Interview at Warsaw embassy - case transfer from Moscow

[Wouter 141]

Hi everyone, I am seeking advice and recommendations for our situation.

We got our case (CR-1) transferred from Moscow to Warsaw because the Moscow embassy is still pretty much shut down.

We just got Documentarily Qualified by the NVC and I am hopeful we will get an interview date in the next few weeks.

But having the interview in another country does come with challenges and I am hoping people have some experience that they can share.

One good thing is that my wife has a valid multi-entry Schengen visa that should help getting into Poland to begin with.

- Any advice on the challenges of entering Poland (with a Schengen visa) from outside the EU in these Covid times?

- I have learned that the medical exam has to be done in the same country as the interview. So I guess my wife will have to fly from Russia to Poland before the interview to get her medical exam and then just stay in Warsaw until the interview. We can't book the medical exam yet without an interview date. But I am wondering how much time is needed between the medical exam and the interview? Would one week be too short? What if the medical exam information is not done and available yet by the time she has to go for her interview? Will they let her do the interview and hold off on a final decision until they have the medical package?

- I found instructions for Warsaw online:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/WRW-Warsaw.html#pre_interview_checklist

It says "Registration confirmation showing you selected an address for visa delivery through our online customer center"

But we don't have an address in Poland. Would we put the address of the hotel? That doesn't sound great. Is it possible to pick up the passport with the visa at the Embassy?

 

Any advice, experiences, recommendations, suggestions are much appreciated!

 

 

[millefleur 5,035]

**Moved from US Embassy and Consulate Discussion to RUB forum; there is more discussion on this topic there**

 

 

I'm going to suggest this topic be pinned since it's very timely for almost all Moscow Embassy applicants.

[Jane and Mak 6]

3 hours ago, Wouter said:

Hi everyone, I am seeking advice and recommendations for our situation.

We got our case (CR-1) transferred from Moscow to Warsaw because the Moscow embassy is still pretty much shut down.

We just got Documentarily Qualified by the NVC and I am hopeful we will get an interview date in the next few weeks.

But having the interview in another country does come with challenges and I am hoping people have some experience that they can share.

One good thing is that my wife has a valid multi-entry Schengen visa that should help getting into Poland to begin with.

- Any advice on the challenges of entering Poland (with a Schengen visa) from outside the EU in these Covid times?

- I have learned that the medical exam has to be done in the same country as the interview. So I guess my wife will have to fly from Russia to Poland before the interview to get her medical exam and then just stay in Warsaw until the interview. We can't book the medical exam yet without an interview date. But I am wondering how much time is needed between the medical exam and the interview? Would one week be too short? What if the medical exam information is not done and available yet by the time she has to go for her interview? Will they let her do the interview and hold off on a final decision until they have the medical package?

- I found instructions for Warsaw online:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/WRW-Warsaw.html#pre_interview_checklist

It says "Registration confirmation showing you selected an address for visa delivery through our online customer center"

But we don't have an address in Poland. Would we put the address of the hotel? That doesn't sound great. Is it possible to pick up the passport with the visa at the Embassy?

 

Any advice, experiences, recommendations, suggestions are much appreciated!

 

 

Hi there, 

Just to give you a perspective on interview dates and DQ, we got DQ in July 2020, and just got interview date end if August. Just saying... there is a lot of people ahead of you since you guys just got DQ'ed

 

Yes, medical has to be done in Polish embassy approved docs, one in Krakow, Warsaw, and Minsk. Every one's situation is different, in regards to health, do it could take longer or shorter, but one thing for sure it take 4-5 days to get results of urine test back when they check for gonorrhea ( per doctor's office) so med exam has to be at least 1 week in advance,  possibly longer. I think bass recommends 2 weeks.

 

Also,  we got extremely short notice for interview- exactly 1 month. It's insane in times of COVID to rush to get everything ready.

 

Then,  Polish embassy in Moscow does not care about interview in Warsaw, it's up to you how you going to get there. Emailed them asking for exception for visa,  NOPE  ( no visa for you, was the reply). Going Greek route. 

 

All the best

[Jane and Mak 6]

3 hours ago, Wouter said:

Hi everyone, I am seeking advice and recommendations for our situation.

We got our case (CR-1) transferred from Moscow to Warsaw because the Moscow embassy is still pretty much shut down.

We just got Documentarily Qualified by the NVC and I am hopeful we will get an interview date in the next few weeks.

But having the interview in another country does come with challenges and I am hoping people have some experience that they can share.

One good thing is that my wife has a valid multi-entry Schengen visa that should help getting into Poland to begin with.

- Any advice on the challenges of entering Poland (with a Schengen visa) from outside the EU in these Covid times?

- I have learned that the medical exam has to be done in the same country as the interview. So I guess my wife will have to fly from Russia to Poland before the interview to get her medical exam and then just stay in Warsaw until the interview. We can't book the medical exam yet without an interview date. But I am wondering how much time is needed between the medical exam and the interview? Would one week be too short? What if the medical exam information is not done and available yet by the time she has to go for her interview? Will they let her do the interview and hold off on a final decision until they have the medical package?

- I found instructions for Warsaw online:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/WRW-Warsaw.html#pre_interview_checklist

It says "Registration confirmation showing you selected an address for visa delivery through our online customer center"

But we don't have an address in Poland. Would we put the address of the hotel? That doesn't sound great. Is it possible to pick up the passport with the visa at the Embassy?

 

Any advice, experiences, recommendations, suggestions are much appreciated!

 

 

About visa delivery- next day pick up at the Embassy just like for the citizens of Belarus.

[Wouter 141]

1 hour ago, Jane and Mak said:

Hi there, 

Just to give you a perspective on interview dates and DQ, we got DQ in July 2020, and just got interview date end if August. Just saying... there is a lot of people ahead of you since you guys just got DQ'ed

 

Yes, medical has to be done in Polish embassy approved docs, one in Krakow, Warsaw, and Minsk. Every one's situation is different, in regards to health, do it could take longer or shorter, but one thing for sure it take 4-5 days to get results of urine test back when they check for gonorrhea ( per doctor's office) so med exam has to be at least 1 week in advance,  possibly longer. I think bass recommends 2 weeks.

 

Also,  we got extremely short notice for interview- exactly 1 month. It's insane in times of COVID to rush to get everything ready.

 

Then,  Polish embassy in Moscow does not care about interview in Warsaw, it's up to you how you going to get there. Emailed them asking for exception for visa,  NOPE  ( no visa for you, was the reply). Going Greek route. 

 

All the best

Thank you for the helpful information.

My wife already has the Schengen visa so she shouldn't have to deal with the Polish or Greek embassy.

It is disconcerting to hear you have been waiting for more than a year to get your interview date! What visa category is this? 

I heard that for spouse of US citizen (IR-1/CR-1) category, this is Tier 2 priority, the wait should not be so long. I hope this is the case.

 

[millefleur 5,035]

1 hour ago, Jane and Mak said:

Just to give you a perspective on interview dates and DQ, we got DQ in July 2020, and just got interview date end if August.

Don't forget to fill in your timeline!

[Jane and Mak 6]

3 hours ago, Wouter said:

Thank you for the helpful information.

My wife already has the Schengen visa so she shouldn't have to deal with the Polish or Greek embassy.

It is disconcerting to hear you have been waiting for more than a year to get your interview date! What visa category is this? 

I heard that for spouse of US citizen (IR-1/CR-1) category, this is Tier 2 priority, the wait should not be so long. I hope this is the case.

 

I hope the wait will be less for you. Our visa is F11. I don't know what to believe, when I asked at NVC who gets prioritized when it comes to interviewing,  they stated once you get DQ'ed you get in line, visa class does not matter, it's the date of DQ. But who knows for sure ...

[millefleur 5,035]

17 minutes ago, Jane and Mak said:

I hope the wait will be less for you. Our visa is F11. I don't know what to believe, when I asked at NVC who gets prioritized when it comes to interviewing,  they stated once you get DQ'ed you get in line, visa class does not matter, it's the date of DQ. But who knows for sure ...

I think the main issue with Warsaw is they probably prioritize Polish citizens and residents first, then Belarussians (because Belarus doesn't have a US embassy and Warsaw has always been where they do the interview), then probably Russians and whomever else might end up there for whatever reason. So, unfortunately it puts everyone coming from Russia at the end of the line.   Whether or not they prioritize certain visas over others would maybe have little effect when you consider all the other applicants from Poland/Belarus ahead of everyone.

[Wouter 141]

2 hours ago, millefleur said:

I think the main issue with Warsaw is they probably prioritize Polish citizens and residents first, then Belarussians (because Belarus doesn't have a US embassy and Warsaw has always been where they do the interview), then probably Russians and whomever else might end up there for whatever reason. So, unfortunately it puts everyone coming from Russia at the end of the line.   Whether or not they prioritize certain visas over others would maybe have little effect when you consider all the other applicants from Poland/Belarus ahead of everyone.

I think you both have interesting perspectives. @millefleur, do you have any source or basis for the hypothesis that they prioritize Polish and Belarussians? When our case transferred we got a WRW case number so I thought this would put is in the same queue as all other WRW applications for a specific visa category. But of course, they could keep track some other way. Just wondering if your thoughts on this are more a general impression or do have any specific indicators or references?

@Jane and Mak, I do wonder whether the person at NVC who told you that visa class doesn't matter was aware of the Tier prioritization that the DoS published in April

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/immigrant-visa-prioritization.html

The also refer to it in the write-up of the meeting with the AILA in June

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/AILA/AILA-Spring-2021-Meeting-Agenda-Q+A-6-2-2021.pdf

Page 2, point 3 and 4

But of course who knows to what extent this is actually put into practice by the US embassies in various countries. Perhaps they really do not consider visa category in reality.

 

I have also been tracking the number of IR-1/CR-1 visas issued by Warsaw using the Monthly Visa Issuance Statistics from the DoS

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/immigrant-visa-statistics/monthly-immigrant-visa-issuances.html

It looks like Warsaw, after a severe dip in early 2020, has been doing an admirable job in catching up in the second half of 2020 and is currently back to the level pre-Covid for spousal visas, which gives me hope the backlog may not be as bad for this category.

Anyway, it is all just guesswork in the end.

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by Wouter

[maxbuo 4]

Just to follow up on an earlier post: we are waiting for an IR1 with young US citizen child with DQ in summer 2020 and transferred to Warsaw in May 2021. I suspect that many transferred like us in May and there may be fewer visa cases from Russia after they get through the backlog from May. But at this point I am hoping to have an interview by the end of 2021. On the plus side, it is possible by the time our interview date finally comes it will possible to go directly to Poland.

Edited August 7, 2021 by maxbuo

[Jane and Mak 6]

6 hours ago, maxbuo said:

Just to follow up on an earlier post: we are waiting for an IR1 with young US citizen child with DQ in summer 2020 and transferred to Warsaw in May 2021. I suspect that many transferred like us in May and there may be fewer visa cases from Russia after they get through the backlog from May. But at this point I am hoping to have an interview by the end of 2021. On the plus side, it is possible by the time our interview date finally comes it will possible to go directly to Poland.

We transferred in June, DQ Jyly 2020, interview August 31. Yours should be very soon. We were told exactly 1 month in advance. Just be ready!

[maxbuo 4]

2 minutes ago, Jane and Mak said:

We transferred in June, DQ Jyly 2020, interview August 31. Yours should be very soon. We were told exactly 1 month in advance. Just be ready!

Dunno. We were DQ June 2020, transfer May 2021. Just shows the whole process is ridiculously arbitrary.

 

[Jane and Mak 6]

7 minutes ago, maxbuo said:

Dunno. We were DQ June 2020, transfer May 2021. Just shows the whole process is ridiculously arbitrary.

 

Agree. 

[millefleur 5,035]

18 hours ago, Wouter said:

do you have any source or basis for the hypothesis that they prioritize Polish and Belarussians? When our case transferred we got a WRW case number so I thought this would put is in the same queue as all other WRW applications for a specific visa category. But of course, they could keep track some other way. Just wondering if your thoughts on this are more a general impression or do have any specific indicators or references?

No hard evidence or proof except based on hearsay from other "embassy-less" people here on VJ who also had to transfer to embassies outside their home country.

[marpolsdofer 7]

13 hours ago, maxbuo said:

Dunno. We were DQ June 2020, transfer May 2021. Just shows the whole process is ridiculously arbitrary.

 

It seems we are getting more screwed. IR2 been DQ since May of 2020 contacted multiple embassy's and they ignore us and told us to pound sand.