The good news is we are seeing more and more interviews being scheduled.  These interviews are for spouse visa cases and fiancé visas where there is an interview that occurs at a US embassy or US consulate abroad.

Things are still slow and there’s a backlog. It’s still painful, waiting for your interview but there is good news. We are definitely seeing more and more people getting an interview.

Immigration used to give notices a month before letting you know that you have an interview in 30 days. That was nice because that gave you time to get your medical exams scheduled, make sure you have all your documents in order, and get prepared for that interview.

What we’re seeing now is that they’re giving very little notice. People are getting a notice that says, “Congratulations, you have an interview in two weeks.” It’s overwhelming to be prepared in two weeks. But take a deep breath, knowledge is power. It’s really good to know that interviews are being scheduled with minimal notice. Here is what you can do.

1. Check your email regularly

You will receive an email from immigration that your interview has been scheduled. The National Visa Center isn’t in control of scheduling your interview. They have all of your documents ready.

The US embassy or consulate and the country where you will be interviewing will let the National Visa Center know, “We have some appointments available. Send the next batch.” And then, you will receive an email saying, “You have an interview and this is the date of the interview.” You can go ahead and take the next steps.

2. Make sure your email and other contact information is updated

You can make sure your email address is up to date by checking the CEAC portal. This is important to receive those notifications regarding your interview schedule.

We recommend that if you have an email address, you keep it throughout the immigration case because immigration is notorious for still using old addresses, old email addresses, so it’s good to be able to continue monitoring that as well.

If you have changed your email address and other contact information, keep access to your old email address and check it regularly as well.

3. Think ahead

Know that you might get an interview with very little notice to get everything in order. You can actually go to the National Visa Center, prepare for your interview and download the checklist that’s required for your specific case and for that particular US embassy or consulate.

See: Checklist for Interview

But basically, they have all of the things that you’ll need to take to the interview. Be aware there are some things that they don’t always put on that list. Having copies of everything that was submitted on the CEAC portal and prior applications is good to have as well.

There are some things you can’t schedule until you get an interview, like your medical exam. There are things that that you can’t work ahead on but you can be aware that they’re coming if that makes sense.