Sleepyrascal

UPDATE

Had interview on June 23rd. The interview literally last around 1 minute. 

Visa was delivered to my house this morning. 

From booking the appointment to getting the visa took 16 days total. not bad. 

We moved the holiday out by a week, so we fly on Sunday. 

Overall, a pretty good result. And a big lesson learned! but hopefully this is a good reference for others who are in a similar position. 

7 hours ago, Sleepyrascal said:

Hello, 

 

I have been granted an expedited visa appointment in London. However, it's on the day I travel. I have the option to reschedule, but this warning comes up when I attempt to view available dates.

 

I'm scared to press it in case I lose my current appointment. I called the embassy, and they said it's fine to click it, but they didnt sound 100% certain. Any ideas? 

 

 

I can confirm that clicking the 'confirm' button is safe. It just takes you to see the available appointments. Sadly, all of the are 3 months away at least. 

5 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Yep. It doesn't sound as though you were eligible to apply for it in the first place, so it's just a case of waiting for them to check the info and then reject.

This is what's confusing though. It says on their website, if you have a valid ESTA, and you travel to a banned country during that time, they recommend applying for a new ESTA. Also, the embassy staff told me being in Iraq wont necessarily mean I get rejected. They will just want to do a more thorough check on my name, passport and crime databases / terrorism watchlists or similar. So the ESTA may still get approved which solves the issue.  

Still, I am planning for rejection. 

All this because I attended one meeting 9 years ago for four days. To add insult to injury, the company who asked me to go was ExxonMobil! 

4 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but I think you need to be prepared to not join them at all - there is a fair chance of being put in to Admin Processing if you've visited Iraq, so you may not be approved for a while.

 

Your call obviously but can you reschedule it instead maybe? 

I spoke to the embassy. They seem pretty confident i'll have it between 3 to 10 working days. Our trip is 21 days so I'd still have time to catch the end. But yes, an earlier appointment is the current goal. 

My ESTA hasnt actually been rejected yet. I'm assuming it will be. 

32 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

I don't think you lose it either, but I've never done it myself.

 

As it's on the day of your planned departure you'd presumably have to cancel or reschedule it anyway as discussed on your other thread? In other words, does it matter if you don't have an interview on that day if you need to push the holiday back anyway?

Current plan is family will go ahead, and i'll just join when I can. So the sooner I get the appointment, the better. It's damage control mode now. 

Hello, 

I have been granted an expedited visa appointment in London. However, it's on the day I travel. I have the option to reschedule, but this warning comes up when I attempt to view available dates.

I'm scared to press it in case I lose my current appointment. I called the embassy, and they said it's fine to click it, but they didnt sound 100% certain. Any ideas? 

10 minutes ago, smilingstone said:

No chance you're getting visa same day. Highly unlikely you will be joining your family on the trip. Could have been avoided if you explored ESTAs in better time. I know people say you get approved within hours, but it is seriously tempting fate to leave it so close to travel. No need, especially when they are valid for 2 years.

 

You need to start looking in to what you can claim back for flights and expenses booked for yourself and family. Maybe put that towards a holiday closer to home, or simply wish your wife and kids a great trip without you. 

 

 

 

There's always one. 

33 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

You have your interview, then they do final checks, then they print the visa and put it in your passport. They say to allow up to two weeks for this, it may be quicker but there's no way you'll have it the same day. 

 

Do keep checking for cancellations though, you might get lucky - they often come up, although you'll need to be prepared to get there quite quickly and it would have to be in the next few days or there wouldn't be enough time. If no luck with that, I'd suggest either moving your holiday if possible, or submitting a claim under travel insurance and rebooking. 

 

No idea why it's not been refused, you're right that you're not eligible (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/visa-waiver-program/visa-waiver-program-improvement-and-terrorist-travel-prevention-act-faq) but it will take some time for that to process. How long ago did you apply for ESTA?

 

 

Hello, I applied on the 7th of June, so only a few days ago. 

I cant see insurance covering this one. 

Hello, 

I'm due to travel to the US on holiday with my wife and kids on the 23rd of June. As UK citizens, we can use the quick ESTA process for visa waivers. However, in 2016, I visited Iraq for 6 days as part of my job. I'm a project manager, employed by a company in the UK, but we were working with our client, ExxonMobil on a gas project out there. I was only there to oversee the setup, went from Basra airport to the site, and back. 

However, this has meant I am no longer eligible for Esta. I didn't know this until the ESTA got delayed. 

The ESTA hasn't been rejected yet though. It just says "authorization pending". 

As a contingency, I managed to get an expedited appointment for a visa at the embassy in London, but the data the gave me is June 23rd, the same day I'm supposed to fly out. Very frustrating. 

So I have some questions:

1. A colleague of mine had this same issue, and he said they gave him the visa during the interview. however, I'm being told it will be posted to me. Is there a way to ensure I can get it same day. 

2. Having been in Iraq, i understand it's an automatic refusal. But why is the ESTA still showing as "authorization pending". Surely if it's a fixed rule, it would be rejected straight away. 

Any advise would be appreciated. 

Thank you.