Going to the embassy interview with my wife, is it possible?

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Some Embassies positively forbid the fiancé(e) or spouse from attending. They fear the petitioner will "tip" the beneficiary to the correct answers. They want to render their decision by the beneficiary's answers without you. Personally, I'd think they'd welcome it, as it shows committment. They could just politely ask you to sit in silence and allow the beneficiary to answer the questions.

[wintime 0]

If I went it would be just to show commitment to the interviewer, since I have been more then 2 years away from my wife. and this point really concern me.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

I know the Embassy in Moscow forbids it. They will not even allow the petitioner in the door to the interview area. You are told to wait outside the main gates.

If I went it would be just to show commitment to the interviewer, since I have been more then 2 years away from my wife. and this point really concern me.

[wintime 0]

but acording to Urge to Race post in another thread, which he took from the empassy info link in VJers, I have the chance to go with my wife to the interview if that happen in Addis, Ethio

[C and J 1]

but acording to Urge to Race post in another thread, which he took from the empassy info link in VJers, I have the chance to go with my wife to the interview if that happen in Addis, Ethio

Yes, but it does vary by consolute/embassy. London will not let them into the interview either. In fact, there have been mentions of not even being allowed into the embassy building (only letting in those mentioned on the interview letter).

If you are going to be interviewed at an embassy that will let you in, you are lucky

[My Lao Po 0]

USCIS is not involved in the decision. It is up to the consular post to decide if they permit this or not.

Yes, you are correct.

Once the file leaves the USCIS regional service center, and goes to the NVC and then on to the Consulate or an Embassy, it is no longer a USCIS game, it belongs to DOS. The employees at the Consulate and Embassy are DOS employees.

I know for a fact, at the very high workload Consulate in Guangzhou, China (GUZ) which handles nearly all CR-1/2's and K-1/K-3's for the entire country (with the exception of some DCF's) does not allow the petitioner to join the beneficiary at the window, nor is he/she allowed in the same room, nor on the same floor of the office bldg, where the Consulate is located. The entire 5th floor of the office bldg. is leased by the US Consulate. The 4th floor security guards will not let anyone past, to the escalator to the 5th floor, without an appointment letter and ID in their hand. No exceptions. DOS does not want any interference, nor coaching, nor arguments during the interview phase.

In the sitiuation for Guangzhou, China, there is a coffee shop, on the floor below the Consulate floor, and most will wait there for their wife/fiancee to come down with the 'news'.

[visaveteran1 33]

USCIS is not involved in the decision. It is up to the consular post to decide if they permit this or not.

Yes, you are correct.

Once the file leaves the USCIS regional service center, and goes to the NVC and then on to the Consulate or an Embassy, it is no longer a USCIS game, it belongs to DOS. The employees at the Consulate and Embassy are DOS employees.

I know for a fact, at the very high workload Consulate in Guangzhou, China (GUZ) which handles nearly all CR-1/2's and K-1/K-3's for the entire country (with the exception of some DCF's) does not allow the petitioner to join the beneficiary at the window, nor is he/she allowed in the same room, nor on the same floor of the office bldg, where the Consulate is located. The entire 5th floor of the office bldg. is leased by the US Consulate. The 4th floor security guards will not let anyone past, to the escalator to the 5th floor, without an appointment letter and ID in their hand. No exceptions. DOS does not want any interference, nor coaching, nor arguments during the interview phase.

In the sitiuation for Guangzhou, China, there is a coffee shop, on the floor below the Consulate floor, and most will wait there for their wife/fiancee to come down with the 'news'.

I'm no expert but I think Embassies now come under Homeland Security...not State Department...at least not the Visa sections. In fact, some embassies have a USCIS oiffice within the Embassy. When I wrote the Moscow Embassy the reply was Homeland Security first address line, USCIS second address line.

[Urge To Race 2]

Nope, Embassies and Consulates are still part of Department of State. Embassies and Consulates are diplomatic missions to other countries, and thus not under homeland security. There are USCIS offices aboard, but that is different. Go here: http://moscow.usembassy.gov/

The header at the very top of the page, all the way to the very right, says Department of State in the banner.

USCIS is not involved in the decision. It is up to the consular post to decide if they permit this or not.

Yes, you are correct.

Once the file leaves the USCIS regional service center, and goes to the NVC and then on to the Consulate or an Embassy, it is no longer a USCIS game, it belongs to DOS. The employees at the Consulate and Embassy are DOS employees.

I know for a fact, at the very high workload Consulate in Guangzhou, China (GUZ) which handles nearly all CR-1/2's and K-1/K-3's for the entire country (with the exception of some DCF's) does not allow the petitioner to join the beneficiary at the window, nor is he/she allowed in the same room, nor on the same floor of the office bldg, where the Consulate is located. The entire 5th floor of the office bldg. is leased by the US Consulate. The 4th floor security guards will not let anyone past, to the escalator to the 5th floor, without an appointment letter and ID in their hand. No exceptions. DOS does not want any interference, nor coaching, nor arguments during the interview phase.

In the sitiuation for Guangzhou, China, there is a coffee shop, on the floor below the Consulate floor, and most will wait there for their wife/fiancee to come down with the 'news'.

I'm no expert but I think Embassies now come under Homeland Security...not State Department...at least not the Visa sections. In fact, some embassies have a USCIS oiffice within the Embassy. When I wrote the Moscow Embassy the reply was Homeland Security first address line, USCIS second address line.

Win, VJ embassy page does say that you should be allowed in Addis, but you should still contact the embassy to verify.

but acording to Urge to Race post in another thread, which he took from the empassy info link in VJers, I have the chance to go with my wife to the interview if that happen in Addis, Ethio

[visaveteran1 33]

Nope, Embassies and Consulates are still part of Department of State. Embassies and Consulates are diplomatic missions to other countries, and thus not under homeland security. There are USCIS offices aboard, but that is different. Go here: http://moscow.usembassy.gov/

The header at the very top of the page, all the way to the very right, says Department of State in the banner.

Why then did I get this back from the Moscow Embassy?

Public Liaison Unit

DHS/US Citizenship and Immigration Services

US Embassy--Moscow

moscow.dhs@dhs.gov

+7 (495) 255-9551

USCIS is not involved in the decision. It is up to the consular post to decide if they permit this or not.

Yes, you are correct.

Once the file leaves the USCIS regional service center, and goes to the NVC and then on to the Consulate or an Embassy, it is no longer a USCIS game, it belongs to DOS. The employees at the Consulate and Embassy are DOS employees.

I know for a fact, at the very high workload Consulate in Guangzhou, China (GUZ) which handles nearly all CR-1/2's and K-1/K-3's for the entire country (with the exception of some DCF's) does not allow the petitioner to join the beneficiary at the window, nor is he/she allowed in the same room, nor on the same floor of the office bldg, where the Consulate is located. The entire 5th floor of the office bldg. is leased by the US Consulate. The 4th floor security guards will not let anyone past, to the escalator to the 5th floor, without an appointment letter and ID in their hand. No exceptions. DOS does not want any interference, nor coaching, nor arguments during the interview phase.

In the sitiuation for Guangzhou, China, there is a coffee shop, on the floor below the Consulate floor, and most will wait there for their wife/fiancee to come down with the 'news'.

I'm no expert but I think Embassies now come under Homeland Security...not State Department...at least not the Visa sections. In fact, some embassies have a USCIS oiffice within the Embassy. When I wrote the Moscow Embassy the reply was Homeland Security first address line, USCIS second address line.

Win, VJ embassy page does say that you should be allowed in Addis, but you should still contact the embassy to verify.

but acording to Urge to Race post in another thread, which he took from the empassy info link in VJers, I have the chance to go with my wife to the interview if that happen in Addis, Ethio

[visaveteran1 33]

Concerning whether the Embassies are under the State Dept. or Homeland Security...I think the correct answer is both.

The "American Citizen Services" is under State...but if you're dealing with immigration issues, your under Homeland Security...at least in Moscow.

I wrote the Moscow Embassy and here is the return address they emailed me:

Public Liaison Unit

DHS/US Citizenship and Immigration Services

US Embassy--Moscow

moscow.dhs@dhs.gov

[SanfordnBonnie 0]

yup, I went with my wife. the officer was very nice and we talked for a while.

[Urge To Race 2]

Question is really, to whom were you writing? USCIS has offices aboard. There is a USCIS office in Moscow, it just happens to be in the US Embassy building. There happens to be an IRS local office in the Bank of America center. IRS leases the space, they are not associated with BoA. Likewise, the USCIS is using (subleasing) space from the US Embassy.

See here: https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=of...r.statecode=arm

Look under "Local Processing Procedures" for the Moscow USCIS office. Note that consular processing of CR1 and K3 is not on the list for what the USCIS office does. Also note the many countries that this office has jurisdiction over, people from those nations certainly are not required to travel to Moscow to be interviewed for CR1 or K3.

That office handles USCIS related matters for Russia and the other nations listed (I130 petition filings, N400s, etc).

Since there is a USCIS office in Moscow, if you lived in Russia, you could have filed in person or by mail your I130 for your wife there (even when DCF was suspended for Adam Walsh act, meaning most people aboard had to mail their I130s to a regular service center based on their last US residence).

After your approval, when you email to ask about the status of the various information packets after approval, it should be xxxx@state.gov such as Consular Section’s Public Liaison Unit at consulmo@state.gov

Don't let the location of the USCIS office cause you confusion.

The consular section of the US Embassy is (from http://moscow.usembassy.gov/consular/consu...ecord_id=nivfaq ):

Consular Section Address:

American Embassy Moscow,

Consular Section,

21, Novinskiy Bulvar,

123242 Moscow,

Russia

Nope, Embassies and Consulates are still part of Department of State. Embassies and Consulates are diplomatic missions to other countries, and thus not under homeland security. There are USCIS offices aboard, but that is different. Go here: http://moscow.usembassy.gov/

The header at the very top of the page, all the way to the very right, says Department of State in the banner.

Why then did I get this back from the Moscow Embassy?

Public Liaison Unit

DHS/US Citizenship and Immigration Services

US Embassy--Moscow

moscow.dhs@dhs.gov

+7 (495) 255-9551

USCIS is not involved in the decision. It is up to the consular post to decide if they permit this or not.

Yes, you are correct.

Once the file leaves the USCIS regional service center, and goes to the NVC and then on to the Consulate or an Embassy, it is no longer a USCIS game, it belongs to DOS. The employees at the Consulate and Embassy are DOS employees.

I know for a fact, at the very high workload Consulate in Guangzhou, China (GUZ) which handles nearly all CR-1/2's and K-1/K-3's for the entire country (with the exception of some DCF's) does not allow the petitioner to join the beneficiary at the window, nor is he/she allowed in the same room, nor on the same floor of the office bldg, where the Consulate is located. The entire 5th floor of the office bldg. is leased by the US Consulate. The 4th floor security guards will not let anyone past, to the escalator to the 5th floor, without an appointment letter and ID in their hand. No exceptions. DOS does not want any interference, nor coaching, nor arguments during the interview phase.

In the sitiuation for Guangzhou, China, there is a coffee shop, on the floor below the Consulate floor, and most will wait there for their wife/fiancee to come down with the 'news'.

I'm no expert but I think Embassies now come under Homeland Security...not State Department...at least not the Visa sections. In fact, some embassies have a USCIS oiffice within the Embassy. When I wrote the Moscow Embassy the reply was Homeland Security first address line, USCIS second address line.

Win, VJ embassy page does say that you should be allowed in Addis, but you should still contact the embassy to verify.

but acording to Urge to Race post in another thread, which he took from the empassy info link in VJers, I have the chance to go with my wife to the interview if that happen in Addis, Ethio

Concerning whether the Embassies are under the State Dept. or Homeland Security...I think the correct answer is both.

The "American Citizen Services" is under State...but if you're dealing with immigration issues, your under Homeland Security...at least in Moscow.

I wrote the Moscow Embassy and here is the return address they emailed me:

Public Liaison Unit

DHS/US Citizenship and Immigration Services

US Embassy--Moscow

moscow.dhs@dhs.gov

[Urge To Race 2]

Of course if you were writing to ask for information regarding the filing of petitions, then USCIS is the right place to contact and/or hear back from, and a DOS employee may have even forwarded the query to his neighbor at DHS.

Question is really, to whom were you writing? USCIS has offices aboard. There is a USCIS office in Moscow, it just happens to be in the US Embassy building. There happens to be an IRS local office in the Bank of America center. IRS leases the space, they are not associated with BoA. Likewise, the USCIS is using (subleasing) space from the US Embassy.

See here: https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=of...r.statecode=arm

Look under "Local Processing Procedures" for the Moscow USCIS office. Note that consular processing of CR1 and K3 is not on the list for what the USCIS office does. Also note the many countries that this office has jurisdiction over, people from those nations certainly are not required to travel to Moscow to be interviewed for CR1 or K3.

That office handles USCIS related matters for Russia and the other nations listed (I130 petition filings, N400s, etc).

Since there is a USCIS office in Moscow, if you lived in Russia, you could have filed in person or by mail your I130 for your wife there (even when DCF was suspended for Adam Walsh act, meaning most people aboard had to mail their I130s to a regular service center based on their last US residence).

After your approval, when you email to ask about the status of the various information packets after approval, it should be xxxx@state.gov such as Consular Section’s Public Liaison Unit at consulmo@state.gov

Don't let the location of the USCIS office cause you confusion.

The consular section of the US Embassy is (from http://moscow.usembassy.gov/consular/consu...ecord_id=nivfaq ):

Consular Section Address:

American Embassy Moscow,

Consular Section,

21, Novinskiy Bulvar,

123242 Moscow,

Russia

[My Lao Po 0]

USCIS is not involved in the decision. It is up to the consular post to decide if they permit this or not.

Yes, you are correct.

Once the file leaves the USCIS regional service center, and goes to the NVC and then on to the Consulate or an Embassy, it is no longer a USCIS game, it belongs to DOS. The employees at the Consulate and Embassy are DOS employees.

I know for a fact, at the very high workload Consulate in Guangzhou, China (GUZ) which handles nearly all CR-1/2's and K-1/K-3's for the entire country (with the exception of some DCF's) does not allow the petitioner to join the beneficiary at the window, nor is he/she allowed in the same room, nor on the same floor of the office bldg, where the Consulate is located. The entire 5th floor of the office bldg. is leased by the US Consulate. The 4th floor security guards will not let anyone past, to the escalator to the 5th floor, without an appointment letter and ID in their hand. No exceptions. DOS does not want any interference, nor coaching, nor arguments during the interview phase.

In the sitiuation for Guangzhou, China, there is a coffee shop, on the floor below the Consulate floor, and most will wait there for their wife/fiancee to come down with the 'news'.

I'm no expert but I think Embassies now come under Homeland Security...not State Department...at least not the Visa sections. In fact, some embassies have a USCIS oiffice within the Embassy. When I wrote the Moscow Embassy the reply was Homeland Security first address line, USCIS second address line.

The Embassies and Consulates around the globe, have always been under the purview and one of the prime components of the US DOS. While they work in a partnership with USCIS a component of the DHS, they are distinctly separate Departments of the Federal Government organizational structure. While at an Embassy or a Consulate, you follow the rules set out within the guidelines of the DOS.