Visa Saga

[stevie_sloth 0]

Ok, I will try to condense this a bit so nobody falls asleep reading.

1. My partner and I (from Australia) booked our first ever US trip back in February this year, to travel in September / October of this year. SO excited!

2. It took me forever to get my passport (silly amusing reasons with my guarantor who couldn't get it right) and once I did, it was June. This is when I went to complete both mine and my partner's ESTA (visa waiver) forms. I thought it'd be a quick and easy process.

3. When I applied for mine, I realised that my partner would not be able to get one as she has a prior arrest back in 1983 for possession of marijuana. We had to apply for a visa for her (tourist B1/B2).

4. We made the interview for the first week of July as this was the earliest we could travel to Sydney (we live in a different state and there is no US Consulate in this state). It cost us quite a lot in terms of hotel accommodation, flights and the visa application fee itself.

5. She was rejected on the spot for her visa because the US has a zero tolerance stance on drugs (and fair enough) no matter how long ago or how small the arrest was. My partner's record was wiped clean one year after the offence occurred in 1983, and no records could be found this time either (when she had to obtain a police report on the matter for the Consulate interview), but we had been told the US does not recognise wiped or cancelled records in other countries.

6. We were told it would take FIVE MONTHS for her visa to be approved from the Department of Homeland Security in DC and her passport returned. Oh my GOD. We had to cancel our entire trip. Much of it was non-refundable but we managed to get almost all our money back thankfully. It was just incredibly disappointing. It was entirely our fault as we did not know we would need a visa for my partner or that it would take so long to obtain it.

7. So...fast forward to November 21. We received an email to say the visa had been issued. YAY!!!! We could now finally plan our new trip, which we began booking for May / June 2015, almost a year after the initial Consulate interview.

8. The passport with visa stamped in it was supposed to be returned to my partner from the Sydney US Consulate via courier. And...it is now December 3 and it has still not arrived. We have been in contact with the courier who tells us they cannot find the parcel. WHAT!?!?!?!?!?

9. So now we have this problem - my partner has no passport and once again, no US visa. The couriers cannot locate the parcel. We are currently waiting for them to confirm the results of their investigation into its whereabouts, and also we are waiting on advice from the Consulate as to what we will have to do if the passport and visa cannot be found.

10. I am TERRIFIED the Consulate will tell us we have to apply for the visa ALL OVER AGAIN, meaning attend a new interview at the Sydney Consulate and wait another five months for the new visa to be issued. This would mean we would once again have to cancel our trip. I just cannot deal with that again.

Does anyone have any experience with this happening? WE did not lose the passport and visa. The couriers did, and we had no choice as to how the Consulate sent the passport with visa back to us and we did not know they would send it via courier. We would have chosen registered mail so we could pick it up and sign for it at our local post office.

We believe the Consulate was responsible for the passport and visa until it was received by my partner. And it never was. I do NOT believe we should be penalised for this mishap and error which is absolutely no fault of our's. It cost us over $500 last time to attend the Consulate interview, plus the loss of part of our booked trip. We do not believe we should have to do this again.

Obviously if the couriers have lost the parcel, my partner will need to cancel her passport and the visa. But can the Consulate still access her record and see she was approved for the visa literally two weeks ago, and can they issue a replacement on the spot instead of having to wait another five months and obtain approval from DC?

Thank you for anyone who is still awake!!!!!!

Edited December 3, 2014 by stevie_sloth

[Boiler 43,425]

I would ask the consulate.

[stevie_sloth 0]

I know, I have. We're waiting for their response (another 24 hours or so I'd say).

I just was hoping someone may have been through a similar thing and could reassure me. It seems NOBODY has ever had their passport and visa lost in these circumstances before.

[canadian_wife 1,791]

When the consulate sent my passport with visa, they sent me a tracking number so I could locate the package as it made its way to me.

Did you receive a similar tracking number?

if the courier does not have record of the package, are you sure it was sent by the consulate? Last week was Thanksgiving so I assume not much was done in US consulates around the world.

good luck

[stevie_sloth 0]

Yes, the courier does have tracking but the problem is the last time the parcel was scanned or seen by anyone was as it was loaded into the truck. And the driver does not recall having it there. No delivery was attempted. It has not been seen or scanned, or tracked, since.

This was actually the week before thanksgiving. It left the consulate on november 21 and should have been delivered here november 24.

[stevie_sloth 0]

Update. Finally heard from the courier - parcel is definitely lost.

Also heard from the US consulate - they must cancel the visa. My partner must attend the consulate again for another interview which we cannot do until next year once she has her new passport and is back from Christmas holidays.

So this is just ridiculous. WE did not lose anything, but we must go through the whole entire drawn out process AGAIN!??

[Fr8dog 312]

Start collecting receipts and proof. And immediately file a claim with the courier. Notify them you will hold them responsible for any and all costs resulting from this loss. Not sure about AUS, but I would file a police report as well. Identity theft is not uncommon now a days.

[stevie_sloth 0]

We actually have no receipts. We had nothing to do with how the Consulate chose to return my partner's passport (with visa inside) to her.

The Consulate are handling it now. They have chased up the couriers (who take no responsibility or liability as always) and my partner simply has to go through the entire process all over again. It is just SO ridiculous.

[UnaMexicana 153]

Never book a trip without a visa ib hand. Having said that, I don't see why they can't just print it again.