The dreaded DS-5535 thread for Montreal. Post here and support each other (PART 2)

[ideep29 12]

On 9/21/2022 at 11:33 AM, ice-qube said:

Sad to see Montreal still handing out AP and DS-5535 willy nilly. Not much to update here at all, as I am O.G. in this thread and nothing much has changed. Over 11 months since my interview and DS-5535, and now a total of 3 years and 3 months and counting in the immigration process. They have ignored my last couple of emails, as per usual. I guess there really is no choice but WOM, and that makes me very angry.

 

Im still here with you bro.  Filed WoM a while back.  Due date is approaching.  

[ice-qube 648]

24 minutes ago, ideep29 said:

 

Im still here with you bro.  Filed WoM a while back.  Due date is approaching.  

I am sorry to see that you haven’t yet got out of it…what exactly happens on the due date?

[ideep29 12]

17 minutes ago, ice-qube said:

I am sorry to see that you haven’t yet got out of it…what exactly happens on the due date?

Honestly not sure.  I just know legally they have to give some type of explanation by due date.

 

Lawyer said most likely they will file for extension but since they cant file for another extension.... you will see all your paperwork move after extension because they need to get you out of system.  So that means redoing medical and hopefully being out of this mess. 

I was like you... i refused to file a WoM but in the end I had no choice because there was no other light at the end of the tunnel.  

 

I see my case is almost getting updated weekly since WoM due date approaching.  Fingers crossed.  

 

This is ridiculous but im trying to stay positive. 

[ice-qube 648]

On 9/27/2022 at 1:08 PM, jgauthi242 said:

At the end of August, I'd reached out to a reporter at Bloomberg who reports on immigration. He'd written me back that he'd like to write a story once he cleared a few things off his plate.

 

He wrote me this morning asking for people who'd like to be interviewed (names off the record). If anybody here would like to tell him their stories, please let me know and I can put you in touch.

 

My wife's visa has been stuck in AP (interview at Frankfurt) since May 2022 and we filed mandamus/APA this past Wednesday. Will keep everybody updated on how that goes!

 

Please PM me your email address, how long you've been waiting, etc., and I'll put you in touch.

I would be glad to talk. I am now nearly a year in AP and 3 years 3 months in the immigration process overall.

[ideep29 12]

Actually, they can file for a 2nd extension but seems to be rare and they finish real fast if they do.

[throwitaway 189]

20 hours ago, ice-qube said:

I am sorry to see that you haven’t yet got out of it…what exactly happens on the due date?

Have you found a lawyer you like yet?

[topman 42]

Hi Folks, I'm in the employment-based visa category and had our interview on Sept 26, 2022. Unfortunately, we received DS 5535, which we responded to yesterday on Sept 29, 2020. I’ve updated the DS 5535 tracker spreadsheet with my info.

 

It's so heartbreaking to see so many folks waiting for so long to get a response from Montreal after responding to their DS5535. After reading this thread on the forum, it seems like WoM is the only way to speed up the process. Does anyone know how soon can I file WoM after responding to Montreal's DS5535 request? We have already been patiently waiting for 27+ months to get this interview with Montreal, and now thinking of waiting another year or more to get a response is just so painful. 

[throwitaway 189]

1 hour ago, topman said:

Hi Folks, I'm in the employment-based visa category and had our interview on Sept 26, 2022. Unfortunately, we received DS 5535, which we responded to yesterday on Sept 29, 2020. I’ve updated the DS 5535 tracker spreadsheet with my info.

 

It's so heartbreaking to see so many folks waiting for so long to get a response from Montreal after responding to their DS5535. After reading this thread on the forum, it seems like WoM is the only way to speed up the process. Does anyone know how soon can I file WoM after responding to Montreal's DS5535 request? We have already been patiently waiting for 27+ months to get this interview with Montreal, and now thinking of waiting another year or more to get a response is just so painful. 

Well, what kind of delay would affect your employment? 

[LAMA9 118]

@topman sorry that you are now a part of this unfortunate club.  It's a horrible place to be in, and yes, we are seeing very few, if any cases in this group move through to approvals without a WOM since March 2022.   Every law firm is different in terms of when they will consider filing a WOM for you, but we have heard that the most popular ones, will start the process after 4 months of being in DS-5535.  It takes generally 2-3 weeks to onboard and draw up your suit paperwork and then another 20 days or so for the suit to be delivered to the defendants.  From there we are generally seeing a 2-4 month waiting period before the visa is being approved.  ~45 WOM cases have been filed against Montreal in 2022, which we believe is slowing down the historical efficiency of filing a WOM, as the consulate can't keep up and are frequently (almost all cases) requesting time extensions on top of the court appointed decision date, and they are getting them granted.  

We waited 7.5 months in DS-5535 before filing a WOM and if I knew then what I know now, I would have filed much sooner.  We are finally at the end stages of our WOM, with the consulate just having requested my second medical to be done and to send in my passport.  We filed at the end of July and there is no way we would be unstuck if we hadn't filed as WOM cases are likely fully prioritized over non WOM cases in que with more and more WOMs being filed weekly.   

 

Best of luck to you! 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by LAMA9

[Rosinasaur 58]

Hey guys they kept my longform birth certificate when I did the interview.

 

I didn't think too much of it then because I specifically ordered it for the interview.

 

However, it seems like I will need it again for future steps in the immigration process? Should I ask for it back? Do you think they would even send it back? Would Ontario get mad if I ordered a new one?

 

My one year DS5535 anniversary is in 2 days. 🥳

[jgauthi242 35]

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/immigrants-increasingly-sucked-into-bureaucratic-black-hole

 

First one, let's get more!

[LAMA9 118]

1 hour ago, jgauthi242 said:

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/immigrants-increasingly-sucked-into-bureaucratic-black-hole

 

First one, let's get more!

Great article.  Would love to see the next one focus on the human conditions aspect of this process (less on how it affects businesses and corporations) how it affects mental health, and dig deeper into the stats of the "epidemic" issuance of the DS-5535 in the first place for family based visas, especially for Canadian Citizens.  A great start none the less!

[jgauthi242 35]

1 minute ago, LAMA9 said:

Great article.  Would love to see the next one focus on the human conditions aspect of this process (less on how it affects businesses and corporations) how it affects mental health, and dig deeper into the stats of the "epidemic" issuance of the DS-5535 in the first place for family based visas, especially for Canadian Citizens.  A great start none the less!

I agree! I think we'll have more luck focusing on those aspects by reaching out to less business-centric outlets. Andrew is the only reporter who responded to my inquiries for help, but now that we have a recent article from a respected outlet to point to and many people from this thread who are willing to tell their stories, we can get other reporters to pay attention to us. Stay tuned!

[throwitaway 189]

2 hours ago, LAMA9 said:

Great article.  Would love to see the next one focus on the human conditions aspect of this process (less on how it affects businesses and corporations) how it affects mental health, and dig deeper into the stats of the "epidemic" issuance of the DS-5535 in the first place for family based visas, especially for Canadian Citizens.  A great start none the less!

I can see a Canadian outlet maybe picking it up on that angle - there’s really no reason a Canadian citizen should be subject to extreme vetting - the information systems are shared between the US and Canada, everything they need to know they have access to already so what gives?

[jgauthi242 35]

14 hours ago, Throwitaway1988 said:

I can see a Canadian outlet maybe picking it up on that angle - there’s really no reason a Canadian citizen should be subject to extreme vetting - the information systems are shared between the US and Canada, everything they need to know they have access to already so what gives?

That's a great idea. Which of you Canadians wants to identify individual reporters then email them on their work email addresses directly or via LinkedIn? That's the best way to get a response. Emailing the general "tip" line has never worked for me. IMO, easiest way to find reporters' names is to find articles published by those outlets and see who the author was. Would probably also be good for somebody to get in touch with the "foreign minister" too.