Yuliya.99
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Posts posted by Yuliya.99
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19 hours ago, IraLada said:
Congratulation!!! And thanks for shearing, it is helpful.
What kind of transportation did you use in Warsaw? And how did you pay for this?
We used Uber and taxi. Uber is much cheaper. But we didn’t have to use it much because our hotel was 5 minutes walking distance from the embassy. We payed for everything with my US bank card and we never had any issues with it.
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On 11/6/2021 at 9:06 AM, yul250 said:
Congratulations! What did you do about the vaccine?
My husband isn’t vaccinated and no one asked about it. We were told at the medical exam that he is exempt from it because they don’t have a vaccine that is approved in the US. On all airport check-ins we were asked to show a pcr test done within 72 hours and from Poland to Hungary we just had an antigen test.
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- Popular Post
Hello everyone! My husband finally got his visa! I know many of you are going through similar situations and I appreciate everyone who posts here with helpful information. I hope to also help anyone with questions like ours so here is a detailed description of how things went for us.
We requested to transfer our case from Moscow to Warsaw august 21 2021 and they accepted our transfer august 23. On august 27 we got our Warsaw case number from NVC.
We started preparing by gathering information on how to get to Poland. We knew that Russians cannot easily get to Poland because of covid and my husband didn’t have a schengen visa. So we decided that buying a tour to another schengen country and going to Poland through that country would be the best option. I knew that this is how many people did it by going to Greece first.
October 15th we got an email saying that my husbands interview is scheduled for November 2nd. We had to hurry because that meant we had less than three weeks to get his medical exam done, apply for and receive his schengen visa, fly to somewhere in Europe and then to Poland.
The same day we bought a tour to Hungary because it’s cheaper than Greece and closer to Poland. We also scheduled his medical exam for October 25th in Moscow (yes, you can do the medical exam in Moscow). We decided to go to Hungary because it is cheaper and closer to Poland. My husband applied for a schengen in Krasnodar on the 19th because that is the closest Hungarian visa center to where he lives. We requested that we pick up the visa by ourselves in Moscow since we would be there for the medical exam anyway. He was able to do the medical exam with his internal passport because his travel passport wasn’t ready with the schengen visa yet. Then we flew to Moscow, did the medical exam and picked up the schengen visa all on the 25th. We were very surprised and blessed to receive the schengen so quickly. Also Moscow sends the results of the medical exam automatically (we did have an issue with this later but I’ll explain when I get to that) to Poland and we didn’t have to come back to get the results. We did call and email them to make sure his results were sent to Poland. Also at the IOM they only used my husbands old Moscow case number even though we had a new Warsaw number. We were asked to write both numbers on all the forms. They told us not to worry and that it was only for the IOM and they know he has a new number.
On October 31st we flew to Hungary.
November 1st we flew to Poland.
November 2nd was the interview. My husband was asked about where he works, where I work, how we met and how he proposed. He was told that his visa is approved but they didn’t receive the results of the medical exam so he could r receive his visa yet. They said it wouldn’t take long to receive it and it will be okay. We were still worried because his schengen was opened for only 6 days.
We walked out of the embassy and tried calling the IOM to make sure they’d sent the medical results. However, since Moscow is on lockdown since October 28th, they didn’t answer so we emailed them. They quickly responded saying they resent the results. We also got an email saying that the Warsaw embassy requested the results as well and they sent them to the embassy. It was all okay and we came back November 3rd (the next day) and picked up his passport with his visa! All is good and we flew back to Hungary because the tickets from there to Moscow were already payed for because of the tour. But I’m pretty sure you could get back to russia from Poland without any issues as well. Now we are on our way home.
I hope that all made sense, and I’d be happy to answer any questions that I can.
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I have good news for those who don’t have a schengen visa and plan on doing the medical exam in Moscow. Well my husband and I were worried we wouldn’t have enough time to do the medical exam and get the schengen in time for the interview since they notified us 18 days in advance. However when we called the IOM they told us that my husband can do his medical exam with his internal passport with no problems. So now we don’t have to stress as much about it.
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On 10/18/2021 at 7:16 PM, ninjakid said:
For anyone who didn't have a Schengen visa at the time of transferring your case to Poland embassy, when you applied for a Schengen visa, how did you explain why you are applying to visit Poland or other countries? Did you explain it is sightseeing or honestly it is for an interview at the Polish embassy?
We simply bought a tour for 6 nights to Hungary so yes we said we were sightseeing as tourists. When filing for the schengen visa there isn’t a full on interview most of the time because the visa center just accepts your documents and sends them to the embassy that then decides to approve or not.
- millefleur and ninjakid
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On 10/19/2021 at 6:17 AM, ninjakid said:
Hello Yuliya.99,
Have you got an email back from the US embassy in Armenia? Thanks for your help in advance!Hello! Yes they emailed me saying that they do not accept transfers at this moment. That was back in August. I don’t know if anything as changed at the moment.
- millefleur and ninjakid
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15 minutes ago, millefleur said:
That's great news! Apparently a Greek Schengen visa is easy to get these days for Russians. Hope it's still the case, let us know which country he gets one to.
We’re actually trying through Hungary because it’s cheaper. Hopefully all goes well.
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Hello everyone! Today we got an email from NVC with our interview date scheduled for November 2nd in Warsaw! It’s so soon and very exciting! Now we are rushing to get a schengen visa and we’ve scheduled my husbands medical exam for the 25th of October in Moscow.
- millefleur, Simplytex, Wouter and 1 other
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23 hours ago, Wouter said:
Final update: my Russian wife had the interview on Monday, October 4th and all went well and we could pick up her passport with the CR1 visa at the embassy in Warsaw yesterday, October 5th. Most other applicants we talked to also got fairly short notice of their interview appointment, only about 20 days ahead of time, so like us everyone had to scramble to arrange their travel to Poland and to get the medical exam done.
Everyone with an interview that day got invited for the interview at 8:30 or 9:00 AM and then everyone was kept in the waiting area in the embassy until their turn. For my wife it took about 2.5 hours of waiting. (Very interesting: during the waiting the applicants all get pamphlets to read about human trafficking, protection against abuse from their spouse, and their rights in the US. I think this is really great that they actually inform and protect the immigrants and not just see them as a number that is approved or refused.)
The actual interview was very short, perhaps 2 minutes. Questions were:
- how did you meet your husband?
- where does he live?
- when was the last time you saw your husband in person?
- you have been to the US for studies? (She has had an F-1 visa in the past)
Before the interview at a check-in window they looked at the original birth certificate, marriage certificate, police report, sealed envelope with medical records, and they took in the passport photos. During the interview they did not look at any documents (so they didn't look at the original I-864 or any proof of the relationship we brought)
She was told she was approved right away at the end of the interview and that she could pick up her passport with the visa the next day at 12.
She was out at about noon so the whole thing took about 3 hours.
The next day it was very quick to pick up the passport with the visa. Interestingly: there is no sealed envelope (IV packet) with immigration documents anymore. Apparently, they have switched (since 2018) to an online system to collect, review, and process the required documents previously contained in the IV packet. So we did not get the famous 'sealed envelope' but her visa says at the bottom "IV Docs in CCD".
Thank you for the detailed information! Were you able to go into the embassy with your wife and be with her during the interview?
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2 hours ago, Wouter said:
That's a good question. The Moscow clinic had a spot on Sept 29 but for Moscow you need enough time (at least a week but probably better to expect 10 days) for the medical results to be ready in an envelope that needs to be picked up or mailed to your house. With the interview on Oct 4th there was just no way the medical results would be ready on time to be taken to the interview in Warsaw. (I wished I had known about Moscow being an option earlier so she could have just gotten her medical exam done there ahead of time). In Poland the clinics send the medical results directly to the US embassy, there is no need to pick up an envelope and take it with you to the interview.
Part of this challenge is that we only got notified of the interview 19 days in advance, instead of the 4 weeks that I expected. (Ironic that you have to wait so extremely long and then have to hurry and hustle at the last moment)
Thank you for this information!
you mention that if you had known about the Moscow option your wife would have done the exam ahead of time, is that possible to do without having the interview date? From what I’ve read, you need to have the invite to the interview to schedule the medical exam. Is this incorrect?
Also yes it is insane how little time some people have. We can try to prepare everything we can ahead of time but for those of us who need to get a schengen visa along with also scheduling the medical exam I have no idea how everything can be fit into less than a month. Hopefully all goes well.
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17 hours ago, Zhenghe said:
Anyone received an immigration appointment cancelled email from NVC? But we have never had an appointment scheduled yet.
Hello. When we transferred my husbands case to Poland from Moscow, we got an email saying “
We previously notified you of the date and time of your immigrant visa interview at the U.S.Embassy/Consulate General in MOSCOW, RUS.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have to cancel this interview. We will schedule a new interview appointment as soon as possible and notify you of the date and time. There is no need for you to take action at this time.”
We also didn’t have an appointment scheduled. I guess it was because we transferred our case.
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12 hours ago, Wouter said:
The Warsaw clinic only had a spot for us on Friday, October 1st, which would mean the results would unlikely be ready by her interview on Monday, October 4th, which would mean we would have to wait several days after the interview until the embassy received and processed the medical information before they could issue the visa.
However, the clinic in Krakow did have a spot on Monday, September 27th, which will give us a week. Although that may still be cutting it fairly close it might just work out or at least have less of a delay (knock on wood!).
(My impression is that the clinic in Krakow is actually a much bigger operation than the family clinic in Warsaw, with more capacity. So even though it's a 4 hour drive / 30 minute flight from Warsaw it may be a good alternative option to keep in mind)
Oh okay I see. It’s good to know there are options. Did the Moscow clinic not have spots available or is it more convenient for your wife to do the exam in Poland?
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7 minutes ago, Wouter said:
We are trying to schedule now in Moscow but there is so little time until the interview. She will have to go next week to get the results back in time before having to go Poland.
(I worry that they won't have an appointment slot)
The alternative is that we try to do the medical exam in Warsaw but I know they are also fully booked already. 😰
Wow that is very stressful… I hope you are able to get a spot. Maybe they’ll take into consideration the fact that your interview is so soon.
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11 minutes ago, Yuliya.99 said:
Congratulations! This so exciting! Will the medical exam be in Moscow?
Also when did you transfer your case? We transferred at the end of august so I’m hopeful we’ll be getting our interview date soon as well because I remember that you are just a bit farther ahead of us
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5 hours ago, Wouter said:
Just got an email from the NVC that my wife's interview is scheduled in Warsaw on October 4th!
(DQ was on August 5th, CR1 visa)
(That is only 19 days from now so we will have to hurry, but I am not complaining)
Next challenge is to get an appointment for the medical exam before that date....
Congratulations! This so exciting! Will the medical exam be in Moscow?
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Does anyone know if you need to have an apostille on the translations of documents if the interview is in Poland. Also do the vaccinations need to be translated?
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8 minutes ago, Strawberrymermaid said:
Did all of you wait until DQ to ask to transfer?
I did. I’m not sure if you can transfer before then… but I don’t see why not.
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2 hours ago, Cherie123 said:
Yuliya, Do you now need a schengen visa to get to Poland? Or do you already have one?
I’m an American citizen so I don’t need one.. however my husband, the beneficiary, does. However since Poland and closed for Russians at the moment, we will be getting a schengen visa to Greece and from there we will go to Poland.
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20 hours ago, KostyaSC said:
How long did it take for them to respond once you submitted your embassy transfer request? Also, did you email both the Warsaw embassy and NVC? Thank you.
It took 3 or 4 business days for them to accept my transfer. I emailed only the Warsaw embassy and then in 4 days NVC sent me an email with our new Warsaw case number. I’m surprised how fast everything happened and the Warsaw embassy contacted NVC on its own. So now we are waiting for them to schedule our interview.
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1 hour ago, Wouter said:
That's great news, well done. Interesting that it seems to be random which email address works.
Next step should be that you get an email from NVC saying that you have a new Case Number starting with WRW (instead of MOS). If you don't get it after a week you can call NVC ask them about it.
With that you should be able to log into the CEAC again and you then have to download and print a new copy of your DS-260 Application Confirmation which will now have the new WRW number on it. (It's a bit hard to find, you have to go through all the DS-260 application pages in CEAC to the end and then there is a confirmation page with a print option). You need to bring this DS-260 Application Confirmation page with the WRW number to the interview.
Thank you for all the helpful information. I’m in a little bit of a picnic mode to be honest, so I really appreciate any help!
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On 8/20/2021 at 5:25 AM, Milasa said:
Maybe email the embassy again quoting the reply from ustraveldocs and ask for your case to be transferred.
Today I received an email from immigrantvisaswarsaw@state.gov saying that they accepted my case! So excited that things are moving along! I know it will take a while but we are one step closer
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On 8/18/2021 at 8:11 AM, Yuliya.99 said:
I emailed all of them this is what I got from immigrantvisawarsaw@state.gov
“If you are a Russian Immigrant Visa applicant with questions about transferring your case to Warsaw, please email support-poland@ustraveldocs.com”
this was in the reply they sent me… but after emailing support-poland@ustraveldocs.com I was told I needed to contact the country to which I want to transfer my case directly. So I also tried support@ustraveldocs.com and I’m waiting on a reply from them.Today I received an email from immigrantvisaswarsaw@state.gov saying that they accepted my case! So excited that things are moving along! I know it will take a while but we are one step closer
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14 hours ago, Wouter said:
I emailed to:
support@ustraveldocs.com
support-poland@ustraveldocs.com
immigrantvisawarsaw@state.gov
I only got a reply on the first address (support@ustraveldocs.com) and they let me transfer my case from Moscow to Warsaw.
I never got a reply on the two other email addresses.
I emailed all of them this is what I got from immigrantvisawarsaw@state.gov
“If you are a Russian Immigrant Visa applicant with questions about transferring your case to Warsaw, please email support-poland@ustraveldocs.com”
this was in the reply they sent me… but after emailing support-poland@ustraveldocs.com I was told I needed to contact the country to which I want to transfer my case directly. So I also tried support@ustraveldocs.com and I’m waiting on a reply from them. -
3 hours ago, Milasa said:
Try this one:
ImmigrantVisasWarsaw@state.gov
“If you are a Russian Immigrant Visa applicant with questions about transferring your case to Warsaw, please email support-poland@ustraveldocs.com”
this was in the reply they sent me… but after emailing support-poland@ustraveldocs.com I was told I needed to contact the country to which I want to transfer my case directly. So I also tried support@ustraveldocs.com and I’m waiting on a reply from them.
Interview at Warsaw embassy - case transfer from Moscow
in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus
Posted · Edited by Yuliya.99
We didn’t cancel our tour because we were afraid that if we did that we would have issues getting into Hungary. And we couldn’t cancel the tour after arrival. We spent 2 nights there, but the rest in Poland and just had to come to terms with the fact that money was waisted because of all of this. And yes his schengen was open for only 6 days because that’s how long our tour was and my husband has never had a schengen visa so they usually give first timers only the dates of their trip. Of course it was a risk, but it was cheaper that’s why it was only 6 days. If you buy a tour for 10+ days I’m sure your visa will be open for that much or more.
About the medical exam, we called the day our interview was scheduled and they had several open slots so we booked it over the phone and the people were very nice, they answered all our questions and made any changes that needed to be made without any issues.