Can't Find K1 Appt at Sierra Leone Consulate

[TBoneTX 47,236]

Fingers crossed for all of you.  Be sure to keep reporting here.

[Diamond Gaye 0]

2 hours ago, Kay mama said:

Hi Diamond, not yet, I am still checking the website every day.

Okay, same here! Hopefully we'll find something in June🙏🏾

[Diamond Gaye 0]

On 5/1/2025 at 8:35 PM, favobee said:

My fiance is working from and applying for a K1 visa in Freetown, Sierra Leone (but he is from a nearby West African country). The application is at the last stage--the Embassy has received it, and he just needs to schedule his interview. My fiance had been able to schedule his B2 visa interview through the same consulate last year without a problem, just that it was about 4 months from when we scheduled it. So we were expecting that the appointment we found might be a few months out, and we would have to wait. What we didn't see coming was to get to the appointment page and see a message that "Currently, there are no appointments available for the selected location."

 

We submitted the DS-160 on April 8 immediately after learning the case had been forwarded, and have been checking the appointments page several times daily since then. I was able to contact the consulate and was advised that they usually post new appointments at the beginning of the month, so since April 30 we have been checking the page much more frequently, several times every hour. At one point since then, I did notice that the AVITS website displayed the message "This application is currently undergoing updates and is temporarily unavailable. Please check back later." It did this several times.  There was also a period where the appointment page was loading too slowly for me to access it, and I tried logging out and back in. I wondered if this might be when appointments were being added, but when I was able to access the page again, it displayed the same "no appointments available" message. It's hard to believe that maintenance message and lapse in loading (which happened early on the morning of April 30, Freetown time) was due to new appointments coming online and getting booked so fast.

 

I'm aware that this problem is not new, and that many people have had to try at it a lot longer than us before they found an appointment, so we understand these things take time. But like with the DS-160, it is just challenging enough that we are starting to ask ourselves, "Are we doing this right, or are we missing something?" Any thoughts or tips welcome!

 

Feb ??, 2024 | Received B2 visa & visited the US in summer 2024

Sept 11, 2024 | I-129f application received by USCIS

Feb 10, 2025 | Case approved and sent to NVC

Mar 24, 2025 | Case completed NVC processing

Apr 8, 2025 | NVC sent case to Embassy in Freetown, SL

Apr 17, 2025 | Embassy in Freetown, SL confirmed receipt of our case

What state are you in? Have you heard anything of how long it normally takes for SL to open interview slots for K1? I heard every 3 months, but now I don't think that's true. 

[favobee 7]

3 minutes ago, Diamond Gaye said:

 Have you heard anything of how long it normally takes for SL to open interview slots for K1? I heard every 3 months, but now I don't think that's true. 

 

The only thing we were ever told about timing was "at the beginning of the month", (this was in April and the person was referring to the beginning of May), but that turned out not to be true. My theory is either the people answering about the phone don't know or they can't do anything about it, so they tell us something that will get us to stop calling for at least 2 weeks.. 😅

[favobee 7]

No real updates on my end. My current routine is to call them, and when I reach a person, I tell them that we were told we would be receiving an email right about now, and then they tell me they will check on it, and I am put on "hold". In reality they just put the phone down, and I can hear faint background noise, and then they come back every 10 minutes or so to say they are "still working on it", or that they are "almost there". Eventually, sometimes the call just drops. Otherwise, after an hour, the call automatically disconnects. We've repeated this routine about 5 times.

[favobee 7]

Plot twist, on my last call, using the same number as always, and the one posted on the consulate website, the person that picked up said they don't really speak English. I switched to French, and then they told me that this was their personal phone number.

[TBoneTX 47,236]

Maybe try this (a last resort).  Call the consulate's phone for U.S. Citizen assistance, tell them you're a USC, and politely but firmly ask to be transferred to an American in the Immigrant Visa unit who is confirmed present to answer the line.

 

When you get flak, which you will, respond to everything with, "Sir/ma'am, are you a U.S. citizen?  No?  Well, I am, and I ask (insist, demand) that you transfer me immediately after you confirm that an American in the IV unit is present to take my call."

 

When you get more flak, ask the person's name.  "What's your name?  How do you spell that?  Who is your supervisor?  How do you spell his/her name?"  This should get results.

 

During my torment at the unspeakable Guayaquil consulate in 2008 (trying to get answers about visa status after a Stokes interview), I got jerked around trying normal channels and then did this.  I was on hold for 40 minutes (at long-distance international rates) but ended up speaking with the IV Unit Chief himself.  Within 48 hours, Mrs. T-B.-to-be's visa was approved.  You should try the same in your circumstances.

 

The crucial point is to play the "USC" card:  "Are you a U.S. citizen?  No?  Well, I am, so you're required to transfer my call as I've stated..."

[Kay mama 1]

Hi everyone, what do you guys think about this partial travel restriction for us? I’m am worried 😟 

[Diamond Gaye 0]

4 hours ago, Kay mama said:

Hi everyone, what do you guys think about this partial travel restriction for us? I’m am worried 😟 

From what i am seeing, it's only for visitors and student visas. We're good  🙏🏾

[appleblossom 4,062]

2 hours ago, Diamond Gaye said:

From what i am seeing, it's only for visitors and student visas. We're good 

It also says ‘as immigrants’ though? Presumably that means immigrant visas, so it would be odd if fiancés are permitted but spouses aren’t. 

[Diamond Gaye 0]

21 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

It also says ‘as immigrants’ though? Presumably that means immigrant visas, so it would be odd if fiancés are permitted but spouses aren’t. 

It's whether they're coming as immigrants or nonimmigrants ON B1/B2 visas they're not permitted. Family preference visa are exempt. No mention of k1, so I'm hoping we're exempt as well. 

[appleblossom 4,062]

7 hours ago, Diamond Gaye said:

It's whether they're coming as immigrants or nonimmigrants ON B1/B2 visas they're not permitted. Family preference visa are exempt. No mention of k1, so I'm hoping we're exempt as well. 

But nobody can come as an immigrant on a non-immigrant visa? So that wouldn’t make any sense. 
 

Hopefully it’ll get clarified soon. 

[TBoneTX 47,236]

The K-1 is a strange animal, a "hybrid" visa -- a nonimmigrant visa with immigrant intent.  This is why K-1s are processed by the Immigrant Visa units at consulates.

[Kay mama 1]

Hello everyone, I don’t know if anyone of you have seen the interview with the US Ambassador by AYV yesterday. He said they will be giving visa to category’s TR 1 to 5. Please go check I out on YouTube or TikTok.

[favobee 7]

I just saw this on the Embassy's Facebook page.

 

My fiance is not Sierra Leonian but our hearts are broken for others who are affected. I'm so sorry. 💔 Praying for each of you.

For those that already have visas, there were several questions in the comments about if those individuals could still travel to the US. It sounds like the answer is yes, despite the language in the proclamation that sounds like it would not be permitted. Everyone stay safe.

Edited Tuesday at 03:22 AM by favobee