carolyne

Reading through this thread had me terrified that this process was going to be a black hole that would take months. So I just wanted to come back and update that after 7 weeks, our DS 5535 process is complete and my fiancée’s visa has been issued.
 
I just wanted to give some hope. If you are going through this process stay positive, believe it is going to happen, and keep contacting the embassy. Don’t sit and wait. 

If all goes well, yes next week.
 
Today the case status changed around 8am from "ready" to "administrative processing" for about 4 hours then to "Issued". Now waiting on DHL

Good Morning,
 
It is my pleasure to update you all that a few minutes ago (10:44am EST - 17th June) we got our interview date for 7th July (SABA SABA 🤣).
Our DQ date was 4th April 2020 (441 days today). We will update you on our journey...

Quick update. I got to the US 04/23. POE was smooth. Waiting for green card and SSN hopefully it won't be long. Praying for everyone still in this process. Keep hope alive, you're almost there. God bless.

I made my grand entrance yesterday thru Minneapolis St. Paul airport in Menosota. It was seamless and the CBP officer was very welcoming . 

Department of State (@StateDept) Tweeted:
.@StateDeptSpox discusses @SecBlinken’s determination to exempt immigrant and fiancé visa applicants from the regional travel restrictions currently in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
https://t.co/RClnpRS1YD
Finally some good news I hope?

Thanks for the on-ground feedback.

I would just comment that the 5,000 backlog number can't only be IR/CR1s, but all VISA categories.  In the best of times (before COVID), Nairobi was processing at most 150 IR/CR1s a month.  If they had 5,000 IR1/CR1 backlogged cases on hand that would mean they had around 3 years worth of IR1/CR1 cases backlogged.    That isn't possible. 

Prior to COVID, Nairobi was processing about 2,500 VISAs a month across all visa categories (most of which are B1/B2 VISAS), so if they had 5,000 backlogged cases on post then they would have about a 2 month backlog.  This seems about right.

Based on what we were hearing from several others, NVC started sending new IR1/CR1/K1 cases to Nairobi first of March.  This means they had cleared out the backlog of these kinds of cases and were processing new ones.   I feel pretty confident they were processing cases with DQs in mid-late April 2020 right when the latest COVID spike came in Kenya. 

I wanted to make this clarification so people don't freak out thinking there are 5,000 IR1/CR1 cases sitting at the Nairobi embassy right now.  This simply is not possible.  

Just an update it has been a while. Interviews are happening I was there on Monday. They've really reduced the numbers, doing emergency and immigrant visas with DQ of Jan-Feb 2020. Those waiting keep checking your emails and let's hope the Covid situation doesn't worsen. Keep hope alive.

So it turns out that them asking for a second medicals is a good sign.
Our Senator sent an email to my husband saying the pending issues in my case has been resolved and they want me to submit a new medicals so they my visa can be issued.
My husband and I are crying for joy over this and we’re so happy this is finally over.

Thanks.  I had seen this from another person.  

I just don't think this really tells us much.  We don't know how many files the NVC would typically have on hand and so we don't know how much bigger the current backlog is than baseline.  

What's more important, we don't know how many backed up cases are Nairobi cases.  

I saw a document on a page with the backlog at NVC

So I noticed that even after our file has left the NVC and it’s at the consular office/Nairobi Embassy, they still haven’t gotten back to us with an interview date. I reached out to my friend who works there and this is what she said:
 
“The embassy is back to phase one which means no appointments, limited staffing yani hakuna kitu inaendelea hapa”.

1. How long we have been married 
2.When did we get married . 
3. We have one child together so he asked other than this one child do I have any other child outside and asked same for my spouse 
4. If I have been married before , asked the same about my spouse 
5. when was the last time I saw my spouse 
6. what I do for a living . 
Save for or the civil documents they didn’t not ask me for any other document . 
At the end Co said congrats was given a green sheet saying congrats , some booklet about my rights in USA and some documents on how to pay for the green card . My appointment was at 6:30 but they only allowed us in at 7am . Exactly at 8 am I was out. 
 

Yes I had an interview on the 15th of March but this was an expedited case because of medical reasons . 

Thanks, I’ll just keep waiting and hope before or by 11th of next month I get my visa.
 

Embassy is back to normal processing as per Jan 15th. A contact at the embassy indicated that.

December stats 

My DQ was Feb 5, 2020. Got an interview date Jan 6, 2021, normal processing. Did my medical IOM on Dec 29, 2020 but there was an abnormality with the chest x-ray. I had to do a sputum culture to rule out TB and it takes 8 weeks to get the results. My interview was rescheduled till am cleared at IOM. So the wait continues. Interviews are happening coz I met up with many CR1/IR1 and CR2/IR2 most were redoing their medical coz they expired after 6months during the lockdown with this whole pandemic thing while others had there interviews in late Jan and Feb. Just thought I'd share that. 

@GregandNatty There's a facebook group and one lady mentioned that she was DQ'd early March 2020 and has been invited for interview Feb 1st 2021. This is for CR2, Non expedite/Normal processing.

Just look at Nov stats I’m beyond livid. These ppl don’t realize our lives have been on hold 

Then all should be well soon all the best.

Have they sent a letter explaining what was missing? I’m thinking maybe it was the taxes coz a friend of mine had to redo the affidavit with the 2019 taxes also K1.

I know of someone who had an interview in March but the shut down happened before they shipped her visa. Since it expired they have been told to repeat the medical so they can be re issued with a visa. So that’s true that they have started re scheduling canceled appointments due to covid. Some good news at last.

Good news indeed. Let's keep hope alive, we'll soon be reunited with our loved ones. This too shall pass.

I know of someone who had an interview in March but the shut down happened before they shipped her visa. Since it expired they have been told to repeat the medical so they can be re issued with a visa. So that’s true that they have started re scheduling canceled appointments due to covid. Some good news at last.