jay74

Had a similar experince today. Best guess is that they are changing the process to implement the visa waiver. But the London embassy website indicates that they are doing visa waivers only for renewals. Wish they had provided some more information to clarify the change of not being able to book the appointment- I feel your agony having spent most of the day today with the submissions for me and two dependants! hang in there, hopefully, we will all get some clarity over the next few days!

midavies

Make sure that you do not qualify for a waiver of the interview based on the interview waiver policy announced a few weeks ago, I am apparently not allowed to post the URL to the official US Government's announcement of this waiver policy a few weeks ago.

All the best
Mark

S Folinsky

Here is the Link to the official announcement.

jay74

So it turns out that the US embassy has sent out an alert to the law firm I am using (and assume a few others) that the system is erroneously classifying L1A blanket as being eligible for interview waiver. The feedback from the attorneys was that sending my documents over mail to the embassy would likely result in a 221g, and they asked me to contact the embassy. I contacted the visa information service that we use to schedule appointments and on phone, I was given their technical operations email address (which is also there on their website). I sent an email explaining the problem, and after a couple of days/messages, they reset my account and allowed me to go through the workflow once more, and this time I was able to schedule an appointment. Hope this helps anyone else who has encountered the same problem.

LondonColt

This is a dumb Q, but I am feeling slightly anxious about the whole process so just want to double check. I had my L1-B visa interview yesterday morning, and was told I was approved at the time, given the details to track my application and told it would take 3-5 days to process and then passport sent back to me within a couple of days after that. When I logon to check the status it says that it is is 'administrative processing' that could take 'several weeks'. Is that them just being overly cautious, or is 'adminstrative processing' a different process that I'm now in because there is some sort of problem?

tht

I don’t think you could check like that when I did my L1A 11 years ago, but the timelines match. The fact you were asked to leave your passport is the sign that you were approved. The admin now is to print a visa foil and put it in the passport.

postbox134

You should be fine, it's quite common to see administrative processing briefly while they attach the foil to your Passport. Congrats!

dolphin33

I am also in the same situation with L1B Blanket and my lawyers have not received any information about system errors. It seems that the waiver questions in the workflow don't take into account Blanket applications, and therefore we are incorrectly considered eligible for interview waiver. Do you know if the embassy is fine with us answering "no, doesn't apply to us" to these waiver conditions (even if the listed conditions apply to us) in order to book an appointment?

hannahjane86

we had the same last August. It stayed that way for 3-4 days and then changed its status ( I can’t remember the exact phrasing ) but it was something similar to ‘passports couried’ . I’d keep checking the status and see if changes over the next few days- I hope this helps.

Thishi

Just wanted to share my experiences of my Belfast L-1a blanket interview. We had to change from our more convenient London slot as my wife tested positive for COVID and needed to be in isolation. The next London appointment was in April but we chanced upon one in Belfast for the following week. Made it into a nice 2-day city break with the family.
We had a 0900 appt but seemed to get called earlier than others with earlier appts - maybe because the little ones were clearly getting bored and making it VERY CLEAR in an otherwise silent waiting room. And am pleased to say we got approval!

jamieB79

QQ: my spouse stated London on their DS160 but an appointment came up in Belfast which they've taken - presuming this is OK? (meanwhile hoping a slot comes up in London). At the point of booking it did state the location must match the DS160 but I've seen many people on here book in Belfast. Help appreciated!

destone

It sounds like from the previous poster that you should be fine.

Thishi

That’s right, no issues with switching from London to Belfast despite putting London on DS-160

jamieB79

Thanks all, appreciated.

jamieB79

Another question! Sorry! How busy have you found the Belfast embassy? I had my appt in London and it was very busy. Is Belfast quieter? If the interview appt is 9.30am, what are the chances of making a 2.30pm flight back to London?