Search the Community

Has anyone had any experience with a late registered birth certificate in the K1 visa process for the Philippines. We are waiting for our NOA 2, and have some concerns with my fiancé's birth certificate. It was first registered when she was 15 years old (she is now 27). We have notarized affidavits from her parents and midwife, but are having some trouble with earlier records -- no baptismal certificate and her elementary school was small one in the province and she thinks they may not have kept her records -- but we will of course try. Has anyone been approved with affidavits only? Her birth certificate is PSA, she has a valid passport and all kinds of other IDs. Also, her birth address on the front is slightly different than on the back (same city), and her parents ages are listed as being 1 year older than they actually were when she was born (as if they were rounded up). Does anyone know if this is a big deal? We are looking into getting a corrected BC but sounds like it can be a long process, and we may not have time. Thank you so much for any insight anyone can provide.

My family and I were in Almaty, KZ for a week or so to handle business at the U.S. consulate. That business was the renewal of our daughter’s (10) American passport and my wife’s immigration medical examination and interview. We have lived in Russia together since 2015 and I am a permanent resident (PRP) in Russia. On February 27, 2023, my wife had her medical examination appointment for her immigrant visa (IR-1) at the IMC Almaty office on Mukanova street. She said that everyone at the IMC clinic (Mukanova) was friendly and helpful. She was surprised at the difference between how they behaved there versus how it is at Russian clinics where everyone is cold and there is no privacy. Two things that are noteworthy that we wanted to post here for anyone about to do the same are: 1) She had to receive 2 vaccinations and was charged 25,000 Tenge total for them. She paid 95,000 Tenge (70,000 for the exam and x-ray + 25,000 for the 2 vaccines). She was not offered the COVID-19 vaccine, does not have it, and is not required to as Russian vaccines are not CDC or WHO-approved. 2) She was told that people pursuing "family reunification visas" are not given envelopes with documents anymore and that they are now done electronically. She did not receive any envelopes or documents to give to the consulate. The x-ray clinic she was sent to was on Nauryzbai Batyr. She said it was more Russian in nature. Fighting in line with babushki, cold and impersonal staff, no privacy, etc. She did have to take a taxi to the x-ray clinic as it is in a different location from both IMC clinics. They even had her return a few hours after her x-ray just to pick up a paper and CD that she was told she does not need for the interview. The x-ray results were digital and sent to the consulate just as the medical exam results were. We had to go to the consulate as a family on March 1, 2023, for our daughter’s passport appointment. The consulate is located at the Samal Towers inside the British Consulate. You have to go into the tower on the left when you are facing the entrances. You should see a board with information for both the British and US consulates. the entry area is very small and they made us leave when we arrived 30 minutes before our appointed time. They told us to return in 15 minutes and when we did we had to stand outside while they searched the man in front of us. The security team was comprised of locals and all but 1 of them (a short male with a shaved head who was extremely charismatic) were less than friendly. You cannot take any bags or telephones upstairs with you so they will hold them and give you a property receipt. After you are searched, you take your clothes and one of the security team will take you upstairs to the very small consulate. There is a security door between the elevator and the consulate area and a security officer will stay there watching everyone like a hawk. The consulate area basically consists of a large waiting area, 4 or 5 service windows (behind thick Plexiglas), and a small interview room. Everyone sits down and the security guard will eventually give you a ticket with a number on it. When they call your number, you go to the window and turn in the documents they request. If you have to pay a fee then you sit down again and wait for them to call you to the cashier on the far right. After that, they will call you back up to the window when they are ready for you. We had a Russian woman place us under oath and question us then she had us sign the forms we needed to and that was it. When you are done, you have to wait until the security guard has a small group of people and he will radio the guard in control of the security door and elevator and then take you down to the lobby. You get your personal property and then you are free to go. I will say that the entire experience felt very unprofessional and I was ashamed that this was a U.S. consulate. The way the security team behaved, the way they treated us, the way the consulate team treated us, the way security watched us like we were convicts and did everything for us, etc. was incredibly dehumanizing and humiliating. I have dealt with a lot of consulates and embassies during my military and federal police service, and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had. The next day, February 2, 2023, Olga went back to the consulate for her interview. She arrived early for her appointment at 0800 and there was a crowd of people already waiting outside. They had to take people in small groups because the entrance area where security screens you is tiny and the metal detector is right in front of the entrance door. People lined up outside and small groups were taken into the ‘breezeway’ in between the internal and external double doors. A security guard would come outside and shout an appointment time and then people would surge forward trying to get inside. Several people cut in front of Olga and there were Soviet-style arguments about who was first or next. Once she gained entry, the security staff did the same as the day before when we all went. They take your clothes, bags, etc., and run them through the x-ray machine then return the clothes and store the rest. Next, a security guard takes people upstairs and watches them just as before. This time, Olga said the waiting room was full and many people were standing. At least 50 or so people were there waiting with her. When they called her number, she went to the window and spoke to a Kazakh woman in Russian. She requested some documents but did not want any of our copies or translated papers. She only wanted originals and she copied them herself. We spent hundreds of dollars on copies, translations, and notarizations and it was all a waste. It is important that you submit all the required papers via the website, because they will check them, and you have the originals of everything with you. The woman requested the originals of all my divorce certificates, not just the most current one. I had been divorced twice while in the military and Olga and I went through a divorce back in 2014. We had to have the first two divorces verified by the U.S. embassy in Moscow as valid to be granted a marriage license to remarry in 2021. As a result of this, I assumed we only needed the original of our divorce certificate from 2014 and not the ones from my military days. I was wrong because they refused to accept the copies Olga had of those certificates and demanded certified originals of them. They have halted the processing of our case while we attempt to collect said originals. I was able to get one from Michigan by paying about $100 online but for Maryland, the court issues it and usually only in person. They give you a photocopy when you divorce and keep the original in the file. To get a certified copy, I had to call the court, write a letter requesting it, and have my daughter in America send it all. Once I receive them physically here in Russia, I have to scan and upload them to the website and then send the originals via courier back to the consulate. This is really my mistake for assuming we didn’t need those so be sure to have the originals of everything. After this, Olga had to wait until they called her number again. When they did, she met with the consular officer at one of the windows. He was an American male who Olga said spoke almost perfect Russian with a very slight accent. He did not speak any English to her despite her speaking it to him when she couldn’t recall some words in Russian. She said this really threw her off because she had prepared her responses the night before in Russian and despite being fluent in English (she is a certified English teacher) she did not know a few words like ‘disabled’ in Russian. She said he had a very professional, impersonal, and slightly abrasive attitude. He asked her a few questions like “where does he live?” and just kept repeating himself when she was trying to answer but wasn’t saying exactly what he wanted to hear. Evidently, he wanted to know my exact address of record in America and would not take answers like “America”, “Michigan”, “Detroit”, etc. They usually take your international Russian passport at this point and you can return to Russia on your national passport, for now. You have to either return to the consulate in Almaty or they will send it via DHL to a pickup point in Kazakhstan for you to retrieve once you are issued your visa. They do not deliver them to Russia. One thing to note here is that they did not use the interview room at all and instead interrogated people right at the Plexiglas window in front of everyone in the waiting area. These windows utilize microphones so that you can hear through the Plexiglas and anyone nearby can hear exactly what is being said. He made her recite the entire story of our divorce, reconciliation, and remarriage right there in front of everyone, humiliating her in the process. Once she was done, they made her wait by the elevator with the security officer and another man was being interrogated at the nearby window. This man apparently had some disqualifying medical condition that was found during his medical examination and the consular officer said what it was in front of everyone, violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996), the Privacy Act (1974), and other federal privacy laws in the process. The security guard, who was waiting by the elevator with Olga, walked up to the window and stood next to the Russian man while the consular officer stated what they had found. Once this man was done, the guard took him and Olga down to the lobby where she retrieved her belongings and left. Olga said the entire experience was incredibly humiliating as they absolutely dehumanized everyone there and treated them as if they were convicts that needed to be watched closely. She compared this experience with the ones she had at the embassy in Moscow, other embassies and consulates, and living in America, then contrasted those differences. While reciting everything that happened, she began to cry from the stress and embarrassment of the entire experience. I was irate when she told me about it, especially how a United States consular officer violated multiple federal laws by speaking about everyone’s personal and medical information in front of a room full of people. This is the first encounter many prospective immigrants have with American government officials and it was disgusting how they treated people. I fully intend to write letters of complaint to the applicable agencies and our representatives once we have completed the process. I apologize if this review seems unprofessional or if I upset anyone but as a medically retired servicemember and federal police officer, this absolutely enrages me! When we went to the embassy in Moscow, I was proud and excited to tell my kids that this is a small piece of America but I was ashamed to say the same about the consulate in Almaty.

Hi All, My Priority Date is 20-sep-20 and Category is F2A.My interview is done on16th April 23. Interviewer congratulated me and told me that Visa is approved and they hold my passport for visa and said it will be delivered to 3 to 4 weeks.. Till now today (24th May 23) Its status is Ready. As per this month Visa Bulletin Report. Final Action Date for F2A Category is 08-Sep-20. Is this the reason that my visa status is still not "Issued"?

Can anyone who went to the USA Embassy and got there interview can you please post below when you actually received your passport back (days wise) How long did it took you?

Kindly share with us the wait times at Cote d’ivoire

Hi guys, would really appreciate your help on these two questions: 1) For those who have recently been DQ, how long is it currently taking for the US Embassy in Hong Kong to schedule interviews? (If I check the timelines and forums back in 2021, it feels like a 2-3 month timeline is safe to assume) 2) And what is the usual interval between the appointment letter and the actual interview? (3-4 weeks from what I see) I'm leaving Hong Kong for a few months and since flying back to Hong Kong has become complicated because of the changing quarantine measures, I'd want to time it as precise as I can right after I get DQ. Thanks so much!! Any help will be super appreciated

Hello all, hope someone can help! My family member and I both applied for our marriage green cards around the same time. I got to schedule my interview appointment through cgi portal and sign up for my premium delivery. she just got an appointment email with the set date from the NVC. Both at the same consulate. Now I’m wondering since she didn’t get a chance to sign up for the premium delivery, how will she get her passport back? why were our two appointments schedule in different ways? Who do we contact to make sure she can sign up for delivery?

Hello Everyone. I’m unsure where to post this because my situation is weird. So I decided to place it in a couple of places because my wife and I need help. My name is Ray, and I recently married my Filipina wife in August of this year via a virtual ceremony from MarryFromHome.com. She still lives in the Philippines, and we’ve shared a condo there since the end of September. We ultimately want to live in the US, where I’m from and still live, and I’ve only been visiting her in the Philippines. We understand the entire visa process from beginning to end could take a while, so we decided to get our marriage (which is fully legal and official in the US) officially recognized in the Philippines. We made that decision partly for my tourist visa extension and because my wife is a federal employee as a teacher, and having our marriage recognized would help me receive some of the benefits she gets. We went to the local Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) to get our marriage recognized here, and they told us we had to apply for civil registry through the Philippines Embassy in the United States that serves the jurisdiction our wedding took place. After talking with a close friend, she suggested my wife and I have a civil wedding ceremony here in the Philippines at the local City Hall. Before we married virtually, we considered having a civil wedding in the Philippines. That would have required us to go to the US Consulate in Cebu or the US Embassy in Manila to get an Intent to Marry. Once we had that, we could process a request for a ceremony at city hall or a courthouse. That’s where we are a little stuck and need help. We would like a civil ceremony where we are staying right now, so we don’t have to go through all of the paperwork and mailing of documents to go through the Philippines Embassy in the US. But we are not sure if we would still need to appear before the Consulate or Embassy to get an Intent to Marry or if they will honor our marriage certificate. Our marriage certificate is valid and legal in the US, showing Salt Lake City, UT, where our marriage is registered. Any help, guidance, suggestions, or feedback is openly welcomed and deeply and sincerely appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions or need clarification of our situation. Thank you all so very much in advance.

Hi everyone, let's update each other here regarding September interview letters. I didn't see a thread for it even though I saw a couple people got their IL letters in recent days. I was DQ's in mid-August and still awaiting my IL.

Question. I have previously brought someone over on a DCF Spousal visa (13 years ago) and another on a fiance visa (9 years ago). Unfortunately neither worked out. My husband and I are now awaiting our interview for spousal visa. I would very much like to explain to the officer why the previous marriages did not work out (first was just 2 years, divorced before conditions were lifted on 2 years green card) and (second, fiance visa, married, together 8 years total before divorce). However, I do not believe the embassy will allow me in at the time of the interview. Should I write the explanations and upload them to the CEAC site? I just feel the officer could easily judge me, however they were legitimate reasons (adultery and abuse)

Hi! My partner currently has a I-130 Visa Application that was approved & DQ by NVC on November 30th, 2021. He received a letter & email stating that NVC will work with the U.S Embassy/Consulate in SANTO DOMINGO to schedule an interview appointment. However he has not received any further communication & it has been almost one year. I am new to this process as we have been only dating for a year & his entire visa process has been ongoing for seven years, but want to help as much as I can. His category is F1 - Children of U.S. citizens that are unmarried & over the age of 21. I see online that other visa categories have received an interview within 3-5 months of becoming DQ. I am wondering if his category is low priority which is why he has not received an interview. Is anyone currently experiencing long visa interview scheduling in the same category & have you reached out & received any feedback from NVC or U.S Embassy/Consulate in SANTO DOMINGO? Thank you so much.

Good morning everybody, We got our interview letter today and are scheduled for December 2, 2022 (for CR1 in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil). The next instructions say to register on the Department of State Visa Appointment Service website before the interview. One of the first things asked for is City and State of Residency. Our problem is that we moved a few days ago from Indaiatuba, São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro and we didn't update any information about moving. We got here two days before being DQ'd and we were waiting for the interview day. Now we are not sure how to fill out this form because there is a big warning that says: The information entered bellow must match the applicant's passport and DS-260 number application. Any discrepancy will result in delays in the return of the applicant's documents. Has anyone had this problem before, or seen something similar and can share your personal experience? Thank you!

Hello! We submitted our paperwork to NVC on 4/18 and we just received approval from NVC yesterday - YAY!!! I am wondering when we will hear about interview date in Casablanca, Morocco? Does it take a few weeks for us to find out the date of interview? Will NVC notify us by email? If anyone knows how far out they are scheduling too, that will also be helpful. TIA!

Good morning! I am a little confused on what to provide for my husbands interview in Casblanca (not yet scheduled, just trying to put things together now)! Can someone clarify what this means? If you are married: Your original marriage certificate, sworn English translation, and a photocopy. If you were previously married: Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate, sworn English translation, and a photocopy. If you are older than 16 years of age: The original police certificate from your country of current residence and countries of previous residence. If these three items are all true, you must bring a more recent police certificate to the interview: You are older than 16 years; You obtained a police certificate and submitted it to NVC more than one year ago; and You still live in the country that issued the police certificate. I find the wording very confusing. I am the petitioner, I know my husband has to provide his police and court record with translations and copies, but I am not sure what this means for me. Is this something I provide? Any help would be appreciated!

Hi, I was wondering about any help I could get with my situation. My family and I live on a TN visa in the US and had our interview in Montréal 12/13, we had to return to the states and did not give the officer our passports then and there. We were told we were approved and were told to mail them back instead, and the passports were delivered 12/22. My family and I have been here in Canada since 12/19 and need to go back, but haven’t gotten any updates other than on 12/30 where the status still said refused. We emailed on 12/24 and got a response yesterday and on 12/29 (day before the emailing update). I’m desperate to go back to the states but I can’t seem to figure out anything to do, any help?

Hi All, I'm applying for a O-1 Visa from Italy, petition was approved but then the American Consolate asked me to renew my passport before giving me the visa stamp as the current one is in bad conditions. As for Italy I'm already a foreign resident (I lived in US before, until late 2020 on a J-1 and i have not updated the state on the Italian foreign residents reigister after that), the new Italian passport will have Boston as residency address. Do you think this will represent a problem for the American Consolate responsable to give me the new VISA? Thanks!

Hello everyone!!!! I'm sure this is good news for those who are wondering when they are going to get their interview appointment letter from the NVC. I want to share our experience after we were DQ'd at the NVC. Here are the dates: DQ on March 14 2022. Interview appointment letter: March 21 2022. Interview date: April 11 2022 (Rio de Janeiro) I think it is important and relevant to share when good things happen! I would love to see someone posting this information, because give us an idea of how long it is taking to get an interview scheduled at Embassies abroad. Since they don't share this information. Miracles happen!!!! We are extremely happy!!!! Good luck to all of you! God bless!

First forgive me if I'm too forward on this subject as I am in the throws of looking into the process of marriage and immigration. I can't help but notice the alarming number of bad reviews about the Egyptian US Consulate in Cairo. So I did some digging... While it is wonderful to have these reviews here on VisaJourney there is a way to report these mishandlings directly to the US Government. www.stateoig.gov/contact The consulate's last inspection was back in 2016 from what I've gathered. It couldn't hurt to share your experiences with the Office of Inspector General about the waste and mismanagement going on at the US Consulate.

Hi everyone, I'm sorry if this question has been answered but I did a search on Visajourney and couldn't find a thread regarding this topic. I'd appreciate guidance from anyone who may have knowledge on this. I filed a DS-260 for my mom, and it was conditionally approved in May 2021. Next step was to wait for the US Embassy in India (possibly the one in Mumbai) to schedule an appointment for interview, but that has understandably been delayed due to COVID. That being said, I can't find any information anywhere online whether the embassies have started scheduling appointments for the visa interview, what the wait times are, what dates they are currently processing, etc. It's been such a long time waiting for the interview to be scheduled, especially when there is zero guidance from the embassy when services will restart. Plus, it's been 2 years of COVID, most things are opening back up and things getting back to normal, the fact the embassy still isn't opening up their interview services (that I know of), it's very frustrating. So if anyone knows of any information regarding this, please let me know. Thank you!

Hello! I'm getting ready for my interview in Montreal next week and have noticed that the consulate email checklist requires both beneficiary AND petitioner's birth certificates. This is different to the packet 3 instructions I received. Would a copy of my fiance's birth certificate suffice? Curious to know what other montrealers have done? Thank you!

Hello VJ members, I'm super confused now, I saw on a different thread the following link: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/CDJ-Ciudad-Juarez.html There's an option to register your appointment online (my mother's documents were accepted at the NVC months ago), so... does that mean I can go ahead and schedule her appointment now? Or, should I wait until being contacted by the NVC? The last email we received from the NVC said "NVC will work with the U.S. Embassy/Consulate General in CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEX to schedule an interview appointment for you" So... seeing the option of scheduling an appointment by yourself followed by the same steps I took (medical examination, fingerprints, etc) is so confusing, I just want to be sure if I should keep waiting or if it's on my end to move things forward. I appreciate any help on this. Screenshot from the website:

I have a problem with my immigration visa at US embassy at Warsaw. After uscis and nvc aproved my visa in f2a category and scheduled interview in may 2021 in Poland consul said that im in wrong category because im aged out. Consul said that I have to wait for group f2b. My priority date is 18 November 2016 and now visa buletin stop and is huge backlog. I just came to Poland just for 2 weeks and now I'm here almost 10 months. I wanna ask you that you heard about case like mine? How is possible that uscis and nvc used filling dates (chart B) of visa buletin and scheduled my interview in category f2a and us consul at embassy change my category to f2b. They said that they have inside law and now they use final action chart. I know that is on uscis page that we have to calculate CSPA by chart A but uscis and nvc used chart b. DOB: 23 SEPTEMBER 1996 PRIORITY DATE: 18 NOVEMBER 2016 I-130 APROVED: 28 FEBRUARY 2018 Do you heard anything like that? Do you have any idea how I can deal with that?

Hello! I wanted to know if there's any way to file for a K1 visa while the US citizen is living outside of the US? For example with a company like rapidvisa or any other?

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew a way to speak to a real person at the London embassy over the phone? My case was transferred to the London embassy 10 weeks ago but I've heard nothing and had no confirmation from London that they have even received it. I would like to be able to speak to someone but I'm finding it difficult to find a number to call that will get me through to a real person and using the contact form online is getting me nowhere. Can anyone help?

When NVC receives my packet and sends it over to Brazil, will it always be the Rio Consulate office that they'll send it to because it's a K1? My finace (Brazilian) lives in Goiania and it would be perfect if she got an interview in Brasilia, which is 3 hrs away by car. Is there any way to request that the packet get sent to Brasilia instead of Rio for the interview?