yvesemma

Hi Everyone,
 
Long read ahead; scroll to bottom for summary (bold).  I’ve been a longtime lurker of this forum since shortly after my interview (in Nov 2022, yes 2022 not 2023).  I did not want to post in this group throughout my visa journey as I did not want to get further obsessed by the whole process, which I cannot change; so for my mental health I decided I would check this forum from time to time but only post when I was near the end of the process so others could get insight from my timeline.
 
Nov 2, 2022:  IR1 interview at MTL consulate.  The interview was very short; barely 2 minutes and I felt like the CO already knew he wasn’t going to approve me (I’ll never know if it’s because of a flag on my name or something else; but I just knew the minute the interview started and comparing it to others’ interviews I could over-hear going on before me).  It’s interesting to note that along with me, a few other visible minorities were refused that day citing admin processing, while Caucasian applicants were approved with a rather jolly interview.  Just my experience.  The CO said he couldn’t approve me today and more supplemental questions would be sent.  He said I could have my passport back and I wouldn’t need to come back MTL for another interview but they’ll let me know next steps  
Nov 2, 2022:  a couple of hours after my interview, I was emailed the DS-5355 and asked to return it (it was all a list of questions within the body of the email).  
Nov 6, 2022:  returned the completed DS-5355  
From Nov 6, 2022 to August 2023 there was maybe 1 to 2 case updates but we did not email the consulate during that time at all.  We had spoke to a few lawyers who had told us to wait at least 4-6 months before thinking of filing a WOM.  And to be honest, life got busy with work and travels that we planned to spend time together in different countries.  We just kindof carried on with life as best we could, without letting this visa issue hold us back in multiple ways.  Long distance is a challenge but I think you have to know that if you’re getting married to a person in another country; it’s kindof what you signed up for in the short-medium term, I guess.  I’m not saying we didn’t stress about this visa and worried about it and delaying our full life together; but my husband was very good at keeping perspective and focusing on the positives – that we only had a 1 hour plane ride separating us; that we both had remote jobs so we could see eachother whenever we wanted; and we were at least both healthy as that would be an added stressor if one of us was not healthy and couldn’t be together.  I think its important to focus on the things you do have yourself and together, during this whole stressful process.  
August 30, 2023:  As it had been quite a while and past 6 months from my interview,  I decided to email the consulate asking for an update on my case.  I emailed the MTL email address.  We also talked to Christopher from PIC about filing a WOM and he explained everything to us and we said we would think about it and get back to him in a week or so.  
September 6, 2023: Right as we were getting ready to tell Chris from PIC law firm about going forward with WOM, we got a reply from the consulate asking to do a second medical and to send my passport.  I knew this meant good news, but I didn’t get my hopes up.  
Nov 15, 2023:  as I had travel commitments I had already made earlier in the year, I could only complete my passport and send the second medical on Nov 15, 2023  
Nov 23, 2023:  passport received (signature upon delivery) and Medical exam results uploaded to consulate.  
Nov 29  to Jan 6, 2024:  no case updates (the last case update was Nov 29th assuming for the passport and medical).   
Jan 6, and every 2 weeks after:  we emailed the consulate asking if there is any update since receiving the passport and medical and we would get generic responses mentioned many times above.  The responses would come every 2 weeks or so; sometimes never.  The case update would change every time we received a response  
I can’t remember the exact date but there was a day in January when the CEAC status check website was down.  I randomly decided to check the NVC website on the same day and logged in to see that my DS-260 had been unlocked.  I googled this and read that only the consulate can unlock the DS-260.  We weren’t sure if we should update anything so we contacted the lawyer who was helping us in terms of answering questions –  this is PIC, Christopher.  He is AMAZING and would answer our questions promptly even though we did not officially hire him for a WOM.  Christopher told us that we should not touch anything as consulate has opened it and they will let us know for what.  I mentioned my passport was new as the previous one expired so Christopher thought that was why they opened it; to update passport number.  
Feb 2, 2024:  case update (not sure why)  
Feb 5, 2024:  email from MTL asking to update my DS-260 and send the confirmation page back to them.  I updated my DS-260 with my latest travel history and my job change.  I noticed they had already updated my passport number.  
Feb 8, 2024:   I got an email with MTL reply from MTL consulate saying “thank you”.  Which was VERY surprising as I’m sure they do not send friendly emails of that nature – don’t care to.  So I thought that was odd.  A couple of hours later, I checked my status on CEAC and “ISSUED”.  I’m happy for it finally go from “REFUSED” since Nov 2, 2022 to finally being issued but I won’t be 100% happy until my passport with visa is in hand.  
All in all, it took me about 10 months from interview to be asked for my passport + second medical, and then an additional 3.5 months from sending passport for status to change to “ISSUED”.  That is a total of 13.5 months from the interview.  It was a longgggggggg haul.
It will work out for each and every one of you on this forum (barring any crazy criminal or immigration violations in your history, im assuming).  It really does challenge your mental toughness, your perseverance, your faith in basically everything, your relationship and your health in many ways.  But you have to believe it will work out for you.  It’s easier said than done but that’s all you can do in this situation.  Start sending emails to the MTL consulate once you’ve passed the 4 to 6 month mark.  Don’t be too pushy as I was afraid of them being put off and just not doing anything; just ask for a case update in the nicest way possible.  Focus on other things during this time and make the wait worthwhile; don’t live your life in constant worry and at a standstill.
 
Now I hope I actually get my passport/visa without too much of a delay or any other issues propping up.
 
Thanks for reading.  I'm sure many typos as I did not proof-read.

Hia all, officially spent a year in AP after being issued the DS5535.... can I have some options for lawyers to file for the WOM??
 
Thanks 

Hia all, officially spent a year in AP after being issued the DS5535.... can I have some options for lawyers to file for the WOM??
 
Thanks 

Hia all, officially spent a year in AP after being issued the DS5535.... can I have some options for lawyers to file for the WOM??
 
Thanks 

Hia all, officially spent a year in AP after being issued the DS5535.... can I have some options for lawyers to file for the WOM??
 
Thanks 

no youre not always supposed to get the auto answer, ive emailed them to request my passport last week, and didnt get an auto answer.  they emailed me back about 5 business days later.

Walked out of the interview today with the officer telling me he would approve my visa and I could expect it within 2 weeks. No documents missing or anything. I was so happy. Then a few hours later, I got the DS 5535 email. I am devastated looking at this thread and seeing the kind of delays people are experiencing. 
 
We were approved for an expedited request as my wife has a life-threatening condition. Obviously this does not matter to them. 
 
I have never travelled outside Canada or the U.S. Both my parents are French Canadians. I don't work in a sensitive field. I have a pretty uncommon French Canadian name. I work in finance and banking, I have a security clearance from Quebec's National Assembly...  It makes no sense. I can't put into words how I feel today. Just the worst. 

*Warning this is long and no one needs to read this beyond the first paragraph because the rest of it is just venting 😁
 
Not much of bandwidth with my current job. But definitely that advice is something to keep in mind. I appreciate it. I make a good salary but currently I am paying off other things. My father passed away last year and one of my half brother's passed away this year. Neither of them were expected and neither had anything saved for funeral costs etc. These two back to back deaths took a toll on my mother's health and so we had increased health costs for a bit. All of that compounded to be a pretty significant financial burden and so I am already paying off some debt from that and then adding a cost of a lawsuit where I will have to pay both our fees so it'll be at least $10k for me is not going to be an easy task, but being without him is not easy either. I am not getting any younger and would like to start my life with my husband but also I am taking care of a whole household by myself and I really need his emotional support.
 
I'm sorry, I'm just venting, I make a good amount of money but there were just some pretty big difficult things that came up that none of us were prepared for. Like one of the other members here, I have never carried debt until last year when my dad passed away and we had no way to pay the full funeral costs and then this year when my half brother passed away and there we still hadn't yet pulled ourselves out of the financial cost of my dad's funeral when we had to shell out money from that and then dealing with emotional toll it took on my mother it has all been too much.
 
I am not complaining but I sometimes feel like I'm hanging on by a thin thread and the only person that is able to keep me sane and grounded is my husband. He has a calm and soothing effect on me. I have yet to figure out how, but he has always known what I need to keep my sanity, even when I don't know what I need myself. From the first day we met, it was like we had known each other forever, I understood him. But more surprisingly, because I never thought anyone could understand me, he understood me better than anyone then and there's still no one else in the world who understands me the way he does or supports me the way he does. He says the same thing about me, but I know that I am the blessed one. So it's frustrating to be in this situation. It's even more concerning and disheartening when I come here and read about people who are even in worse situations than us like ice-qube. And hearing that no one (that we know of) has been approved since march without a lawsuit. We have only been in AP since this June, so I am not necessarily complaining about us yet. I am complaining about the people who have been in this situation much longer than us and how that makes me feel depressed even though for me it;s not even been a full month yet. I understand the need to vet immigrants, I also understand the compounded backlog due to the trump administrations restrictive immigration policies, and then covid, but that no approvals since March is really unacceptable. It's unacceptable that people are waiting years for familial reunification (re: ice-qube). The fact that we have to resort to law suits to get people who are funded by taxpayer dollars to do their jobs is even more concerning. Despite its issues and imperfections, I really love my country, but the I find it inhumane that families are kept apart like this and people's lives are on hold and it makes seeing cases who have been in this situation much much longer than some of us who haven't been in AP for too long is really concerning especially when there haven't been approvals without a lawsuit for three months at least in the small sampling we have here on VJ. 
 
 

Very sorry to hear you're in this limbo, but this forum lets you understand you're not alone.  I've also answered some of the questions on the DS5535 with "information provided in DS-260" but they didn't tell me to include all the information as they did for your husband... just goes to show its like they are no clear rules to this...

My husband's interview was on Jun 08, 2022. He was so shocked when he was handed a 221 g refusal. Because everything had gone so so well during the interview until the end when the officer handed him a 221 g refusal, telling him that his documents were fully complete and he wished he could approve my husband's visa today but he can't. Further informing my husband to expect an email within 48 hours and not delay in responding. This past Thursday, we received an email for his 15 year travel history, 15 year employment history, spouse's names, siblings names (i.e. the ds 5535). We responded the same day, but for some of the responses we just indicated that the information was already in the DS-260. We received a response on Friday asking us to provide all information including everything that was already within the DS-260. So we resent our email with all responses included. Now we are waiting.
 
The kicker here is I, as the petitioner, had already request an expedite during the previous two stages because my father passed away last year and I needed my husband's emotional support to take care of my mother. And two days before the interview, one of my brother's passed away. So pretty much I have been struggling with my own emotions as well as trying to take care of my mother, I feel physically and emotionally exhausted and I really thought all we needed to do was get through this interview and I'd finally have my support system with me. My heart sank when I found out we were in AP and there was no timeline (supposedly 2-3 weeks according to the officer, but it doesn't sound like it). I feel dejected beyond words and I miss and need my husband. But I can do nothing about it, I do feel like it is inhumane to keep spouses apart for as long as spouses have to be apart during the immigration process and our immigration needs reform (AP or no AP).  
 
Anyway, I'm happy I have some semblance of support here in these forums, but I pray for all of us to get through this quickly so we can get on with our halted lives.