Rescheduling CR1 interview to a later date?

[pizzapancake 2]

Hello, due to some family matters I am considering rescheduling my CR1 interview to later in the year. I've read on visajourney that most people just wait until their interview appointment has passed before rescheduling a new interview, however, when I contacted my embassy, they've been giving me conflicting advice.

 

They first mentioned that "The visa appointment cannot be re-scheduled unless the failure to appear for the interview is due to reasons beyond the applicant’s control, such as serious personal illness" and that if I fail to appear at the interview, my case will be cancelled "subject to Section 203(g) of the US immigration and Nationality Act".  However, after asking for more information, I was told that I could reschedule my appointment on their online system, and that I should check their schedule periodically for future appointment slots.

 

Has anyone had experience with rescheduling their interview at a later date, and were there any issues with this? Or is completely depending on each embassy's rules/policies? I'm just very worried of breaking any rules and potentially jeopardizing my visa, and the embassy only allows communication via email so there's been a lot of back and forth communication and the rules are super confusing.

 

Thank you!

[Crazy Cat 41,774]

Personally, I would take the chance,  Each consulate has its own policy for re-scheduling.  Personally, I would attend the scheduled interview, if possible.  You have the option of entering the US to "activate" the visa, then returning to your country to tie up loose ends.  Just an idea.  

[Dashinka 24,466]

I agree with @Crazy Cat, I would keep you current interview date, and go through with it.  The US bureaucracy can be very unforgiving if one hand does not know what the other hand is doing, and to avoid that potential headache, it is advisable not to try and mess with that bureaucracy.

 

Once you have your visa, you will have 6 months from the time of the medical exam to actually use it which can help with both tying up loose ends< and possibly avoiding the I751 process if your 2nd wedding anniversary falls within that window.

 

Good Luck!

[Mike E 11,739]

6 hours ago, pizzapancake said:

Has anyone had experience with rescheduling their interview at a later date, and were there any issues with this?

You cannot put the interview off indefinitely.

 

There was a post in March of 2023 where someone kept delaying the IR-1 visa interview, and the embassy canceled the I-130. Unfortunately, this post appears to have been deleted.

 

I suggest you complete the interview, get the visa, use it, file for a re-entry permit, wait for the receipt, and return to your country of origin.

 

 

[Gitana 11]

I think it depends on the Embassy. I have delayed my interview from February  2015 to November  2019 in Kyiv. I just had to email embassy every 6 month to keep my case alive.

[Mike E 11,739]

27 minutes ago, Gitana said:

I think it depends on the Embassy. I have delayed my interview from February  2015 to November  2019 in Kyiv. I just had to email embassy every 6 month to keep my case alive.

Were you documentarily qualified?

[Redro 4,611]

5 hours ago, Gitana said:

I think it depends on the Embassy. I have delayed my interview from February  2015 to November  2019 in Kyiv. I just had to email embassy every 6 month to keep my case alive.

You’re correct. It depends on the embassy. But, timing also plays a factor. Some applicants (from the same embassy) are extremely lucky and won’t have any issues while others might have a problem finding an appointment.
Best bet would be for @pizzapancake to seek out experiences from people interviewing out of Hong Kong… another option might be to see if they can move the interview to the UK (if they need to return to the UK for a few months.)

Edited July 11, 2023 by Redro

[Sofitalian 134]

From my experience of reaching the US Consulate in Hong Kong often got conflicting answers. If you called their lines and talked to someone, you might get different answers from different people. If I were you, I would go for the interview.