Embassy

[nazareth37]

Greetings. US Citizen / long-time resident here. For our annual US vacation in July, we're trying to bring my wife's nephew. He's an Argentine citizen. His mother began the visa process by providing an itinerary for a purchased ticket and ponying up $150 bucks to the State Dept, only to then be given an appointment for January of 2024. Useless.

Leaving aside the fact that wait times for an interview are upwards of 300 days, in what universe is it acceptable to take her money when it's plain to see that the planned travel date is well prior to any interview date? How hard can it be to implement a system making acceptance of payment contingent upon a post-wait-time travel date?

Does anyone have any experience or wisdom to impart regarding this scam? Thanks. Richard

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I don't expect my comments to console you one iota. My understanding is that governments have a duty to their own citizens only. I can't speak for the situation with the USA but British services for their own citizens seem to be failing on so many levels despite that so-called "duty."

As for services for foreigners, unless they are refugees for which there are internationally recognised obligations which are still often ignored, I don't see that countries have any obligations to others. Anecdotally I know of Argentines waiting over two years for approval for a US visitor visa and others still waiting for a visa after three. It's Just The Way It Is. Be grateful it's not Britain you are dealing with: the fees are are far, far higher and - again anecdotally - the service even less.

 

[Big Swifty]

Sorry to hear about the hassle you're experiencing. I have no explanations and I think your second paragraph says it all, but I'll give you my suggestion which is to contact your representative in Congress and see if they can assist in some way. Squeaky wheel.

Long story short, twice I've had issues with the IRS and long delays (paper filing due to married filing separate status) and though I wasn't expecting my representative's office to have a direct effect on my tax situation I figured that getting them involved would get me attention and speed up the process because it was a request coming from the office of a Congressional Rep. as opposed to some anonymous tax paying nobody citizen who couldn't be sure his initial tax return was ever received in the first place. Both times my situation was resolved within two weeks after having already waited for over a year.

Might have been kind of a "Karen" move, and I have no idea if it'd be helpful in your case, but the two different Congressional aides I dealt with were very attentive and responsive. Wouldn't take much more effort than sending an email and the worst they can say is that it's something they can't help with.

 

[TonyTigre]

After you schedule a regular appointment, you should be able to sign-in to your account and request to expedite the appointment. Of course there are only a limited number of reasons to request an expedite, but the approval is at their discretion. You might just have to be creative, but truthful within a reasonable stretch of the imagination. Remember that you can have more than one reason to make a trip somewhere. Two birds with one stone and all. Who knows, maybe you get approved just for being creative or funny. What do you have to lose if you already paid?

 

[Macanudo]

It helps if you are staying with relatives or friends in the US. We went through the process in 2018 and it only took about six weeks from start to finish.
Maybe if you attend this Town Hall meeting you can get some answers.
Edit: I just checked the link and it's already completely booked.
U.S. Citizen Town Hall with Ambassador Stanley
April 11, 2023
18:00-19:00
Bosch Palace

The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires is pleased to invite U.S. citizens to attend a town hall meeting with Ambassador Stanley on April 11, 2023 at 18:00. Ambassador Stanley will discuss U.S. government policy priorities in Argentina, the work that the embassy is currently engaged in, and will answer any questions you may have. A brief overview of U.S. citizen consular services will also be provided and consular staff will be in attendance to answer individual questions.

Please note attendance is on a first come basis and is limited. Please RSVP here.

Every participant must register. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate "plus ones" and non-registered guests will not be allowed entry. You will be contacted to confirm that you've properly been registered to attend.


Best regards,
American Citizen Services Unit
U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires

 

[nazareth37]

I don't expect my comments to console you one iota. My understanding is that governments have a duty to their own citizens only. I can't speak for the situation with the USA but British services for their own citizens seem to be failing on so many levels despite that so-called "duty."

As for services for foreigners, unless they are refugees for which there are internationally recognised obligations which are still often ignored, I don't see that countries have any obligations to others. Anecdotally I know of Argentines waiting over two years for approval for a US visitor visa and others still waiting for a visa after three. It's Just The Way It Is. Be grateful it's not Britain you are dealing with: the fees are are far, far higher and - again anecdotally - the service even less.

Thanks for the response Hombresinnombre. You are correct. Not one iota! Cheers.

 

[nazareth37]

Sorry to hear about the hassle you're experiencing. I have no explanations and I think your second paragraph says it all, but I'll give you my suggestion which is to contact your representative in Congress and see if they can assist in some way. Squeaky wheel.

Long story short, twice I've had issues with the IRS and long delays (paper filing due to married filing separate status) and though I wasn't expecting my representative's office to have a direct effect on my tax situation I figured that getting them involved would get me attention and speed up the process because it was a request coming from the office of a Congressional Rep. as opposed to some anonymous tax paying nobody citizen who couldn't be sure his initial tax return was ever received in the first place. Both times my situation was resolved within two weeks after having already waited for over a year.

Might have been kind of a "Karen" move, and I have no idea if it'd be helpful in your case, but the two different Congressional aides I dealt with were very attentive and responsive. Wouldn't take much more effort than sending an email and the worst they can say is that it's something they can't help with.

Contacting a Congressional Rep is a good idea. Not quite ready to escalate that far just yet. Thanks for the response.

 

[nazareth37]

It helps if you are staying with relatives or friends in the US. We went through the process in 2018 and it only took about six weeks from start to finish.
Maybe if you attend this Town Hall meeting you can get some answers.
Edit: I just checked the link and it's already completely booked.
U.S. Citizen Town Hall with Ambassador Stanley
April 11, 2023
18:00-19:00
Bosch Palace

The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires is pleased to invite U.S. citizens to attend a town hall meeting with Ambassador Stanley on April 11, 2023 at 18:00. Ambassador Stanley will discuss U.S. government policy priorities in Argentina, the work that the embassy is currently engaged in, and will answer any questions you may have. A brief overview of U.S. citizen consular services will also be provided and consular staff will be in attendance to answer individual questions.

Please note attendance is on a first come basis and is limited. Please RSVP here.

Every participant must register. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate "plus ones" and non-registered guests will not be allowed entry. You will be contacted to confirm that you've properly been registered to attend.


Best regards,
American Citizen Services Unit
U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires

I totally would've gone to that meeting! Alas, I'm too late. Thanks for the heads up. I'll put those kinds of events on my radar from now on.

 

[nazareth37]

After you schedule a regular appointment, you should be able to sign-in to your account and request to expedite the appointment. Of course there are only a limited number of reasons to request an expedite, but the approval is at their discretion. You might just have to be creative, but truthful within a reasonable stretch of the imagination. Remember that you can have more than one reason to make a trip somewhere. Two birds with one stone and all. Who knows, maybe you get approved just for being creative or funny. What do you have to lose if you already paid?

"Who knows, maybe you get approved just for being creative or funny." I'll dust off some old material. ;-)

 

[Rich One]

It helps if you are staying with relatives or friends in the US. We went through the process in 2018 and it only took about six weeks from start to finish.
Maybe if you attend this Town Hall meeting you can get some answers.
Edit: I just checked the link and it's already completely booked.
U.S. Citizen Town Hall with Ambassador Stanley
April 11, 2023
18:00-19:00
Bosch Palace

The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires is pleased to invite U.S. citizens to attend a town hall meeting with Ambassador Stanley on April 11, 2023 at 18:00. Ambassador Stanley will discuss U.S. government policy priorities in Argentina, the work that the embassy is currently engaged in, and will answer any questions you may have. A brief overview of U.S. citizen consular services will also be provided and consular staff will be in attendance to answer individual questions.

Please note attendance is on a first come basis and is limited. Please RSVP here.

Every participant must register. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate "plus ones" and non-registered guests will not be allowed entry. You will be contacted to confirm that you've properly been registered to attend.


Best regards,
American Citizen Services Unit
U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires

Full house ... no more seats available..!!