Should we schedule Interview now or later?

[James and Cynthia 70]

My fiancee and I are currently waiting for our case to arrive at the USEM in Manila. When it does arrive, we will ask them for a request letter for police clearance from Brunei. We will then have to wait 1 to 2 months for the police clearance to arrive. What we would like to do is schedule an interview date depending on whatever will get her a K-1 visa the fastest. We are very tired of waiting and are looking for any way to speed things up. So far I have three ideas on how the schedule the interview.

1. Wait for the police clearance to arrive, then schedule the interview. This might take the longest amount of time. If we wait 1 to 2 months for the police clearance, then have to wait another month for the soonest interview appointment, it could take 3 or more months for her to get her visa.

2. We could schedule the interview when our case arrives at the USEM, then when the time comes for the appointment, if we have the police clearance, we are good to go. If we are still waiting for the police clearance, maybe we can rescedule the interview. If we have to reschedule, how long out would the new appointment most likely be? How soon before the interview date can we wait for the police clearance before rescheduling?

3. We could schedule the interview when our case arrives at the USEM, then go to the interview with or without the police clearance from Brunei. We already have police clearance from Taiwan which is her most recent country she's lived in, but we might still be waiting for the clearance from Brunei where she only lived for 8 months. If they insist on the police clearance from Brunei, wouldn't they only give us an RFE? How long would it most likely take to get the RFE settled after getting her police clearance? Will this be the fastest way to get her visa, or would it cause more problems than it's worth?

Another factor to add to this decision is that my company is planning on sending me to the Philippines for two or three weeks of work sometime around the same time as her interview. They are willing to send me when I choose so that I can be at her interview and hopefully fly back here with her for her POE. However, to do so, I have to have a for sure date for her interview and when to travel. I can't give them a date that may be rescheduled. This makes option 1 the best, but still most likely the longest option. Option 3 would also work with this, allowing me to be there for her interview, but I would most likely have to fly home by myself and then pay for a trip on my own to go get her when the RFE is complete and her visa arrives. This option would be more expensive and would require more time off from work and a lot more travel time for me, but if it means getting her a visa sooner, I'm will to make the sacrifice.

Which option should we choose? Are there other options? Thanks for any advice.

-James

[Maxx121 14]

Why havnt you ordered the police clearance already?

If it were me i would order it now, schedule the interview for 2.5 months and call it a day.

[James and Cynthia 70]

Why havnt you ordered the police clearance already?

If it were me i would order it now, schedule the interview for 2.5 months and call it a day.

If only we could order the police clearance now, then we would. My fiancee has already been to the Brunei embassy twice, and once to the USEM. The Brunei embassy will not process her police clearance unless they get a request from the embassy of concern. They even gave her a list of requirements where this requirement is listed. They said it might take 1 to 2 months to get the clearance after that.

After reading that some people have received this request from counter X at the USEM, and reading that some have even done this with only a copy of their NOA2, she went to the embassy to get the request letter. They would not give it too her because her case was still on it's way to NVC from USCIS and it wasn't in their system yet. They wouldn't even look at her NOA2 document. This means we have to wait for them to have our case in the system at USEM, then get a request letter, take it to the Brunei embassy, then wait for it's arrival.

If there was, or still is, any way to do this faster, please let me know. We have certainly tried and I have posted several times about this on VJ. It seems very stupid that we have to wait like this which is certainly adding big delays to our plans, especially after waiting 5 months for USCIS.

-James

[fritz&scott 0]

Hi,try to ask U.S embassy first if they will allow her to attend her interview even without the Brunei's Police Clearance...I've read a thread before from a Filipina that they allowed her and the Police clearance was to follow...gettin' police clearance frm other country takes...1 to 2 months...my U.S. FBI police clearance took 2 months,it depends on their work loads...

[Tahoma 2,292]

.

Which option should we choose?

If I were in your shoes, I would definitely choose option 3.

Schedule the interview for a date when you reasonably think the police clearance will arrive. Then, if it doesn't arrive, complete the interview anyway. That way, you will have the interview out of the way.

If the police clearance does not arrive in time for the interview, the consular officer will give your fiancée form 221g at the end of her interview. Not to worry. Form 221g is used by the consular officers when there is a document they need you to submit before they can issue your visa. Your fiancée's 221g will state that your fiancée needs to submit the police clearance to the Embassy at window such and such.

Chinook received a 221g at her interview. She submitted the required document to the Embassy three days later. She received her visa a week after she submitted the document, so there was no big delay caused by the 221g.

Chinook flew here to the States by herself. She flew by herself because we decided that I would save my vacation for when she was here. I took a week off when she arrived here. We used the rest of my vacation to travel around the western U.S. during the summer. We are both very happy with that decision.

[James and Cynthia 70]

If I were in your shoes, I would definitely choose option 3.

Schedule the interview for a date when you reasonably think the police clearance will arrive. Then, if it doesn't arrive, complete the interview anyway. That way, you will have the interview out of the way.

If the police clearance does not arrive in time for the interview, the consular officer will give your fiancée form 221g at the end of her interview. Not to worry. Form 221g is used by the consular officers when there is a document they need you to submit before they can issue your visa. Your fiancée's 221g will state that your fiancée needs to submit the police clearance to the Embassy at window such and such.

Chinook received a 221g at her interview. She submitted the required document to the Embassy three days later. She received her visa a week after she submitted the document, so there was no big delay caused by the 221g.

Chinook flew here to the States by herself. She flew by herself because we decided that I would save my vacation for when she was here. I took a week off when she arrived here. We used the rest of my vacation to travel around the western U.S. during the summer. We are both very happy with that decision.

Thanks for the great info. I like option 3 the best too. It seems like the quickest option, plus, we can set a date that is firm so my company can send me at the same time and I can be there for her interview. I really appreciate your info saying how long it took to settle the 221g. This makes me feel much better about choosing option 3.

I think we will schedule her interview within the next week. Maybe make it for late April. I really wish we could make it April 11 so I could be there for her birthday on April 12, but I think that might be too soon. What does everyone else think?

Maybe I should reconsider flying to the US with her and just concentrate on being there for her interview at the same time as my work. I can then save the vacation time for when she arrives. I really don't want her to fly alone with her daughter and not me, but it does make the most sence when it comes to vacation time and money, and not knowing exactly when the police clearance will arrive. I suppose I can bring some of her stuff with me when I return alone, flying first class on my companies bill, not mine.

-James