We are still on AR at the US Embassy in London and they still got my passport, gonna be 4 weeks on friday. I was wondering if they actually have a time limit on how long they hold the passports, anyone got any nice words...lol. It's so not funny!

Why AR?

I believe that you can ask for it back, they will need it for the Visa when its approved.

I can't remember seeing anything about WHY they are holding it there. Did they give you one? Have you tried calling DOS (probably, I'm sure). I think your next call should be to your congressman/woman. That sounds unusual for the London Embassy - anything tricky in your background that they might be dealing with?

Well for one I would think the main thing is becos we are both from one of the so-called high fraud countries but then we hold citizenship of UK and US...well i wouldn't put it past that really. We don't wanna go thr congress route yet but then we have our traditional engagement bk home in our country in september and all the family have got tickets so we are a bit impatient...Well DOS don't know nothing abt passports and....oh I could go on and on, but the annoying thing is how they do not reply to emails, nobheads

Why wouldn't you want to seek help? Just make a phone call and see if something happens. I'm not sure why sitting frustrated is the better course of action, especially since it doesn't seem like they've given you a timeframe.

Did you have any past immigration woes? Denied entries, overstays? Anything at all? Clean police certificate?

What exactly does DOS say when you call them?

Which high fraud country?

I think he was kidding.

We may or may not be in a similar situation, justchillin, so if you could provide more detail about your case, it might be helpful.

No he wasn't: Nigeria.

My bad.

They are US and UK citizens though, right?

Just had a quick look (I just remembered Justchillin saying something before about not being from the UK and wondering if that's why he's stuck in AR) and he's said elsewhere:



... so I guess that's 'yes' to USC, but 'no' to UKC.

It does occasionally happen that people get stuck in AR at the London consulate. The Dip Sticks are applying for K-3 and are still waiting after nearly a year. I don't know their details completely though so there may be other reasons and I may not be entirely correct. The main one that I can recall is that he is of Pakistani origin, this is classed as a high risk country, hence their having to wait for an age.

It IS unusual for it to take this long, but not unheard of. Unfortunately, the London consulate does not respond to AP/AR or name check information requests unless you have been waiting for a set time period, can't recall what that is but is far longer than 4 weeks.

So you can email them, chances are you won't get a reply though.

Mags do you know anyone besides the formerly named "ICE" (found them through a google search, saw you had mentioned them before, know they have a new screen name now) and justchillin and the dipsticks who have gone through some sort of post-interview delay in London? (delay not because of missing forms, for additional "Security checks" or "AR," etc)

Ah yes, ICE2005 is now Jackson1975. Couldn't remember until I looked on my friends page. There is someone else who went though a bit of a wait, can't remember the name though. I can remember the avatar though, not that that is much help. I don't know of anyone apart from them who has gone through additional security checks, unfortunately. There are bound to be more, I'm just not aware of them.

Thing is, if you're in security checks, it is just as bad as the dreaded FBI namecheck during AOS. You can't find out anything at all. The Embassy won't answer emails, won't even address you unless you are over their standard waiting time limit. 6 months seems to come to mind, although I don't know why. Again, could be wrong.

It is like hitting your head against a brick wall.

Well, at least it's an action I'm used to.

I've still got a dent in my head.

at least we'll all know how to identify each other if we pass in the street.

I thought the_dip_sticks was stuck at the service center. Did they actually get an interview in London?

I think that London has their case, they just haven't gotten an interview yet - stuck in name check hell. As I said before, not 100% sure on their details.

Edited cos I found this:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1020109

They're still stuck at the service center - they never even made it to the NVC.

Bloody hell, they've been there for well over a year, poor things.

Nigeria is No 1 on the fraud charts, by a long way.

But in this case probably better than having a security issue.

That's even worse than I had thought then. If they were at the consulate then they would be, at least, a little nearer to finality. But still at the service centre? Hell in a hand basket.

Well coming from Nigeria doesn't make us fraudsters, we hear about english people defrauding others as well daily. Well right we ain't even bothered about the visa, I just thought someone here could at least tell be kind enough to tell me how long the embassy could hold on to ones passport because we have our traditional wedding in Nigeria in september and not tell me how fraudulent my motherland is. Thank you!

Nobody's suggesting you're a fraudster! I'm really sorry you're having to wait so long... I don't think anyone can tell you how long the wait will be, though. I hope it's over soon for you - I know it must be awful not knowing how long it will take.

Agreed - everyone was just trying to figure out the possible reason for the delay, which also may give us a better idea how long the delay might be. Having all the information is relevant to getting the answers you want.

At any rate, I don't remember anyone here in this exact situation before, so I'm not sure how long the delay might be. I suppose based on what we have seen in the past with similar situations, its been anywhere from a week to a month or two. Maybe someone else will have a better idea than me.

I was talking generally, not specifically.

But as I said, better than being associated with a country with a terrorist profile.

No-one is saying that you have been found to be a fraudster, what they are saying is that the actions that a large amount of your countrymen are extremely proficient in may be the reason you are experiencing delay.
If you don't care about the visa, I would suggest you call the Embassy and ask for your passport back, they can't refuse to return it.

The same sort of bruised feelings came up in another forum about someone commenting on high fraud posts and people taking it personally. I wish people wouldn't take it personally. No one here thinks you're being fraudulent, justchillin. It's just a shame some OTHER people from Nigeria have raised the bar and caused Nigerian applicants, or people with a connection to Nigeria to get closer looks.

Same goes for applicants from Russia and former Soviet states and many Asian countries. Not to mention the scrutiny facing Middle Eastern filers. That such circumstances exist doesn't make them fair, and it certainly doesn't mean all filers from those countries are suspect or guilty of anything, but at the same time, because not everyone is suspect or guilty doesn't change the reality that the State Department DOES treat applicants from different countries differently.

Then again, it looks like my fiance and I may be in your boat, so perhaps it has nothing at all to do with country of origin for either of us. Or different reasons are causing both of our delays. My best guess is that neither of us will ever know.

But I'm fairly confident no one here meant you any offense or was questioning your motives or your love for your fiancee. We're just trying to get the most information to come up with ideas for the delay. Probably a futile effort, but there's not much else to do to pass the time, is there.

I would urge you again to have the USC contact a member of congress and see if any information will be given. Perhaps they can't help - but if they can, won't you be glad you called?

I knew it would end this way, the simple english question I asked was does anyone know how long the embassy is able to hold ones passport...so easy and not all this ramble and silly insunuations. And I never said we didn't want the visa but we have a trip coming up soon and we need the passport. So read well before u start typing away...

Thanks mags I appreciate ur responses and to everyone I never said anyone called me a fraudster...I don't care if you call me one either...lol

Cease fire! Cease fire!

That's fine - sorry for jumping into your thread when I didn't have a for sure answer without asking more questions. Will remember that next time.

Hope you get your passport back soon.

Seems like I must be imagining things