Don't give advice if you don't have a specific info

[kingjulian 80]

I taught to share this, if someone ask a question here, we should all bear in mind that they are in desperate need of vital info for their visa process, its best not to write anything you're not sure about so as to keep such people confused...why do I say this? During my time in AP, I had some people tell me its gonna be 1 to 3 years, I had some tell me its a denial and all sort of stuff..this got me so worried and had sleepnes night... Contrary to such claims, every approved visa undergoes AP before being finally issued..hence, my advice to not give wrong information when you know you're not sure of what you saying..there are people here who are well vested with the process and when a question is asked, pls lets kindly allow those who have specific and accurate info to advice... Hope this helps

[Caykay1 71]

Well I will say it's bad to take advise from Internet strangers. Immigration process is unique in each case. It's always good to hear from others based on their person experience but it's your job to do your research. Call uscis for confirmation and if an attorney is involved, then take their advise after your RESEARCH. Bottom line is do your research. Any advise given on such forum is for personal experiences only. Doesn't mean all go in the same route. I totally understand you but it's your case and you have to take charge.

[JenniferNangel 137]

Well I will say it's bad to take advise from Internet strangers. Immigration process is unique in each case. It's always good to hear from others based on their person experience but it's your job to do your research. Call uscis for confirmation and if an attorney is involved, then take their advise after your RESEARCH. Bottom line is do your research. Any advise given on such forum is for personal experiences only. Doesn't mean all go in the same route. I totally understand you but it's your case and you have to take charge.

I agree with you

I'm a USC

I was married and I'm still aboard so haven't legally (by USA standards) changed my name to my husband all my ids are in my maiden name and I asked here if it was ok to use my husbands last name for the application (doing dcf)

One person said what do you want your green card to say (mind you I told him I'm the USC by birth and last I knew USC don't get green cards )

Everyone else said yes use your husband last name

I call the embassy and my ID must match the name on the application or it can cause me problems when leaving to go back home

I'm glad I checked with the embassy first before filing but the op must realize every case is different but still if you have that much concern why are you asking strangers on the Internet for advice ?? From someone who knew nothing about the immigration process I find vj extremely helpful but at the same time I realize every case is different

[Cheezees 1,514]

Since this is a DIY site and not a site full of just immigration lawyers and USCIS agents, you will always have bits of misinformation.

Sorry, but you simply cannot demand that others be correct at all times. Even our resident "experts" who have been here for years can make mistakes when they type, have outdated info, or remember something incorrectly. That is why when a question seems to have been answered already, there are still many other VJ members chiming in either to confirm or deny what was stated. Plus, when I am wrong about process or a step, I would want to know and unfortunately one of the best ways to pound the correct info into youor head is to have lots of other members (figuratively) pound you on your head because of the error. Even with a few hiccups here and there, I believe VJ is a wonderful resource that tends to lead others in the right direction.

[Unlockable 7,306]

Curious, were these people responding to you in a thread or via private message?

You'd be absolutely floored on the amount of inaccurate and fraudulent information that is shared via private message. The problem with that is it isn't corrected. At least in a thread inaccurate information or information the breaks TOS is likely to be corrected.

[lost_at_sea 995]

Since this is a DIY site and not a site full of just immigration lawyers and USCIS agents, you will always have bits of misinformation.

Sorry, but you simply cannot demand that others be correct at all times. Even our resident "experts" who have been here for years can make mistakes when they type, have outdated info, or remember something incorrectly. That is why when a question seems to have been answered already, there are still many other VJ members chiming in either to confirm or deny what was stated. Plus, when I am wrong about process or a step, I would want to know and unfortunately one of the best ways to pound the correct info into youor head is to have lots of other members (figuratively) pound you on your head because of the error. Even with a few hiccups here and there, I believe VJ is a wonderful resource that tends to lead others in the right direction.

+1 - this is why I try to reply to threads that only have 1 reply, but I know the replier was 100% correct so as to confirm so the OP can have more confidence. I'm also glad people do that for me - especially when I DO misremember something or find out a new piece of data. This forum works so well because people are able to add additional information, caveats and corrections.

In the case for the OP, folks were most likely giving the information of what USUALLY happens MOST of the time (if it was on a public thread, I can't comment on what someone may say in private). I'm glad the OP seems to be the exception to the norm for their consulate (Ghana is known to be one of the more troublesome ones for folks, and many do end up in AP for long periods of time).

Edited August 26, 2016 by lost_at_sea

[Joetan 18]

I taught to share this, if someone ask a question here, we should all bear in mind that they are in desperate need of vital info for their visa process, its best not to write anything you're not sure about so as to keep such people confused...why do I say this? During my time in AP, I had some people tell me its gonna be 1 to 3 years, I had some tell me its a denial and all sort of stuff..this got me so worried and had sleepnes night... Contrary to such claims, every approved visa undergoes AP before being finally issued..hence, my advice to not give wrong information when you know you're not sure of what you saying..there are people here who are well vested with the process and when a question is asked, pls lets kindly allow those who have specific and accurate info to advice... Hope this helps

Congratulation on your case sorry you had been stressed during the process I know how you feel I have read allot of VJ cases and looking at some of the post I was sad, confused, down, and lost a lot of sleep tossing and turning Im still waiting for an interview date the case was completed on July 24th don't know when ill get a letter for the interview expecting my first child in November and only God know if I will make it to see my child born its so sad.

[KayDeeCee 4,892]

People should not answer unless they are sure of the information they are giving. But keep in mind, even then, there can still be a few mistakes made here and there. However, there are too many that post something they read 'somewhere' as actual fact, even if they have no idea if it is or not. Hearsay posting happens a lot, unfortunately. There are also those that post about a subject they know nothing about, and either post misinformation they made up, and/or tag it with a warning of, 'I might be/could be/probably am wrong.', or 'I don't really know, BUT....'

If you know you are probably wrong and post misinformation often, and do not really know the answer to the question, then do not answer. It is that simple. There are a lot of questions posted here daily. Answer the ones you know the answers to, and move along and skip over the ones you do not.

All that being said, there are not really any definite answers someone could give you for AP. AP times vary greatly. There is no time frame for it. It can be days, weeks, months, or years. No one can ever guarantee a time frame for how long you will be in AP. This is stated quite often in the Waivers and AP forum.

[Dutchster 1,106]

People should not answer unless they are sure of the information they are giving.

Unfortunately, I see a lot of users -especially that joined in 2016- and think they can answer every topic and sometimes give wrong advice. I can understand that people want to help but make sure you are sure yourself what you advice to the OP.

I think the best advices are from the people that have been in the same situations or just know it because they are the 'oldies' here.

Edited August 27, 2016 by stephadams

[Anitafeliz 1,133]

The first answer on one of your threads is by georgia and she said no one can tell you how long.

That was the best answer as ALL cases are different.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/606603-ceac-status-in-ghana/#entry8271245

Edited August 27, 2016 by Anitafeliz

[TBoneTX 43,160]

Thread is moved from the K-1 Process forum to the Site Discussion forum -- topic can apply to more than one visa process.

[Ash.1101 1,755]

Everyone can deal with different AP cases, and a lot of people use acronyms that have multiple meanings.

• There are people who have been in AP for years due to background checks.
• You can be in AP while waiting for visa production.
• You can be in AP while the embassy is waiting for more documents.
• You can be in AP because something went wrong in the process and it's just what they'll default too in the system while preparing the rest of the case.

If anyone said ANYTHING like the above, they are all correct, and all gave sound advice based on their experience. Well vested people, could very well have spent years in AP.


Same goes for 221g's.

There's 221g the denial, and there's 221g with consideration.

A person could tell you their experience with a 221g and how they got denied, and another could tell you that they got a 221g and how they got approved.





So honestly, if anyone says "this happened to me" or "Well when it happened to us", they're not really wrong per se, as every case is different and simple terms like AP can be used many different ways.

It comes down to the OP to weed out the "most likely situation".

If you had an interview and it went well and you were told approved, then AP is most likely just pre-production AP.
If you had an interview and it went well and you were told approved, AP -COULD- still be because it's stuck in background checks, but less likely.
If your interview went okay and were told approved but that it might take a bit, then AP is most likely background checks which could take forever.
If you went to your interview and you were given a 221g for more documents than AP is because they're waiting for requested documents.

Three of the four are all approved situations, which is why so many people can give you advice on the same situation, but be varying in their experience.

Edited August 27, 2016 by Ash.1101

[squareleg 69]

I taught to share this, if someone ask a question here, we should all bear in mind that they are in desperate need of vital info for their visa process, its best not to write anything you're not sure about so as to keep such people confused...why do I say this? During my time in AP, I had some people tell me its gonna be 1 to 3 years, I had some tell me its a denial and all sort of stuff..this got me so worried and had sleepnes night... Contrary to such claims, every approved visa undergoes AP before being finally issued..hence, my advice to not give wrong information when you know you're not sure of what you saying..there are people here who are well vested with the process and when a question is asked, pls lets kindly allow those who have specific and accurate info to advice... Hope this helps

Hire qualified legal professional instead of relying on online information...that too a public forum! Hope this helps!!

[NikLR 13,220]

I can say not all visas undergo AP. So now you are posting inaccurate information. I had my visa in my hands 24 hours after my interview. I'm pretty sure all they had time for was printing and shipping.

Sometimes people want accurate timelines when there arent any. People then share their personal stories or ones they remember hearing about. It's up to the individual asking the questions to realize opinions are like elbows and to take advice with a grain of salt.

[A&Oforever 9]

Sorry KingJullian, i had some answers for you! i was just so busy trying to get my fiance things situated That i wasnt able to answer. Yes no worries, the AP you are in at most could last a month. it could be a week or a month of AP before issued and then you good to go get the visa and docs required at point of entry. the hardest part is over!!!!!!!! no more worrying .=)