Form DS-5535 'SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS FOR VISA APPLICANTS'

[TangierMorocco 52]

3 hours ago, aqz17 said:

Hi all,

Been awhile since I last posted on here. Just wanted to give a quick update. My fiancee had her interview back in October 2017 (K1 visa - Casablanca Morocco). She had 0 updates until Saturday September 28th, about 12 months into AP (apparently the consulate worked that saturday due to the pending lottery visas). They called/emailed her and asked her to re-do her medical plus renew additional documents. Once she returned the documents, it took them 1 week to process the visa and they asked her to pick it up in person on Tuesday Oct 16th. She flew to NYC on Thursday the 18th (had no issues at JFK), we got our marriage license on friday the 19th and had our Nikkah on Saturday night the 20th  Wanted to thank all for their support and guidance, my final advice is to be polite, extremely professional and courteous to the consulate when reaching out to them. The average processing time is around the 11-13 month range (in my research/opinion). The congressman we reached out to helped 0%, we found out more info on our own than he did. I truly believe asking to speak to a superior to escalate our case was the reason why it was finally looked at, I would strongly advise all to try the same. If any questions, feel free to reach out.

Congratulations! You mentioned in your advise to us to speak to a superior to escalate. Who are those superiors? at the state department? or at the consulate?

[99balloons 12]

Agreed. I am about to travel 6th time to Mali. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mali-travel-advisory.html

This is how they designate the country, tell me as an American not to travel, laugh at me if I do and keep us in AP for 14 months. The Bamako embassy does not adjudicate spouse visas, My husband traveled twice to Dakar. They treat our spouses like trash. Seems this embassy is hell bent on finding fraud and will keep you in AP forever. In our case, 4 years with Dakar. I am an American. Not by birth, but in our country for over 40 years and a decent taxpayer. Likewise my husband, close to 100 countries traveled, many US in an out, 0 overstay. We marry, we are devils, we are maybe in marriage fraud and we are terrible people (or whatever), Are you kidding me?  

 

I hope one day soon, someone will get sick and tired of mistreatment of US embassies outside of Europe that are causing our marriages and our lives. I am Polish by birth (that is fairly close to Norway). I bet if I married a Polish guy instead of my Malian husband, he'd be a US citizen already.  The process is idiotic, unfair and just plain insulting to the applicant spouse. Enjoy beating me up, Dakar and enjoy doing nothing Bamako. I'm good with that. No longer registering with Step either. When a Dutch security officer questioning my 50+ year old self travelling from Dubai to Chicago (return trip from hubby) points out that my Mali 5 year visa is unusual and I say, I am sorry I have a new passport so you don't see all the other stamps to there except the last one, within 20 seconds can determine that whatever is being done to me and my spouse is a travesty and I am in no way a threat to travel to the United States, I can only laugh.

 

Thank you for your abuse of me, my spouse and my marriage, Dakar. I hope you are so proud of yourselves!!!! One day I will give up the petition for my spouse. That day I will decide that the empty victorian mansion I live in has no meaning without a husband, that not only have you destroyed me life by not being able to have biological children (or in vitro children that my employer health insurance WILL still pay for, or finally making me too old to even adopt while you are playing roulette with my life, my husband's for whatever sick reason or to satisfy your "marriage fraud" quota. Have at it. Even if you refuse his visa again, this petition will keep going back. If Madou and I decide to move to Europe (I can claim Polish citizenship), well we'll keep fighting you. And if anything happens to me or my spouse during my travel to Mali, you folks, are 109% guiilty and responsible. What makes me angry. there is no venue for American to challenge this monster.  That needs to change. I am into no representation zone.

 

 

[Waiting forever 43]

It will be 14 months in AP for my husband and not a single update.

[S.S 6]

1 hour ago, Mia12392 said:

It will be 14 months in AP for my husband and not a single update.

Oh.. Did you contacted the embassy? My husband's senator contacted them but got the same standard relpy.. 14months is really too much:(

[JennaL 151]

I'll jump in with my story.  My fiancé has been a Norwegian citizen for most of his adult life, however, he was born in Iran, which is what has been holding our case up.

 

In December 2016, he applied for a visitors visa to come and see me in the US and it has been in AP since then - no updates on the website since that day almost two years ago.  I contacted my senators who have made inquiries for me many times, but have never found out anymore information that I have on my own.

 

We decided to go ahead with the fiancé visa in the meantime and everything went smoothly until the interview.  My fiancé was placed in AP immediately and given a 221g with the supplemental questions to fill out.  This was barely one month ago and we've had no status updates. Hoping this doesn't continue on for another two years like the visitor's visa.

 

So very frustrating and hard to see other people from other countries being approved on the spot and being allowed to begin their lives with their spouse/fiancé right away.

 

I'm thinking of you all and hoping and praying we all are granted the opportunity to be with our loved ones soon.

[MO&RA 22]

3 hours ago, JennaL said:

I'll jump in with my story.  My fiancé has been a Norwegian citizen for most of his adult life, however, he was born in Iran, which is what has been holding our case up.

 

In December 2016, he applied for a visitors visa to come and see me in the US and it has been in AP since then - no updates on the website since that day almost two years ago.  I contacted my senators who have made inquiries for me many times, but have never found out anymore information that I have on my own.

 

We decided to go ahead with the fiancé visa in the meantime and everything went smoothly until the interview.  My fiancé was placed in AP immediately and given a 221g with the supplemental questions to fill out.  This was barely one month ago and we've had no status updates. Hoping this doesn't continue on for another two years like the visitor's visa.

 

So very frustrating and hard to see other people from other countries being approved on the spot and being allowed to begin their lives with their spouse/fiancé right away.

 

I'm thinking of you all and hoping and praying we all are granted the opportunity to be with our loved ones soon.

My husband has similar story. He was born in Iran and has been living in Sweden for almost 15 years. His case is pending on AP since January. It's been almost 10 months. There were several updates in September but no news. I contacted the senator office too. They inquired about our case but nothing happened so far. 

He also had a pending visitor visa back in August 2016 with no update at all. 

I hope this difficult time ends for all of us soon. It's very frustrating  

[Ahmed&Freda 628]

Those of you who received DS-5535 how many days after the interview did you receive it?  And was it called a Ds-5535 or was it just a simple email?  How did you submit back to the embassy?

 

We were told at our interview today that our case needed more administrative processing and we would be receiving a questionnaire which I'm assuming is the ds-5535 but  have not yet received it.

[S.S 6]

40 minutes ago, Ahmed&Freda said:

Those of you who received DS-5535 how many days after the interview did you receive it?  And was it called a Ds-5535 or was it just a simple email?  How did you submit back to the embassy?

 

We were told at our interview today that our case needed more administrative processing and we would be receiving a questionnaire which I'm assuming is the ds-5535 but  have not yet received it.

Oh.. i received next day after my interview and i am a female waiting for 8 months after the interview.. no they dint mention Ds5535 but that what is it. you can also see that questionnaire on islamabad embassy website.

Just now, S.S said:

Oh.. i received next day after my interview and i am a female waiting for 8 months after the interview.. no they dint mention Ds5535 but that what is it. you can also see that questionnaire on islamabad embassy website.

They asked us to reply back via email.

[Ahmed&Freda 628]

7 minutes ago, S.S said:

Oh.. i received next day after my interview and i am a female waiting for 8 months after the interview.. no they dint mention Ds5535 but that what is it. you can also see that questionnaire on islamabad embassy website.

They asked us to reply back via email.

Thank you!

[Athensfes 0]

Hello everybody,

I  applied for an extension of a J1 Visa (after being in the US for a year and three months) in Morocco and was asked to submit a DS5535, which I did the same day of my interview, and I'm now waiting for 22 days, my Visa application status is under administrative processing...tried to email them but no answer

Any advice ?

PS: I work as a postdoctoral researcher in a US University

 

Thanks 

[Caseinquiry 4]

Does anyone know the difference between mandatory administrative processing and just administrative processing, at the early time straight after the interview the reply for case inquiry was Case in administrative processing now mandatory administrative processing, but have no clue what is the difference in terms of procedures they are conducting?

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

On 10/21/2018 at 4:48 PM, aqz17 said:

Hi all,

Been awhile since I last posted on here. Just wanted to give a quick update. My fiancee had her interview back in October 2017 (K1 visa - Casablanca Morocco). She had 0 updates until Saturday September 28th, about 12 months into AP (apparently the consulate worked that saturday due to the pending lottery visas). They called/emailed her and asked her to re-do her medical plus renew additional documents. Once she returned the documents, it took them 1 week to process the visa and they asked her to pick it up in person on Tuesday Oct 16th. She flew to NYC on Thursday the 18th (had no issues at JFK), we got our marriage license on friday the 19th and had our Nikkah on Saturday night the 20th  Wanted to thank all for their support and guidance, my final advice is to be polite, extremely professional and courteous to the consulate when reaching out to them. The average processing time is around the 11-13 month range (in my research/opinion). The congressman we reached out to helped 0%, we found out more info on our own than he did. I truly believe asking to speak to a superior to escalate our case was the reason why it was finally looked at, I would strongly advise all to try the same. If any questions, feel free to reach out.

Congrats. 

when you say superior, are you talking about the embassy? or NVC? I am not sure who to call in this regard! 

[pleasesendthem 2]

2 minutes ago, Muhammadsheikhale said:

Congrats. 

when you say superior, are you talking about the embassy? or NVC? I am not sure who to call in this regard! 

 Hi I must say that congressional inquiry is the only way we can count on. Some Senator's offices are really nice. Once the inquiry is made it sometimes have quite an effect, not decisive though.

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

My congressman's office was responsive and they inquired. They also promised to follow up again next month. We will see if this makes a difference. 

 

As for the Senator, they have not responded at all  

[pleasesendthem 2]

1 minute ago, Muhammadsheikhale said:

My congressman's office was responsive and they inquired. They also promised to follow up again next month. We will see if this makes a difference. 

 

As for the Senator, they have not responded at all  

Keep asking. I got some meaningful answer from the embassy after 4 different inquiries over the period of 5 months. The embassy is not likely to move at initial inquiry. I suppose senators are slightly more effective, espicially those who represent populated states.