ThomasT33

Small tip for everyone doing the interview in Brussels, schedule your medical as soon as you get your welcome letter from the embassy. Cancel and rebook if necessary. I did my medical after the interview 1.5 month ago, just got approved and send my passport. I have no clue how long it will still take but this did add 2 months to the already long wait time. Better be well prepared with as much information as possible BTW congrats to everyone already approved!

Hi, Thanks! For the photo I used the information on the following website from the US embassy: https://be.usembassy.gov/photos/ If you scroll down you have a list of all the photographers that are certainly doing the 2x2 Because it took so long with me, I used the one in Antwerp and Kortrijk (because technically you need a new photo every 6 months), and both of those did an excellent job. You can always use the photo boot in the embassy but just as @Benny1337 said you never know if something goes wrong on the day itself. Always better to be fully prepared so to minimise the stress on the moment itself. But you can always call to your local photographer and ask if they can do the 2X2 format (51 mm – 51 mm). Good luck!

Thank you very much for those details! I was wondering if they accepted bank cards or just cash. Good to know that I will take enough money for the medical. Maybe one question, all vaccinations taken after I was a child, are now digital. Is a printout of this from the Belgium government website good enough? As far as I know, there is no "official" vaccination record with stamps and QR codes and everything is just on Vaccinet. Thanks for the useful information and good luck with the interview next week

Hi, Yes just had my interview in the morning. The problem we had, and some other people who were DQ in September, is that the schedule for the interview came very quick after NVC send it to the embassy. I received a mail from NVC that they did send my case to the embassy in Brussels and the next day I had an interview date in 2 weeks. If you check the doctors that are in Brussels (there are 3 now BTW), the next appointment is for the 9th of April (checked today). that's 4.5 weeks from now. So if you get your interview 2 weeks after NVC send the case to the embassy, you have not enough time to schedule. You can always gamble and schedule a doctors appointment in advance and hope the interview letter comes on the predicted time. But knowing I waited since September 2023, nothing is sure with immigration. It is btw no problem having your medical after the interview. That is also written on the mail they send you. Now for the interview itself. You go to the gates of the US ambassy and give them your passport. They check it on their paper and let you through. Then they do a metal detector scan outside and another one inside. Don't take anything with you! I just had my necessary documents with me. No laptops, bags, keys, ... The only thing allowed is your wallet and your phone. Once you went through both security checkpoints, you enter a quite small room with some chairs. You go to one of the windows and you give your DS-260 and they scan it. After that they give you a number and you need to go sit down and wait till they show your number on the TV screen. The first window you go to, is a check of the papers. At that point you are speaking with someone who will ask you to give all the documents. Make sure you read very well on the mail you get what you need! After that you go sit down again and wait for your number to be called again. Then you talk to an US counselor officer who will ask some questions: This is what they asked me: - Where did you meet? - When did you first meet? - What is your wife's profession? - What is your profession? - Did you ever live together? This is kind of what they asked to me. All in all was like 5 min interview. Was approved and now I just need to do my medical in a few weeks. I hope this helps a bit and good luck everyone. Seems that things are moving again.

OK now things moved very fast for me. I have an interview at the 8th of March Didn't expect it to be so fast so now I cannot book the medical in time anymore. But in the mail it did say that you can have the medical after the interview so that's what I will do. Finally after all the waiting it seems to be going forward now. If all goes well, the visa will be OK at the end of March (after the medical). I hope I helped everyone waiting at Brussels a bit with sharing my timeline. Hope that for all of you guys the interview is scheduled soon. It seems they are doing some work now!

As promised I have an update on the interview. Just right now I got the following mail: The U.S. Embassy/Consulate General in BRUSSELS, BELG approved your request for expedited processing of your immigrant visa application. The National Visa Center sent your immigrant visa application to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate General in BRUSSELS, BELG for their action. The Embassy/Consulate General will contact you soon to schedule a visa interview. Very strange as I didn't request any expedite processing (as we didn't qualify for this). All very strange but I assume the interview letter will follow soon I hope that for all of you this will also follow soon! Good luck and I keep you posted when I have a date for the the interview.

Hi all, Yes it's getting frustrating as I also don't have an interview date yet. I was really thinking there was something wrong with my case but it seems I'm not the only one. Very weird though that approvals only a few weeks before went through without any backlog? No clue what is happening. @Benny1337 can you also keep us posted? You have your approval a bit later. Curious to see if you maybe get your interview earlier. @SmPP We can do nothing more then wait on the interview. Let us hope it moves soon. As soon as I get my interview date, I'll let you know.

Sadly no news at my end yet. I seen a reddit post in the nationalvisacenter subreddit with people who were also waiting in Brussels. It seems that the embasy is seriously backlogged. No idea why as it seems the rest of Europe is doing okay. Just need to wait I guess. I will update as soon as I have my interview letter.

Hi, I'm in the same boat as you and waiting for an interview in Brussels (IR1). DQ'd on September 12 and still no news from the embassy. Seems that Brussels is one of the few in Europe backed up by any unknown reason. I don't expect anything this year anymore as the holidays are coming up. I will keep you posted as soon as I have an interview letter. As you are not far of my date, it should need to be around the same time. Good luck. Thomas