montreal-eb3

Sorry we have zero interest in political discussion or moral grandstanding in this thread.

Got it, thanks.

Congrats! Maybe I should transfer to Warsaw as well.

The relevant bits, not that they contain much information: Consular posts in Russia remain closed to non-diplomatic personnel. Additionally, Russian nationals cannot secure Schengen visas at this time, thereby making travel to Poland or other EU countries impossible. Applicants and their representatives must email posts throughout the region to determine whether a given location may be amenable to accepting a case. Is DOS considering designating additional posts to entertain Russian applicants, given that Warsaw is not an option for IV applicants who lack Schengen visas? Response: Embassy Warsaw is the only post officially designated to process Russian IVs. Additionally, we have encouraged all posts to accept third-county nationals to the extent possible given local conditions and resources. In our January 2022 liaison meeting, we discussed that the “homeless visa applicant” construct under 9 FAM 504.4-8(E)(1) is an IV construct that does not apply in the NIV context because NIV applicants can theoretically apply in any consular district where they are physically present. AILA gave examples of Iranians and Syrians attempting to apply for IVs at their designated posts but not being scheduled for interviews. We also expressed how, due to pandemic constraints, many posts routinely prioritized residents of their jurisdiction over homeless nationals physically present there. Can DOS advise whether homeless nationals are getting better access to IV and NIV appointments? Response: We assure there is access for IVs in cases where options have been restricted due to a variety of events. Accordingly, and for example, we have designated Frankfurt as the IV processing post for Ukrainians, and Warsaw at the processing post for Russians (as well as for Ukrainian adoption cases). In instances of extreme need or seasonal fluctuation, such as student visas for Russian applicants or official and diplomatic visas for Ukrainians, we have designated posts where there are language assets and resources sufficient to assist the relevant population. In general and as noted, NIV applicants may apply anywhere there are appointments available and as COVID restrictions ease and our posts make gains on the backlog, this will become exponentially easier.

(Click to see in readable resolution)

A document I saw posted elsewhere that has some updates on Russian IV cases: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/AILA/AILA-Agenda-06-09-2022.pdf

Oh nice, congrats! What reason did you specify? If you don't mind sharing.

Huh interesting, so they do try to spread the DV interviews evenly over a year?

I think overall the effect due to countries being reassigned is dwarfed by the effect due to COVID. If you stop all processing for a year and a half and then resume at the old capacity, your backlog just increased by, you guessed it, a year and a half People in the Montreal thread are about to sue the consulate over this. I totally forgot how seasonal DV is, so every consulate is likely currently dealing with that category as well.

Creating a thread so we can share/pool information, especially with respect to consulates, appointment availability, etc. The backlogs due to COVID are brutal at some consulates. I'm filed the DS-260 days ago, currently assigned to Montreal (which has a 26 month backlog) but considering transferring to another consulate. My company's immigration lawyers showed me AILA meeting minutes where a Department of State representative suggests that Russian nationals can request a transfer to any consulate, with no proof of residence required. I recently submitted a Public Inquiry to the NVC, asking to confirm. Feel free to share your timeline, visa type, consulate, etc.

I've only seen one other consulate (Manila) provide these sort of updates. Manila is currently scheduling EB cases DQd in March 2022. Interested to hear how others estimate DQ to interview times.

@slavaskii Interesting, so just to confirm your K-1 took ~3 months from DQ to interview in Warsaw?

I think since November 2021 they no longer use the tiered approach: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/visa-services-operating-status-update.html.

If it's any consolation, it seems like they've been continuously accelerating EB processing for the past year, reaching approx. pre-pandemic rates in April. May data should be out soon as well. The graph below also shows Warsaw which I'm considering transferring to.