Experience with rescheduling an immigrant visa interview?

[ir1cr12021 6]

Hi there,

 

My wife (US citizen) and I (UK citizen) were DQed on 07-May-20 for our (non-expedited) CR-1 visa.

 

The NVC worked with the London Embassy to schedule my visa interview on 01-Oct-20.

 

I am unable to attend this date and will need to reschedule it.

 

The London Embassy informed me that I should wait until the day of my original interview has passed.

 

Then, I will be able to log in and reschedule my interview for a later date.

 

I am wondering if anyone has experience with this process. My two main questions are on:

 

1. Timing: Can I expect to login and find a new slot straight away? Or should I expect to wait up to a few weeks for more slots to appear in the calendar?

 

2. Queue: Will our DQ date retain our position in the queue ahead of others, or will forfeiting the original interview put us to the back of a long, post-COVID queue?

 

Please note that I am interested in hearing from anyone, regardless of the Embassy involved, although London would of course be wonderful. 

 

Thank you very much!

[SteveInBostonI130 3,319]

Hi,

 

Because you have been scheduled for an interview, you are no longer in the queue.  It's just a matter of scheduling a date that works for you.  

 

The only concern is if the calendar gets filled by other interviewers and re-schedulers.  You will have to pick the next available date, which could be just a few days from your original date or a month or more.  It just depends how busy the embassy is with other interviews.

 

[ir1cr12021 6]

2 hours ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

Hi,

 

Because you have been scheduled for an interview, you are no longer in the queue.  It's just a matter of scheduling a date that works for you.  

 

The only concern is if the calendar gets filled by other interviewers and re-schedulers.  You will have to pick the next available date, which could be just a few days from your original date or a month or more.  It just depends how busy the embassy is with other interviews.

 

Thank you very much!

[Wuozopo 4,285]

12 hours ago, chriskrichardson said:

Timing: Can I expect to login and find a new slot straight away? Or should I expect to wait up to a few weeks for more slots to appear in the calendar?

Yes you should be able to log in straight away and find a new slot. Will there be lots to choose from? Not likely. You might not find any openings except in the next month.  Covid 19 has thrown any previous expectations out. They are behind in London, only interviewing 3 days a weeks, and still have only about 40% staff. It’s ballsy to give up an interview when so many are waiting for that chance to snap up an appointment. If you can wait a month or more because you don’t need the visa just yet, then it’s not a big deal. If you see something you like,  snap it up because dates disappear quickly. And new dates randomly show up that weren’t there two hours before. It’s pretty fluid.

 

12 hours ago, chriskrichardson said:

Queue: Will our DQ date retain our position in the queue ahead of others, or will forfeiting the original interview put us to the back of a long, post-COVID queue?

There is no orderly queue right now. Approval dates and DQ dates mean nothing. However you aren’t in a queue waiting for your turn anymore. If you log in and find a date, then it’s yours. Grab it before the rest in the pack snatches it away. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Wuozopo

[ir1cr12021 6]

5 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Yes you should be able to log in straight away and find a new slot. Will there be lots to choose from? Not likely. You might not find any openings except in the next month.  Covid 19 has thrown any previous expectations out. They are behind in London, only interviewing 3 days a weeks, and still have only about 40% staff. It’s ballsy to give up an interview when so many are waiting for that chance to snap up an appointment. If you can wait a month or more because you don’t need the visa just yet, then it’s not a big deal. If you see something you like,  snap it up because dates disappear quickly. And new dates randomly show up that weren’t there two hours before. It’s pretty fluid.

 

There is no orderly queue right now. Approval dates and DQ dates mean nothing. However you aren’t in a queue waiting for your turn anymore. If you log in and find a date, then it’s yours. Grab it before the rest in the pack snatches it away. 

Ballsy? Perhaps! But mostly a possible business trip leading to a mandatory 14-day quarantine that clashes with the scheduled date. Nightmare.

 

Thank you: that is incredibly helpful. I'm pleased that we should be able to login and immediately find a new slot, even if it is the following month. 

[Stein 260]

On 9/14/2020 at 11:28 PM, chriskrichardson said:

Hi there,

 

 

 

The NVC worked with the London Embassy to schedule my visa interview on 01-Oct-20.

 

I am unable to attend this date and will need to reschedule it.

 

The London Embassy informed me that I should wait until the day of my original interview has passed.

 

Then, I will be able to log in and reschedule my interview for a later date.

 

 

We are going to be in a similar situation where we won't want to go to the scheduled interview.  Our case is we won't want to move within six months of the interview.

 

When you talked to the consulate did they say anything about cancelling the current appointment ahead of time and releasing the slot to someone else or just completely ignore it and "miss" the appointment, letting it pass and then reschedule?  Seems counter-intuitave to just ignore the appointment when you know you won't attend.

Edited September 24, 2020 by Stein

[ir1cr12021 6]

3 hours ago, Stein said:

We are going to be in a similar situation where we won't want to go to the scheduled interview.  Our case is we won't want to move within six months of the interview.

 

When you talked to the consulate did they say anything about cancelling the current appointment ahead of time and releasing the slot to someone else or just completely ignore it and "miss" the appointment, letting it pass and then reschedule?  Seems counter-intuitave to just ignore the appointment when you know you won't attend.

Counterintuitive, indeed! Here is a copy-paste of the email I received from the London Embassy after writing to them using their contact form. 

 

TL;DR: Ignore, miss, and rebook any time from the day after your scheduled interview. Good luck!

 

*******

Thank you for your email.

 

After the original interview date has passed, you should sign in to your account at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gb/iv to book a new interview date. 

 

Please note, you should not expect your Visa Appointment Service account to be updated to allow you to schedule a new interview until after the scheduled appointment date has passed. Until then, the account will still display details of the appointment that was assigned. You need not be concerned. You are not required to attend that appointment.  

[Stein 260]

Thanks, that helps.  Doesn't make sense, but it helps a lot.