cjsm19

Just now, SusieQQQ said:

I don’t know how you expect anyone here to possibly know how many people will be applying for what type of visas at his consulate and where in the queue he will end up being. All he can do is keep an eye on the consulate website and book an appointment as soon as they are open for that. Has he already done his DS160 and has everything ready to go to push the button on an appointment when he’s able? Has he been checking the consulate website for udates?

I don’t expect anyone to know. I do appreciate the responses though. Was just looking for opinions. He hasn’t filled out the app yet but we check the website regularly. Almost all restrictions have been lifted so we hope it’ll be open soon. Fingers crossed 🤞 thanks for the help! 

1 minute ago, SusieQQQ said:

How do you extrapolate from trying to get all the student visas done by August to no other visas are issued all year?

I worded it poorly. I just meant with the backlog, will it be likely at all for him to get an appointment on time by the end of the year. 

4 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

 

 And to add to the backlog, some embassies have already announced they’ll be giving student visas priority when they reopen for routine issuance - they’re usually in full seasonal swing ahead of August college starts by now.

So he’s not likely to come here this year even if they open?

33 minutes ago, Lucky Cat said:

I have read this will temporarily suspend work-based visas..

So it wouldn’t affect those wanting to visit on a tourist visa?

Does this ban apply to B1/B2 visas as well, or just work based ones? My boyfriend is hoping to come on a tourist visa to visit this December. So I’m just curious about what all this means.

I’m a bit confused. I just heard that President Trump is banning certain visas until the end of the year. Is that just for work visas, or are tourist visas included in that as well?

6 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

No credit checks and debt is not currently an issue.  However it is 125% of, not 125% above.  125% ABOVE is equal to 225% of.

Thank you for answering! Yes I apologize, I realized my wording was off but I couldn’t figure out how to edit my post lol. 

22 minutes ago, cjsm19 said:

Pretty much what the title says. Would it matter that I have student loans when I file for the affidavit of support? Or is the only requirement that I meet the 125% above the poverty line guidelines?

Oh also, do they run a credit check on the sponsor? I’m not in terrible debt but I’m just worrying about all these things and want to know what will be expected in the future.

Pretty much what the title says. Would it matter that I have student loans when I file for the affidavit of support? Or is the only requirement that I meet the 125% above the poverty line guidelines?

51 minutes ago, Luckycuds said:

Some models call for a peak in cases in November/December so no one can give you an answer. We may have to go through this all again in a few months.

Wow I guess there’s no hope at all lol

1 hour ago, cyclone27 said:

Then you have to wait on the airlines to get their act together. (Another stumbling block)

Even by December? I can see how summer tourism would be iffy, but could it still be suspended by late November/early December? It just seems so unreasonable. lol 

15 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

You’ll need both of the DoS instructing embassies to reopen where possible, and local regulations allowing it I guess.
 

 

Oh gotcha! So the Department of State here as well as in the Ukraine? The article said they’re slowly opening up so maybe that’s a good sign. I can’t imagine they’d be closed for the rest of the year...it would contribute to the devastation of the economy. Gotta stay hopeful I guess. Thanks for responding!

10 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Well, you need to take a deep breath.  it’s probably confusing becasue you’re rolling a bunch of things into one. Yes, some countries have closed their borders. The US is not one of those. You haven’t said where your boyfriend is so maybe he is in one of those countries. And yes things will not all reopen at the same instant because different countries are at different stages and will have different rules for reopening at different times. Really no point stressing about things you can’t control. Just focus on the relevant news for his country and keep an eye on when his embassy starts allowing visa appointments again. 

Thank you so much for commenting. I’ve been definitely rolling everything into one - I really should be practicing media distancing along with social distancing - journalists are so doom and gloom about everything. He is from the Ukraine which was not part of the initial European travel ban, which is hopeful. He says they have been easing restrictions and are continuing to do so, which is hopeful. 
 

So from what you’ve said, am I understanding correctly that once his country has fully reopened, it is likely they’ll start taking visa appointments and he should be able to come?

Hi everyone. I know I have posted before, but as I see more updates and posts I become even more confused about what’s going on. 
 
I just saw an article online saying that the State Department would start opening up in phases. Is this a hopeful thing for those wanting to obtain travel visas? Or could this drag on for months? I understand the importance of keeping everyone safe, but it’s just so frustrating to not know. My boyfriend is planning on visiting in December. Could they be up and running before then? 

I keep seeing some people on here saying that travel is not banned, it just is suspended until consulates reopen. Then recently, I saw another user saying that the borders will be closed to all travel for the foreseeable future, and will possibly be closed up until next year. Both statements contradict themselves and I’m very confused. Should I call off the plans with my boyfriend or is there hope? Sorry for being so repetitive - I am prone to high anxiety and all of this nonsense going on in the world is just making it worse. Thanks for listening.

I just saw an article online saying that the State Department would start opening up in phases. Is this a hopeful thing for those wanting to obtain travel visas? Or could this drag on for months? I understand the importance of keeping everyone safe, but it’s just so frustrating to not know. My boyfriend is planning on visiting in December. Could they be up and running before then? 

2 hours ago, INF said:

It’s a way to stay when the NVC approves all your documents! 

Oh okay, thanks for the response! I’m still so new to all this, so there are a lot of terms I’m not familiar with. 

14 hours ago, INF said:

Will definitely be a year wait from DQ after this. I can already see it!

What is DQ?

On 3/30/2020 at 8:59 AM, CGs_Mother said:

Embassies and Consulates are subject to two sets of laws - the country of the embassy, and the municipal laws where the buildings are located. The buildings have to meet things like fire codes, occupancy permits, etc. So if the head country is suspending services, then they can't open. But if the head country is still operating but the city in which the building is located is under emergency orders, the building would still not be able to open and operate. That's why they can't post definitive dates of when consular processing will continue. Since the US lockdown is continuing until April 30, 2020, the embassy might reopen that date provided that it's located in an area that will reopen on that date. If you're in Canada,  for example, I can tell you right now that Montreal will not reopen until maybe June at the earliest. So you have to watch for both the US reopen date and the local, municipal reopen date. Sorry. 

Hello, I know I was not initially part of this discussion, but I have a similar concern and so I have been browsing these forums looking for answers. This clears a lot up! My boyfriend is a medical student who is planning to come this July for rotations in the States. We are concerned the consulate won’t open in time for him to get his visa. If I’m understanding correctly from your comment, does it mean that when his country reopens, the consulate there will reopen too? He’s from a European country that was not part of the initial 30 day ban. We feel so hopeless and confused though...not sure what the criteria is for the consulates to reopen. 

11 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Nobody knows when the routine visa operations will resume. No date has been set. It is likely that some will resume sooner than others, depending on local conditions.

If he believes he is exempt under the healthcare worker provisions, he can contact the consulate and request an emergency appointment. They will make the decision to grant it or not.

Thank you for responding. I did see somewhere that some countries might open sooner depending on the conditions at that time. The lockdown in his country will be lifted in the middle of this month; they haven’t been as badly affected by the virus, so maybe that’s a good sign. Ugh fingers crossed 

7 minutes ago, arken said:

1. Nobody will know when they open. They may follow the uscis which is planning to open inperson services from Jun 4 unless it’s extended again due to public closures.

 

2. Educational purpose will not qualify as exception imho.

Thank you for your reply! I kind of figured it wouldn’t qualify, but I thought I’d ask just in case. June 4 is still a month away so hopefully it’ll bring good news. I feel so badly for everyone who is being affected in one way or another by all these bans and restrictions. Just gotta have hope. This can’t go on forever.

I’ve posted about this previously in the B1/B2 visa section, but I figured this particular question would be best answered here. If anyone has seen this before, i apologize for my confusion lol.

My boyfriend is a medical student who has been planning on coming to the States for rotations early this July. He was told by the company that he will need a B1 visa for this particular program. With everything closed down, we are now quite worried and upset that the Department of State will not reopen in time for him to apply for the visa. He is from a country that was not part of the initial travel ban. However, the consulate there is still closed. Do you think there is any hope that it will reopen any time soon? Also, being that it is a business visa and he is a medical student, would that qualify as an exception, since it’s strictly for educational purposes and not tourism? I’m not clear on how all this works. I keep seeing articles that say there are no plans to reopen our borders to international travel, and that is scary. 

6 hours ago, Dashinka said:

As @Jorgedig said, CBP can ask anything they want, and questions must be answered honestly.  It might be a good idea, since there are a lot of unknowns, to have your BF carry proof of his plans to return to complete his studies.
 

Good Luck!

Thank you! He is having a letter written from the dean stating that he must return in order to graduate, and he will also carry some other supporting documents as well. We are just really worried the consulate won’t open up in time for any of this to happen. How likely is it that visas would be suspended for an extended period of time? 

13 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

He should answer questions  that he is asked truthfully, without volunteering anything more than he is asked. If an officer directly asks him if he is thinking of getting married on the trip, he should say it is a possibility, but that he will need to return home afterwards. If he is not asked about it, or about you, he doesn’t need to volunteer anything. 
It is no problem to visit the US to get married even if that is the intention, as long as he will return to await visa processing. 

Thank you for your response! Do they generally ask if someone intends to marry at the port of entry? And when he answers that it’s a possibility, might it give them cause to turn him back? 

4 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

He can not enter with the intent to adjust.   That would be fraud.   He can enter, marry, file an I-130, do his rotations and go back to his country of origin for a consular interview.  If he still has a valid visa he can visit.

Thank you for your response! He has no intent to adjust. He will be returning to complete his degree as soon as his rotations are completed. 

9 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

No sixty day rule - As long as he didn't lie at the POE he is fine.

But if we aren’t certain the marriage will take place, should he still mention it? His main purpose is the medical rotations so we figured that was the most important issue to focus on.