Kabedi3166

Adding here that after transferring to Cotonou, Benin embassy we received IL almost immediately (within 1 week), interview is in 3 months from date of transfer.

For anyone affected by the embassy closure in DRC, we were able to be accepted by Cotonou, Benin embassy for transfer. You only need to write to the Cotonou embassy by email with your case number and information. Wishing the best for anyone affected by the violence in DRC.

Thanks for the replies. We got accepted for transfer at the Cotonou, Benin embassy. Anyone in this forum have experience with the Benin embassy/aware of timelines? Or just a word out to others stuck in limbo with the DRC, if they are looking for an embassy that accepts transfers.

Thank you, so if I understand you right you are recommending not to try to transfer but instead wait until the DRC embassy reopens? The situation in DRC is getting rapidly worse so we don't have any idea if the US embassy will reopen soon, and it's getting unsafe for my husband to stay there. I had hoped there was a way to pause our process so we'd at least have some control over the timeframe and be able to make other plans, but it seems this would be done by contacting the embassy, but they are completely unresponsive now. Do you (or does anyone) know if there are lower-caseload embassies in the region who accept transfers, such as in West Africa (Togo, Benin)? Otherwise we are at the point of contemplating abandoning the whole process altogether and trying to find another country to move to, which is a little heartbreaking given the 2+ years and money and hope spent on this process.

Hello, we are applying for CR1 through Kinshasa, DRC but the Kinshasa embassy has closed indefinitely due to unrest in the country. My husband was supposed to have his interview this month but it has been cancelled. We understand our only option is to transfer our case to another embassy that processes immigrant visas. We've written to a few but are not getting any that process transfers. Does anyone have experience with this and any recommendations of embassies that allow transfers of immigrant visas on the continent?

In anticipating my husband's CR1 interview, I understand I should have an updated I-864 with this year's income information as sole fiscal sponsor. I would like some clarification on the following if anyone can advise: I am self-employed but had income well over the threshold. I have filed my 2024 tax returns, will submitting these plus 1099s be sufficient as an update? As a consultant without a W-2 job, should I also submit assets to help with proof? My husband's job will be able to continue after he immigrates as he works for an intl company. Should we send proof to show this as an additional source of household income? We have submitted I-130s (only very recently) to have my two stepkids join us. Do I need to indicate them as family members I am sponsoring who will follow more than 6 mos after the principal immigrant in Section 4 of I-864? If they will be taken into consideration, my income is barely enough to sponsor so would need assets + husband's salary also to be considered. Finally, do we submit updated I-864 in CEAC portal or just have my husband bring it to the interview? Thank you!

We reached out to NVC visa public inquiry form to request a transfer to another embassy and got a non-response that didn't take into account that our interview was cancelled (even though we'd received a phone call from NVC saying so). Do you think we can just reach out to nearby embassies even if my husband doesn't have residency in those countries?

I was asking if anyone has experience transferring embassies and what this meant with regards to timing of the interview. If they had to undergo the same wait time as newly DQed applicants

Do you know, if you transfer to another embassy, do you go back to the end of the queue for interview scheduling? We've just completed 9 months of waiting for IL.

Thanks for the responses, we'll be trying to transfer to another embassy this week.

No one has responded, we are going to try transferring to another embassy. Is there truly no one with this experience?

My husband's CR1 interview was scheduled for this month...and then our embassy (Kinshasa, DRC) has closed due to growing unrest in the country and has suspended all visa interviews. What options do we have at this point? Do we just wait for the embassy to reopen, or can we transfer to another embassy? Do embassies ever outright cancel visa interviews and not reschedule them in this situation? Thanks for any help from folks with experience of this.

Seems that due to security situation in DRC the embassy is no longer holding visa interviews and they are decreasing staff. Security Alert: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo - U.S. Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Anybody else affected? Hoping you are all safe and well.

Following up that the embassy reached out a few weeks later to say our case had been updated in usavisaappt.com and we were able to register. But if anyone else has this issue, you just need to wait and they will let you know when you can set up your online account to register the appointment.

Hi all, just to update that we got our IL yesterday, for an interview on Feb 26! So wait time from DQ to IL was exactly 7 months (9 months from DQ to interview). However, we're having issues registering our appointment with usvisaappt.com, they don't accept the Case ID number. Has anyone had this issue or know how to resolve it?

We have this same problem with DRC usvisaappt website, we are unable to register our appointment as it rejects our Case ID number and does not recognize any other numbers. Has anyone been able to advance past this stage and register their appointment? We've reached out to the embassy but their autoreply refers us back to the same usvisaappt website.

Oh good to hear....so about a 9 month wait between DQ and interview then it sounds like. Hoping we all hear soon

Does this mean that if you arrive in US after 2nd wedding anniversary you will get 10 year GC? Even if the interview/granting of the visa happened before 2yr anniversary?

Yes, the main target of rhetoric is illegal immigration, with the talk of mass deportations. However, with Stephen Miller being named Deputy Chief of Staff overseeing immigration in his portfolio, there is some word that legal immigration (including what he terms "chain migration", or family-based immigration) is potentially at risk for being reduced or changed (sound like especially for those wishing to bring siblings and parents to US), as well as limitations like the Muslim travel ban, HB-1 visa changes, etc. Trump Allies Draw Up Plans Targeting Legal Immigration - WSJ

I guess it's too early to know, but does anyone have any news or idea about what types of changes to expect to spousal and family immigration from the upcoming Trump administration? I am concerned that the rhetoric is very anti-immigrant and could negatively impact even legal immigration, or at the least slow down processing times. Anyone around during the last administration who has insights?

Hi, wondering if you have had any updates on your IL?

Good to know, it sounds like you are the earliest DQ date of those on here...keep us posted and hope you hear back soon!

Thanks Bokee, hopefully we can find more people in the same situation to get more info.

Ok that is great news to hear, we had emailed the embassy with no reply but it's good to know they offer estimates and that it is not as long as many other African embassies. I think there are relatively few petitions compared to other countries, and I didn't find many DRC applicants here on VJ (maybe because it's also an English-language forum).

Good to hear from someone else in the same situation. I will certainly keep you updated. Good luck to you.