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DV 2022 selectee - missed interview date

D

DDV

New Member
We missed our interview date!

The KCC did not send an email regarding an interview appointment dated May 31st, 2022.
We found the appointment letter upon checking the "entrant status check" website after the appointment date has passed. Just to let you know, the appointment letter was released on May 27th, 2022, for us to appear before the US consulate on May 31st, 2022 (only three days difference). We would have been able to appear before the consulate only if the KCC had informed us, but the KCC never sent us an email to either the primary or the additional applicant.

The KCC letter on the "entrant status check" website shows the wrong Sydney US consulate address. My husband and I went to the address provided by the KCC to discuss our situation in person with the US consulate in Sydney; we found that the consulate moved from Martin Place in Sydney CBD to North Sydney in November 2021.

We emailed the KCC, asking us to direct our concerns to the consulate.

We have emailed the US consulate in Sydney multiple times. We are on the wait list for when/if an appointment becomes available.

My husband and I are committed to getting our diversity visa and moving to the USA. My husband and I were ready for the interview and avoided traveling if we got an appointment. We have completed the DS-260 and sent the KCC all documents. We have documented changes in our DS260 using the unlock service. We have meticulously checked our emails, including spam ones, to avoid missing an email from the KCC or consulate. We even completed our medical exam.

Should we wait? Any suggestions?

Thank you
 
DDV said:
We missed our interview date!

The KCC did not send an email regarding an interview appointment dated May 31st, 2022.
We found the appointment letter upon checking the "entrant status check" website after the appointment date has passed. Just to let you know, the appointment letter was released on May 27th, 2022, for us to appear before the US consulate on May 31st, 2022 (only three days difference). We would have been able to appear before the consulate only if the KCC had informed us, but the KCC never sent us an email to either the primary or the additional applicant.

The KCC letter on the "entrant status check" website shows the wrong Sydney US consulate address. My husband and I went to the address provided by the KCC to discuss our situation in person with the US consulate in Sydney; we found that the consulate moved from Martin Place in Sydney CBD to North Sydney in November 2021.

We emailed the KCC, asking us to direct our concerns to the consulate.

We have emailed the US consulate in Sydney multiple times. We are on the wait list for when/if an appointment becomes available.

My husband and I are committed to getting our diversity visa and moving to the USA. My husband and I were ready for the interview and avoided traveling if we got an appointment. We have completed the DS-260 and sent the KCC all documents. We have documented changes in our DS260 using the unlock service. We have meticulously checked our emails, including spam ones, to avoid missing an email from the KCC or consulate. We even completed our medical exam.

Should we wait? Any suggestions?

Thank you
Click to expand...
Its always good to regularly check online too. Sydney was closed for a really long time and only opened in the last 2 months, I'm wondering if the interview date you had was actually correct? They may have not sent an email as it may have been an accident or something? As Sydney was still closed in May (both embassies. They did move but the new location only opened recently), they scheduled 3-4 cases early on but those were in Melbourne. Im curious as to what your case number is because if its anything over 50 and was for Sydney that early that's even more bizarre. I'm also surprised you were able to get a medical as most places won't even let you schedule a medical until you have your interview date as its only valid for 6 months (sometimes less).

All you can really do is try contact Sydney to get scheduled if they have space (there are some other low numbers still waiting also, and some interviews have already been set all the way up to September 20). The alternative would be to try and transfer to Suva in Fiji but they may no longer be taking transfers and you'd have to do your medical again there (would have to enquire and would be cutting it quite close).
 
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Thank you so much for the reply. And so promptly too!
Thank you

I keep checking online regularly.

I think the date was correct because I have a confirmation letter with the date on it. And that’s how I was able to get a medical examination based on that confirmation letter.

I contacted the Sydney consulate and they confirmed that I’m on the wait list for when/if an appointment is available.

My case number is a little less than the 50.

Transferring to Fiji now might be risky to be honest!

How can an attorney help in my case? Any thoughts ?
 
DDV said:
Thank you so much for the reply. And so promptly too!
Thank you

I keep checking online regularly.

I think the date was correct because I have a confirmation letter with the date on it. And that’s how I was able to get a medical examination based on that confirmation letter.

I contacted the Sydney consulate and they confirmed that I’m on the wait list for when/if an appointment is available.

My case number is a little less than the 50.

Transferring to Fiji now might be risky to be honest!

How can an attorney help in my case? Any thoughts ?
Click to expand...
Transferring would be risky and they might not even allow it yeah. But no one knows if Sydney is scheduling any more or not (given they've already scheduled up to Sept 20). But you said you're on a wait list so maybe they'll just slot you in. No one knows with Sydney tbh, there are some OC3xx that haven't even be scheduled there yet, while others way higher have. Sydney is a mystery so might only be able to just wait.

Re the attorney thing, I'm not sure they could do much to help you other than sue the embassy to force them to give an interview (which they were recently and gave the plaintiff an interview). But that was a lawsuit that started back in like Feb or March and was super dragged out by Sydney and only finally resolved less than a week ago. I also assume they wouldn't have much to go on since the embassy would just respond with "well we scheduled them and they didn't show up". Not an expert by any means so once the US experts on the forum wake up tomorrow they'll hopefully be able to give you better advice, but it will most likely be 'If you're on a wait list all you can do is wait'. If anyone could do anything other than waiting there would be 1000 of us with attorneys or doing whatever it is that speeds it up unfortunately :/ Everyone is looking for a way to expedite their own case. Everyones that DV22 with Sydney has been suffering :(
 
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Thanks again.

When you said ‘regularly check online,’ you meant the entrant status check, correct?

Or is it the embassy website? Or some other website?

Because I’m only checking the entrant status website, which is the DV program website
 
Unfortunately you cannot rely on getting an email from KCC - the official selectee pages even only say “may“ get an email - and it is on the applicant to check the visa bulletin to see if their number is current, and then once it is, to check the ESC site which is the only place the actual interview letter ever is. The KCC email if it arrives, just tells you to check the website.

I don’t get the comment above about using an attorney to force an interview, there is no obligation for them to give you an interview or visa when you get selected - and they can argue anyway it’s your fault you missed it. Seeing as you are on a waitlist already , all you can really do is make sure you have all your documents in order and hope you get a slot. Good luck,
 
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PS yes, it’s extremely annoying when they don’t update the consulate address. That happened to me too, and the consulate had moved something like a year before our interview. Luckily we had been aware of the move from getting tourist visas before.
 
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That was very helpful.
Thank you.

I’ll keep checking the entrant status check and my email waiting for a slot before September 30th.

What happens if I don’t get the interview before September 30th? Does it role over to the DV 2023 or game over?
 
DDV said:
That was very helpful.
Thank you.

I’ll keep checking the entrant status check and my email waiting for a slot before September 30th.

What happens if I don’t get the interview before September 30th? Does it role over to the DV 2023 or game over?
Click to expand...
You need the visa issued by September 30 or its game over. If you go onto AP or anything and it isn't resolved by Sept 30, same thing unfortunately. Hopefully you get it soon! Im curious to find out where this puts you in the 'queue' as there are others that still haven't been scheduled at all that are also waiting for an interview at Sydney.
 
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You are just saying it softly that I have a close to zero chance :))

I’ll definitely update it here on the forum if I get a slot.

Thanks again.
 
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DDV said:
I will call Suva.

But mine is not OC
Mine is AF
Does it make a difference?
Click to expand...
Oh Im not too sure, worth a shot though. Not sure if they were just helping OC specifically or if they were helping all those from the Sydney embassy (I think some transferred from Auckland in NZ too).
 
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DDV said:
I will call Suva.

But mine is not OC
Mine is AF
Does it make a difference?
Click to expand...
No, it doesn’t matter. Worth a try.

For anyone else reading this - this is why you need to please cancel with the embassy if you know you wont be attending the interview. (We had someone recently wondering if they should just not show up.)
 
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BrisOC22 said:
Oh Im not too sure, worth a shot though. Not sure if they were just helping OC specifically or if they were helping all those from the Sydney embassy (I think some transferred from Auckland in NZ too).
Click to expand...
They won’t (can’t) discriminate based on country of origin or chargeability. If they are accepting people from other residencies they will be open to anyone as long as they have space.
 
DDV said:
Thanks again.

When you said ‘regularly check online,’ you meant the entrant status check, correct?

Or is it the embassy website? Or some other website?

Because I’m only checking the entrant status website, which is the DV program website
Click to expand...
May you please answer that question?
 
If sydney is directly rescheduling you i don’t know if they would uodqye the letter in the ESC site or just contact you directly. I guess you would need the interview letter though. When did you do your medical?
 
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My interview transfer to Suva was successful, and it’s coming up on September 13th. I have to re-do my US medical examination in Suva as per the embassy.

If our paperwork is all fine do we get the visa issued same day and we leave with the passports or we still have to wait for some processing?
 
DDV said:
My interview transfer to Suva was successful, and it’s coming up on September 13th. I have to re-do my US medical examination in Suva as per the embassy.

If our paperwork is all fine do we get the visa issued same day and we leave with the passports or we still have to wait for some processing?
Click to expand...
You wont receive your passport back on the same day. On the day the CO just 'recommends' you for approval (not actually approval, just a verbal 'I dont see anything wrong and you should be good'). They then do whatever final checks they have to do (I assume just background checks and double checking documents).

For some Australians that went at first (including me) they were giving passports back the next day (expediting to help us as we had flights out of the country). But as more and more went they started telling people they can wait 3-5 business days to pick it up since (assuming, they should of known since they accepted the transfers) they realised it was a tonne of aussies coming and no longer just a few so stopped making that exception. Or you can travel back to Australia and then mail your passport to the embassy to be processed (personally I would avoid this given your interview is sept 13th and you have to have it processed by sept 30 so I wouldnt risk a hiccup in the mail costing me my visa).

So safest bet would to be to stay in Suva until at least Saturday so that you could pick it up Thursday/Friday depending on when its ready.
 
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Wondering if a few people are in my situation. I activated my green card on 29 Oct 2022 in Hawaii and spent a week there and came back to Oz on 5 Nov to sell my house and sort my affairs etc. Does the year I’m out of the US end on 29 Oct 2023 or 5 Nov 2023? I’m not going to push it so close but just curious to know…
 
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