NOA2 to interview in Moscow...

[Jason-Sasha 1]

Hi all! I actually posted these questions in my "We're approved" thread here in the Russia forum. But I was thinking it might not get many views. So, I've copied them to this thread dedicated to just those questions. here they are. thanks for any help!

My first question....How soon after the embassy receives our petition will they schedule an interview? I mean, they will send out this packet 3, right? Will this have an interview date already set? Or will they schedule her interview after she sends the list back?

Second question....What's the typical wait time from NVC to hearing something from the embassy?

Next.....If I call NVC in a few days, and they have my case, will they give me the new case number? Will this case number enable me to track my petition at the embassy?

Next.....Is it too soon for Sasha to get her police reports? Does she need something from the packet before she does this??

Next.....Instead of mailing the Aff. of Sup. can I take it to her when I go to Russia at Christmas?

Next.....Is it possible to have an interview as early as late January/early February?

Just a few questions to start with Thanks for any help you all can provide..

[mox 298]

Hi Jason,

Sorry, I can only answer a couple of your questions since I'm waiting on NOA2 myself. I'll be interested to hear what others say.

Police report: Have her start working on it now. It's good for 1 year. She doesn't need anything from the packet. (Some places, like Tokyo, do require information from the packet, but not Russia.)

Aff of Supp: You can bring it with you. She just needs to have it the day of the interview.

[Jason-Sasha 1]

Hi Jason,

Sorry, I can only answer a couple of your questions since I'm waiting on NOA2 myself. I'll be interested to hear what others say.

Police report: Have her start working on it now. It's good for 1 year. She doesn't need anything from the packet. (Some places, like Tokyo, do require information from the packet, but not Russia.)

Aff of Supp: You can bring it with you. She just needs to have it the day of the interview.

Thanks Kirk! I will take it with me. and I'll ask Sasha to begin working on this police report. Good luck on a speedy approval!!

[mox 298]

Thanks Kirk! I will take it with me. and I'll ask Sasha to begin working on this police report. Good luck on a speedy approval!!

Thanks! I used to consider myself lucky for going through CSC, but now it seems the tables have turned! But overall approval rates seem to be increasing, so hopefully it'll only be a couple more months for me.

Make sure to let us know how the interview went, and what questions they asked Sasha. Nadya is stressing the interview big time, I'd like to give her some first hand information to ease her worries.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Here's the answers I know...

Next.....If I call NVC in a few days, and they have my case, will they give me the new case number? Will this case number enable me to track my petition at the embassy?

Use the same number that appears on the 2nd NOA to track her interview on the embassy site.

Next.....Is it too soon for Sasha to get her police reports? Does she need something from the packet before she does this??

No, she can get these now!

Next.....Instead of mailing the Aff. of Sup. can I take it to her when I go to Russia at Christmas?

Take it with you and give it to her at Christmas is a great idea.

Next.....Is it possible to have an interview as early as late January/early February?

I'm thinking late February is more realistic. But you never know.

[Patrick5th 0]

Hi all! I actually posted these questions in my "We're approved" thread here in the Russia forum. But I was thinking it might not get many views. So, I've copied them to this thread dedicated to just those questions. here they are. thanks for any help!

My first question....How soon after the embassy receives our petition will they schedule an interview? I mean, they will send out this packet 3, right? Will this have an interview date already set? Or will they schedule her interview after she sends the list back?

Second question....What's the typical wait time from NVC to hearing something from the embassy?

Next.....If I call NVC in a few days, and they have my case, will they give me the new case number? Will this case number enable me to track my petition at the embassy?

Next.....Is it too soon for Sasha to get her police reports? Does she need something from the packet before she does this??

Next.....Instead of mailing the Aff. of Sup. can I take it to her when I go to Russia at Christmas?

Next.....Is it possible to have an interview as early as late January/early February?

Just a few questions to start with Thanks for any help you all can provide..

Hi Jason,

A look at the the following web pages on the Moscow Embassy web site may help with some of your questions:

K1 Visa Instructions specific to Russia:

http://moscow.usembassy.gov/consular/print...cord_id=fiancee

Interview appointments (ones that have already been scheduled):

http://www.usembassy.ru/consular/iv_dates.php

You might also look at this post from another visa applicant for another country but who did apply through VSC:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1369435

My take on the above is as follows:

The Moscow Consulate web site says the "police certificate validity is one year since the date of issuance." So, yes this can be done now.

The same web site says the Affidavit of Support "is not required, but may be requested." I take it this refers to a second one, not the one sent to the Service Center. Whether you get a second one or not, your fiancee would take it with her to the interview ("All documents should be supplied on the day of the interview.") So, yes, I think you can just take the Affidavit with you when you go to Russia for Christmas.

The appointments already scheduled go out through Jan 17. So I am thinking a January or February interview date is still possible.

From the experience of another applicant, the NVC wait time appears to be "something like 5 days" for a VSC filer.

This same person says at NVC you get a new "tracking number" (whatever that is) but not a new "case number." I understand the case number to be the "receipt number" on the NOA2. So you can still follow your application with the receipt number. Some of the applicant identifiers on the appointments web page appear to resemble the NOA2 receipt number.

It is not clear to me yet who schedules the interview--the embassy or the beneficiary; or when this can or should be done. The web site says "once interview at the Embassy has been scheduled, the beneficiary is provided via mail with an invitation letter and information sheet outlining the steps to be taken."

I take special interest in your case as your timeline is about the same as mine and we are using the same embassy.

I hope this helps rather than to confuse. It may raise more questons.

Patrick

[Jason-Sasha 1]

Thanks Jeff! Thanks Patrick! I will keep everyone posted of all progress made and give details of every step. Cheers!

Jason

[wissooner 0]

It is not clear to me yet who schedules the interview--the embassy or the beneficiary; or when this can or should be done. The web site says "once interview at the Embassy has been scheduled, the beneficiary is provided via mail with an invitation letter and information sheet outlining the steps to be taken."

I'm pretty sure the embassy schedules the interview. I think once they receive the paperwork from NVC they send the beneficiary a packet with a list of instructions and an interview date for two months out. I think they think this is the time needed for the beneficiary to collect up her documents. Two months seems pretty much standard...

[slim 1,514]

Make sure to let us know how the interview went, and what questions they asked Sasha. Nadya is stressing the interview big time, I'd like to give her some first hand information to ease her worries.

I know you'll never believe me, but the interview is the most over-hyped part of the whole VJ process. If you've done everything you should've (and by being here on VJ, you will) then it'll be a cake walk.

And since you cut and pasted your questions from the other thread, I'll cut and paste my answers.

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

My first question....How soon after the embassy receives our petition will they schedule an interview? I mean, they will send out this packet 3, right? Will this have an interview date already set? Or will they schedule her interview after she sends the list back?

The interview will be scheduled fairly quickly (within a couple weeks) for a time a few months away from then. So, if they get your packet in about two weeks, you could get an interview in Feb or Mar. (Not an estimate, just saying it takes about two months or so usually.) The packet 3 (which Moscow only sends one packet) will be sent once they get the case in Moscow and start setting her up for an interview. I believe (not 100% but I'm pretty sure) the interview date is sent out with the packet on somewhat of an "invitation slip" type deal. She doesn't need to send anything back to them (like they do at other embassies, remember, Moscow is "special") but she will need to complete a few forms including some online versions. (Instructions are in the packet.)

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Second question....What's the typical wait time from NVC to hearing something from the embassy?

Barring any "issues" it's typically about a month to six weeks. (Interview assigned date. I believe you get an e-mail or something saying like "packet received by embassy." But you won't actually get an interview date until about a month or so from the time it leaves NVC.)

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....If I call NVC in a few days, and they have my case, will they give me the new case number? Will this case number enable me to track my petition at the embassy?

They may give you your new case number if they know it and if you're lucky enough to get in touch with an actual person. You can use this number to track your petition at the embassy, but only if you get it, and only if the embassy is actually assigning a date, and only if you can get in touch with a real person and only if they're in a good mood that day and only if..... get the picture? You're talking a whole bunch of "in theory" stuff that is technically true, but not very probable.

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....Is it too soon for Sasha to get her police reports? Does she need something from the packet before she does this??

It is NOT too soon for her to start getting her police reports. However, she will have detailed instructions mailed to her inside the packet and there should be sufficient time to compile all reports prior to the interview. She doesn't actually NEED something from the packet to start this process but it will tell her exactly what she needs to get. There's no reason to "hurry up and get them now" before you even have an interview date. That said, it's never too early! (They say they want them within a six-month time period prior to the interview, but that's not entirely accurate. As long as they're within a "recent" time, she'll be fine. 7 months isn't going to get her denied.)

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....Instead of mailing the Aff. of Sup. can I take it to her when I go to Russia at Christmas?

Yes. It needs to be "recent" as well and as long as you don't have a significant financial change between now and the interview, you should have no problems. You will probably have an updated W-2 by the time her interview rolls around so you may want to send that to her and a few more recent pay stubs and maybe even an updated employer letter in Feb or so. Your Aff. of Sup. from Dec. should be just fine though.

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....Is it possible to have an interview as early as late January/early February?

It's "possible" but it's more probable that she'll have an interview in mid-Feb to March or even April. You can check out the dates on the website and check to see what the most recent updates are scheduled for. You can probably add about two weeks to a month on to the most recent updates and get a pretty accurate idea of when you're going to see your petition # up there. (See above)

Some of the guys that have been through this pretty recently can probably guesstimate this better than I can but the trend seems to be about 3 months from leaving NVC which would put you right about March 1. That's where my money is!!! Hope it's sooner for you but if I were a wagering man...... Good luck, and keep the questions coming.

[Jason-Sasha 1]

Make sure to let us know how the interview went, and what questions they asked Sasha. Nadya is stressing the interview big time, I'd like to give her some first hand information to ease her worries.

I know you'll never believe me, but the interview is the most over-hyped part of the whole VJ process. If you've done everything you should've (and by being here on VJ, you will) then it'll be a cake walk.

And since you cut and pasted your questions from the other thread, I'll cut and paste my answers.

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

My first question....How soon after the embassy receives our petition will they schedule an interview? I mean, they will send out this packet 3, right? Will this have an interview date already set? Or will they schedule her interview after she sends the list back?

The interview will be scheduled fairly quickly (within a couple weeks) for a time a few months away from then. So, if they get your packet in about two weeks, you could get an interview in Feb or Mar. (Not an estimate, just saying it takes about two months or so usually.) The packet 3 (which Moscow only sends one packet) will be sent once they get the case in Moscow and start setting her up for an interview. I believe (not 100% but I'm pretty sure) the interview date is sent out with the packet on somewhat of an "invitation slip" type deal. She doesn't need to send anything back to them (like they do at other embassies, remember, Moscow is "special") but she will need to complete a few forms including some online versions. (Instructions are in the packet.)

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Second question....What's the typical wait time from NVC to hearing something from the embassy?

Barring any "issues" it's typically about a month to six weeks. (Interview assigned date. I believe you get an e-mail or something saying like "packet received by embassy." But you won't actually get an interview date until about a month or so from the time it leaves NVC.)

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....If I call NVC in a few days, and they have my case, will they give me the new case number? Will this case number enable me to track my petition at the embassy?

They may give you your new case number if they know it and if you're lucky enough to get in touch with an actual person. You can use this number to track your petition at the embassy, but only if you get it, and only if the embassy is actually assigning a date, and only if you can get in touch with a real person and only if they're in a good mood that day and only if..... get the picture? You're talking a whole bunch of "in theory" stuff that is technically true, but not very probable.

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....Is it too soon for Sasha to get her police reports? Does she need something from the packet before she does this??

It is NOT too soon for her to start getting her police reports. However, she will have detailed instructions mailed to her inside the packet and there should be sufficient time to compile all reports prior to the interview. She doesn't actually NEED something from the packet to start this process but it will tell her exactly what she needs to get. There's no reason to "hurry up and get them now" before you even have an interview date. That said, it's never too early! (They say they want them within a six-month time period prior to the interview, but that's not entirely accurate. As long as they're within a "recent" time, she'll be fine. 7 months isn't going to get her denied.)

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....Instead of mailing the Aff. of Sup. can I take it to her when I go to Russia at Christmas?

Yes. It needs to be "recent" as well and as long as you don't have a significant financial change between now and the interview, you should have no problems. You will probably have an updated W-2 by the time her interview rolls around so you may want to send that to her and a few more recent pay stubs and maybe even an updated employer letter in Feb or so. Your Aff. of Sup. from Dec. should be just fine though.

QUOTE(Jason-Sasha @ Dec 2 2007, 06:10 AM)

Next.....Is it possible to have an interview as early as late January/early February?

It's "possible" but it's more probable that she'll have an interview in mid-Feb to March or even April. You can check out the dates on the website and check to see what the most recent updates are scheduled for. You can probably add about two weeks to a month on to the most recent updates and get a pretty accurate idea of when you're going to see your petition # up there. (See above)

Some of the guys that have been through this pretty recently can probably guesstimate this better than I can but the trend seems to be about 3 months from leaving NVC which would put you right about March 1. That's where my money is!!! Hope it's sooner for you but if I were a wagering man...... Good luck, and keep the questions coming.

Really great reply, Slim! Thanks a million. and also thanks to everyone else who has helped me with some info. I will certainly be asking plenty more questions as the weeks go by. I'm really glad to be part of the "Russian" group. Slim, I've noticed that Moscow does in fact seem to be "special". Different procedures than all other embassies around the world. Any idea why this is?? I'm glad that its a bit more simple than most other nations, but dont know why. Ok, going to the mailbox now. My hardcopy NOA2 should be there now. .....And I'd like to start tracking it through NVC to the the embassy. I'm so excited now. Its finally sinking in that the hardest part is behind us. And I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel!!

Edited December 3, 2007 by Jason-Sasha

[mox 298]

I've noticed that Moscow does in fact seem to be "special". Different procedures than all other embassies around the world. Any idea why this is?? I'm glad that its a bit more simple than most other nations, but dont know why. Ok, going to the mailbox now. My hardcopy NOA2 should be there now.

In actuality, I think every embassy tends to be different from every other embassy. Each embassy has a lot of discretion on how to operate, and for good reason. Every country has its own peculiarities, and each presents different immigration challenges. The Phillipines, for instance, has been known to turn down an application because the sponsor only barely met the requirements for income or sponsorship. In Japan there are extra hoops to jump through after the packet is received. In Canada and Britain, the interviews are the barest of technicalities, while in China I've heard that it's a grilling. A lot of it has to to with fraud rate, but I'm sure there are other factors. I think in some ways the ambassador to another country has more power than a governor in one of our own states. They're only barely answerable to the State Department, and even then it really depends on how cozy that Ambassador is with the President.

[slim 1,514]

Yep, Moscow is different. I don't want to take away from the other forums on VJ, but I try to steer the new guys away from the K-1 and AOS forums and all that. They have great answers for specific questions "what should I put on question #4 part A where it says 'prepared by'?" but they really have no idea what it's like to go through Moscow. The guys (and girls!) in this forum have been through it and can help you more specifically from day one. I think you can cover your VJ process, start to finish, simply by staying in the Russia Forum. I know I did! (The K-1 forum actually just confused me....)

As for the embassies all having "special" ways of dealing with the visas and interviews, if you look at the big picture, the embassy is somewhat of a microcosm for the political relations between the U.S. and that country. For instance, in Russia, it has been historically more difficult for average citizens to interact with Americans (and vice-versa) and our governments still don't fully trust or cooperate with each other. Contrast that with the Philippines, where our governments have pretty much worked hand-in-hand since the end of WWII, and you get a little bit more favorable conditions for immigration. However, there's a twist here that facilitates unique processes in both countries. A VERY HIGH number of fiancee applications are filed each year and that forces the embassies to develop a system of what I see as somewhat of a "visa farm" through the respective embassies. We have to do "business" through the embassies (espionage, trade deals, "waving the flag", etc.; all part of protecting and securing our interests abroad) but they also must make the American citizens back home happy and they do that by producing a steady flow of visas for attractive young women and their families. (Or IT professionals, doctors, scientists, etc., based on the country.) Anyway, take into account IMBRA and all the anti-human-trafficking stuff and you get a system based on reciprocity and necessity.

In many ways Moscow is simpler but in many ways it's more difficult than others. That's why it's special. The thing I like about governmental BS though is regardless of how outlandish it is (what the hell is "competitive liberalization"???) it is often pretty consistent and once you've learned (and mastered!) the system, it's a fairly simple process of following the rules and submitting the right forms and applications to complete the process. Moscow is no different, you just have to learn the "special rules" in dealing with this unique embassy.

That's why we're here. To help you through this "unique" process. There's a set of rules you must follow and if you take the advice of the guys (and girls!) that've been through it already, you should slide right on through as well.

Keep the questions coming!

[Jason-Sasha 1]

Thanks alot guys!! You know, I would've spent more time in this forum, but it always seemed very slow and quiet. I actually felt like there weren't very many US/Russian couples here. I mean, compared to most other countries. But now that I am finished with VSC (until AOS) I think i'll be spending most of my time here with all of you.

Slim, help me understand something, if you please.....I learned that my case has been sent to Moscow. It should be there by next week. You said that you think Moscow will send the interview date with the packet to Sasha. Cool. but can I call Moscow next week and ask them directly? I'm just a bit confused. Please excuse me. If this info can be easily found in VJ, I'm sorry for the trouble. Really, I'm just looking for the soonest way of finding this out. Thanks again....

Jas.

[mendeleev 68]

We were in Administrative Review about a month for her K3. We were apparently in AR at Vermont for a few weeks also for her K1, but I didn't notice at that time.

A lot of Russian-American couples on this forum spend just 2-4 days at Vermont, though. You can call them (either in Vermont or in DC -- look around on other fora and you'll find numbers) and, with your USCIS case number find out if your case is still in Vermont or in Moscow. You can also find out your Moscow case number that way, which helps big time in looking at the Moscow schedule. That's how I found out about both her K1 and her K3 interview dates.

[Jason-Sasha 1]

We were in Administrative Review about a month for her K3. We were apparently in AR at Vermont for a few weeks also for her K1, but I didn't notice at that time.

A lot of Russian-American couples on this forum spend just 2-4 days at Vermont, though. You can call them (either in Vermont or in DC -- look around on other fora and you'll find numbers) and, with your USCIS case number find out if your case is still in Vermont or in Moscow. You can also find out your Moscow case number that way, which helps big time in looking at the Moscow schedule. That's how I found out about both her K1 and her K3 interview dates.

You have confused me a bit... 2-4 days in Vermont?? Who had that kind of speed with an approval?? I think no one. Did you mean New Hampshire (NVC)? My case is no longer with NVC. On it's way to Moscow. I have the case number. I simply wanted to know the soonest way of finding our interview date. Does the embassy update their webpage with listed appointments, regularly? Seems to me that they wont set an interview date until they send packet 3 and receive the checklist back from Sasha. Just wondering if this sounds correct. I was hoping to find out the date earlier, but hey...take what you get.