So, when our embassies and consulates are finally going to reopen? well, watch this
video And I'll tell you more. Hello, everybody. So, one of the most frequently asked questions
that I've been getting since this whole crisis started, specifically for people that are
stuck overseas is when our consulates and embassies are going to reopen. In this video,
I've got some good news. I can update you. we just learned about them today. So, I'll
let you know what's the process, what's going to happen, and a few other tips to help people
that are working with consulates that are not yet open, what you can do. So, make sure
you watch the video to the end so I can give you all the tips you need. If you're here
for the first time, make sure to subscribe to our channel. Click this bell to be notified
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sure that YouTube is going to show these videos to you and other people who are interested
in this content. So, once again, those of you who don't know me, I am Jacob Sapochnik.
I’m an immigration attorney located in San Diego, California. We represent clients in
all 50 states. We work with clients in pretty much all over the world. And right now, we
have at least 25 embassies we're dealing with, that people have cases with. And we're able
to share that information with you in this video, keep you posted, and still give you
the most updated information. So, let's dive right in. As you know, we have a few issues
that are happening. So, we've got people that are subject to certain bans. So, there's a
list of countries that people are not able to enter the United States because they're
from a certain country, right? So, those bans are still in place. And those people who are…
and we've done videos about the country bans or specific bans for countries, those specific
people are still not able to come if they're listed on those particular on the country
bans. For example, people from Nigeria, from Iran, from Libya, those are the early bans
that started. And as you know, the whole point of these bans is that people that are in those
countries are not able to attend visa interviews at those embassies because they are banned.
Then we have the proclamations. It started in April. So, we have a Proclamation that
banned certain individuals from coming to the United States for 60 days. And then that
Proclamation was extended until December 31. And among those people, we have DV lottery
winners that are from all over the world that are stuck. They're not able to come because
they are subject to the ban. The spouses of green card holders that are overseas, they're
not able to come, they're stuck. So, that's the ban. But while these bans were taking
place, the embassies were also shut down because of the whole situation of COVID-19. So, the
embassies themselves were shut down to the public for the safety of the public or for
the safety of the employees. Those embassies were shut down. And we're waiting for information
for those embassies to reopen. Well, guess what? We had an announcement from the State
Department and this was also posted on the Twitter account, and I'll read that to you
right now. What it says, “In the beginning of July 15, US embassies and consulates may
begin the phase of resumption of routine visa services, depending on local conditions. Please
monitor the embassy consulate website for the status of their services.” So, it looks
like it's official. That is as of July 15, many, many consulates will start reopening,
will start phases, there's going to be different phases. Our understanding is that they're
going to start rescheduling. First, appointments that were canceled as COVID-19 started. So,
there are people that were already scheduled for appointments. Like, for example, we have
quite a few clients on K1 visas and also CR1 marriage cases, they were supposed to attend
interviews in March, late March, in April. And those interviews, who are already scheduled,
they already had a date, they were rescheduled, they were canceled at that point. So, based
on these phases, they're going to start rescheduling those interviews that already had dates before.
We believe that those are going to be the first to come to get their interviews back.
So if you had interviews already scheduled in March, and in April, you're going to be
able to get those interviews right now. A lot of those people were DV lottery winners.
They were scheduled already then they were canceled because of the ban. Those people
are still not going to be able to go and get their interviews. And I know we've done a
video about that. And I know there's litigation currently pending to address those concerns
for those DV lottery winners. But unfortunately, even with the consulates that are going to
reopen, those people are not going to be able to attend those interviews. But anybody else,
if you have a visa appointment for an E2, for a marriage case, for K1 visa, those embassies
are going to be reopening in phases depending on the country condition. So, a lot of countries,
a lot of European countries are already reopening like Germany, like London, like France. We
have people already being scheduled for appointments for late July and August from our office that
we know personally. I know other attorneys are getting their interviews as well. And
of course, it was confirmed by the State Department that they're already starting on July 15.
However, even before this announcement, what we notice is that a lot of embassies and consulates
around the world are accommodating expedited requests for a variety of reasons. So, you
don't have to have a very extreme situation, it seems so. Again, there's no policy about
it but we have a lot of people in our Facebook group, we have a Facebook group with 6000
members, more than 6000 members, and we ask them to post different experiences and timelines.
And based on my clients and what I've seen in the group, we see that a lot of embassies
and consulates are accommodating expedited requests for appointments for mere requests.
For example, just because of the separation, a family separation, they'll do it. And let
me read you an example of a recent summary of a case from one of our group members that
describe what happened to her at a particular embassy. You can see how this particular embassy
gave her the appointment, an expedited appointment even before they're reopening. So, let me
read you this. So in this case, this person got her I-130 approved in February, NVC approval
in May, the expedited was sent in June, when no appointments were available. And the expedited
was approved on the 10th of June, which was only six days after. Here’s what she said,
this was in the consulate of Vienna, which again confirms what we said that Europe is
reopening. And those consulates are being very, very flexible. And the reason for expedited,
she emailed the embassy directly and told them that she hadn't seen her husband since
last January. And it was taking a toll on her mentally and emotionally. That's all she
said. The embassy was kind enough to respond within 24 hours and told her to submit an
expedited request. And her attorney did that. And basically, she used the same proof. No
documents requested for proof or anything like that. Just her request. The interview
basically took place within a week. And we've seen similar experiences with an embassy in
Spain, with an embassy in London, as well as one incident with the US Embassy in Manila.
And again, I think that the consulates also realize that people are waiting, families
are being torn apart. And if somebody will request an expedited and make an effort to
go through the channels, it's worth to try it. So again, I know that they're reopening.
And I know it's going to be in phases. But if you're in an embassy that still is not
going to open because of the country conditions are still difficult, I would highly recommend
to try and file an expedited request. And again, the request has a particular format.
But as you can see from this example, they don't require you to be an exceptional case.
If you try to make an effort and file a request for an expedited because it's really been
almost more than a year that you haven't seen your family or because they’re minor kids,
haven't seen their parents, one parent is here, another parent is in another country.
There can be many reasons, a medical condition that is more than regular. I would highly
recommend you to be in touch with the consulate, even if they refuse to grant the expedited,
at least you open a communication channel with the consulate. And when they do reopen,
you'll be the first one to be notified because you're already in communication with them.
Just like what the State Department said, “Be in touch with the consulate.” They
are okay with you emailing them, as long as you do it in a respectful way, and not bombard
them with questions. If you do an expedited, you just want to know what is the status of
your case, or when they're going to reopen. I highly recommend you to be very proactive
whether you have an attorney or not, make sure you do so. So once again, just to summarize,
it seems that consulates and embassies are going to be reopening as of July 15, in different
phases. Again, it's important to understand the country conditions where they are, and
so, you have to monitor that and see, with your consulate, what is happening in the country
if they are in a lockdown. And again, I cannot emphasize that more. Be in touch with the
consulate. And if you're in a country where you don't have an opportunity for the consulate
to be open, try to request an expedited request because like I said, everybody's anxious,
everybody's waiting. And you have to make the most out of the situation. And try to
be very proactive and follow up because if you don't, nothing's going to happen. So once
again, hopefully, this information was helpful. Once again, if you're here for the first time,
please subscribe to our channel. Click that like so you can share this video with others.
And let me know in the comments because I know that after this video, you're going to
have questions, you have concerns. Let me know in the comments what else you want to
know. And I promise I'll make videos on that as well. Thank you for watching. Thank you
for supporting. I'm here for you, and I'll see you in our next video.