Iranian I-130 Interview: Stick with UAE (18 mo wait) or Switch to Turkey for Faster Interview?

[amirswife 0]

Hi everyone,

 

I’m a US citizen who filed an I-130 for my Iranian husband. Here’s our timeline:
- Filed: June 2023
- Approved: August 2024
- DQ’ed: December 3, 2024
- Interview (waiting): UAE (Abu Dhabi)

 

I’ve heard the wait time in Abu Dhabi is around 18 months from DQ, which puts us at June 2026—too long! I’m wondering if switching to Ankara, Turkey, might get us an interview faster. I’ve read Ankara can be 6-12 months post-DQ, but I’m not sure if that’s still true in 2025 or how reliable it is for Iranians.

Questions:
1. Has anyone with an Iranian case recently scheduled an interview in Abu Dhabi or Ankara? How long did it take after DQ?
2. Is Ankara really faster than Abu Dhabi right now? Any downsides I should know about?
3. How smooth was switching locations with NVC? I’ve heard it takes 2-4 weeks—did it delay your case more than that?
 

I’d love to hear your experiences or advice—trying to figure out if switching is worth it to cut the wait.

 

Also, if this question is better suited for a different thread, please let me know.

 

Thanks so much!

[Boiler 48,261]

We are guessing at the interview time lines, I always thought Turkey was the longest?

 

There is of course AP to consider.

[ImanJ 0]

Hi, my wife is Iranian, we had the interview scheduled for turkey, but switched it to Armenia, this took us 2 weeks. We were Documentarily qualified October 2024 and were given the interview may 2025. We were given the DS5535 after the interview and are still waiting for visa issuance

[appleblossom 5,391]

34 minutes ago, ImanJ said:

Hi, my wife is Iranian, we had the interview scheduled for turkey, but switched it to Armenia, this took us 2 weeks. We were Documentarily qualified October 2024 and were given the interview may 2025. We were given the DS5535 after the interview and are still waiting for visa issuance

 

As Boiler said, AP is the biggest wait for any Iranian, whichever consulate they've interviewed at. 

 

But now the rules have tightened up (or, to put it another way, the rules that always existed are being enforced to stop 'consulate shopping'), the OP would only be allowed to interview in Turkey if they were either a Turkish citizen or resident there. 

[pushbrk 14,112]

Time from DQ would change if your change consulates.  Time to DQ is the time in the queue for an interview.  You go to the back of the line if you change after DQ.