J1 visa and NIE qualification.

[hrudra]

We are trying to sponsor an au pair through an recognized au pair cultural exchange program. We are currently without childcare as our prior au pair left unexpectedly end of September. My wife and I are both front line medical doctors providing care for COVID-19 patients at a large tertiary care hospital. We qualify for the National Interest Exception to the Presidential Proclamation temporary J1 visa ban. Our au pair who lives in Argentina requested an emergency visa appointment but was denied her request as the embassy stated that her request did not qualify for an emergency visa appointment. According to our au pair agency, the embassy had granted emergency visa appointments as recently as the week prior for similar requests. We contacted our local representative's office to submit a request on our behalf but the embassy's response was that they are not scheduling visa appointments at this time. We are not sure where to proceed from here but we need child care, and in particular in-home live in childcare due to the flexible hours due to both of my wife's and I work schedule. We initiated a contact to one of our local Senator's also. The au pair agency that we are using was not part of the class action lawsuit that recently overruled the J1 visa ban. Any advice/help/guidance would be greatly appreciated.