Does transferring embassies put you to the back of line for interview scheduling?

[CG3 17]

My husband and I were DQ'd at the NVC in Dec. 2021 and our case is still "At NVC". He currently resides in Peru, and for some reason the Peruvian embassy is backlogged for the CR1/IR1 visa by more than a year. We were comfortable with waiting the time, but his family in Peru have all moved back to Portugal.

 

He is now alone in Peru, and is considering moving to Portugal to at least be with his family while we wait for the interview date.

 

1. If we request an embassy transfer, we will be moved to the "back of the line", or is the interview timeline based on the DQ date?
2. If he moves to Portugal, does he need to provide an updated police certificate, judicial certificate, etc. from Peru (in addition to Portugal), or would the older ones provided to the NVC suffice? Asking because if he is living in Portugal, it would be difficult to obtain all of the necessary Peruvian certificates as he would have to obtain them in person.
3. Is there a way to obtain official data on the CR1/IR1 backlog in both the Peru and Portugal embassies? We are not embassy shopping, we are mainly trying to get a better estimate to make an informed decision on his move.
4. Would this be grounds to potentially expedite the case if he remains in Peru, since all of his immediate family has left?

 

Thank you all so much for your help! This is a really difficult time and we are just trying to make the best decision we can for our family.

[pushbrk 12,137]

You'll go to the end of the line for the new Consulate.

[carmel34 3,531]

10 hours ago, CG3 said:

He is now alone in Peru, and is considering moving to Portugal

Is he a Portuguese citizen?  He will need either citizenship or be a legal resident of Portugal to request the transfer, not just a visitor.  Any expedite request at NVC or the embassy/consulate would have to be based on reasons related to the US petitioner, and meet their criteria.  Contact the Lima or Lisbon embassy to request an expedite.

 

 

[Chancy 6,233]

17 hours ago, CG3 said:

Is there a way to obtain official data on the CR1/IR1 backlog in both the Peru and Portugal embassies?

 

7 hours ago, carmel34 said:

Contact the Lima or Lisbon embassy to request an expedite.

 

US immigrant visas for residents of Portugal are processed in Paris (France), not Lisbon.  If OP's husband moves to Portugal, he will have to request for case transfer to France -- https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/

 

[Redro 4,601]

On 6/3/2022 at 9:53 AM, CG3 said:

My husband and I were DQ'd at the NVC in Dec. 2021 and our case is still "At NVC". He currently resides in Peru, and for some reason the Peruvian embassy is backlogged for the CR1/IR1 visa by more than a year. We were comfortable with waiting the time, but his family in Peru have all moved back to Portugal.

 

He is now alone in Peru, and is considering moving to Portugal to at least be with his family while we wait for the interview date.

 

1. If we request an embassy transfer, we will be moved to the "back of the line", or is the interview timeline based on the DQ date?
2. If he moves to Portugal, does he need to provide an updated police certificate, judicial certificate, etc. from Peru (in addition to Portugal), or would the older ones provided to the NVC suffice? Asking because if he is living in Portugal, it would be difficult to obtain all of the necessary Peruvian certificates as he would have to obtain them in person.
3. Is there a way to obtain official data on the CR1/IR1 backlog in both the Peru and Portugal embassies? We are not embassy shopping, we are mainly trying to get a better estimate to make an informed decision on his move.
4. Would this be grounds to potentially expedite the case if he remains in Peru, since all of his immediate family has left?

 

Thank you all so much for your help! This is a really difficult time and we are just trying to make the best decision we can for our family.

If you request a change of embassy to Paris. Make sure to include proof of residency/ address in Portugal. Another member is currently attempting to transfer his case to France and they requested additional evidence.

There is no way to find out the official backlog in Peru vs France but you can check the VJ timelines for each country. 

Portugal

France

Peru

 

Paris issued 16 IR1/CR1s in April. 

Lima issued 83... 

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

 

Your partner might not have a long wait to interview if they transfer... but transferring could take a month or two. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by ROK2USA

[CG3 17]

8 hours ago, ROK2USA said:

If you request a change of embassy to Paris. Make sure to include proof of residency/ address in Portugal. Another member is currently attempting to transfer his case to France and they requested additional evidence.

There is no way to find out the official backlog in Peru vs France but you can check the VJ timelines for each country. 

Portugal

France

Peru

 

Paris issued 16 IR1/CR1s in April. 

Lima issued 83... 

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

 

Your partner might not have a long wait to interview if they transfer... but transferring could take a month or two. 

Thank you all so much!

 

Especially to this link for visa issuances. It makes me feel much more comfortable that Lima is moving much faster with the IR1 visas, especially in comparison to the Paris embassy. 

 

We're going to wait it out a bit longer in Peru rather than moving to the back of the line for the Paris embassy. Thank you all again, it really helps having this community to refer to.

[Redro 4,601]

7 hours ago, CG3 said:

Thank you all so much!

 

Especially to this link for visa issuances. It makes me feel much more comfortable that Lima is moving much faster with the IR1 visas, especially in comparison to the Paris embassy. 

 

We're going to wait it out a bit longer in Peru rather than moving to the back of the line for the Paris embassy. Thank you all again, it really helps having this community to refer to.

Oh! I think France will be a lot quicker. I don't think there is any line.

If you look at the VJ timelines I posted the last case in France was DQ'ed 2021/12/29 and they interviewed 2022/02/16. 

 

I don't think France has a backlog. I think their backlog has cleared and its back to business as usual. Not as many people interviewing so the numbers aren't as big. Your wait will be because they have to transfer your case over to Paris not because you're going to the back of the line.

 

You can also check out the visawhen website. 

Before March 2020, Paris was issuing 22.6 visas a month. 

Before March 2020, Lima was issuing 68.6 visas a month.

Edited June 6, 2022 by ROK2USA

[PerutoNC 5]

On 6/5/2022 at 2:47 PM, CG3 said:

Thank you all so much!

 

Especially to this link for visa issuances. It makes me feel much more comfortable that Lima is moving much faster with the IR1 visas, especially in comparison to the Paris embassy. 

 

We're going to wait it out a bit longer in Peru rather than moving to the back of the line for the Paris embassy. Thank you all again, it really helps having this community to refer to.

 

I feel this situation so much! It is hard just to wait. If your case is similar to mine people are constantly asking what is taking so long and it is easy to doubt if you are doing things right. My husband also applied for his CR-1 visa through Lima and we were waiting for a year and half. We almost reapplied through a different embassy but are grateful that we decided to stick it out rather than restarting the process. We just got notice of our appointment next month. I hope this means things are moving and that you hear back soon!