Hey guys,
Rich had his visa interview Monday, was approved and the courier dropped his passport off yesterday. When the courier dropped it off he said to Rich "Ive never seen one of these bulky envelopes before, wonder why you got that??", and silly Rich, the excited kid, just had to open everything up. He opened up the mysterious confidential brown envelope, even though we have been warned 1000 times about not opening it-somehow that slipped by him...

Rich called the embassy this morning, and spoke to a really rude man (he was like "you opened the brown envelope, WHAT?!"),He told Rich it would take 2 weeks to get the envelope re-sealed and the visa/passport back to him.

Since the guy was so rude when he talked to him, Rich decided to call the extortion line again and see if he would get any other response- he talked to a really nice lady who was really helpful and said that the embassy will see that Rich's travel date is next Wednesday (!!!) and would possibly try to get the envelope back to him on time.

We've emailed the embassy, but it takes 4-5 days to get a reply so who knows what is going to happen. The courier is coming tomorrow to pick up his brown envelope, and our fate is basically in the embassy's hands-I just feel so devastated right now. Had this not have happened, Rch and I would just be ridiculously happy right now, but instead we're in limbo... I just wish I knew what was going to happen- has anyone heard of situations like this at the London Embassy?? Any stories would be great, I just feel so down right now.

Oh no! What is it with the menfolk on VJ these days -- forgetting to send in checklists, and now opening the MBE?? Sheesh, it's a good thing we love them so much or they'd all be in for the high jump!

I have my fingers and every other crossable bit crossed for you two. If the packet is on its way back down tomorrow, it's likely it will be handled on Monday at the earliest. Then it needs to be handled, resealed and returned. Did you put in a note explaining why the packet needs to be resealed and returned ASAP? Is there any way you can change Rich's flight? Might be a good back up plan.

Ahhh! Well...congrats on the approval, anyway. I know I've read of others opening the MBE several times before (although not sure which embassy.) It was a bit of a hold up, but not a huge ordeal. I just hope you still make your travel plans!

You will get it back in no time......

By the way, given he DID open it, what is inside the MBE??

Inside are all the documents that you have ever filled in and sent to the embassy. Your medical report, all the DS forms, everything.

Honestly when Chas saw the envelope, he knew not to open it, but he was curious to see how it was 'marked'. It doesn't say on it 'do not open', which he thought would be an easy way to prevent such things.

I mean really, why the consulate cannot invest $2 to get a big 'do not open' stamp for that envelope is beyond me.

At least it can be rectified, but still.

Sorry to hear about the envelop... but what is this envelop???? You receive an envelop yet you can not open it? Where do you take it after you receive it? Please expalin so that we don't make the same mistake. Again, sorry!

Its the envelope that you take with you to immigration when you enter the US. It basically contains everything you've sent in and that they have gathered during the K1 process.

But if it is your information then whats the mistery of not being able to open it? do do you hand it to the immigration person at POE? He just takes it? Files it? Thanks for your response

Oh dear... I expect they'll get it back to you as soon as they can, but like Maven said - lucky you love him, or he'd definitely be for it! I can't even imagine your 'you did WHAT?!?!?!' reaction when you heard that one!

Hope you get it back ASAP!

Oh, and Tracy.... I thought that, too - I was really worried that the puny strip of sellotape would somehow open itself, as well, even if I didn't touch the damned envelope, and thought the faint stamp that said 'to be opened by a department of homeland security official only' (or whatever) would be better replaced by a giant bold 'DO NOT OPEN' one. It's amazing how many people DO open the thing - and I was expecting some much more serious sealing & stamping would have gone on to avoid that!



When you get your visa, your passport (with visa in it) will be given back to you (in the case of London, it is sent by courier, but some consulates will let people collect it in person, I think) along with a sealed envelope. The envelope contains all the forms etc you've sent to USCIS for the initial petition, all the DS- forms from Packet 3 that you sent to the consulate, your medical report... everything. You're not allowed to open it - you have to present the sealed envelope to the immigration official who inspects you at the POE when you arrive in the US.

I didn't think it was this complicated.

It is 'your' information, but it is essentially the documentation that supports the issuance of the visa. By that token, its the property of USCIS/DOS.

Yes, you hand it and your passport to the person at POE. We have not gone through POE yet, but my understanding is that they keep it. The envelope and contents - not your passport.


*edited for clarity*

I did the same thing too !!! Dont wait for the embassy to reply. Send the opened envelope back through the courier to the embassy, and include a letter about what happened. Apologise profusely for the error and tell them when your flight is and if they can help you then you will be forever grateful, blah blah. My lawyer advised me to do this and it worked a treat. I had the resealed envelope back within 4 days, delivered by SMS Courier (god love them) on the morning of my flight to the US. Dont panic - all the embassy do is check the contents and re-seal. Keep in contact with SMS too and try them every day to see if they have been given the envelope back to deliver. Make sure you mark the envelope URGENT (the one with your letter explaining what happened in) and mark clearly when your flight date is. The embassy will really try to turn it around for you if they see when the travel date is and you grovel lots in the letter !!! good luck

It is DO NOT OPEN so that the "chain of custody" is maintained and nothing gets added or subtracted from your file...

Oh dear! Silly men! I hope you get it back soon!

The UK Citizen also has the option of calling the embassy liaison through your MP. On the American side you can call the embassy from the US on a toll free number (there used to be one, dunno about now) .

I called and expedited the appt with success.

Umm..while it doesn't say 'do not open' it says

Yeah, I remembered that too late to edit my post.

Mine had that on it and I think there was a teeeny tiny little stamp saying do not open

No worries about it...Will take 1 week of time in Re-sealing the Envelope or sometimes it just happened in One day..So no worries there...Cheer Up!!!

Sincerely,
Jatin

I love how you're always there with the scan photos of the important stuff!!!!! Good photo for people to see. Use it to give your UK sweetie a reading comp test to see how much reminding they need not to open it! I chalk those mistakes up to visa-induced dysphoria: when you've gone so bloody immigration nutso that nothing makes sense anymore

Best of luck - I'm sure it will get straightened out. You aren't the first couple with envelope woes and you won't be the last - doh!

I'll go with that... I remember being (seriously!) a bit worried that I would open it by accident, even though I knew I couldn't, and had no desire to do so. I packed it away in the front pocket of my carry-on (6 weeks before I actually left the UK), just so that I wouldn't end up opening the thing inadvertently. Y'know, getting up and opening it in my sleep, or just looking down and realising that I'm holding the open envelope and going 'bad hands!! now look what you've done!!'

Yes, I know that makes me sound like an Insane Person.

hey guyss- thanks so much for all the replies. Rich emailed the airline and told them he may need to move back his ticket so we're just waiting for a reply now. The courier is going to come tomrrow to pick up the stupid envelope, and we're really hoping that we will have it back in time. You know its going to be one of those situtions where if we were to push back the tickets, the envelope will come, but if we don't then it won't come. I KNEW this process had been too easy for us..!! haha always gotta throw a kink at the end, just trying to stay positive through this...

I was the same way!! I was like *nervously looking at envelope on plane* "I wonder if they'll think the slight buffing of the corners and that tiny tear and a wiggly flap means that I TAMPERED WITH IT! "

haha I totally warned him about the brown envelope- its so stressed DO NOT OPEN, but Rich has always been one of those 25 year old kids and just had to open the present from the courier!!

update tho- he got an email back from the embassy saying that they were going to reseal the envelope and send it back the day they recieve it... we sent it back by courier today, should be at the embassy on Monday so we should get it on Tuesday or Wednesday- meaning Rich shuld make his flght on Wednesday afternoon!! Oh seriously, I hope this works out!!

have faith. If the embassy know you are on a deadline, they will absolutely try to ensure that its met. I have no doubt that Rich will make his flight on Wednesday :-)

Just so I have this straight... Is the passport actually inside the package with the other documents that you cannot open? I wouldn't think so, since you need to show a passport when you check in at the airline, but just thought I'd check. Sorry if its an obvious answer!

not a stupid question!

i read in this forum, i think, a similar question. the materials arrive in a big envelope (some have reported a clear envelope, i think) and there's the passport and the MBE. someone posted a question to the effect of "ack! how do i get the passport if i'm not supposed to open it!" a reasonable fear, i think, given all the ominous "don't open it!" warnings the embassy gives of course you'll need your passport on the UK end, so you can take that out, just make sure the opaque, sealed, mysterious brown envelope stay shut. obviously, check the package you receive for more details, but that's the description people have provided in this forum and some other areas, if memory serves.

Well can I ask a silly question pls? what happens to the stuff in the brown envelope ? will the guy at POE keep it all or give it back to me? I am not there yet but just wandering?

Lina (UKC)

This is what you get
Obviously only ONE envelope and passport if you don't have a child!!

First image is what the courier hands over.
It is SAFE to open the BLACK plastic bit






I believe they keep it and send it off to the USCIS or wherever....Will tell you for SURE on Saturday!!

as far as I am aware, the contents of the brown envelope are sent to USCIS for filing. They can refer to these documents again in the future when you apply for AOS.

When I had to get my C1/D, I went for the interview on the Tuesday, knowing full well that I was due to ship out on the Saturday. I told them at the embassy, and lo and behold, my passport arrived on time Keep your fingers crossed....

awesome pics AlienUKGirl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, your passport with the visa in it arrives together with the large brown envelope. You do not open the Large Brown Envelope, and you have no need to - your passport is separate from the large brown envelope. You hand-carry that large brown envelope with you because you will present it when you arrive at the American border. They will open the envelope when you enter the US, review the documents and 'process' you through the border, officially admitting you to the US. You will pay for and receive your I-94 (entry-exit document) that will be stapled inside your passport and your 90 day period of validity will be written on the I-94. K-1s need to marry before that date expires. The border authority keeps your brown envelope and forwards it to the immigration office where you will be applying for Adjustment of Status. They will 'hold' the file until they receive your application, at which time they will 'marry' your AOS application to your existing file and start the processing on your Adjustment of Status. As has been mentioned, the envelope needs to stay sealed so that nothing can be added or subtracted from it by anyone other than immigration officials.

Good luck in getting your envelope back in time for your flight.

PAY for???

I never knew there was an Envelope that we werent suppose to open...thanks for the post and i will ensure we are careful when (hopefully) we receive ours...

GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE U GET URS BACK SOON

Yes, the I-94 costs $6 or maybe it is $7 dollars US now. You pay it when you cross the border to the border authority who processes you. It is a good idea to have the US cash available before you get there; it is a good idea to have some US cash when you cross the border anyways, so just be aware that you will be asked for about $6 for the I-94.

Katie, should be interesting how Rich handles Christmas

Everyone has me so afraid of that brown envelope now. When I'm finally to that point, I'm going to make my daughter hide it somewhere with all the goodies she stashes away on me

ahh guys! great news- the embassy called Rich today, they resealed the envelope and gave it to the couriers today- the couriers called him and told him that they would deliver it tomorrow between 9-5!! So looks like he should be good for his flight on Wednesday! I swear the second I see that boy he's gonna gettng a kick for the stress he's put me though this last week

But hey at least we know for sure now the if anyone else going through London opens their brown envelope (DON'T DO ITTT!) the embassy will do everything they can to get it back before the flight- Just for future reference, call the embassy, email the embassy about the whole situation(include flight details) , AND attach a letter with the envelope the courier picks up to bring back to the embassy. Worked out perfectly for us!

thank you guys soo much for the support, couldn't have done it without you!

YAY!!!!!


I am so glad this is resolved for you !!!

Those entering on a CR1/IR1 don't need a I-94 though, right?

As far as I know, I-94s are for non-immigrant visas, so CR1s/IR1s are not required to complete one.

Also, I thought the price of an I-94 was absorbed in your plane ticket price under "other taxes and fees"...

Ooh, just answered my own question. A $6 fee is levied for those entering at a land border, but the fee is indeed absorbed for those entering at an airport. Got it now -- the poster who referred to the fee was Canadian, so must have been referring to crossing a land border.

While in my eyes, people from all regions should be able to post in whichever forum they like, it does cheese me off when posters come into a specified regional forum and start spouting off information that may be factual for them, but merely confuses the hell out of the rest of us....

This is something I think about frequently here at VJ. I enjoy going into the other regional forums, and even the K1 and K3 ones, and I learn a lot from others' experiences even though they are not strictly analogous. Sometimes I post, but I try to be careful not to apply what I think may very well be UK-specific advice. And I like to see that people from outside the UK feel welcome enough to post here.

I'm not sure there is an easy solution -- how to be inclusive and welcoming while keeping inapplicable or potentially confusing (but well-meaning) advice out -- beyond relying on other members to come in and correct misconceptions. I certainly wouldn't want non-UKers to feel unwelcome here, or to have their good intentions mocked or belittled.
Oh dear, I think I'm straying ...

The I-94 costs $6 regardless. Since the airlines incorporate the fee into the flight charges then it does make it easier on entry. It isn't a matter of there being no charge for the I-94 though, merely a difference on when you pay it. Having been taken by surprise myself when I entered the US by having to pay the fee, I was hoping to help others avoid the unexpected when you are already feeling stressed and anxious. So now I have learned that those entering by air have one less thing to worry about

I'm sure all the UK members planning to enter the USA via a land border will appreciate your input.

To anyone who knows about this sort of thing (LONDON EMBASSY especially!) - do you need to include the passport along with the opened not-to-be-opened envelope when you send it back to the Embassy?

Thanks!

TD,

No he didn't... did he?

No big deal. I kinda.... opened mine because I was curious what was in it and then carefully resealed it

Oh my! I didn't ask Tim if it was the kind of envelope that was gummy enough to reseal, but I think we'll be sending it back.