How to change the USA embassy for IR1/CR1 after I-130 submitted?

[Mishekebeshe 2]

Is it possible to change the interview location after I-130 petition is filed? We are still waiting for petition approval and would prefer to do it now rather than when it’s approved

[Crazy Cat 41,759]

1.  You have to wait until the case has been created at NVC.  Until then, there will be no DOS case number assigned.  

2.  After the case is at NVC, you must contact the NVC and new consulate and ask for the change.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Crazy Cat

[SteveInBostonI130 3,429]

8 minutes ago, Mishekebeshe said:

Is it possible to change the interview location after I-130 petition is filed? We are still waiting for petition approval and would prefer to do it now rather than when it’s approved

 

Please note, no matter what you put for the embassy, NVC will assign the embassy/consulate based on the beneficiary's current address.  You can change that after it's been assigned.

[Mishekebeshe 2]

5 minutes ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

 

Please note, no matter what you put for the embassy, NVC will assign the embassy/consulate based on the beneficiary's current address.  You can change that after it's been assigned.

Thanks for the response. My beneficiary is from Iran and there is no USA embassy or consulate in Iran. Usually for immigrant visas, USA embassies in Ankara, Abu Dhabi and Yerevan handle the cases so I am not sure how NVC chooses in this case. I see Abu Dhabi seems to be slow so would prefer to change it to Yerevan now as it seems to be just slightly better for interview appointments. 

[Crazy Cat 41,759]

Just now, Mishekebeshe said:

I see Abu Dhabi seems to be slow so would prefer to change it to Yerevan now as it seems to be just slightly better for interview appointments. 

As I said, the new consulate will have to agree to accept your case. 

[Mishekebeshe 2]

15 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

1.  You have to wait until the case has been created at NVC.  Until then, there will be no DOS case number.  

2.  After the case is at NVC, you must contact the NVC and new consulate and ask for the change.

Thanks, I see. That makes sense. have you tried doing this change when case is with USCIS still? 

[SteveInBostonI130 3,429]

9 hours ago, Mishekebeshe said:

Thanks, I see. That makes sense. have you tried doing this change when case is with USCIS still? 

You cannot change consulates at the USCIS stage. They do not make assignments. Only the NVC.  

 

For Iran I have noticed that they typically assign Ankara.  After the NVC creates the case number and assigns the consulate, you can contact them to change it.

[cokezerofan9150 2]

On 2/3/2023 at 7:39 AM, Mishekebeshe said:

Thanks for the response. My beneficiary is from Iran and there is no USA embassy or consulate in Iran. Usually for immigrant visas, USA embassies in Ankara, Abu Dhabi and Yerevan handle the cases so I am not sure how NVC chooses in this case. I see Abu Dhabi seems to be slow so would prefer to change it to Yerevan now as it seems to be just slightly better for interview appointments. 

I think it does not matter so much since usually if you are Iranian, you get put in a separate queue, at least for Abu Dhabi, but idk about the others. I know that Turkey seems fast for example but its not fast for non citizens of Turkey, and you should research this, but this is what I just gathered from going around forums.

[Mishekebeshe 2]

7 hours ago, cokezerofan9150 said:

I think it does not matter so much since usually if you are Iranian, you get put in a separate queue, at least for Abu Dhabi, but idk about the others. I know that Turkey seems fast for example but it’s not fast for non citizens of Turkey, and you should research this, but this is what I just gathered from going around forums.

Correct that is why I am trying to change it from Abu Dhabi to another location. At this point I would rather to wait until I-130 is approved then checking the visa wait times again at that time. Things might change by then you never know. An embassy that might be slow now might actually be faster 7-8 months from now. 
 

do you know any source/website that tracks the wait times for embassies/consulates around the world? The link below from DoS does not show wait times for IR1/CR1 cases? 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html

[cokezerofan9150 2]

18 hours ago, Mishekebeshe said:

Correct that is why I am trying to change it from Abu Dhabi to another location. At this point I would rather to wait until I-130 is approved then checking the visa wait times again at that time. Things might change by then you never know. An embassy that might be slow now might actually be faster 7-8 months from now. 
 

do you know any source/website that tracks the wait times for embassies/consulates around the world? The link below from DoS does not show wait times for IR1/CR1 cases? 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html

Well, there is a thread here discussing Abu Dhabi wait times, you can't get DQ to IL wait times easily, it's by word of mouth, like from the timelines posted here.