appleblossom

Odd that it doesn't say that then and says 'ALL nonimmigrant'. But in any event it sounds like you applied before the rule change, all I'm saying is that they can still call you for an interview.

No it’s not. https://qa.usembassy.gov/updated-visa-interview-waiver-procedures/

As the interview waiver scheme has now been scrapped it might just be that they’re doing extra checks to see if they call you for an interview. Out of interest, is your wife a permanent resident of Bahrain?

I think so. The point about Pakistan being added to the banned list is a good one, it would be awful for that to happen if you’d done a K-1. But I wouldn’t marry after just one visit, plan a couple at least and then try and get more time together whilst the I-130 is being processed so that you have plenty of evidence for the interview. Good luck.

Yep, which is great, but that's only specific to the reason for the waiver, it doesn't check your other eligibility for any visa. They will be doing that now before getting you back for another interview and advising on a new medical etc. Hopefully it won't be too much longer, good luck.

No, there's no right to enter the US if you're an EU passport holder. They are eligible to apply for ESTA, but it won't necessarily be granted. As part of the application they'll have asked if he had ever been refused a visa for the US, so assuming he answered that truthfully and said yes (if he didn't, then that's a whole other issue!), then that's probably why it was refused. He can reapply, but I'd leave it at least a year before trying again.

It could be less or a lot longer than that, no way of knowing what checks they're doing now or how long they'll take.

You didn't mention that it was an interview waiver, if so then your wife's was processed very quickly. It says at least 10-14 working days for processing - https://qa.usembassy.gov/visa-interview-waiver/ Everybody goes through some form of AP before a visa is granted/printed, I had an interview waiver too but still had AP as a status after approved and before issued (albeit it was only on that status for a couple of hours before it then changed to issued). All you can do it wait and see what happens. It may change to AP, or issued, or you may be called for an interview.

If February or March 2026 would be after just one visit then will give you an uphill battle - for a high fraud consulate you'll ideally have spent much more time together to stand the best chance of the visa being approved. But if you married then applied you're a good way off a visa application, so at least that would give you time to have a few more visits together before the interview. They don't have to be to Pakistan or the US, they could be to a third country where you can meet. Good luck.

Not necessarily.

**Post moved to What Visa Do I Need forum, as OP is not sure which visa route to take** @Crazy Cat, when you get a moment, would you mind sharing your list?

Even a 'normal' case is 3-4 months for an interview to be scheduled. I think you're just expecting it too soon tbh.

No. She will have received a written denial but maybe just chucked it away?

She can get her biometrics done at any time, that makes no difference. What were the reasons given for the previous denials? She will have been told why. And when was she last rejected? If she keeps trying too often it doesn’t look good, so make sure she doesn’t rush to apply too soon after her last rejection.

They are two separate cases, but if your wife only got ‘issued’ last week then it’s probably just too early for her passport to be back. They say to allow 2 weeks and don’t forget it’s a holiday weekend too. You might be in AP, just a case of waiting it out.

How do you think this is a 'genuine marriage'? Honest question, do you think that's normal for happily married spouses? It's really not. This guy has made it pretty clear he has no interest in seeing you, staying married to you, or in you staying in the US. There is no route to a visa for you from what you've said, I agree with the above - time to cut your losses and head home.

What do you mean it got transferred without you knowing? What does your online status say now? As said above if it’s a spousal visa you don’t have anything to do with the interview being scheduled, it’s done for you. Once your case is Documentarily Complete at NVC (i.e. you’ve paid the fees, completed the DS-260 and had docs accepted) then you’re added to the line for an interview and will be contacted by NVC when it’s scheduled. It won’t be sent to the consulate until the interview has been scheduled, it stays at NVC until then. It’s a long line for Ghana, approx 2 years wait for an interview letter so if your timeline is accurate and that’s your consulate you won’t hear anything for quite some time. Good luck.

What do you mean you’ve lived together on ‘a few occasions’? Why don’t you live at the same address now? You’ll need a good reason for living apart. None of the stuff you’ve mentioned shows that you are in a proper marriage. And you won’t get a green card from what you’ve said. Can you give us more info? Why are you living apart? When did you arrive, when did you marry, and how much time have you lived together since you came to the US? What proof do you have that you’re in a bonafide marriage now? Or are you not in a bonafide marriage?

DV cases are normally given priority, as there is a deadline with those - if the OP doesn’t have a visa issued by the end of Sept then their cases is over. Plus they’re at a different consulate, and each has different timescales even for the same kinds of cases. Freetown is currently at March 2024 for your category, so hopefully only another 6 months or so to go. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/iv-wait-times.html And as Sierra Leone is on the Trump country ban, you might find things speed up as less people will be interviewing. Good luck.

From previous posts, I think that the OP means their petition has been approved - they haven’t applied for the visa yet.

OK, so yes she can petition her daughter, and you can be joint sponsors to help financially. But just to manage your expectations, there's pretty much no chance of her daughter getting a visa within 2 years. There's a waiting period for F2A applicants to get a visa. Currently those who applied in August 2022 or earlier are now becoming eligible for visas - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-for-august-2025.html

When you say your stepdaughter has 'her residency', what exactly do you mean? Is she a green card holder? And what do you mean 'parole', do you mean a re-entry permit? I'm assuming both of those but just want to confirm. Where is your stepdaughter now? Grandparents can't petition a grandchild, but you could be a joint sponsor if your daughter petitioned her child, if she doesn't meet the financial requirements on her own.

OK, so an interview middle of next year probably, just keep an eye on your online account and make sure it's not switched back to F2B at any point. Good luck.

That's a step in the right direction, but just be prepared to argue your case at the interview - would be worth taking proof of you being put in F2B showing that you couldn't pursue the visa just in case you need it. Which consulate?

As you say, it’s not available and it says that on the NVC country specific guidelines. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/SaudiArabia.html ”Exceptions: Police clearances are unavailable for third country nationals who no longer reside in the Kingdom.” So you can’t provide something you can’t get. I’d just print a copy of the relevant page out and take it with you just in case.