Embassy in Nicaragua won't respond to emails or calls

[payxibka 10,044]

10 hours ago, Alabamak1 said:

i suggest to involve a lawyer if your communications are being not heard at all

How will a lawyer get a response any different than the petitioner?

[Oklahoma1234 7]

Have you made any progress here? I spoke to USCIS at the beginning of May, specifically in regards to the situation in Nicaragua. My fiance is currently there and we received NOA1 in March, and have some time to wait. USCIS told me if the US Embassy is closed in Nicaragua they would send the petition to the next nearest embassy. I'm assuming Costa Rica. They didn't mention anything about having residency or a specific visa.

[ColoradoSteve 29]

Our petition was successfully transferred to the embassy in Nicaragua two weeks ago. And my fiancee has had her medical exams and vaccinations. Unfortunately, we are unable to schedule an appointment for an interview. No appointments are available. None have been available for weeks. Appointments were cancelled for people who previously had appointment scheduled. The embassy is not officially closed. So we can't have an interview in another country. But we can't get an interview in Nicaragua either. So we are stuck in limbo, while the petition's life span of 4 months runs out. Already more than 50% gone.

 

I think we are screwed at this point. My fiancee is afraid for her life. I hear constant gun shots and mortar fire when I talk to her in Skype now. She is planning to flee the country within the next 2 weeks to start a new life in whatever country will have her. I think the dream of coming to the US to marry me is over. We have been engaged for 18 months, and seeing each other for 2-1/2 years. But sadly the recent problems in Nicaragua seem to have killed any chance for us to finally be together. I home you have better luck.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[Orangesapples 1,954]

2 hours ago, ColoradoSteve said:

Our petition was successfully transferred to the embassy in Nicaragua two weeks ago. And my fiancee has had her medical exams and vaccinations. Unfortunately, we are unable to schedule an appointment for an interview. No appointments are available. None have been available for weeks. Appointments were cancelled for people who previously had appointment scheduled. The embassy is not officially closed. So we can't have an interview in another country. But we can't get an interview in Nicaragua either. So we are stuck in limbo, while the petition's life span of 4 months runs out. Already more than 50% gone.

 

I think we are screwed at this point. My fiancee is afraid for her life. I hear constant gun shots and mortar fire when I talk to her in Skype now. She is planning to flee the country within the next 2 weeks to start a new life in whatever country will have her. I think the dream of coming to the US to marry me is over. We have been engaged for 18 months, and seeing each other for 2-1/2 years. But sadly the recent problems in Nicaragua seem to have killed any chance for us to finally be together. I home you have better luck.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

Don't give up on your relationship yet!! The petition can certainly be extended, it has happened to many people. Just keep contacting the embassy in order to keep it alive. Also, if she somehow gets a legal status in another country then she can request a transfer even if the embassy in Nicaragua is not closed. There's still hope! And even if it fails, you can always file a new petition. 

[TBoneTX 43,417]

Steve, the situation seems to completely suck, but please avoid giving up or doing anything hasty, rash, or desperate.  Perhaps someone with experience in these matters will be along soon with input.  Keep the faith.

Edited June 3, 2018 by TBoneTX

[TBoneTX 43,417]

Thread is moved from the K-1 Process forum to the Embassy/Consulate forum -- process is at that stage.

[ColoradoSteve 29]

My fiancee is staying in Managua. She says that many businesses have closed in the past 2 weeks. People have boarded up their houses and businesses. She believes that the country is preparing for war. Many of her friends and family members are making plans to flee the country. Everyone is afraid there. People are killed on a near daily basis. Many vehicles and businesses are burned and looted.

 

She has family members in Tipitapa. Her brother worked as a crew member on a bus. They became trapped behind roadblocks 2 weeks ago, and were forced to sleep in the bus for 6 days. Finally they had to abandon the bus. He now has no job, because the roads are either blocked or too unsafe for travel. Mobs have been attacking and burning vehicles.

 

My fiancee does not have a tourist visa. Previously she had been living and working happily in Costa Rica for the past 9 years. This is where we met, and where I had visited her 7 different times. Unfortunately she did not have legal status in Costa Rica. She arrived 9 years ago on a 90 day visa, and never left, until recently. She returned to Nicaragua to complete the visa process. We were told by everyone that she could only have the interview in Nicaragua. It is necessary to have legal residency in a country to qualify for an interview there, and a 90 day tourist visa does not qualify.

 

For this reason, she can probably never return to Costa Rica. She left her job and life in Costa Rica to complete the visa and be with me, knowing that she could probably never return.

 

I have calle the embassy several times. The phone number for the consular section is 505 2252 7888. A recording at this number says to call 800 222 5600. This phone number is a scam, it just plays commercials for Viagara and other products and services. Apparently the embassy staff think they are being funny. This is the level of service I have been receiving from the embassy. If you don't believe me, go ahead and call these numbers.

 

Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement. And please keep the ideas coming, we need help.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[jan22 2,912]

On 6/3/2018 at 7:18 AM, ColoradoSteve said:

My fiancee is staying in Managua. She says that many businesses have closed in the past 2 weeks. People have boarded up their houses and businesses. She believes that the country is preparing for war. Many of her friends and family members are making plans to flee the country. Everyone is afraid there. People are killed on a near daily basis. Many vehicles and businesses are burned and looted.

 

She has family members in Tipitapa. Her brother worked as a crew member on a bus. They became trapped behind roadblocks 2 weeks ago, and were forced to sleep in the bus for 6 days. Finally they had to abandon the bus. He now has no job, because the roads are either blocked or too unsafe for travel. Mobs have been attacking and burning vehicles.

 

My fiancee does not have a tourist visa. Previously she had been living and working happily in Costa Rica for the past 9 years. This is where we met, and where I had visited her 7 different times. Unfortunately she did not have legal status in Costa Rica. She arrived 9 years ago on a 90 day visa, and never left, until recently. She returned to Nicaragua to complete the visa process. We were told by everyone that she could only have the interview in Nicaragua. It is necessary to have legal residency in a country to qualify for an interview there, and a 90 day tourist visa does not qualify.

 

For this reason, she can probably never return to Costa Rica. She left her job and life in Costa Rica to complete the visa and be with me, knowing that she could probably never return.

 

I have calle the embassy several times. The phone number for the consular section is 505 2252 7888. A recording at this number says to call 800 222 5600. This phone number is a scam, it just plays commercials for Viagara and other products and services. Apparently the embassy staff think they are being funny. This is the level of service I have been receiving from the embassy. If you don't believe me, go ahead and call these numbers.

 

Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement. And please keep the ideas coming, we need help.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

Unfortunately for your situation, when the security situation in a host country reaches the level it has in Nicaragua, the focus of the Consular Section becomes providing emergency services to US citizens who are in that country.  The most recent Security Alert, available on the embassy website on the U.S. Citizen Services page, indicates that is the situation there now, limiting other services that can be provided.  It also indicates that routine visa services have been suspended.

 

Are you dialing the 800 number you referenced from Nicaragua and not from the US as a US 800 number?  The recording gives the number as 001-800-222-5600 and says it can be called from any Nicaraguan land line--it is not a US 800 number and cannot be dialed from the US.  It also says they are aware that the visa Call Center number (which is for information and appointments) is not working and provides a website (www.ustraveldocs.com/ni) for information  on further ways to contact the Call Center.  (The Embassy website has a link to that site from the Visa Section webpage and in the Security Alert on the US Citizen Services webpage.)   The visa website notice states that routine visa services have been suspended, but they are processing immigrant visa cases that are already pending at the embassy -- which should include your case, I believe.  However,  that's in a context where services to US citizens in-country take priority for time and resources over any visa cases, so it won't necessarily be a speedy process. The "Contact Us" tab on the web provides a 703-745-5479 number to call from the US, among other contact methods.  I assume you tried those contact methods, too?  I can assure you that the embassy would not put out a fake number thinking they were being funny in a serious situation like this.  They are far too busy for that.

 

 

[10.bew.16 1]

We are in a similar situation. In fact, I am in Granada right now with my fiance. After calling the embassy and the NVC several times, they have informed that if I write a letter addressing my case and explaining why it should be moved to another country, they will send my case to whichever country is willing to accept it. My fiance has family in Panama,  and to enter Panama,  no Visa is necessary. Therefore, we were considering writing this letter and  contacting the us embassy in Panama for permission to do the interview there.

[ColoradoSteve 29]

19 hours ago, jan22 said:

 The "Contact Us" tab on the web provides a 703-745-5479 number to call from the US, among other contact methods.  I assume you tried those contact methods, too?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yes, I have called the number above many times. They always tell me that there are no appointments available, and that I need to call back next week.

 

There has been an update to the situation as of Tuesday night. The embassy in Nicaragua added a new notice on their website https://ni.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-managua-june-5-2018/

 

If I understand the notice, it appears that they are no longer providing interviews at the  embassy and they will be transferred to another country. However, I am uncertain how to accomplish this. I had sent an email to the embassy several days ago requesting a transfer, and they responded last night by saying I need to call 703-745-5479 to schedule an interview. But I received this response a few hours before the new notice was posted. Here is a snippet from the embassy website. Does this mean that I will be required to have the interview in another country now? If so, how do I initiate the transfer? I went to the link provided at the ustraveldocs.com/ni location, as I have done many times. But I could find no information there on how or where to transfer the visa interview.

 

• Embassy Managua is no longer providing routine nonimmigrant or immigrant visa services.  Embassy Managua cannot provide services for immigrant visa petitions that have not yet been filed, approved, or sent to Embassy Managua for visa processing, and is currently not accepting new immigrant visa cases from the National Visa Center.  Likewise, unless nonimmigrant visa applicants meet very strict expedited appointment requirements (medical emergencies or students and exchange visitors with impending report dates), they will not be able to have interviews in Managua for the foreseeable future.  Additional information about where else to apply for nonimmigrant visas is available at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ni, and applicants with pending immigrant visa cases can contact the National Visa Center to change the location of their interviews.

[jan22 2,912]

4 hours ago, ColoradoSteve said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yes, I have called the number above many times. They always tell me that there are no appointments available, and that I need to call back next week.

 

There has been an update to the situation as of Tuesday night. The embassy in Nicaragua added a new notice on their website https://ni.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-managua-june-5-2018/

 

If I understand the notice, it appears that they are no longer providing interviews at the  embassy and they will be transferred to another country. However, I am uncertain how to accomplish this. I had sent an email to the embassy several days ago requesting a transfer, and they responded last night by saying I need to call 703-745-5479 to schedule an interview. But I received this response a few hours before the new notice was posted. Here is a snippet from the embassy website. Does this mean that I will be required to have the interview in another country now? If so, how do I initiate the transfer? I went to the link provided at the ustraveldocs.com/ni location, as I have done many times. But I could find no information there on how or where to transfer the visa interview.

 

• Embassy Managua is no longer providing routine nonimmigrant or immigrant visa services.  Embassy Managua cannot provide services for immigrant visa petitions that have not yet been filed, approved, or sent to Embassy Managua for visa processing, and is currently not accepting new immigrant visa cases from the National Visa Center.  Likewise, unless nonimmigrant visa applicants meet very strict expedited appointment requirements (medical emergencies or students and exchange visitors with impending report dates), they will not be able to have interviews in Managua for the foreseeable future.  Additional information about where else to apply for nonimmigrant visas is available at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ni, and applicants with pending immigrant visa cases can contact the National Visa Center to change the location of their interviews.

I don't read it that way...it is no longer accepting new immigrant vIsa cases, but does not say they are not going to process the cases they have already.  The sentence re where else to apply is for cases not yet in Nicaragua  (i.e., that are still at NVC).  If you want to try to transfer the case, though, you need to contact the Consular Section in the country you wish to go to for the interview and ask if they will accept your case.  If they will, they will request it from Managua.  Your fiancee will likely have to re-do the medical if the case is transferred.

[ColoradoSteve 29]

Everyone,

 

Good news! I finally managed to get an appointment for the K1 visa interview in Nicaragua. For the first time in a more, an appointment date was available. Only ONE. So I took it. But now is the scary part - the appointment is June 26 and I must go to Nicaragua. In the war zone.

 

I have a few questions regarding what I must bring to the interview. I know, this has been asked 1000 times before but now I am in a panic because I wasn't expecting to have such short notice.

 

I know I need the I-134 and supporting evidence of financial support. Bank records, recent pay stubs, letter from my employer. I have all of that.

 

I was told I need my birth certificate. I have an original that I obtained many years ago. Is this good enough, or do I need a fresh copy?

 

I know I also should bring evidence supporting our continued relationship. What else do I need to bring?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Steve

[little immigrant 800]

Why are they expecting you to be there? 

 

I just had a friend come back from Nicaragua and he said it was difficult to travel on the roads so be careful. At least he was left alone. 

[ColoradoSteve 29]

5 minutes ago, little immigrant said:

Why are they expecting you to be there? 

 

I just had a friend come back from Nicaragua and he said it was difficult to travel on the roads so be careful. At least he was left alone. 

I assume I need to be there for the interview. Also, the I-134 and all of the supporting documents are with me in the US. I just obtained the bank records last week. I wasn't expecting such short notice for interview appointments. Before the embassy closed, appointments were backlogged 6 weeks. I must hand carry all of the documents. I don't know of any reliable way to get them to my fiancee in Nicaragua. Pretty much everything is shut down in the country. I doubt any mail deliveries are getting through. 75% of all roads are blocked.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[TBoneTX 43,417]

(3 posts in new thread in K-1 Process forum are moved to the Embassy/Consulate forum and merged with existing thread)

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Steve, did you follow the recommendation from jan22 for transferring the file elsewhere?