Case transfer from Poland

[Qualishment 5]

I don't quite understand how it works. Can I just email other embassies asking them to accept our case or should I email NVC, USCIS and the embassy in Warsaw first? We tried to apply for Schengen visa but got denied so going to Poland is not an option for us anymore. Thank you in advance for any help!

[rikko 93]

1 hour ago, Qualishment said:

I don't quite understand how it works. Can I just email other embassies asking them to accept our case or should I email NVC, USCIS and the embassy in Warsaw first? We tried to apply for Schengen visa but got denied so going to Poland is not an option for us anymore. Thank you in advance for any help!

email other embassies, make a case for yourself

asking "can i get a transfer" is usually a no
asking "can i get a transfer, my fiancee is russian and our assigned embassy is warsaw, which is in a country they cannot legally enter as their schengen has been denied. can you accept our case?" is more likely to get a yes

countries that have high rates of russian speakers or already process other russian cases are more likely to accept transfers, some people are able to get kazakh or uzbek transfers, most people are able to get jerusalem transfers 

if your fiancee has residency elsewhere you can try that, but my fiance has armenian residency and they denied our transfer. some russians in serbia were able to get transfers, though.

the embassy that accepts your case transfer will request your files from warsaw. there is nothing to do on your end regarding that. warsaw will not send it anywhere if you ask, only if another embassy does.

 

[Qualishment 5]

2 hours ago, rikko said:

email other embassies, make a case for yourself

asking "can i get a transfer" is usually a no
asking "can i get a transfer, my fiancee is russian and our assigned embassy is warsaw, which is in a country they cannot legally enter as their schengen has been denied. can you accept our case?" is more likely to get a yes

countries that have high rates of russian speakers or already process other russian cases are more likely to accept transfers, some people are able to get kazakh or uzbek transfers, most people are able to get jerusalem transfers 

if your fiancee has residency elsewhere you can try that, but my fiance has armenian residency and they denied our transfer. some russians in serbia were able to get transfers, though.

the embassy that accepts your case transfer will request your files from warsaw. there is nothing to do on your end regarding that. warsaw will not send it anywhere if you ask, only if another embassy does.

 

Oke, got you. Thank you a lot!

Edited May 28 by Qualishment

[Qualishment 5]

Just a big update about everything. We emailed embassies in every country that doesn't require a visa for Russian citizens. The first embassy that replied was the embassy in Serbia. They actually would accept transfer but they recommended to seek for other options due to their backlog (we'd have to wait a year before scheduling), embassy in Kazakhstan refused to take our case and the embassy in Jerusalem accepted our case without any problem. We sent the picture of denied Schengen visa application though. It took us about a month to transfer our case to Jerusalem - 2 weeks waiting for their response to our request and 2 weeks for the transfer itself. After that we had to wait for 3 weeks before the embassy released slots for scheduling. Then my American fiance called the clinic in Jerusalem to schedule my medical exam which took place 2 weeks before the interview at the embassy.
I recommend if you can to fly to Israel together. It'll make going through the passport control so much easier. I arrived by myself and the stall me for about 2 hours at the passport control even though most of that time I was waiting for my interrogation and for them to give me my passport back. The interrogation took about 15 minutes. If you go alone I highly recommend to print everything you need for the interview before arriving to Israel. The officer asked my to show them the invitation from the embassy, pictures of my American fiance and a copy of his passport. By the end of it they told me they'll call the embassy and that I should just wait. In about 40 minutes I got my passport back.

About medical exam - the only thing I was nervous about is COVID-19 vaccine since they specify in an email they send you that you have to have it. BUT they make exemptions for Russians. I actually lacked another necessary vaccine but they just gave it to me at the clinic. They told me to get the results at the day of my interview in the morning which concerned me a bit because the website says the clinic opens at 8AM and my interview was supposed to be at 8AM as well. But if you just want to receive the results you can go to the clinic at around 7AM.

If you're a male you have to have your Russian military documents with you. It was a surprise for some so now they specify it in the list of required documents when you receive a email from the embassy. The interview itself took about 20 minutes and I was asked questions about how we met, our plans for the future, etc. Expected questions for a couple. By the end of the interview the officer congratulated me and said they're going to approve my visa in about 10 days. And in 10 days I received an email with invitation to get my passport back with visa in it at the embassy.

The passport control in the US was pretty easy. I just gave a package I received at the embassy to the officer and he asked me only once question - Where are you going to live? And that's it.

I just want to thank everyone on this forum for their posts and help. God the process should not be that stressful. And special thanks to @rikko. Your experience and your advice helped us a lot. I hope your case will be approved soon and you can leave all that nonsense behind.

[TBoneTX 45,591]

6 hours ago, Qualishment said:

Just a big update about everything.  [...]

What a wonderfully helpful, detailed write-up!  Many folks here will benefit from it.

The only thing better is the positive outcome.   

[rikko 93]

On 11/29/2024 at 1:19 AM, Qualishment said:

I recommend if you can to fly to Israel together. It'll make going through the passport control so much easier. I arrived by myself and the stall me for about 2 hours at the passport control even though most of that time I was waiting for my interrogation and for them to give me my passport back. The interrogation took about 15 minutes. If you go alone I highly recommend to print everything you need for the interview before arriving to Israel. The officer asked my to show them the invitation from the embassy, pictures of my American fiance and a copy of his passport. By the end of it they told me they'll call the embassy and that I should just wait. In about 40 minutes I got my passport back.

I just want to thank everyone on this forum for their posts and help. God the process should not be that stressful. And special thanks to @rikko. Your experience and your advice helped us a lot. I hope your case will be approved soon and you can leave all that nonsense behind.

Some things about Israeli passport control I wanna add for future applicants:

1. If the Russian beneficiary is travelling alone, it may not be enough to bring the invitation and proof of intent. One of my fiancé's coworkers was trying to enter Israel for a US work visa interview, and despite showing proof of this, he was detained with laptop/phone confiscated and only allowed the phone back to purchase his own trip back to Armenia. Russians have a high rate of overstay in Israel so they often turn Russians away before entry even occurs (which doesn't count as a deportation as you never even entered.)
2. We were stopped for 15-20 minutes while exiting Israel, which I worry may cause issues when/if we are called back to the embassy for visa/updated medical. We genuinely didn't know Bethlehem was in West Bank regarding our medical, and they really grilled my fiancé about what he was doing in West Bank, with 3-5 officers coming to make sure his story stayed consistent. Russian beneficiaries should do their best to do the medical in Jerusalem like you did to avoid any potential problems if they need to exit and re-enter Israel in the future. 

Also, I'm glad for the outcome! You'll be making many good memories in the US, and I'm sure I will be looking to your posts about the process once in the US for help, too. Work authorization, naturalization, etc. I'm glad my posts were of help to you, and I hope we'll continue helping those who come after us.