TamW20

My husband had his L1a application approved at the end of 2020 and because of the current situation, could not secure an earlier embassy appointment than Sept 21. He therefore applied for a NIE as recommended and was immediately given an expedited appointment in Feb. I've read lots of people's experiences of L1a interviews in London but I'm wondering if anything will differ in the current environment. I did read somewhere, that unlike normal times, we may not find out if we're approved straight away due to the added complexity of the NIE.
I'm slightly freaking out in case we get refused as our house is nearly sold etc. Problem is we had to move fast with the house sale as if all goes well we need to travel within 30 days of the interview so I hear (as its obviously seen as an critical travel need).
If anyone has been through this recently it'd be great to hear your experiences.

christmasoompa

From my understanding, if he gets granted an interview then it's been accepted that he meets the criteria for the NIE. So it's now just a case of him meeting the 'normal' L1 criteria.

Sounds like his interview will be after the ban is lifted anyway, if Biden does scrap it next week as predicted.

Good luck.

tht

Did you get sponsored for a green card already as well? While some people here recommend selling houses for people moving permanently (for tax reasons), it’s interesting you choose to do so on a temporary work visa tied to a specific job. Have you lived in the US before, and know you want to stay here long term ?

TamW20

Yep, his company have committed to greencard sponsorship as soon as the L1a is approved. He's been with the company for 13 years so pretty established. We've visited the area many times before over 20 years and have no ties in the UK so pretty much committed to long-term. 😀

TamW20

Thank you. Be interesting to see what Biden comes up with. 😀

destone

Sounds like you have nothing to worry about. Rejection after an interview is not widespread at the Embassy in London as long as what you filed in the I-129 matches reality, and you can readily explain it the Consular Officer. My interview was in 2019, and I got simply asked what role I will be doing (executive, not manager).

TamW20

Thank you. It's such a long process, complicated more by Covid. Can't wait til its all complete! Thanks for your feedback. 😀

tht

It may feel that way... but CV19 aside the L1a and EB1c are probably some of the most straightforward and quickest worked based routes to move here .. compared to somthing like the H1b with an annual lottery... no labor cert, the ability for an L2 to get an EAD so they can work also make it more simpler when a married couple is moving here...