Case Transfer to Jerusalem Worked! [merged threads]

[MishaP99 0]

Does anybody have any information regarding Russian police certificates obtained digitally outside of Russia? 

[Siberia 5]

Month ago we also transferred our case to Jerusalem.

Ceac shows READY, Your case is ready for your interview when scheduled at the U.S. consular section. If you have already scheduled an appointment for an interview, please prepare your documents as directed in your appointment letter. Otherwise, please wait until you have been notified of your interview appointment.

We didnt get any emails after transferring case. How they notify about interview? 

[PaulMK 6]

On 5/13/2023 at 5:59 AM, Siberia said:

Month ago we also transferred our case to Jerusalem.

Ceac shows READY, Your case is ready for your interview when scheduled at the U.S. consular section. If you have already scheduled an appointment for an interview, please prepare your documents as directed in your appointment letter. Otherwise, please wait until you have been notified of your interview appointment.

We didnt get any emails after transferring case. How they notify about interview? 

It looks like they will tell you when they receive your paperwork, such as your approved i129f, however, you can probably schedule an appointment for the future in the mean time. Ask them, they are very responsive on their emails. I hope I'm not too late to answer for you. I am in a similar situation as you.

[Karjala 3]

On 5/4/2023 at 6:42 PM, MishaP99 said:

Does anybody have any information regarding Russian police certificates obtained digitally outside of Russia? 

My husband obtained one through Gosuslugi. Jerusalem regularly posts vacancies for immigration interviews. It is possible to reschedule for the earlier date if you'll keep checking.

 

Please, read the most recent information about traveling to Israel. Preferably in Russian. Israel deports people at the airport of Tel Aviv, denying entry. My husband has got in, having his scheduled visa interview information printed out, but he spent about 4 hours in the deportation hall.

 

My Russian husband had his CR1 visa interview on April 25, but the embassy requested the court order for my legal name change (when I've got citizenship). And Israel is different to other U.S. Embassies: they request police certificate for every country where you've lived for over 6 months (not a year, what is usually requested). My husband spent almost a year in Mexico waiting for the immigration interview (did not happen) and couldn't provide the police certificate from there, because he has never been a resident for Mexico, just a tourist.

 

We've submitted everything we could on May 1st, and our case is still in the administrative processing.

[Karjala 3]

On 5/12/2023 at 6:59 PM, Siberia said:

Month ago we also transferred our case to Jerusalem.

Ceac shows READY, Your case is ready for your interview when scheduled at the U.S. consular section. If you have already scheduled an appointment for an interview, please prepare your documents as directed in your appointment letter. Otherwise, please wait until you have been notified of your interview appointment.

We didnt get any emails after transferring case. How they notify about interview? 

You schedule your own interview in Israel:

 

Please register with the Israeli Post/ Wassel courier at the following Yatri web site https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-il/iv. This is the same web site where Applicant shall be able to schedule himself for an interview by selecting an available appointment slot.

On 5/27/2023 at 1:29 AM, PaulMK said:

It looks like they will tell you when they receive your paperwork, such as your approved i129f, however, you can probably schedule an appointment for the future in the mean time. Ask them, they are very responsive on their emails. I hope I'm not too late to answer for you. I am in a similar situation as you.

When is your interview in Jerusalem

[PaulMK 6]

20 hours ago, Karjala said:

You schedule your own interview in Israel:

 

Please register with the Israeli Post/ Wassel courier at the following Yatri web site https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-il/iv. This is the same web site where Applicant shall be able to schedule himself for an interview by selecting an available appointment slot.

When is your interview in Jerusalem

My Fiance's appointment is the 13th of June. Yes entering Israel customs was brutal, but we had proof of the interview appointment, so they let us go.

 

My Fiance got her Russian Police certificate from Gosuslugi too, but may I ask, did your husband receive his police certificate by mail, or electronically? I can't believe you two have been waiting since early May for the result

[PaulMK 6]

On 5/5/2023 at 5:42 AM, MishaP99 said:

Does anybody have any information regarding Russian police certificates obtained digitally outside of Russia? 

We got our case approved today. To answer the question of receiving a Russian Police Certificate digitally outside of Russia, this document seemed to be good enough for the U.S. Embassy in Israel. Our document was stamped and signed electronically, and printed out by my Fiance and I.

[TBoneTX 43,124]

7 hours ago, PaulMK said:

We got our case approved today.

Great news!  What a relief for you.

[Cire32 10]

On 3/26/2023 at 1:48 AM, rikko said:

Embassies were not accepting my case transfer in the beginning. It was not until after my fiance was denied a multi-entry Schengen, that I emailed the embassies again - this time saying there was no legal way for my fiance to enter Poland to complete his visa interview, despite our attempts. It was not until we had attempted the normal path to Warsaw (and failed) that we were able to secure a transfer. 

 

Just FYI, I believe Serbia, Kazakhstan, and Israel are Russian beneficiary's best bets for transfer due to size and ties to Russia. My fiance is currently in Armenia with Armenian residency, but the embassy is not accepting any transfers due to it's small size and existing backlog for citizens.

 

I strongly advise you to consider the marriage visa instead of fiance visa. 

 

When you applied for the schengen visa, did you apply to Poland or a different country? How long did it take them to get back to you with a rejection? 

[Siberia 5]

Greetings everyone

I have scheduled interview appointment in Jerusalem and now planning our trip there. 

 

We plan to meet in Istanbul and fly to Tel Aviv together to pass customs together.  Then take a train to Jerusalem and stay in Jerusalem until the interview, then return to Tel Aviv.

I still haven't figured out how to book my return ticket due to the fact that I do not know how much time I will need to spend in Israel. Maybe book a return ticket when I have my passport in hand

What  they ask at customs? Do they ask for a return ticket?

If they approve my visa how long does it take to get passport back? 

Will I be able to travel by train or bus inside the country without my passport?

 

Maybe there is something else that I didn't consider, some specifics of the country, embassy or something else. If you have been interviewed in Israel, could you please share your experience?

 

[ah-no 27]

Hello! Any updates from anyone in this thread! I would like to know about transferring our case to Israel. Someone said you need police certificates for any country you were in for more than 6 months. Is that consecutive months only? I can't find this info.

[PaulMK 6]

3 hours ago, ah-no said:

Hello! Any updates from anyone in this thread! I would like to know about transferring our case to Israel. Someone said you need police certificates for any country you were in for more than 6 months. Is that consecutive months only? I can't find this info.

My Russian fiance and I are in the USA right now, we will marry next week. We went through U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. Ask me any questions you would like, I may have an answer.

 

The police certificate requirements are very vague. It has added complexity due to Russia giving out electronic copies of police certificates instead of signed paper copies. It scares couples, including my fiance and I. I was so worried about this, I paid a lawyer to help me figure it out, due to the fact that we only had an electronic police certificate. The lawyer told me I would have to ask U.S. Embassy Jerusalem. I contacted the Embassy, and they gave me no straight answer either. In the end, we had to use the electronic police certificate, which was accepted as okay. I would be very careful with the police certificate, it is a hard requirement and I've heard about people having their cases be delayed until they showed the proper document. 

Here is the website that shows the exact requirement for police certificates, although it is still vague, it's the official instructions. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/RussianFederation.html

 

Absolutely be careful about 6 months. Some people say it's cumulative, but I've never tested it. Nothing would be worse than needing a police document from a country that you are not a resident from.

Please any experts correct me if I am wrong. 

 

Something you may have not considered, is that the Israeli Border Guard will absolutely be suspicious of your entry into the country. There is a lot of Ukrainian refugees going to Israel daily. I was absolutely held up in customs for hours and I had to have a one on one talk with a border guard where I had to prove the reason my Russian fiance was in Israel. Just show them the bunches of paperwork you'll be bringing as well as other proof that you're in Israel to visit the U.S Embassy, and everything should be fine.

[ah-no 27]

8 minutes ago, PaulMK said:

My Russian fiance and I are in the USA right now, we will marry next week. We went through U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. Ask me any questions you would like, I may have an answer.

 

The police certificate requirements are very vague. It has added complexity due to Russia giving out electronic copies of police certificates instead of signed paper copies. It scares couples, including my fiance and I. I was so worried about this, I paid a lawyer to help me figure it out, due to the fact that we only had an electronic police certificate. The lawyer told me I would have to ask U.S. Embassy Jerusalem. I contacted the Embassy, and they gave me no straight answer either. In the end, we had to use the electronic police certificate, which was accepted as okay. I would be very careful with the police certificate, it is a hard requirement and I've heard about people having their cases be delayed until they showed the proper document. 

Here is the website that shows the exact requirement for police certificates, although it is still vague, it's the official instructions. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/RussianFederation.html

 

Absolutely be careful about 6 months. Some people say it's cumulative, but I've never tested it. Nothing would be worse than needing a police document from a country that you are not a resident from.

Please any experts correct me if I am wrong. 

 

Something you may have not considered, is that the Israeli Border Guard will absolutely be suspicious of your entry into the country. There is a lot of Ukrainian refugees going to Israel daily. I was absolutely held up in customs for hours and I had to have a one on one talk with a border guard where I had to prove the reason my Russian fiance was in Israel. Just show them the bunches of paperwork you'll be bringing as well as other proof that you're in Israel to visit the U.S Embassy, and everything should be fine.

Yes thank you. It's not our first time in Israel, and we're married so it might be easier to make our case at the border. We've been 2 times before and had minimal issues, but we were pulled aside for additional questioning when exiting both times. It was hectic but not a big deal. Here's the thing about police certificates -- if that is a cumulative requirement, this absolutely won't be an option for us. We've been in tons of countries for vacation time cumulatively longer than 6 months, including EU countries anyway. Is there really no way to find this rule out? I'll check your link.

I've also heard they keep the passport for even like 2 months in Israel. Did you have return tickets or hotel bookings to show? How long did it take to do the medical exam.

[ah-no 27]

18 minutes ago, PaulMK said:

My Russian fiance and I are in the USA right now, we will marry next week. We went through U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. Ask me any questions you would like, I may have an answer.

 

The police certificate requirements are very vague. It has added complexity due to Russia giving out electronic copies of police certificates instead of signed paper copies. It scares couples, including my fiance and I. I was so worried about this, I paid a lawyer to help me figure it out, due to the fact that we only had an electronic police certificate. The lawyer told me I would have to ask U.S. Embassy Jerusalem. I contacted the Embassy, and they gave me no straight answer either. In the end, we had to use the electronic police certificate, which was accepted as okay. I would be very careful with the police certificate, it is a hard requirement and I've heard about people having their cases be delayed until they showed the proper document. 

Here is the website that shows the exact requirement for police certificates, although it is still vague, it's the official instructions. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/RussianFederation.html

 

Absolutely be careful about 6 months. Some people say it's cumulative, but I've never tested it. Nothing would be worse than needing a police document from a country that you are not a resident from.

Please any experts correct me if I am wrong. 

 

Something you may have not considered, is that the Israeli Border Guard will absolutely be suspicious of your entry into the country. There is a lot of Ukrainian refugees going to Israel daily. I was absolutely held up in customs for hours and I had to have a one on one talk with a border guard where I had to prove the reason my Russian fiance was in Israel. Just show them the bunches of paperwork you'll be bringing as well as other proof that you're in Israel to visit the U.S Embassy, and everything should be fine.

Also, one more question -- did they require any other weird or quirky things we could prepare in advance? I am nervous about being stopped at the border, even though we've been there before, but the past times we were there, it was just for a few days. Actually, it was much more complex to leave than enter. The border guard the second entry was like "you're here with an American citizen, so you can go" to my wife.

[PaulMK 6]

28 minutes ago, ah-no said:

Yes thank you. It's not our first time in Israel, and we're married so it might be easier to make our case at the border. We've been 2 times before and had minimal issues, but we were pulled aside for additional questioning when exiting both times. It was hectic but not a big deal. Here's the thing about police certificates -- if that is a cumulative requirement, this absolutely won't be an option for us. We've been in tons of countries for vacation time cumulatively longer than 6 months, including EU countries anyway. Is there really no way to find this rule out? I'll check your link.

I've also heard they keep the passport for even like 2 months in Israel. Did you have return tickets or hotel bookings to show? How long did it take to do the medical exam.

Good questions. The 6 months is cumulative time in one country. For instance, you can do 5.9 months in Mexico, then 5.9 months in Albania, then 5.9 months in Costa Rica. Not all countries combined. Have you spent more than six months in a single country?

 

Once you officially book an appointment with U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, you should immediately book a medical appointment too. There is only one doctors office that works with U.S. Embassy Jerusalem. They will probably tell you that you should have your medical appointment two weeks in advance to the interview. After that, the Embassy will hang on to your passport for 2-3 weeks. It took them 2.5 weeks to process our visa. Totaling to about 5 weeks in Israel. Yes you should have return tickets to show the border guard in Israel, yes, unfortunately you will probably have to change those tickets once you know the real date of which you can return home. It's very inconvenient and expensive. 

 

I cant think of any weird or quirky requirements. I am very fond of Israel and the U.S. Embassy there. They are very fast compared to other Embassies. Sometimes they even reply by email the very next day, and the interview was very straight forward for my fiance.

 

Buy a SIM card when you arrive. Makes things much easier and they are dirt cheap. Plus, the doctors will want to contact you with an Israeli number once your medical report is ready. 

 

You need at least one police certificate, the place of your residence. In my Russian fiance's case, we needed a Russian Police Certificate.

Edited September 7, 2023 by PaulMK