BrokeForTheNextDecade Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 On 8/4/2020 at 9:53 PM, darkclouds said: It really depends on the state's approach to the pandemic. And if you think things will get better in Spring... ---- Apprarently, the embassy in my country has been processing family based immigration visa categories since early July. I think I mentioned it before that categories such as IR-1 are rumored to be prioritized. K-1 in my country are not even processed atm. I'm in a similar situation as niazche. I got a call from the embassy that they're now prioritizing student visa when I've just started the deferral process for my admission in Spring 2021. Long story short, I now have my F1 approved. @darkclouds Do you mind telling us which country's embassy you got your visa processed at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakespear Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 I can not find discussions on this issue on the web aside from this thread! Does anyone know what is going on? When will this stupid administration allow international students to obtain visas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacePiper Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 13 hours ago, BrokeForTheNextDecade said: I'm also trying to get my visa in Dubai and I've tried it expediting it here. They rejected the request saying due to Covid19, they are only expediting visas due to medical emergencies. We have to wait until they announce they are resuming issuing students visas, at which time they will prioritize our appointments (I assume that means we can expedite it then). Hi, you should try to request them for an expedited appointment again. I just got an email saying that my request for an expedited visa appointment has been approved by Abu Dhabi consulate. So yesterday, I rescheduled my appointment in Abu Dhabi by choosing 'Missed my appointment' option. I booked a regular appointment in Abu Dhabi for 13th October. After then, I decided to place a request for expedited appointment. They have given me a slot on 24th August. I don't know if it'll work but fingers crossed! BrokeForTheNextDecade 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niazche Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Update: My F-1 visa got approved yesterday. Thank you all! WanYesOnly and BrokeForTheNextDecade 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokeForTheNextDecade Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 8 hours ago, PeacePiper said: Hi, you should try to request them for an expedited appointment again. I just got an email saying that my request for an expedited visa appointment has been approved by Abu Dhabi consulate. So yesterday, I rescheduled my appointment in Abu Dhabi by choosing 'Missed my appointment' option. I booked a regular appointment in Abu Dhabi for 13th October. After then, I decided to place a request for expedited appointment. They have given me a slot on 24th August. I don't know if it'll work but fingers crossed! Oh that's interesting! What was the reason you gave you for wanting an the expedited appointment? I emailed them yesterday requesting for an expedited appointment stating my current appointment is a month after my start date as the reason and they responded saying : "Thank you for your request regarding an earlier appointment date. Please be informed that the U.S. Embassy has suspended routine visa services; however, we are working with the Department of State to get permission to accommodate students. At this time, your student appointment has been postponed due to existing restrictions. We appreciate your understanding during this challenging time. We are taking this step to prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19. " I'm assuming this is a rejection .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacePiper Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 18 hours ago, BrokeForTheNextDecade said: Oh that's interesting! What was the reason you gave you for wanting an the expedited appointment? I emailed them yesterday requesting for an expedited appointment stating my current appointment is a month after my start date as the reason and they responded saying : "Thank you for your request regarding an earlier appointment date. Please be informed that the U.S. Embassy has suspended routine visa services; however, we are working with the Department of State to get permission to accommodate students. At this time, your student appointment has been postponed due to existing restrictions. We appreciate your understanding during this challenging time. We are taking this step to prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19. " I'm assuming this is a rejection .. I sincerely hope they'll reschedule your appointment soon. I spoke to the call centre and they said that the embassy/consulate have started taking student applications on priority. While requesting for an expedited appointment, I mentioned it to them that my lawful residence in UAE expires by 30th August since I resigned from my job on 1st Aug. Them cancelling my 10th August appointment had only exacerbated my situation here. BrokeForTheNextDecade 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokeForTheNextDecade Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 54 minutes ago, PeacePiper said: I sincerely hope they'll reschedule your appointment soon. I spoke to the call centre and they said that the embassy/consulate have started taking student applications on priority. While requesting for an expedited appointment, I mentioned it to them that my lawful residence in UAE expires by 30th August since I resigned from my job on 1st Aug. Them cancelling my 10th August appointment had only exacerbated my situation here. Thank you so much! Do give an update after your appointment! PeacePiper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mablid Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) On 8/11/2020 at 5:08 PM, niazche said: Update: My F-1 visa got approved yesterday. Thank you all! Congratulations! That's great news. I have a F1 visa interview on 24 August and wanted to find out what additional documents might be needed. Did they request info on whether your school is offering hybrid/in person/online courses? And what is the turnaround time for getting your visa accepted? Edited August 19, 2020 by mablid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemonochrome Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 14 hours ago, mablid said: Congratulations! That's great news. I have a F1 visa interview on 24 August and wanted to find out what additional documents might be needed. Did they request info on whether your school is offering hybrid/in person/online courses? And what is the turnaround time for getting your visa accepted? I just had my visa appointment two days ago too and my visa was approved on the spot! I think your consulate website should list out the additional documents that they need or you should email them to ask about it. During my appointment, the staff did not ask me for anything apart from what they said they need. But preparing more is always nice and you should bring anything additional if you think it's helpful to explain your situation. mablid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cryss Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 (edited) On 8/19/2020 at 8:16 AM, mablid said: Congratulations! That's great news. I have a F1 visa interview on 24 August and wanted to find out what additional documents might be needed. Did they request info on whether your school is offering hybrid/in person/online courses? And what is the turnaround time for getting your visa accepted? I was asked if I would have an in-person class, so I would confirm with your school that there is at least 1 in-person class for you to take so you can answer that question truthfully. Hybrid counts as in-person as far as I know, but confirm with your international student office at your new school. You find out immediately if you get approved or rejected, but the amount of time you need to wait to get your passport back varies from embassy to embassy. Mine took 1 business day, others take like 7-14 business days depending on the size of the population the embassy serves, I believe. Read and re-read the instructions on the embassy's site about what you need when applying. I always take additional documents, but usually, it's just your typical passport, visa application confirmation page, $160, appointment confirmation page, 1 passport size pic, I-20 or Ds-2019, financial documents to prove you can support yourself or are supported by a sponsor (if that's not the school), and finally, the SEVIS payment confirmation page. Edited August 20, 2020 by Cryss time_consume_me and mablid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mablid Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Thank you for the feedback Bluemonochrome and Cryss, that's super helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niazche Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 On 8/19/2020 at 7:16 AM, mablid said: Congratulations! That's great news. I have a F1 visa interview on 24 August and wanted to find out what additional documents might be needed. Did they request info on whether your school is offering hybrid/in person/online courses? And what is the turnaround time for getting your visa accepted? The interview was only about 30 seconds and they didn't even ask for my I-20! I believe, your current I-20 should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mablid Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Thanks Niazche. Just to share my visa was approved! And indeed, they did not ask me for any extra documentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time_consume_me Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 Got into the US via international airport no problem with dependant J-2! Bring what ever documentation you have from the university (extra letters explaining the hybrid term, etc) -- we weren't asked to show them, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WanYesOnly Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 Hey guys, I just had a question on the yellow fever vaccination for those of you who are required to have it. If you had one about ten years ago(doesn't it expire after ten years?), is it necessary to get a booster shot to enter the US? Please let me know if you know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumbKi Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 Did anyone applying for the emergency appointment encounter this error? When I tried to reschedule the appointment, it shows "Your group size is larger than current allocation". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrA Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 On 10/1/2020 at 9:50 AM, DumbKi said: Did anyone applying for the emergency appointment encounter this error? When I tried to reschedule the appointment, it shows "Your group size is larger than current allocation". Hey I currently have the same issue. Did you ever figure it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumbKi Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 On 10/28/2020 at 8:25 PM, DrA said: Hey I currently have the same issue. Did you ever figure it out? Yes, the problem was resolved by officers of the visa unit of the consulate after I contacted them. Hope you all is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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