To_the_moon

My only question is: Why the USCIS was approving expedites requests in March/April for the same exact reasons it is denying them today? War is not over, sanctions are still in place, even worsened, people are still being prosecuted for freedom of speech. What has changed?

If you check the June/July NOA2 to NVC topics you’ll see that most people receive their case number between 1.5 - 2 months. I personally am waiting since June 29th with no case number yet.

I used RussianAgency. They have several offices across the U.S. but I never had to come in person. Sent all of my docs by mail and received my passport back within a month.

It's been like that before. I got my Russian visa a year ago and I had to pay either cash or check. I can tell you even more: many consulates around the world would require you to pay in cash, even U.S. consulates.

3 months from start to her interview

She used this agency https://vcs.ru I personally can't confirm the trustworthiness of it but it is definitely worth considering or looking at. There is a bunch of others too. I saw some agencies on Instagram who offer interview dates this year in Italy.

Are you still waiting for your interview date? 😢

One of my Russian friends has recently got her first B2 visa. She had her interview in Slovakia but used a travel agency service to schedule an interview. Most paid travel agencies use a bot to get an interview spot for U.S. tourist visas. It's a well-known fact in Russia. So it's quite impossible to get an interview date if you are trying to do it yourself. Warsaw interview dates are booked until 2023-2024.

People with NOA2 dates back in April are still waiting for their NVC case numbers, I am personally waiting since June. So I wouldn't have high hopes if you were just approved last week. It takes up to 6 weeks for USCIS to send the case to NVC, then another 1-2 months for processing at NVC.

There are still a lot of cases approved in June who haven't heard anything, and I'm not only talking about myself, as I'm on the borderline of June/July. There are people who got approved before me and still have not gotten their NVC case numbers. So I don't think July will hear anything next week. Of course if it's not depended on the consulate and if they move by the approval date. Based on my research, the realistic timeframe to hear from NVC is 1.5-2 months I got a reply from NVC that it may take up to 6 weeks for them to even RECEIVE the case from USCIS.

I got my NOA2 from case tracker on July 1st, but the NOA2 letter said our approval date is June 29th. Just wanted to give you an update that NVC has NOT received our case yet.

Once your petition is approved, you, the petitioner, will receive a letter from USCIS stating that your case will be forwarded to NVC for further processing. This process of "sending out documents from USCIS to NVC" can take up to several months, then another weeks, or months for the consulate in China to invite her to the interview. So you will definitely have enough time to prepare everything for the interview. Also, as mentioned, they do not send any physical mail anymore, everything is done via email on the petitioner side, your fiancé will track the progress using your case number. In addition, you know the timelines...14-15 months from NOA1 is a legitimate timeframe to expect. So just plan your or your fiancé's visit based on those timelines.

Why does the waiver exist then?

I am aware that it is not required to pass the medical. I included the info about his medical in regards to the waiver posted above, which mentions the medical exam location and inaccessibility to get it during or after the exam. My question is would this waiver apply to Russian citizens who cannot get a CDC approved vaccine to get on the plane to the U.S.? Why did they include such waiver if they still need to get it outside their country?

Hi everyone. As we all know, a CDC approved vaccine is required to enter the U.S. for nonimmigrants. My fiancé is from Russia where no other vaccines are available besides Sputnik. He is vaccinated with Sputnik but it is not approved in the EU or the U.S. so it wouldn't count towards the CDC requirement. My question is would a Russian fiancé be exempt from such requirement according to this waiver? His medical exam will be in Moscow.

It depends on your country and your consulate but usually you need to wait for the NVC case number and instructions from the consulate. The timeframes vary based on location. You better follow you regional subforums, you can find a more specific info there

I only did it after 5 weeks since our NOA2 date and not hearing back from NVC(I contacted them through their Public Inquiry tool). The more I wait the further appointment date there will be. I was also advised to do so by other fellow members in this forum, who already went to their interview. So hopefully I will hear back from NVC before February

I was able to pay the fee and schedule our appointment for February at the Warsaw consulate, though I haven't received our NVC case number yet.

I had the same info a week ago about not being allowed to schedule your interview and medical exam without the NVC number. However, I am a part of the Russian group for K1 visas and was told that we actually CAN do that. There are people who already went through the process, so I trust the info. I personally already paid and scheduled our appointment in Warsaw with no issues, no NVC number was asked. In regards to the visa, I applied for a tourist visa in August 2021 and got a 3-year multiple entry visa. I believe you were misinformed, as they are still issuing these visas. My father got one in May this year. I can suggest a tourist agency who helped us (costs around $500 for their service), or you can also apply yourself which is cheaper but a little more complicated. The agency does everything for you,, you only send your passport to them.

Same here. My fiancé is also from Russia, and we have close NOA2 dates, so I guess we are in the same boat. But fortunately I am with him in Russia right now, as we are waiting on our departure. We haven't tried to expedite our case due to sanctions, we were just patiently waiting. My advise is to schedule your interview in Warsaw asap, the current dates are in February 2023, but usually someone cancels their appointment every other day, so you may get a closer date. Also, we just scheduled his medical exam in Moscow, because the current backlog is 2 months and only appointments in October are available. So I am just hoping to get everything done in advance while waiting on our NVC case number.

Does it only apply for consulates without the self-scheduling option? I mean if you are able to schedule your appointment will they still only send it when the consulate thinks they are ready to accept?

I am a member of one group specifically for K1 filers, and the current news there is that people with NOA2 dates in APRIL are still waiting for their NVC case numbers. Unbelievable.

Our NOA2 date is June 29, still haven't heard anything from NVC. Can you please share the email address you tried to expedite your case at? I tried to email them after the 30 day rule had passed but got a response to contact them using the Public Inquiry tool, which apparently takes 2 months to response.

It is also a "red flag" for me when I see a man counting all the $$$ he spent on his wife.

Yes, I saw that notice as well. They now utilize the Public Inquiry tool posted on their website. The current response time to those inquiries is 2 months, i.e. as of today they are responding to emails received on May 30th By the time they get to my inquiry and provide a case number it will be 3 months since our NOA2 and the NOA2 approval notice is only valid for 4 months.