaw as a processing embassy for Russia and it's impossible to get a visa there, what a joke! That's why I'm thinking about transferring the case, but those other embassies don't even reply. Georgian embassy would be perfect as it's designated for CRBA processing - I need it for my youngest kid.

I would focus more on the problem of children rather than difficulty getting a Schengen visa. They are aware that Russians need a Schengen visa, they don't seem to care that it creates an extra hurdle. DoS obviously had its reasons for picking Warsaw and they are sticking with it so far.

 

As a USC you can technically do CRBA at any embassy or consulate that offers it. Keep it mind that falls under US Citizen Services, it's not related to immigrant visa processing. They might approve you doing a CRBA in Georgia but still tell your wife she has to go via Warsaw. The immigrant is not entitled to the same rights the USC is, just something to be aware of.

[Simplytex 387]

18 hours ago, Master5 said:

Our I-130 case is at NVC currently and it takes forever for them to review it.

Just a comment on this specific line - right now, yeah the times are long but they are falling. https://visawhen.com/nvc 81 days or less to review, assuming that you filled in all your documents correctly the first time around...

 

I would also suggest/ask, fill in the timeline for your I-130 application on this site - not only it helps us understand where in the process you are, but also helps others understand how long 'true' processing time is. The more data we share, the better informed everyone can be.