Cautionary tale of London embassy's raging incompetence (or my own bad luck)

[josef_k 0]

Had my interview March 2. Visa was approved and the consular officer told me I should receive my documents within two weeks. My CEAC status had gone from "Ready" to "Administrative Processing" on March 3, and the case last updated on March 4. Since the website says it can take 10-15 business days I didn't start to worry until last Thursday. I called the call center four times and talked to five different people, of which one was a supervisor. They all told me to have patience (one even told me that the case was now in the hands of the National Visa Center. #######?). I submitted e-mails via the embassy website contact form. "Dear applicant. Wait and see". I told them, over phone and via e-mail, that I had to leave the country on March 31st and asked if they could tell me why they kept my passport if they estimated the process would take longer. "It's up to the consular officer. Wait and see". I gave them my full name, passport number and case number and they said they checked it.

My boyfriend managed to get a person from his senator's office as well as a congress woman to call, since they could get hold of someone who was physically at the embassy. They were told that the visa was issued March 5 and they had no idea was it had not been sent to me. Today my boyfriend got a reply to one of the countless e-mails he had submitted via the website. Apparently there had been "computer issues" regarding my case but they would try to issue the visa no later than tomorrow. Today my CEAC status turned from "AP", back to "Ready" and then back to "AP". Just now my boyfriend called back a supervisor from the call center with the USA number to whom he had spoken yesterday, and she said that the printer that prints the visas was broken. I AM NOT KIDDING. So for three weeks there had been a "computer issue", which they failed to inform me about, as well as a "broken printer".

I understand that technical difficulties can cause delays, but the fact that they didn't inform me about them makes me think they just forgot my case in the bottom of a pile of paper. And them being condescending and assuming that the problem was me being impatient instead of just looking into my case doesn't help either. My boyfriend was told by the incredibly rude woman on the call center that it was not my right to receive a visa, but a privilege. What a privilege to live in a country that can't get a printer to work over the course of three weeks.

[-PiLoT- 11]

i hear you, delays of any kind are a bit off putting, and not very nice.

however. if your Interview was on the 2nd, 15 working days after that is the 23rd, so last thursday isnt a date you should have been worried about. ideally tuesday the 24th would have been THE date to start the process of enquiries.

and tbh it is a privilege to get a visa, if it was a basic right i dont think it would be as hard to get as it is.

im not agreeing with the bad attitude you received. thats the worst. but i do think there was a smidge of impatience on your part

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Apparently there had been "computer issues" regarding my case but they would try to issue the visa no later than tomorrow. Today my CEAC status turned from "AP", back to "Ready" and then back to "AP". Just now my boyfriend called back a supervisor from the call center with the USA number to whom he had spoken yesterday, and she said that the printer that prints the visas was broken. I AM NOT KIDDING. So for three weeks there had been a "computer issue", which they failed to inform me about, as well as a "broken printer".

.What a privilege to live in a country that can't get a printer to work over the course of three weeks.

I don't think the printer or computer has been broken 3 weeks. Here's a few that hang out in this forum who recently interviewed.

vicks http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=20060

Mar 3, Visa Received Mar 10

Shana http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=193735

Mar 5, Visa received Mar 17

EN http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=191680

Mar 10, printed Mar 12. She did her timeline wrong and didn't put date received.

Aubrey http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=188807

Mar 19, printed Mar Mar 25

Calling on the phone almost always gets the non-immigrant visa persons. They give answers to a different process and that is sometimes confusing or misleading. If you used the online contact form, there is the Immigrant visa choice to pick so hopefully you did that and got the correct department that is processing your visa. If yours was a security check AP, they will reveal nothing about that, even to a senator.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Nich-Nick

[josef_k 0]

i hear you, delays of any kind are a bit off putting, and not very nice.

however. if your Interview was on the 2nd, 15 working days after that is the 23rd, so last thursday isnt a date you should have been worried about. ideally tuesday the 24th would have been THE date to start the process of enquiries.

and tbh it is a privilege to get a visa, if it was a basic right i dont think it would be as hard to get as it is.

im not agreeing with the bad attitude you received. thats the worst. but i do think there was a smidge of impatience on your part

I started the "process of enquiries" because I read on this forum that several people who had had their interviews after me had gotten their visas issued and sent to them within a week after the interview. So it was physically possible for the embassy to do so. I also read here, and other websites, about the "administrative processing" status and how that can last for weeks or months if you end up being suspected of potential terrorism threats because your name, or anything else, that needs some kind of security clearance. That is why I started e-mailing in the first place, to see whether the delay was a mistake or an actual security administrative process. As it turns out though, it seems like it was a mistake on their part although they'd rather it on blame a broken printer.

So, I honestly don't think I have been impatient.

[Eamonn 0]

I don't think the printer or computer has been broken 3 weeks. Here's a few that hang out in this forum who recently interviewed.

vicks http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=20060

Mar 3, Visa Received Mar 10

Shana http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=193735

Mar 5, Visa received Mar 17

EN http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=191680

Mar 10, printed Mar 12. She did her timeline wrong and didn't put date received.

Aubrey http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=188807

Mar 19, printed Mar Mar 25

Calling on the phone almost always gets the non-immigrant visa persons. They give answers to a different process and that is sometimes confusing or misleading. If you used the online contact form, there is the Immigrant visa choice to pick so hopefully you did that and got the correct department that is processing your visa. If yours was a security check AP, they will reveal nothing about that, even to a senator.

Which part is the security AP part? Whilst its immigrant or non-immigrant?

[josef_k 0]

I don't think the printer or computer has been broken 3 weeks. Here's a few that hang out in this forum who recently interviewed.

vicks http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=20060

Mar 3, Visa Received Mar 10

Shana http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=193735

Mar 5, Visa received Mar 17

EN http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=191680

Mar 10, printed Mar 12. She did her timeline wrong and didn't put date received.

Aubrey http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=188807

Mar 19, printed Mar Mar 25

Calling on the phone almost always gets the non-immigrant visa persons. They give answers to a different process and that is sometimes confusing or misleading. If you used the online contact form, there is the Immigrant visa choice to pick so hopefully you did that and got the correct department that is processing your visa. If yours was a security check AP, they will reveal nothing about that, even to a senator.

Yes, I did e-mail them, using the immigrant visa contact form. They said the processing times can vary and I just have to be patient. However, they did get back to my boyfriend's nearly identical inquiry and said the delay was caused by a "computer issue", and later the broken printer. Which is obviously not the cause since they've probably issued and printed thousands of visas since then. Also, from what I've understood, they don't keep your passport at the embassy if they expect to conduct a prolonged security check AP.

[wbeem 567]

I started the "process of enquiries" because I read on this forum that several people who had had their interviews after me had gotten their visas issued and sent to them within a week after the interview. So it was physically possible for the embassy to do so. I also read here, and other websites, about the "administrative processing" status and how that can last for weeks or months if you end up being suspected of potential terrorism threats because your name, or anything else, that needs some kind of security clearance. That is why I started e-mailing in the first place, to see whether the delay was a mistake or an actual security administrative process. As it turns out though, it seems like it was a mistake on their part although they'd rather it on blame a broken printer.

So, I honestly don't think I have been impatient.

If it makes you feel any better, I would have followed up too. While things can go wrong and sometimes do, it doesn't usually take that long to issue the visa after the interview and it didn't hurt to check.