shallot343

I don’t mind them just doing the student visas since those are super time sensitive (especially with ICE changing the rules every ten minutes!) 

it’s worrying about NVC thinking the embassy is closed but probably  @Wuozopo is right that they just don’t have all the information at NVC. Whoever answers the phone probably doesn’t have intimate knowledge about each embassy because they are essentially the call center arm. 
 

I’ll call NVC tomorrow too after my partner confirms with the embassy (never hurts to keep trying!)

41 minutes ago, MattyUKtoUS said:

Anyone heard or seen anything? I've literally only seen people saying that they don't think London are actually processing anything that is not an emergency yet. Though I am taking that with a pinch of salt till I see something official.

Nada but my partner is going to call the embassy tomorrow to see if they will tell us anything. Not expecting an interview till the fall as we have a mid June DQ though. They might just be going through the F1s...I hope....

3 minutes ago, S&J2013 said:

One of the medical secretaries at my surgery just printed out an a4 sheet with my medical summary on. I had to speak to the GP and pay £30 for them to write a 2 paragraph letter regarding my previous anxiety and depression. Not heard of being able to print off the summary by yourself, but it sounds like a great idea and time saving! 

It is definitely easier! I told him to get the summary now and also go get the vaccines he is missing (I think he is only short one?) as it may be cheaper than at the medical. I just wanted to make sure the online version will count as the "official summary" but I guess a medical summary is a medical summary at the end of the day. The extra fee for the mental health letter seems bit silly if it is going to take all of 10 minutes, but we don't mind paying for it.

Hi all-- happy Friday!

 My partner contacted his GP for his health summary and Mental Health letter (history of Depression). They said he would have to pay a fee for the Mental Health letter (not an issue) but also told him to sign up to the NHS app for his medical summary. 

Has anyone recently gotten their Medical Summary for the Visa Medical this way, or is there another format direct from the GP that he will need? Just trying to get our ducks in a row (we don't have an interview appointment yet so this isn't hyper urgent!)

thank you!

23 minutes ago, JenIE said:

I'd think they will process the spousal visas much faster than normal if they aren't focusing on the other types. Although, I suppose that also depends on if their office is back to work at 100% capacity, and I'd also imagine that fewer interviews happen per day for social distancing, although on the good side of this all the interview updates we've seen indicate that it goes REALLY quick!

My only concern is the student visas (there are usually like, 1500 of them every June!) but I don't mind if they blow through them really quickly in August (they have to since Uni is starting!). After that I know they will get to the immediate family and hopefully K-1

30 minutes ago, JenIE said:

I wasn't 100% sure if ALL the interviews were expedite -- the spreadsheet sometimes doesn't seem to have the complete picture for everyone. Regardless though, many embassies are not even doing expedited cases at the moment. Based on the UK Embassy website, it at least seems like if they aren't already doing any normal processing, they will next week.

 

I had also looked on this timeline to see if everyone with UK interview dates had been expedited, but it's also hard to tell:
https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list.php?op6=All&op66=All&op7=United+Kingdom&op1=3&op2=&dfile=No&op3=5&op4=1&op5=5%2C6%2C8%2C10%2C11%2C13%2C14%2C15%2C16%2C17%2C18%2C20%2C21%2C22%2C25%2C26%2C27%2C28%2C108%2C110%2C111%2C208%2C210%2C211&cfl=0

 

That is a LOT of August Interviews-- I cannot imagine they are *all* expedite since London has historically been a bit stricter than some of the other embassies. I bet a lot of them were regular reschedules from March (which is GREAT news). We are a June 16 DQ so awhile to go but if they are clearing out the backlog now I have no complaints. 

14 minutes ago, Sarahbmalvin said:

The embassy made an update to their website 8 hours ago but I can't find anything new. Does anyone know what the change was?

I was Just looking at it and the "new" and "updated" sections look the same to me...I think it might be the information about travel arrangements for F-1 and M-1. Nothing new about K visas (I'm keeping an eye out for that too--- it is so unfair that they are just not addressing that visa class at all!)

My partner and I had a bet over naming rights for our first cat about when he would get his visa (he said around October 2020, I went for March 2021). I never thought I would be hoping to lose. 🤞

I posted this in another UK thread 

but just in case...UK Embassy updated their website again today at 10:40 US time...we have a date for routine services!

Does anyone know if F and M's schedule themselves? It is possible they opened the calendar for self-scheduling already. NVC should really start sending cases now though! 

They just updated the website AGAIN (like 3 minutes ago...)

!!!!!

1 minute ago, Sarahbmalvin said:

Stupidly optimistic is a full mood for 2020. Just saw this tweet posted on the US Travel Ban subreddit. Could be some good news? Maybe? 

I am honestly starting to feel like like this with all of these updates

But if the US is as obsessed with maintaining bilateral relations with the UK (and EU, but less so) as they seem to be, they cannot keep the travel ban in place too much longer. What that means for the embassy is anyone's guess.

2 minutes ago, Kimi31 said:

Update on the Embassy website

students though,  nothing about a resumption date for normal processing and nothing about Cr/ir1 

Thank you for the update! I saw that they has updated the page but I could not tell what was actually different from Friday (the FAQ is so long and so unhelpful)

Trying to stay stupidly optimistic that the Pompeo visit will change things even though at this point I should know better 

19 minutes ago, TamMhmd said:

I have wondered the same thing! 

This information is published every month by the DoS https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics.html

US Embassy UK updated their website again and it still says the same-- no routine services, only CR-1/2, IR-1/2 and E-3 can be processed (even though they clearly are NOT doing that), no date for resuming services, etc.  Looks like the only real update is that already issued F-1 and M-1's do not need to seek a national interest exemption, mirroring the new information from DoS about who is exempt under the travel and labor market bans. 

The FAQ page has to be like 2000 words long now but it still doesn't have any useful information on it. 🙄

https://uk.usembassy.gov/information-for-nonimmigrant-visa-applicants-following-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/#faq02

10 minutes ago, ohcoffeeeyes said:

. I am so done with this. I have put my entire life on hold for this

I know exactly how you feel! i moved back to the US in Fall 2018 from London  to start the process (stupid me - I didn’t know about DCF!) and my partner and I prepared for a year’s wait. We got Texas SC and thought we were golden but USCIS lost my passport photos and didn’t send us an RFE until I asked for it directly which put us back almost 4 months. We were approved over a year after filing. Since I moved back I’ve put everything off because I want to share things with my partner. We’ve both been in miserable limbo. He hasn’t progressed in his career because like you said- what’s the point if you might leave soon. I’ve put off getting an apartment. And now we are a world away from each other in the middle of a global crisis. A year felt manageable but not knowing if we are even going to see each other in person until next spring is heartbreaking, and I just feel like my whole life is on pause waiting. 

1 hour ago, Jonny_43 said:

where does it say this update please?? 

On the updated FAQs 

https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas111

19 minutes ago, ohcoffeeeyes said:

Well. The magical 15th has passed. 

It is such a joke that they updated the embassy website and all it says is they "are working on it"  and if your case has already left NVC and made it to the embassy  they might be able to schedule you an emergency appointment. Obviously nothing left NVC after March except for the expedites. I am glad that people with emergency circumstances are finally getting their appointments but if they can do that they can certainly start having routine "mission critical" interviews. I just feel like people in the middle of immigration processes have been totally forgotten about, unless they are being demonized. (I know complaining isn't productive but it feels good to rant now and again!)

38 minutes ago, Rosie91 said:

Help! 
I know a lot of us have issues with getting tax transcripts. I hope to find someone in a similar situation as me and probably others. 
We filed including a joint sponsor, who is able to support me enough on his own. We have all the sponsors tax transcripts. We dont have my husbands due to COVID and he is living overseas. His online account is not accessible because he lives with me. But they are also not sending his transcripts by mail. (reason: due to lack of transportation)We uploaded an explanation in CEAC stating this issue and got DQ june 1st. But we did mention that we would bring the transcripts to the interview (we thought the IRS must have gotten a solution by now). Do you think it is an issue if we dont have my husbands transcripts, but we have the joints who makes way over the averages or do we risk being denied? Any thoughts? Thanks all of you!

I don't know if this helps but I filed my taxes via mail in March (My partner is still a nonresident alien obviously so I could not e-file) and for months every time i check for my refund I get a message on the IRS website saying my information cannot be found. Today it finally says "your refund is in process" which means they are tackling taxes again---it is possible they will be mailing transcripts again soon.

At NVC I uploaded my w-2 and a copy of the return I filed with an explanation that the IRS hadn't gotten to paper filers yet. Received DQ with no comment and intend on having my partner bring the same to the interview with the same explanation. I think if you have other official proof of income (equivalent of w-2 and copy of what was filed for your husband and the joint sponsors) you should be okay. You can't be faulted for the entire IRS being backed up. 

Trying to stay positive....this is definitely a step in the right direction rather than "sorry we are closed" but I also think given what low volumes London had previously of Immigrant and priority NIV visas, even if they don't get back to pre-covid workloads for a few months we may still see appointments before the winter! I don't think they are going to be a doing a lot of B visas right now, and the student visas are iffy because of that horrible ICE ruling

14 minutes ago, Evajandra said:

If any of you are following the Travel Gov Twitter feed, they are now not mentioning the July 15th date anymore. ☹️

I know we are all just making wild guesses here but I think that might just be because people are asking them on Twitter about a specific embassy, which the DoS doesn't have total control over. I think the July 15th date is the date embassies can all start opening if they feel safe, but each embassy will have to decide based on local conditions if that is the right date for them!

1 hour ago, jarrod679 said:

You are better off contacting NVC, it's currently their problem.

 

Agree -- I contacted the embassy via their contact form this afternoon in a fit of desperation after being on hold with NVC for over an hour and got a snippy reply back within minutes telling me to contact NVC because "when an application is being processed by National Visa Center (NVC), any questions - including about expediting processing - are a matter for NVC....The Immigrant Visa Unit's role in such cases is to communicate with NVC about appointment capacity at Embassy London, not to schedule individual appointments" 

Was surprised they emailed me back so fast and seem to have actually read what I wrote, so I guess someone is there actually working. 

Wonder what exactly the hold up is with NVC sending cases to the Embassy; maybe they want to work on the backlog of cases already sent first? (though the page update seems to say that they are still only doing this on an emergency basis....)