Consular Processing Interview Location Questions

[Beandango 0]

Hello!

So, my husband and I have a few questions regarding how interviews work. We're still at the beginning of this process but we thought we'd get this cleared up early on. For background, he is Russian living in Armenia. He only really has 6 months to stay in Armenia before he has to probably go back to Russia for a bit, although it's all really uncertain. There's a chance he could get his passport and go to Georgia for a bit and then reenter armenia later, but he doesn't have a passport and if he tries to get one while in Russia, he will no doubt be dragged into the war, since he hasn't done his required military conscription yet anyway, and if he tries to get one from armenia, we're completely unsure if they'd issue him one. But I guess that's a separate issue. Basically, we have no idea where he will be in the future. Maybe still in Armenia, maybe Georgia, maybe Russia in the worst case scenario. We're hoping to get an expedite since he's displaced due to the war but i've heard its unlikely, since he's russian and not ukrainian. 

If we start this process now and he has to leave Armenia after he submits his greencard app, then where is the interview located? Is it just whatever US embassy or consulate is near him, or would he need to reschedule the interview to match where he currently is? I've also seen conflicting information about where russian citizens are getting processed. I heard that he would have to do everything in Poland but I've also seen that he just needs to use whatever embassy is closest to him. Is it that if he's physically in russia he needs to go to poland and if he's still in armenia he goes to the US embassy in armenia? It's a really confusing situation, so any thoughts or information to help us out would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[SalishSea 17,829]

3 hours ago, Beandango said:

Hello!

So, my husband and I have a few questions regarding how interviews work. We're still at the beginning of this process but we thought we'd get this cleared up early on. For background, he is Russian living in Armenia. He only really has 6 months to stay in Armenia before he has to probably go back to Russia for a bit, although it's all really uncertain. There's a chance he could get his passport and go to Georgia for a bit and then reenter armenia later, but he doesn't have a passport and if he tries to get one while in Russia, he will no doubt be dragged into the war, since he hasn't done his required military conscription yet anyway, and if he tries to get one from armenia, we're completely unsure if they'd issue him one. But I guess that's a separate issue. Basically, we have no idea where he will be in the future. Maybe still in Armenia, maybe Georgia, maybe Russia in the worst case scenario. We're hoping to get an expedite since he's displaced due to the war but i've heard its unlikely, since he's russian and not ukrainian. 

If we start this process now and he has to leave Armenia after he submits his greencard app, then where is the interview located? Is it just whatever US embassy or consulate is near him, or would he need to reschedule the interview to match where he currently is? I've also seen conflicting information about where russian citizens are getting processed. I heard that he would have to do everything in Poland but I've also seen that he just needs to use whatever embassy is closest to him. Is it that if he's physically in russia he needs to go to poland and if he's still in armenia he goes to the US embassy in armenia? It's a really confusing situation, so any thoughts or information to help us out would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

How is he ‘displaced due to the war’?  
 

Russia is the aggressor in the ear, and it is not occurring on Russian soil.

 

it is premature to worry about the embassy, since you’re at least two years away from that.  Since the Moscow consulate has to close, the default consulate for Russians to interview at has been Warsaw.  He could potentially get permission to interview at a different embassy, but again- you’re ages away from that.

 

He won’t be ‘submitting a green card app’ at an embassy anyway; you will be petitioning him for a spousal visa via a lockbox located in the US.

 

He will not be issued a US visa without a passport.

 

I recommend you educate yourself about US immigration and the spousal visa process by reading the guides.   Becoming informed can save you time and money, and even a possible denial.

[Beandango 0]

31 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

How is he ‘displaced due to the war’?  
 

Russia is the aggressor in the ear, and it is not occurring on Russian soil.

 

it is premature to worry about the embassy, since you’re at least two years away from that.  Since the Moscow consulate has to close, the default consulate for Russians to interview at has been Warsaw.  He could potentially get permission to interview at a different embassy, but again- you’re ages away from that.

 

He won’t be ‘submitting a green card app’ at an embassy anyway; you will be petitioning him for a spousal visa via a lockbox located in the US.

 

He will not be issued a US visa without a passport.

 

I recommend you educate yourself about US immigration and the spousal visa process by reading the guides.   Becoming informed can save you time and money, and even a possible denial.

Thanks. Like I said, I wanted to get some answers early on. I'm not the most educated individual on this, which is why I came here. Yes, of course I am submitting the petition first, I know that much. I was asking about later when he, as the applicant, has to submit his application for the green card after the petition approval. We don't know where he will be in that time and if we do manage to get an expedite then it could happen sooner than we expect. 

He is displaced. He fled his country trying not to be forced into active battle and he may be forced to go back. Putin is the aggressor, not Russian people trying to get away from war. Obviously, my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people with the war on their soil, but there are victims on both sides. I don't think we'll get the expedite but I'll try my very best to. And yes, the war is actually also on Russian soil too, not that it entirely matters. 

I'm trying my best to educate myself here. I've never been through this process and sometimes I'm getting conflicting information. Telling me I shouldn't worry about something that I'm trying to educate myself on isn't helping. 

Edit for clarity: Maybe I wasn't clear, but by "green card app" I do mean specifically the part of the spousal visa process where he would submit his application for the green card. I know I do the I-130 petition, it goes to the NVC, I submit my affidavit of support, he submits his green card app, interview, etc etc. I have tried my best to educate myself and I came here to help me better understand some of the later parts of this process since some sources are telling me his interview would be at whatever US embassy or consulate is closest to him. If he's in armenia or any other country, is that interview still in poland? This is the question I was asking. Maybe I don't "need to worry about it" now but this is part of educating myself. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Beandango
clarification

[SalishSea 17,829]

6 minutes ago, Beandango said:

Thanks. Like I said, I wanted to get some answers early on. I'm not the most educated individual on this, which is why I came here. Yes, of course I am submitting the petition first, I know that much. I was asking about later when he, as the applicant, has to submit his application for the green card after the petition approval. We don't know where he will be in that time and if we do manage to get an expedite then it could happen sooner than we expect. 

He is displaced. He fled his country trying not to be forced into active battle and he may be forced to go back. Putin is the aggressor, not Russian people trying to get away from war. Obviously, my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people with the war on their soil, but there are victims on both sides. I don't think we'll get the expedite but I'll try my very best to.

I'm trying my best to educate myself here. I've never been through this process and sometimes I'm getting conflicting information. Telling me I shouldn't worry about something that I'm trying to educate myself on isn't helping. 

Read the guides.

 

I am trying to tell you that you do not need to ‘decide’ or ‘know’ which consulate he will interview at this early in the process.   You can select one on the form, and yet you won’t know for sure until later.

 

Anyone is free to ask for an expedite, but I have yet to see one be granted to a Russian who voluntarily left the country to avoid military service.

 

good luck.

[Redro 4,611]

@Beandango

You are currently married to your partner? Or are you engaged?

First you will file the I-130 petition. Your partner needs to provide his physical address for the last 5 years on this form. 

Generally, what happens is NVC will send his visa application to the consulate associated with the last address he provided on the I-130/I-130A. 

If your partner is able to interview in the country, you don't have to do anything. 

If it is problematic for him to interview there- his allowed time in country is too short (can't schedule medical in good time before interview...) he will have to change his location. 

Your major issue is his passport. He needs his passport for the next step. He won't be able to apply for the visa without one.

And if he is scheduled to interview in Poland he will need a passport to travel to Poland. If you want him to interview in Armenia you will need to provide proof he is a resident of Armenia... tourist visas suffice at times... but he needs the passport before he gets to interview in Armenia. 

 

He needs a passport. Sort out that issue. You have 6-12 months (after filing) to figure it out. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by ROK2USA

[Beandango 0]

4 minutes ago, ROK2USA said:

@Beandango

You are currently married to your partner? Or are you engaged?

First you will file the I-130 petition. Your partner needs to provide his physical address for the last 5 years on this form. 

Generally, what happens is NVC will send his visa application to the consulate associated with the last address he provided on the I-130/I-130A. 

If your partner is able to interview in the country, you don't have to do anything. 

If it is problematic for him to interview there- his allowed time in country is too short (can't schedule medical in good time before interview...) he will have to change his location. 

Your major issue is his passport. He needs his passport for the next step. He won't be able to apply for the visa without one.

And if he is scheduled to interview in Poland he will need a passport to travel to Poland. If you want him to interview in Armenia you will need to provide proof he is a resident of Armenia... tourist visas suffice at times... but he needs the passport before he gets to interview in Armenia. 

 

He needs a passport. Sort out that issue. You have 6-12 months (after filing) to figure it out. 

Thank you for this, this was helpful. Yes, we are married and going for CR1, since we've been married less than two years. I am almost done with our I-130/I-130A, compiled all of our evidence and just waiting on him to get a good picture. He has an appointment scheduled for getting his passport. There's so many russians doing the same thing there, that when he got the appointment back in February, the closest appointment he was able to get was June 15. Until then we are in limbo, unsure if he can get the passport or not. We've decided that if he cannot get his passport, he'll go back to russia and continue avoiding conscription until he's 27, a little over two years from now, when it's no longer required. This will no doubt give him a couple charges on his record, in fact just him leaving the country without having done his service was enough, but hopefully if we end up having to do that, USCIS will understand that violating russian law isn't very difficult these days. This changes if Russia actually goes through with the rumored mobilization. If that happens, anyone aged 18-55 in russia has to actively be drafted into the war. Obviously, he's not interested in that. In that case, no idea what we're going to do. 

Either way, it's helpful to know where that visa application will be sent to, so he might not have to be in poland after all. (again, if he does get his passport). This gives me a little more reassurance that as long as that passport thing works out, we can figure this out and maybe it wont take 2+ years. 

[Redro 4,611]

1 minute ago, Beandango said:

Thank you for this, this was helpful. Yes, we are married and going for CR1, since we've been married less than two years. I am almost done with our I-130/I-130A, compiled all of our evidence and just waiting on him to get a good picture. He has an appointment scheduled for getting his passport. There's so many russians doing the same thing there, that when he got the appointment back in February, the closest appointment he was able to get was June 15. Until then we are in limbo, unsure if he can get the passport or not. We've decided that if he cannot get his passport, he'll go back to russia and continue avoiding conscription until he's 27, a little over two years from now, when it's no longer required. This will no doubt give him a couple charges on his record, in fact just him leaving the country without having done his service was enough, but hopefully if we end up having to do that, USCIS will understand that violating russian law isn't very difficult these days. This changes if Russia actually goes through with the rumored mobilization. If that happens, anyone aged 18-55 in russia has to actively be drafted into the war. Obviously, he's not interested in that. In that case, no idea what we're going to do. 

Either way, it's helpful to know where that visa application will be sent to, so he might not have to be in poland after all. (again, if he does get his passport). This gives me a little more reassurance that as long as that passport thing works out, we can figure this out and maybe it wont take 2+ years. 

I'm a third country national. So, I always pay attention to cases where the beneficiary has the petition filed when they are not living in their country of birth. 

I'm scheduled to interview in Seoul because I stated I live in Korea on the I-130. The majority of cases I see follow this trend. Even if the beneficiary moves back home they might have issues moving the interview to the home country. 

So, if you file now... and you list his current address in Armenia you should expect him to be scheduled for Armenia. 

In 12 months the situation might change and Russians will not be scheduled for interview in Poland. I would not worry about a year from now. 

Just file the I-130... it can take forever...